CarParts.com is expanding beyond traditional auto parts to become a broader destination for vehicle owners, DIYers, and car enthusiasts. 

Through CarParts Connect, the company aims to broaden its product selection, simplify the shopping experience, and create new opportunities for third-party sellers.

In this exclusive Q&A, Aurelia Pollet — vice president of customer service at CarParts.com —  discusses the company’s competitive advantages, the role of Mirakl’s technology in scaling its marketplace, evolving customer needs, and the opportunities CarParts Connect offers sellers. 

ABW: How does CarParts.com currently serve the automotive aftermarket and DIY customers, and what differentiates it from competitors? 

Pollet: We’re built around people who take care of their cars — the DIYers and car enthusiasts. People who want to maintain, repair, and upgrade. Our business is online-only in the U.S., and we have a website and app.

There are three things that set us apart from our competitors

First, we have a proprietary catalog for fitment accuracy — Mirakl — which is the brain of the operation. It powers our website.

The second thing is that we have quality parts that are priced right. We pride ourselves on having OEM-quality parts. Not only that, but we have CAPA certification for some of our parts. 

The third is that we have 1.5 million SKUs. We have one of the deepest selections on the market, and we have a lot of big and bulky parts that are hard to find. Auto is our entire store, not just one aisle in a supermarket. 

ABW: How will Mirakl’s technology and the planned retail media network support the marketplace’s growth and customer experience? 

Pollet: We had a website, right? But we didn’t have the backend infrastructure we needed to be able to run a marketplace and scale it. 

Mirakl is going to give us this opportunity — and it’s from the seller’s side — making it easy to have a platform where sellers can log in, onboard, upload their catalogs, and do all the things they need to do. 

On the other end, it’s easy for customers to have just one cart, one consistent experience, and the same return guidelines and rules. 

Everything is the same for customers, but now they have access to this whole other world of sellers. So, it was really about having technology that would make both the customer and seller experiences easy and simple. 

ABW: What customer insights and market trends are driving CarParts.com’s next phase of growth? 

Pollet: We are a destination for vehicle owners. We’re building an ecosystem around our e-commerce platform, so CarParts.com is not just a place to buy a part, but more of an automotive destination. 

We have a sales team that can help you find the right parts. We also offer shipping protection. We launched a membership a year and a half ago, and we just complemented it with a loyalty program. When you buy a part, you get points, and you get access to roadside assistance and other perks when you become a paying member. 

Additionally, at the beginning of the year, we launched a credit card. We want to help you buy what you need, not just find what you need. We want to be the one place you think of when you need something for your car. 

ABW: What prompted the launch of CarParts Connect, and why expand beyond traditional auto parts into adjacent product categories? 

Pollet: The question for us was, “What else do they need? What else could we offer our customers while they’re shopping on our website?” 

Like I said earlier, buying a part is usually need-driven. Something broke, or you had an accident. It’s not a very joyful thing. 

Those customers are also buying tools, floor mats, road trip equipment, and pet products, right? We thought that providing additional products would be a good way to keep those customers with us. So, we want to go from just repair to the entire life around the vehicle, the trip, and the destination. 

That’s what prompted us to say, “OK, can we become a marketplace and be that destination for our customers?” 

ABW: How will CarParts Connect benefit third-party sellers and create new opportunities to reach CarParts.com’s customers? 

Pollet: This one is big because we have to answer to our sellers, right? The first thing is that we have a relevant audience. The customers we have want to buy automotive and automotive-adjacent products. 

So, third-party sellers are going to be in front of 11 million monthly visitors who already shop there, and they’re car enthusiasts, DIYers, and sports and outdoor shoppers.

On CarParts.com, you’re not a seller lost in a crowded marketplace. You’re not next to a couch and makeup products. You are selling to an automotive customer. 

The second benefit is that we’re making everything easy. We’re taking care of fraud protection, shipping protection, and taxes. It’s very transparent pricing with one commission, and that’s it.