Consumers can now check prices and availability of parts while reserving their order online through NAPA Canada’s newly launched website, NAPACanada.com. To support its digital retail sales strategy, the company is increasing its use of the Flipp platform for publication of its monthly flyers and is also testing a drone delivery platform for its national Auto Parts division, according to a news release.
“The possibility of reserving parts online is an industry first in Canada,” said UAP President Alain Masse in a news release. “It will now be easier than ever for our customers to find the part they need, check the price, and make sure it’s in stock before they head to the store,” added Masse.
The online reservation feature, intended to increase sales, is available across Canada at participating NAPA Auto Parts stores, said the release. The online catalogue includes more than 480,000 parts.
To support its new digital retail sales strategy, NAPA Canada has increased its use of the Flipp platform to publish its monthly flyers. “This platform gives us enormous flexibility, while letting us offer our customers promotions that are relevant to them,” said Simon Weller, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, in the release.
UAP is also looking to harness the convenience of emerging technologies to improve delivery for its nationwide Auto Parts division, through the use of drone delivery. It is moving forward with its agreement with Drone Delivery Canada (DDC), announced this past December, and will carry out preliminary tests at a specific location in southern Ontario, according to the release. Subsequent tests are planned to be “out of visual range” in the towns of Foremost, Alta., and Alma, Que., in compliance with Transport Canada regulations.
“In urban areas, drone delivery is an obvious solution for decreasing the number of vehicles on the road and the amount of GHG emissions they produce, especially during rush hour,” Masse said. “We’re excited about the opportunities that this technology could bring to a company like ours, since our success relies largely on our ability to deliver the right part at the right time to our customers.”
