(Reprinted)Customers’ love for shopping online is increasing every year—after all, it’s easy, convenient, and often less expensive than in-store purchases. With such a potential for increasing your profits online, maybe you’ve considered expanding your sales to reach the online community. But with so many E-commerce platforms to choose from, where do you start?

Reliable E-commerce software that fits your needs can maximize your revenue, but a poorly chosen platform could leave you with a costly and unsuccessful failure. To help you figure out which system is best for you and your dealership’s success we’ve come up with this practical guide on how to find the right auto parts E-commerce platform for you dealership.

1. Determine your E-commerce goals

The first step is to determine what your E-commerce goals are. Would you be happy with a few extra part sales a month or do you need to grow sales aggressively? How you run and operate your online store will change depending on if you’re reaching out to customers on a local or national level. The national level may have a higher payout, but it’s also much more competitive. Perhaps you want to start by capturing online sales from customers in your local area who already visit your website, and expand nationally once you’ve got the hang of it. Make sure you find an E-commerce service provider that can tailor their service to your current goals but scale to meet your future goals.Questions to consider:

• Do you want to sell on a national level, a local level, or both?

• Do you want to grow rapidly and aggressively, or just get started?

• Do you want to sell on your own domain, or on a separate site?

2. Website reliability

If your auto parts online store is down, you can’t make sales. Even worse, downtime will not only cut into your profits, but also make your company seem unreliable and unprofessional. It’s essential that the E-commerce software provider you choose has a history of reliable service, and a reputation for quick fixes on the rare occasion that your website does run into problems.

Questions to consider:

• If your website goes down, what is your plan of action? Who can you contact?

• Does the E-commerce platform have reliable uptime?

• Does the E-commerce platform respond quickly and efficiently?

3. Support

If you do run into problems while setting up or running your online storefront, you’ll need someone to go for personalized and effective support—whether it’s tech support, advice, or just a quick question. An E-commerce platform with a strong support team can move things along quickly and efficiently compared to one that takes weeks to respond to a simple question. Every vendor will claim they have first-rate support, but not all will deliver on the promise so your best bet is to call other dealerships currently using the platform and ask them what the support is really like.

Questions to consider:

• What kind of support does the provider offer?

• Is support included, or does it cost extra?

• How responsive is the support team? How helpful? How effective?

4. User experience

If the customer has a poor experience on your website, they’re unlikely to return. Therefore, keep a happy customer in mind while choosing your E-commerce platform. While browsing your options, ask the potential E-commerce provider for a demo. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes as you click through the website and "make a purchase.” Remember that the more steps it takes for a customer to find and purchase the part, the less likely they’ll follow through with the sale.

Questions to consider:

• Is the site easy to navigate?

• Is it easy for a customer to find and verify the right part? Are there images or diagrams?

• How many steps does it take to purchase an item? Is it easy to add to cart and checkout?

• Is the site mobile-friendly?

5. Design options

Since the design and layout of the webpage is the first thing a customer will notice, it’s important to take this part into consideration. Customers should associate the site’s appearance with your brand and the type of service you can provide them. A clean, modern, user-friendly and professional design will make your website preferred over others.

Questions to consider:

• What level of branding and customization do you need?

• How much control do you have over customization? • Are the provided designs professional and aesthetically pleasing?

• Do the offered themes fit your company’s image?

• Do personalized designs cost extra?

6. Price setting for parts

There are a few common methods for setting prices on your online store. You can base it on an added percentage over the cost, or price it a little bit under list. In many systems, you have to pick one system over the other. Some pricing methods, however, make more sense than others for certain categories of auto parts or accessories. If you have an E-commerce platform that forces you to price every part using the same method, it can result in some serious losses.

Questions to consider:

• Do you know the best way to price each part?

• Can you set your prices based on cost, list, or a combination of the two?

7. Integration with tools you already use

If you’re already using some online tools to reach your customers, picking an E-commerce platform that integrates well with what you already have is definitely a bonus. Some service providers may charge more if you want to integrate those tools, so watch out for added costs.

Questions to consider:

• Which integration tools do you currently use (email, DMS, Google product feeds)?

• Which integration tools does the service provider offer?

• Which ones do you have to pay extra for?

8. Security and payment gateways

Customers need to trust you with their credit card information before they make a purchase. Before signing on with an E-commerce service provider, look into how secure their system is and if they have a history of security breaches. A key feature to look for in an E-commerce platform is a tokenized payment system, which removes the actual credit card number and replaces it with a token (a randomly generated number). E-commerce platforms that use tokenized payment systems never actually store credit card numbers so the fraudsters have no credit card numbers to steal.

Questions to consider:

• Does the E-commerce platform have a history of secure systems?

• Is customer credit card information stored in the system? Is the stored information kept in a safe and secure way?

• Does the E-commerce platform support popular payment gateways?

9. Shipping

Shipping is a major factor for any online retailer. Accurate shipping costs can make or break your profits on a parts sale. Many E-commerce systems use a simple formula based on the price of the part to estimate shipping costs, which can be problematic if you have a large,heavy truck part that sells for a low price. At the same time, overpriced shipping will be a quick way to lose customers to more reasonable retailers.

Questions to consider:

• Will you be able to accurately estimate shipping costs based on the size and weight of each part for sale?

• Are shipping costs calculated automatically? How?

10. Cost of the solution

Some E-commerce platforms are more or less expensive than others, depending on the quality, effectiveness, and features offered. Before rushing ahead with your plans, make sure you’re getting a deal that fits what you need. Evaluate your budget and don’t just jump for the cheapest option. Sometimes it’s best to pay a little more for a reliable platform, since a more effective website will drive more revenue.

Questions to consider:

• Do you know what you’re paying for?

• What is the price per month?

• Are there any hidden fees (set-up fees, processing fees, integration fees, and additional theme or app fees)?

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