Winter is coming, along with a rising demand for winter auto accessories. Customers will be searching and ready to buy the seasonal parts they need to deal with the snow, ice, and cold.
If this is your first winter selling parts online, then you’re in for a treat. With the right promotion for wintery items on your parts eCommerce website, it’s a fantastic opportunity to boost parts sales and end the year on a solid note.
Here are some promotional tricks that can make a difference for your parts department this winter:
1. Think about location.
Not all locations have to deal with snow and ice every winter. Therefore, it makes sense that customers in Arizona will have very different needs than customers who live in Maine.
This can be important to keep in mind if you’re running ad campaigns. To maximize your ad budget Return on Investment (ROI), exclude certain regions from your winter ad campaigns. Your ads for snow accessories simply won’t appear to people who live in places where it doesn’t snow. This is an easy that your ads are only appearing to consumers who are ACTUALLY interested in buying.
However, people in non-snowy places might still need accessories to deal with the cold. You don’t want to exclude them from everything!
2. Create a list of relevant parts and accessories.
Do you know off the top of your head which parts to promote in the winter? You can probably list a few, but making a list is a great way to make sure you’re not forgetting something important.
Here are a few we think will be popular in the winter:
- Battery chargers
- Brake Pads
- Brush/ice scraper
- Car covers
- Floor mats
- Jump starter cables
- Oxygen sensor
- Safety kits
- Snow chains
- Snow guard (For side mirrors)
- Snow plow
- Snow Shoes
- Windshield cover
- Windshield wipers
- Winter tires
Of course, a lot of these are accessories that your dealership might not carry. Especially if you’re located in a place that sees little to no snow. For parts departments located in warmer climates, it’s up to you whether you want to try stocking and selling these parts, even though it’s unlikely that they’ll sell at the parts counter.
3. Take pictures!
Photos of your parts can DOUBLE conversion rates! This is especially true for accessories, since customers want to see what it looks like before making their purchase.
Before the winter rush hits, take some time to photograph the parts you think will be most popular this winter. You don’t have to take pictures of every part in your inventory, but getting images for a select few will have a large impact when it comes to standing out from the competition.
READ MORE: How to Take Better Auto Parts Photos
4. Start promoting early
If you start promoting too late in the season, customers might have already purchased the parts they need! You need to catch them at the right time—just as they’re starting to prepare for the upcoming snow.
Decide which parts you’ll promote. Even within the larger category of winter parts and accessories, you can find a theme for your promotion. For example, you could have a “safety first” campaign for sales on snow chains and jumper cables. Or you could go with a “Ice Buster” campaign where certain anti-snow and anti-ice accessories are discounted.
With RevolutionParts, you can set these as featured parts to be displayed on your homepage. Don’t forget to email your customers about it and post to social media so that everyone knows about your sales.
Here are some tools to help you out:
- 5 Types of Coupon that will Drive Sales to your Parts Website
- How to Run an Amazing Promotion on eBay Motors
- 4 Must-Have Elements of a Promotional Email That Actually Drives Sales
Discounts are a great way to excite your customers, so don’t miss this golden opportunity to bring them in! For the next few months, customers will be actively searching for and buying parts and accessories to help them through the ice and snow. Make sure they choose YOU as their supplier!
