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What do you get when you put a panel of the top dealership leaders in the country in front of a mic and ask them to talk honestly about selling parts online?
You get a no-hype, deeply human conversation about the real ROI of ecommerce, including the misconceptions, mishaps, and big wins that come with it.
In this Fixed Ops Roundtable session, hosted by Sarah Vantine and Ted Ings, we sat down with Grant Krasemann, Assistant General Manager of Dick Huvaere’s CDJR, Gerardo Ayala, Parts Director of Longo Lexus, and David Blair, Online Sales Director of Dependable Dodge, to unpack the truth about building a profitable online parts business.
It’s not just about selling more. It’s about building a smarter, more scalable parts department that doesn’t rely on foot traffic, but instead actually drives a new profitable revenue powerhouse for the dealership.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the (parts) room
Right out of the gate, Ted and Sarah went straight for it: What’s holding dealers back from investing in parts ecommerce?
Watch the 30-second clip:
Turns out, the list is long… and familiar.
“We’ve heard it all: fraud, shipping nightmares, returns, obsolescence, customer complaints. It’s always the same fears.”
— Grant Krasemann
These aren’t hypothetical worries, they’re real concerns voiced by real general managers. But as each panelist made clear, the reality looks a whole lot different once you’ve lived it.
“We’ve faced all of those fears. And we got through them. Every time. It just made us stronger.”
— Grant
Gerardo jumped in with a different angle, one that hits close to home for a lot of fixed ops leaders.
“It wasn’t fraud or shipping. The biggest pushback we got was about time. People ask, ‘How can I possibly add one more thing?’”
— Gerardo Ayala
Sound familiar? Parts departments are already understaffed and stretched thin with retail, some wholesale, walk-ins, internal orders… the idea of bolting on a whole new sales channel that your guys have no prior experience with can feel like a risk not worth taking. But Gerardo offered a game plan: start slow, bring the team along, and bake ecommerce into the culture.
“You’ve gotta get the staff on board. Show them it works. Show them it’s profitable. And never lose sight of the customer experience.”
Myth vs. math: What ROI actually looks like
Then David Blair jumped in with the shipping story every dealership can relate to: lost parts, FedEx issues, customer claims, the works. But instead of letting that scare them off, they leaned in.
“Shipping turned out to be the place we make the most money. We market our parts super competitively, so we make it up on the backend with smart shipping margins.”
— David Blair
And while we’re talking math, James Windrow from RevolutionParts cut straight to the most common misconception he hears:
“Everyone thinks they need to hire extra staff to sell online. But most stores can handle up to $50K a month in sales without adding a single person.”
Watch the 50-second clip:
Let’s break that down:
- Most departments average 6–10 online orders per day at $50K/month
- That’s easily handled by the existing team, especially since a lot of orders come in after hours
- And once sales pass $100K/month, you can add part-time help while protecting your gross profit
In other words, eCommerce doesn’t create inefficiencies. It exposes them and gives you a reason to fix them.
The moment everything changed
Then the conversation shifted to the turning point, the moment each dealership decided to say yes to eCommerce.
For Gerardo, it started at the top.
“Our GM was forward-thinking. He said, ‘Go where your customers are.’ And customers are online.”
— Gerardo
Watch the 1-minute clip:
But that didn’t mean it was an easy sell internally. Convincing the parts team to embrace change took strategy, patience, and transparency. Show the profits. Be honest about the work. Keep the focus on service.
“We treat our online guests like in-person guests. We check VINs. We answer phones. We send emails every step of the way. We don’t want to be Amazon. We want to be personal.”
David’s story was the opposite. The push didn’t come from the GM. It came from the parts manager, hungry to try something new. eCommerce started as a side hustle. A little project. And then it grew.
“We just kept growing. I pulled in another person. Then another. Now it’s its own profit center. Our ownership is thrilled.”
Watch the 1-minute clip:
Grant’s turning point was simple: volume.
“People buy everything online. Why wouldn’t they buy from us? We’re in a small rural town, and now we’re shipping globally.”
Surprise wins nobody saw coming
Once the online engine was humming, unexpected benefits started showing up all over the place.
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Obsolescence met its exit strategy
Old, dusty parts? Online sales gave them a second life.
“We’ve cleared out stock that sat for a year. Just by listing it online.”
— Grant
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Manufacturer kickbacks started rolling in
OEMs like Chrysler started offering rebates tied to retail volume—and ecommerce helped unlock them.
“We’ve started getting extra bonuses from Mopar just by growing our retail.”
— David
Watch the 30-second clip:
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New shoppers turned into repeat buyers
Online orders introduced first-time customers to the store and turned them into regulars.
“Someone might buy online, pick up in-store, and next thing you know they’re coming back again and again.”
— Gerardo
Watch the 1-minute clip:
Your web store doesn’t sleep
If there’s one benefit the panel kept coming back to, it’s this:
“You walk in at 8am, and there’s already a pile of orders waiting. It’s like free money overnight.”
— James Windrow
eCommerce doesn’t clock out. It doesn’t go to lunch. It doesn’t call in sick. It just keeps working, even while your counter is closed.
Final round: The 30-second pitch
To wrap up, Ted tossed the group a curveball: What would you say to a GM who’s still not sold on parts eCommerce?
Watch the 45-second clip:
Grant:
“Just do it. Don’t overthink it. Find the right people. Get excited. Watch it grow.”
Gerardo:
“There is time. You can make money before your day even starts.”
David:
“This is the next wave. People want to buy from their couch. You either show up or you get left out.”
James:
“If you care about absorption rate, you can’t afford to ignore eCommerce. It’s the lowest-lift, highest-upside opportunity in Fixed Ops.”
