The automotive aftermarket is a catalogue business. A spare parts distributor may stock tens of thousands of part numbers across car, two-wheeler and commercial vehicle models — most selling a few units a month, a few selling hundreds. Customers are retailers, garages and fleet operators who need the part today, because a vehicle is waiting.
What makes it hard
| Challenge | Effect |
|---|---|
| Huge catalogue | Order entry by part number is slow and error-prone |
| Thin demand per SKU | Hard to stock everything everywhere |
| Urgency | A missed part means a lost customer to the next shop |
| Many small customers | Lots of small orders, collections and credit |
| Warranty returns | Parts returned as defective need checking |
| Mechanic influence | Schemes target the person who chooses the brand |
The fundamentals
Fast, accurate ordering
Salesmen and customers must find the right part quickly. Searching by part number or description in the field app, and letting regular customers reorder themselves, reduces errors — see order booking apps and B2B ordering portals.
Stock by location
Fast movers close to customers, slow movers centralised, transfers instead of rebuying — see multi-location inventory.
Delivery the same day
Small, frequent deliveries planned as runs — see delivery runs.
Warranty on parts
Returns checked against the original sale and decided through approval — see warranty and serial tracking.
Schemes and targets
For retailers and dealers — see schemes and claims.
How Zaqnet supports parts distribution
- Orders from field teams in GroundLink, the customer portal and buyer POs, in ControlRoom.
- Stock across locations with transfers.
- Delivery runs and proof of delivery.
- Dealer network with schemes, claims, targets and ledgers.
- Serial numbers on sales where parts carry them, and approvals for claims and waivers.
In the aftermarket, the right part today beats the cheap part tomorrow.