At the World Trade Center in NYC on June 4, 2025, the auto industry came together for the Fixed Ops Roundtable Pop-Up. Uber for Business hosted the live event, where top pros in FixedOps shared ideas. Through panels and talks, one big point was made: it’s time to shine a light on the parts department.
RevolutionParts was proud to be a Certified Partner for the event. Our CEO and Co-Founder Ibrahim Mesbah attended, joining thought leaders on stage for a panel discussion that emphasized just how much impact the parts department has on dealership success.
A welcome shift in focus
For years, the parts department was seen as an afterthought: important, but rarely prioritized. This event made it clear that those days are over.
“2025 is the year of the parts department,”
said host Ted Ings, kicking off the day.
While speaking on stage, Ibrahim Mesbah talked about why he started RevolutionParts and how it helps parts managers and buyers with real problems.
“I was working at PayPal and loved the world of payments and eCommerce. A friend’s brother was running a parts department at a dealership in Phoenix, and he always talked about how hard it was to sell parts online. That challenge really stuck with me,” Ibrahim explained.
From that spark, RevolutionParts was born. Today, the platform has powered over $4.25 billion in part sales and works with more than 2,500 dealerships across North America.
“Our mission is to remove friction between parts buyers and sellers. We want to make the experience fast, simple, and customer-friendly,” Ibrahim said.
Closing the gap, together
One of the most compelling stats shared during the event was this: the average online order shipped through RevolutionParts travels about 900 miles.
“That’s too far. It’s a waste. It makes UPS and FedEx rich, and the buyer ends up waiting longer than they should when other dealers along the way already have that part on the shelf. If dealers work together, we can shorten delivery times, reduce canceled orders, and compete more effectively with the aftermarket,” said Ibrahim.
To solve this, RevolutionParts created a drop ship network, helping dealers work together. Now, when an order comes in, the system finds the dealership closest to the customer and fulfills the order from there.
“We’re seeing about 5,000 drop ship orders every month. Sometimes they’re delivered in under 15 minutes using Uber,” Ibrahim shared.
RevolutionParts’ partnerships with Nissan and INFINITI have accelerated this work by helping establish a more connected dealer-to-dealer fulfillment model. Through these collaborations, RevolutionParts enables orders to be fulfilled by the closest possible stocking dealer, even if that dealer isn’t the one who originally received the sale.
These partnerships help make the parts process smoother. They cut down on shipping costs and help customers get their parts faster. With more dealers sharing inventory, it’s easier to find and ship the right part without delays or lost sales.
For Nissan and INFINITIi, this also helps make the whole shopping experience more connected. It gives customers the kind of fast, easy service they expect from big online stores—exactly what RevolutionParts set out to provide for its dealership partners and parts shoppers from day one.
Parts pay the bills
Throughout the day, speakers reminded attendees that the parts department is one of the most profitable areas of the dealership… if managed well.
“Parts sell hours,” said panelist Tully Williams. “If you want a productive shop, your parts department has to be on board, and there has to be something in it for them.”
Panelist David Spisak added: “Parts convert the highest level of gross to net. You want to grow your net, if you want to accelerate that, if you want to hack net profit, get into parts and figure out how to grow it.”Brian Kramer expanded on that point, emphasizing how parts and service need to work together during reconditioning, recalls, and everyday repairs. “Instead of discounting parts, instead of discounting labor, I think that if you really want to bridge the gap between sales and service, that they need to educate the sales department… because there’s an ignorance when it comes to, you know, sales departments just see it’s the dollar out of the RO.”
Shopping starts with search
A major theme of the event was the importance of digital retailing. Simply put, customers expect to buy parts online, and if they can’t find your store, they’ll go elsewhere.
“Not having your parts inventory online is like trying to sell cars without a website,” Ibrahim said. “Today’s customers want to know: do you have it, how much is it, and how fast can I get it?”
Panelist Nolan Armpriester agreed. “We have our parts inventory on our website, on Amazon, on eBay, anywhere that somebody can look for a part. We’re there.”
This level of transparency and convenience builds trust and loyalty.
“Every dealership has a local brand. Being online is part of that. It’s how you stay top-of-mind and serve your community better. Today’s buyer expects to shop how they live. They track packages, book appointments, and order groceries from their phone. Why should parts be any different?” Ibrahim said
Putting parts inventory online is both a marketing tool and a customer experience strategy. And for many dealerships, it’s the first step toward long-term growth in service retention and online revenue.
Marketing that moves parts
RevolutionParts’ marketing team shared that dealers are now seeing over $12 in return for every $1 spent on digital ads.
“Our marketing team’s always looking at, how do you effectively market a $60 part, which is very different from selling a $40,000 vehicle,” Ibrahim said.
While selling parts online presents a different set of challenges than traditional car sales, the RevolutionParts team is focused on making those campaigns smarter, faster, and more efficient for every dealership.
James Windrow, a member of the RevolutionParts marketing team, was on-site to answer questions and share strategies for ad targeting, conversion tracking, and building sustainable digital traffic for your parts and accessories web store.
FixedOps is a team sport
In the final panel of the day, speakers turned their attention to internal dealership culture. They encouraged attendees to create pay plans that connect parts performance with service outcomes, reward teamwork, and keep everyone accountable.
“You want to fix the problem? Hold people accountable,” said panelist Shon Kingrey.
Clear goals, cross-department planning, and making sure every team member knows their impact are the keys.
“Are you paying your parts people on the shop forecast? Are they part of the team? Because what happens with a bunch of parts people? They’re locked behind glass and they feel like they’re left out. Our goal is to get them out there to help our technicians be successful,” said panelist Sarah Vantine.
Dealers also talked about how changing internal pay plans is helping improve culture and results. For example, some now tie parts staff bonuses to technician productivity or cycle times in used car reconditioning.
“Pay plans around behavior. If your parts people aren’t tied to the hours in the shop, you’re failing. Used cars, if your parts department isn’t tied into cycle time, into used cars, you’re failing,” said panelist Shon Kingrey.
Others have created shared goals between service advisors and parts managers, aligning incentives to boost both efficiency and satisfaction. That kind of alignment is what turns a parts department into a true profit center, and strengthens relationships across the store.
Final insights from the stage
As a closing statement, Ibrahim left attendees with a forecast on the future of parts.
“Dealers have been able to exist and even do fine without having to necessarily embrace modern thoughts, counterintuitive thinking, modern technology solutions,” Ibrahim said. “That’s over. It’s over. Mark my words. Write it down.”
His vision for the future is clear: more collaboration, smarter logistics, and an always-online approach to parts.
“Our goal is to help every dealership be as easy to buy from as Amazon,” Ibrahim said. “Because that’s what customers expect, and we want to help our partners deliver.”
The event wrapped with a shared sense of momentum. FixedOps is no longer sitting in the back seat, it’s steering the future of the dealership.
More dealers are exploring real-time delivery options, AI-powered inventory suggestions, and mobile service expansions. RevolutionParts plans to expand its drop ship network, build deeper OEM partnerships, and offer smarter marketing tools for its users.
“We’re proud of the progress we’re making, but we still have a lot of work ahead, so we’re excited,” Ibrahim said.
Events like this one are pushing the parts and service world into a future that runs faster and works better together.
Thank you to our event hosts and partners
RevolutionParts would like to thank Ted Ings, Uber for Business, and all the Certified Partners who helped make the Fixed Ops Roundtable Pop-Up such a success:
- Reynolds and Reynolds
- BG Products, Inc.
- Dynatron Software, Inc.
- Automotive Warranty Network, Inc.
- Northwood University
