Doctor Car Parts

Moiz Adamjee is Director of Doctor Car Parts: “Our previous system had a lot of time-consuming manual processes which took up time and resources. We also knew our business was totally data-driven and in order to grow we needed a good platform that could handle big data. At the time, other companies we looked at were not quite as up on eBay’s changes to the vehicle parts category like fitment etc and there were often limits on the number of SKUs which could be handled. Volo had a tried and tested module which worked well for eBay’s vehicle compatibility; they were also comfortable with the large SKU volume so we chose Volo.”

“At the beginning I felt panic about the amount we had to learn. It took time for me to get my head around it, the Volo system has so many features that we could use. We needed to re-organise our own systems and catalogue to cope, otherwise we would have been putting our manual processes on a bigger platform. At the same time we were also improving our eBay shop. It featured a new store design and increased functionality for buyers. It was a really busy time. Despite all this, Volo gave good support throughout the implementation and training process.”

“We started with Volo in mid-2012. As I said, we changed our catalogue because of eBay compatibility changes. We could see the growth potential back then, and so we added more and more products. As we grew, we used more and more areas of the Volo system, like data feeds and purchase ordering. That helped us a lot, it meant that we didn’t have to worry about coping with increasing orders. We ended up doing nearly three times as much eBay business in 2013 as we did in the second half of 2012, and over three times as much on Amazon. For us it’s all about offering the widest range of parts so we need a system that can support this. We’re currently at just over 1 million SKUs and our entire online business is staffed by 4-and-a-half people.

“We’ve always had passive cross-border trade, but we’re now planning to sell directly into overseas markets. eBay has always taken up much of our time and resources but we’re now happy with where our eBay business is so we’re in a good position to further develop other channels like Amazon. There have been times where our strategy lost focus, but now we’re back on track. We’re a Top Rated Seller on eBay, we’ve already surpassed last year’s eBay figures in the first 5 months of this year and our shop is trending upwards too.”

“The Volo system saves us at least 2 members of staff. An unexpected bonus was in the area of purchase orders and goods in features. We took it on slightly later but it saves us a lot of time, with orders going to our supply chain. It’s been one of the biggest plus points of the past year. The Volo system turned out to be much more than a listing and stock tool. We’re now using it for our eBay customer service messages too. As we’ve gone along we’ve picked up more and more of the Volo platform. We’re also using Volo Vision to get smarter with our business. I can see the top sellers and I can also see where the top selling locations are. This breakdown is very good because it enables me to get better shipping rates and use my courier rules much more effectively, which improves the bottom line.

“If I had to give you my top 3 benefits of the Volo system, the first would be its ability to cope with so much data. The second would be the ability to connect data in and out. We’re moving from data feeds to API connectivity, and once my suppliers are all on board with this then we’ll really start moving. Lastly it’s the stock management, locations and warehousing side of things. We’ve treated our ecommerce business as almost a separate department. Our core business is traditional retail via our shops and fitting centre but the plan is to make the Volo system the stock management system for the whole business. My best advice is to get to know the Volo system first. When you know it inside out, you can pass that through to really benefit the business. You manage your whole business from it, so if you don’t know it properly, you can’t manage your business properly. This is critical for the business owner.”