Longo Toyota
Gerardo Ayala, Retail Parts Supervisor of Longo Toyota modernizes the parts buying experience to bring one of the country’s top dealerships to the next level.
Gerardo Ayala, the Retail Parts Supervisor at Longo Toyota, has revolutionized the way his dealership tackles the ever-changing market for OEM parts. By selling parts through online channels such as eBay, Amazon, and his dealership’s very own RevolutionParts web store, Gerardo has adapted to modern part shoppers.
When it comes to reaching customers, Gerardo is dedicated to making sure that when somebody searches for a part online, “they see we are in all of these channels and they can purchase from somebody they know and trust.” He says it is very important to be present to all Toyota parts shoppers at all times. That’s why he says, “we want to be where our guests are, so online parts sales was a no-brainer.”
“The days of hoping that people will need a filter and walk through your door are over.”
Parts customers nowadays are turning to the internet to research the parts they need before making a purchase. “The days of hoping that people will need a filter and walk through your door are over,” Gerardo says. Making sure your parts are available online, “can drive them to make a purchase at the physical dealership, through the phones, or ultimately online,” he continues.
“We have opened the dealership to new revenue opportunities by adding an online platform.”
Building visibility online has helped Longo Toyota create new revenue channels to the dealership. Through parts eCommerce, Gerardo says, “we are able to sell to other markets and capture business in other parts of the country… we have opened the dealership to new revenue opportunities by adding an online platform.”
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Serving modern customers is all about adapting your business to how they prefer to communicate. “Many online customers don’t want to speak face to face, some of them want to email – we can do that,” Gerardo says. “On the other hand, some of them want to actually have a conversation and, you know, our phone lines have been…pretty busy.” The versatility of an online platform lets customers communicate and make purchases in a way that’s most convenient to them. And happy customers often return, right?
So what advice does Gerardo give to dealers who may be hesitant to enter the digital retailing? “As long as you change your mindset and look at trying to garner that business, then it is doable.”
When asked, why RevolutionParts? Gerardo said the decision was easy, “we looked at different providers but RevolutionParts offered a seamless integration into our website, online stores, and have a stellar support team,” he says, “it takes the hassle out of doing it yourself.”
READ MORE: The 8 Keys to Successfully Selling OEM Parts Online
