Autodoc largest online automotive store in Europe 2020

Within Germany, the online sales of automotive parts and accessories were worth 3 billion euros in 2020. This was 13 percent of the overall market value which was worth 22.7 billion euros. Let’s have a look at this branch in other countries within Europe.

Overall, online retailers have grown since the outbreak of the corona pandemic. Consumers found their ways to online stores and order numbers soared all across Europe. Wolk After Sales Experts researched 6000 automotive parts distributors in Europe and 1079 online retailers from 37 European countries. The research tried to make clear which players are most relevant, with which online stores they are represented in European countries and on which marketplaces they are most present.

Autodoc is largest player

“Measured in terms of visibility on the internet, Autodoc GmbH clearly dominates. Of the total of 1079 online shops examined, 269 are owned by Autodoc. The websites are spread over a total of 27 different countries”, explains Antti Wolk, Managing Director at Wolk After Sales Experts.

Of the total 1079 online shops, 269 are owned by Autodoc.

Delticom is the only other player that follows a similar approach with a high number of different online stores. When consumers use Google for their search queries, Autodoc is represented among the top 10 suggestions. “The inexperienced buyer initially suspects a large selection of different providers, but the order then ends up in the same logistics center in Berlin.”

Highest traffic in Russia

When comparing the traffic of online stores, the Russian ones are on top. Not only do they attract a high number of visitors, but the number of online stores in Russia is very large as well. Great Britain is in second place, followed by France. Germany ranks fourth. Spain and Italy follow these European leaders from a greater distance.

eBay most important marketplace

The research also took eBay and Amazon into account. Out of the 504 online store owning companies, 111 also have one or more eBay accounts, whereas only 25 companies have an Amazon account. Of course, this is just a subset of the bustling activity on eBay and Amazon overall. The number of eBay accounts in the German automotive aftermarket alone is around 14,000.

Online trade has advantages over offline trade

“Online trade has advantages over traditional trade in terms of the variety of offers and, to a certain extent, also in terms of price. In terms of delivery speed and reliability, however, the traditional channel still has a clear advantage. On the other hand, the workshop is confronted with a growing number of informed customers due to price transparency. This forces the workshops to clearly communicate pricing and to focus on a service-oriented overall package for the customer.”