eBay Partners With Openbay To Expand Automotive Parts Sales To Aftermarket Industry

Openbay announced it has partnered with eBay Motors to provide the availability of millions of searchable automotive parts and accessories for its online marketplace for auto repair and service. Powered by eBay Motors, businesses can research, source and acquire automotive parts directly through the Openbay dashboard. This selection features a wide spectrum of value including genuine OEM automotive parts, white label parts, national brand aftermarket parts, remanufactured and used parts, as well as hard-to-find parts that are no longer manufactured.

“By collaborating with Openbay, we are making it extremely easy for automotive repair businesses to get their hands on the parts they need, when they need them,” said Jordan Hettinga, director of category management at eBay Motors. “With millions of items available on eBay – everything from OEM to hard-to-find parts, we’re arming the Openbay community with the access to this inventory. With our wide spectrum of value, we’re hoping to save customers time, money, all while improving their profitability.”

The Openbay marketplace – with participation from its automotive care business network – aims to exceed the modern consumer’s expectations when servicing their vehicle. The majority of Openbay registered users operate out-of-warranty vehicles or vehicles that are beyond the 11-plus average age vehicle on U.S. roads. Presenting users with a convenient way to book and pay for automotive service, giving automotive care providers access to a wide range of parts for every car and light truck, all play a key role in gaining customer trust and loyalty, Openbay says.

“There are several large trends impacting the automotive aftermarket industry and companies that serve the automotive parts supply chain,” said Rob Infantino, founder and CEO of Openbay. “The largest population in U.S. history is now of driving age [millennials] and buying older vehicles as their first car. Acquisition of online services is at an all-time high. More than 60 million vehicles older than 16-years in age are in operation on U.S. roads that will require more repair and service when compared to later model vehicles. These trends translate to a large and growing opportunity to service a unique customer segment. Openbay and eBay Motors are helping improve the customer experience when getting a vehicle serviced and helping increase efficiency and profitability for automotive care businesses.”

Sourcing parts for older vehicles or for customers with unique needs and improving parts profitability are constant challenges for automotive care businesses. To alleviate these concerns, Openbay has leveraged eBay’s APIs to streamline the end-to-end customer service experience and to drive efficiency and profitability for automotive care businesses.

Benefits for Automotive Care Businesses

• Access to genuine OEM automotive parts from franchises across the U.S., branded aftermarket products, new white label parts, remanufactured and used parts
• Opportunity to stock up on parts used most frequently in bulk. Examples include engine and cabin air filters, oil filters, light bulbs, wiper blades, fuses, fluids and shop supplies
• Access to hard-to-find parts, obsolete or no longer available parts
• Unique accessories outside of a repair that might be requested by the customer

This article first appeared on aftermarketnews.com