Believe it or not, auto parts are one of the fastest growing e-commerce sectors. According to a comprehensive study by the Sydney Morning Herald, the average online automotive store saw a revenue increase of 89% – in one year.

There’s a huge demand for aftermarket car parts and accessories. But what are the best activities for an auto parts store to increase their sales online? There’s a lot of room for online marketing improvement. Here are three insights (with a bonus tip) to boost auto parts sales with social selling.

(1) Enthusiasts use “retro” social media to help the buying decision process: We discovered that a high percentage of auto parts sales targets participate in social media, but a very low percentage—2% to 4%—use it to make a buying decision. About 6 out of 10 use what you might call ‘retro social media’: automotive bulletin boards.

What does this imply? Content that you’re creating for modern social media channels should be ported over to automotive bulletin boards as well. There are thousands of these providing a window into active forums where your audience are more qualified leads than any other. To boost auto parts sales, this is the way to go.

(2) Connect with the right audience: If you want to boost auto parts sales online, there are three main audience categories you should be targeting.

a. Forum Owners — having access to the high number of actively engaged, qualified leads you’ll find in automotive forums is a big plus for boosting your auto parts sales. If you do your research, you’ll be able to connect with these forum owners on professional networks (LinkedIn) and more casual social networks (Facebook & Twitter). You’ll often find that these forum owners have also created groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.

b. Automotive Bloggers — seeking out automotive bloggers, especially on LinkedIn and Twitter, can help you get the word out on upcoming product offers.

c. Leading Customers  — these are the ones who are the most actively engaged on social media, both retro and modern. They spearhead group buys and can generally be great influencers with the right incentives.

(3) Use Optimized Landing Pages: The easier you make it for a customer to buy from you, the more likely they will click your “add to shopping cart” button. To boost auto parts sales online, a good product landing page should:

• Show an image of the part
• Include a headline with the part name
• Give a concise but detailed description
• Include the auto part number
• Give the auto part price
• Have a clear, easy to see CTA (such as “Add to Cart”)
• Have directional cues towards the CTA
• Be free of friction (by reducing the number of CTAs and other distractions on the page)

(4) Bonus Tip — Organize Group Buys: Who doesn’t like getting a great deal on auto parts? Forum members are almost always on the lookout for the next great group buy opportunity. As a business marketer, you know the power of giving away discounts and deals.

To boost auto parts sales online, direct your prospects to a discount landing page on your website. Alternatively, you can leverage the power of white label group buying and direct your prospects to a simple group buy solution.

Download LetsPool's free Group Buying Guide now!