ECOMMERCE initiated online ,” he said . He said about one quarter of the company ’ s 1,500 dealers take part .

“ We are looking to the future of being an omni-channel provider of all power equipment products ,” said Cloutier , “ because customers are looking to buy that way . Who ’ s to say that won ’ t soon include whole goods . We want to do ecommerce in a manner that supports our dealers and distributors .”

Exmark was not the only manufacturer we spoke with that talked about helping dealers become “ omni-channel ” businesses . “ Kubota dealers sell parts online , yes ,” said Don Lowe . “ Implements will be the next move for us . But we ’ re going to take our time before we get to vehicles . We want to make sure our dealers are comfortable with this .”

As one of the early drivers of ecommerce in power equipment , Stihl continues to evolve its online tools . “ We are trying to provide new solutions for dealers so they don ’ t have to hire people to increase sales ,” said Jenson from Stihl . “ Dealers can go in and adjust what products are available , and they can discuss with local territory managers , who have the ability to see ‘ views ’ on certain products . This data-driven approach can help them sell more in store and online . It ’ s all pointed at getting people to dealers .”

Kubota ’ s “ My Garage ” tool is a good example of where manufacturers might be going with ecommerce . Customers register their vehicles on this platform , which helps them select the right parts , and track service and warranty work . “ We want every customer who purchases a Kubota tractor to sign up for My Garage ,” said Lowe . “ I bought a Kia recently , and the dealer immediately had me sign up for their version .” The data collected helps Kubota learn about customer use ( remember “ digital exhaust ” from our “ Digital Transformation ” feature ?). “ As this matures , we can learn a lot about customers and fleet use . Plus , we ’ re going to look at buying history , and parts movement . We ’ re not too detailed yet on that .”

Last word

I ’ ll give power-equipment dealers the last word here . “ We have faced a few headwinds with the initial launch of ecommerce for Case New Holland parts ,” said Gerber of Johnson Tractor . “ That caused some reluctance from our customers . The bugs have been worked out and the program is now more user friendly and easier to manage from our side . We welcome technology that makes our lives easier even with the previously mentioned headwinds . We will embrace ecommerce as it comes .”

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