How Boucher Auto Group Turned a Local Parts Operation Into a Nationwide Online Business
Estimated read time: 10 minutes
McDonalds has Ronald. KFC has the Colonel. Michelin has the Michelin Man. And Boucher Auto Group has Car-D-Part, a cow dreamed up at Wisconsin State Fair, dressed for every season, and now the face of their online parts business across 7 brands.
She's got a wardrobe, overalls included, but Car-D
-Part isn't just a mascot. She's the face of a promise: "Genuine OEM parts without the bull."
Behind the cow is a pretty serious commitment to the people on the other end of the order. Real OEM parts. Real warranties. Real people who answer the phone, solve problems, and get customers what they need, whether they're down the street or across the country.
Boucher Auto Group didn't set out to build a nationwide online parts operation by reinventing its parts business. It took something it already did well, taking care of customers, and gave it a much bigger reach.
Then came the question: Why should a great Parts Department stop at the county line?
A Local Parts Operation With Nationwide Reach
30-Day Online Parts Snapshot
Why Stop at the Local Market?
Boucher already knew how to sell parts locally. The team knew its inventory, knew its customers, and knew how to get the right part into the right hands.
Then local jobbers and repair shops started buying, too. It was a simple test: Would Boucher’s parts knowledge and customer service work beyond the usual crowd? It did.
That raised a bigger question: If the formula worked beyond the dealership, why stop at the local market?
Nothing said they had to. Selling parts online through their own webstore gave Boucher a way to take what it already did well and put it in front of customers nationwide.
The Customer Review That Changed the Equation
Believing the formula worked and proving it are two different things, and Boucher got the proof in the form of a customer review.
Someone said Boucher beat their local dealer on price, service, and selection, a customer who had zero reason to buy from Boucher and did it anyway. Ryan Hensel, Fixed Ops Marketing Specialist, read it and basically thought: wait, better than the guy down their own street?
That review flipped the whole equation. Boucher wasn't just competing in its own backyard anymore, it was competing with any dealer, anywhere, that a customer might stumble across while looking for the right part at the right price.
Excellent Customer Service Goes Beyond the Counter
Ask Ryan what actually separates Boucher from every other dealer trying to sell parts online, and it's not price. Or marketing spend. It's people.
That's not a phrase to pop on the wall in the office to impress visitors. It's the operating principle behind the whole online parts business.
A genuine OEM part gets you in the door, sure. But someone still has to pick up the phone when the part's late, someone has to explain what's going on before the customer has to ask, and someone has to actually send the update instead of making the customer chase it.
That matters even more online, where nobody can lean over the counter and point at the screen going "yep, that one." The customer might be five states away with a broken-down car and a job to commute to five days a week.
Pricing, in Ryan's world, comes in third. Behind service, behind knowing your stuff. Which, if you think about it, is a pretty confident place to put it.
When Things Go Wrong, Get More Human
Technology can move an order across the country and send tracking updates. What it can't do is carefully wrap a complicated part because someone on the other end needs it in one piece.
That's Michelle's job.
One online customer ordered a big, complicated part and specifically asked for extra-careful packaging. Michelle delivered, literally, and it arrived in perfect shape. A few days later, a $50 Amazon gift card showed up in the mail, just because.
When USPS lost a batch of orders, Michelle’s team got ahead of it, tracking down every affected customer and checking in daily. Her line to them: "we will not leave you hanging." Not one customer bailed.
And when a Minnesota customer received a damaged gasket, an unhappy phonecall turned into a full-blown Vikings-Packers debate, and by the end he told Michelle he'd buy every Nissan part he ever needs from Boucher.
Turns out the best customer service tech is still a person who picks up the phone.
Ecommerce Creates Opportunities for Employees, Too
Ask Ryan what he’s most proud of, and it’s not the reviews or reach. It’s the people. Before eCommerce, the Parts Department was…well…just a Parts Department. Now, it’s a growth track, and one that’s pulling in talent dealerships aren’t used to seeing in the Parts Department.
Younger employees who like computers and don't mind a screen more than a shelf are suddenly interested in a job at a dealership. Boucher's even started taking on interns during the summer months, "eCommerce will look good on the resume," as Ryan puts it.
More avenues to grow, more ways to earn money. Turns out that's also a pretty reliable way to keep good people from walking out the door.
What Car-D-Part Really Stands For
By now the cow's earned her keep. She's the fun part of the story, but more than that, she’s a mascot for a promise Boucher actually keeps:
Genuine OEM parts, real warranties, and people who know what they’re talking about, whether you’re calling from next door or logging in three states away.
Nearly 500 reviews and a 4.9-star average don't happen by accident. Car-D may wear the overalls, but the people behind her make the promise stick.
Built by Boucher. Powered by RevolutionParts.
None of this happened by accident. Boucher has been building its parts eCommerce operation for about a decade, with RevolutionParts alongside it.
As Ryan puts it, “We couldn't do it without this partnership with RevolutionParts.”
But it works because each side brings something different. RevolutionParts brings the tech-y stuff and eCommerce support. Boucher brings the people, the parts expertise, and the commitment to treating an online customer like a customer at the counter.
Grow Your Parts Business Online with RevolutionParts.
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- Grow with expert support: Get the tools, coaching, and guidance to build a stronger online parts business.