Honda Superstore Of Lisle

As eCommerce has become more competitive, people like Katherine Akre will be the ones who stand on top of the parts-selling world.

When you’re as good at making customers feel happy and valued as Katherine Akre is, you need an auto parts eCommerce platform that helps you manage all the repeat business you’re sure to bring in. In Katherine’s case, repeat business is booming: one customer at Honda Superstore of Lisle, Illinois has made 46 orders in the last year alone. That’s no accident – that’s Katherine at work.

A lifelong car enthusiast turned parts selling pro, Katherine started off as a delivery driver before moving behind the counter with Honda and, eventually, to selling parts online as the Lisle Superstore’s designated eCommerce Specialist. The homebrewed web store she inherited wasn’t generating the results Katherine wanted, so she quickly migrated her online inventory over to RevolutionParts.

And yes, the RevolutionParts platform has been exactly what the mechanic ordered when it comes to helping Lisle sell more parts and turn more profit. But that’s only half of what makes for a successful eCommerce story; the rest is all Katherine.

“I started running the eCommerce side because they needed someone who could deal with customers more directly,” Katherine explains. “I like to focus on the customer relationship and making sure everyone is taken care of, so it was a perfect fit for me.”

Out of a parts team of 18 employees, Katherine is a one-woman show running the online selling engine. She processes all orders and stays in contact with all of her customers, encouraging them to leave voicemails or send emails if she can’t take their phone call right away. And she always gets back to them. It’s why they keep buying from Honda of Lisle.

“With RevolutionParts, we’re not just in the dark hoping things work.”

Katherine also has a keen eye for detail and is able to enhance the customer experience at every touchpoint. RevolutionParts allows her to easily update the parts images that come from collision repair catalogs to include a more precise product description. She even photographs rare accessories herself and uploads them to the platform so customers can feel as confident as possible about their purchases.

“With RevolutionParts, we’re not just in the dark hoping things work,” she says. “A tool like the bulk export option really helps with time management and maximizes our efficiency when I’m managing the catalog.”

“Customers will say, ‘is there anyone else I can talk to?’ when they see me… and I’ll look them right back and say no, I’m perfectly competent, and you can talk to me.”

Customer service is the lifeblood of Katherine’s success, a skill she’s honed as a tough-as-nails woman working in a male-dominated field. In her six years working in parts, she’s had to prove doubters wrong time and time again. “Customers will say, ‘is there anyone else I can talk to?’ when they see me,” she admits. “And I’ll look them right back and say no, I’m perfectly competent, and you can talk to me.” One experience with Katherine is all it takes for the skeptics to quiet down.

As eCommerce has become more competitive, people like Katherine Akre will be the ones who stand on top of the parts-selling world. She’s got the natural people skills to drive business and the technology platform to sell at scale, a powerful combination that keeps customers coming back for more.

Do you dream of success like Katherine and the Honda Superstore of Lisle team? Contact RevolutionParts today to get started with an eCommerce solution that will accelerate your profits.