How eCommerce is Critical to Navistar’s Future Success

Navistar’s long-term goal is to become a solutions provider for customers, making their lives and business operations as simple as possible. What could make it easier than having a truck and bus parts website ordering system likened to Amazon, but better?

A few years ago, Navistar’s Parts leaders decided an online part ordering option was a must. International Truck and IC Bus dealers spend a good amount of time each day taking calls from customers in need of parts; imagine what they could be doing with their time with an automated system. To support this vision, Navistar joined RepairLink, a parts identification and ordering platform which connects directly to a specific dealer location.

“RepairLink’s goal is to fill the gap and be there for customers front and center where competitors are not,” said Ken Zagroba, director, E-Commerce. “It provides a way for customers to identify parts they need and gives them access to more than one million other parts in the all-makes arena.”

As the first heavy duty OEM to join RepairLink, International and IC Bus customers can view pricing and inventory through their preferred dealership for all International Truck, IC Bus and Fleetrite parts. Additionally, customers can also take advantage of Navistar sponsored promotions on products and transactional discounts.

The process from start to finish is simple. Customers create and sign in to their RepairLink account. The customer profile includes their company information, including dealer contacts and location. Based on the address they input, the program will display the nearest International Truck and IC Bus dealers to the customer’s location. The customer can also save a preferred dealer.

When the customer selects their preferred dealer, that dealer receives a notification the customer wants to do business with them. In addition to viewing the parts inventory available at the dealership, this proactive approach allows dealers to also reach out for service and parts needs or simply introducing themselves and networking from a sales perspective.

When ordering parts, customers can see photos of the parts, as well as all the necessary details about the parts including if the dealer has the part available, if the closest Parts Distribution Center (PDC) has it in stock, and if there are any sales promotions or discounts. Customers can also use the VIN catalog to look up their vehicle and see what parts numbers they need. When the customer is ready to check out, they have the option to have the parts delivered to the dealership or to their location. The option to leave the dealer a note on their order is also available, making the experience personalized and communication easier.

Large fleet customers like PepsiCo, Swift Transportation and Ryder are currently leveraging Navistar’s RepairLink platform, with both customer and dealer feedback trending positive. Customers have preferred this method to having to call a dealer to place parts orders.

“RepairLink got dealers comfortable and understanding why ecommerce is so important and now that they have a taste, they want more functionality and capability,” said Ken. “This type of platform is necessary to Navistar’s continued success; our customers not only want it, but they now expect it to be part of our business.”

To date, RepairLink has assisted in generating more than $200 million in retail sales part revenue for dealers. In the future, the next step with RepairLink is to build Navistar’s own proprietary parts platform. Developing a custom solution would allow for further customization and connection with current and future Navistar technologies.