Michael Satterfield
By Michael Satterfield
Recently eBay Motors announced their latest auto feature to make it easier to find the right parts for your car, Shop by Diagram, which lets shoppers use interactive schematics to determine which parts are necessary, and then quickly making the exact items they need available for purchase. A newly enhanced My Garage experience also allows buyers to shop a personalized “virtual garage” of parts and accessories tailored to their vehicle.
These new tools make shopping much easier for experienced DIY mechanics and first time shoppers to find the right parts the first time, while also confirming they aren’t missing any other required components. According to eBay Motors’ Automotive DIY study1, nearly half of consumers (49 percent) have mistakenly purchased a part either online or in store, that was incompatible with their vehicle. Additionally, more than 70 percent have started a car repair before realizing they didn’t have all the right parts to finish the job. To address this, eBay has built algorithms that connect its catalog of over 80 million parts and accessories – one of the largest auto parts inventory in the world – to its unique visual diagrams and fitment data.
“More than half of all U.S. adults have tackled some sort of auto repair by themselves, and not knowing exactly which part they need can be one of the biggest obstacles to online parts shopping,” said Jay Hanson, COO and Vice President of eBay Americas. “The new features we’re rolling out today eliminate the guesswork by helping people find and buy the specific part they need — even if they don’t know exactly what it is.”
eBay’s Shop by Diagram makes it easy to find any auto part — even if a shopper doesn’t know the part’s name or part number– by making your car’s schematic diagrams interactive. For the first time, professional and amateur mechanics can use visual diagrams to shop for the exact part needed for a project. eBay’s proprietary technology combs through millions of listed parts that match the visual diagram for each vehicle, and eBay’s fitment technology guarantees compatibility with the year, make and model of the vehicle selected by the shopper.
The updated My Garage experience offers a custom storefront for every auto shopper. By saving the details of their cars, trucks and motorcycles including year, make, model, trim level and engine type to the “My Garage” destination, shoppers get streamlined access to the parts specific to their vehicle. When a shopper searches for any item, eBay will only surface items that fit the vehicles in their virtual garage.
Shoppers aren’t passionate about cars, they’re passionate about their cars, and eBay is making it easier for them to repair, care for, and upgrade their rides. Shop by Diagram and My Garage join eBay Motors’ ecosystem of powerful tools including Online Repair Manuals, Virtual Tech and Tire Installation Services. eBay is focused on personalization with new experiences like Interests, a feature that tailors the eBay experience for each shopper’s own passions, hobbies and style.
1 Survey Methodology: eBay Automotive DIY Study, 2018: U.S. national survey, conducted by Research Now in June 2018, with a sample of 1,000 active automotive DIYers.
*This is not a sponsored post.
