Shared research study link
MotorMinds Customer Validation Study v3
Validate the parts sourcing pain point for auto repair shops.
Study Overview
Updated Jan 22, 2026
Research question: Validate the parts sourcing pain point for auto repair shops and identify what to fix.
Who we spoke to: 10 participants (frontline technicians, parts counter, service advisors/upfit sales, plus a few engineering/procurement voices) across the US and Germany, contributing 70 responses.
What they said: Sourcing is a daily, repeatable flow-detect need, verify exact identity (VIN/part number/photos/measurements), check internal stock, choose supplier by lead time and reliability over price, place PO/will-call/expedite, then inspect and update records. Main insights: The dominant pain is untrustworthy availability and data-phantom “in stock,” sliding ETAs, and revision/suffix misfits-plus portal/RMA friction and unannounced substitutions.
Time cost is consistent: 2–12 hours per person per week (teams in the low tens), with spikes driving a few hundred to several thousand in weekly costs; downtime and rework dwarf the labor minutes.
Trust signals that win adoption are clear datasheets/certs, revision-locked VIN/MPN fitment, branch-level stock with real cutoffs and tracking, and a reachable human; availability and predictable delivery beat small price deltas. Takeaways: Ship an MVP that guarantees revision-locked fit, branch-level live inventory with cut-off times, binding ETAs with carrier tracking, default no-substitutions, and doc packs up front, plus a human escalation channel.
To de-risk switching, integrate via punchout/attachments API to avoid double entry, run a proof pilot (include weekend/late-day orders and an actual RMA) on high-downtime use cases, and measure ETA truth rate and revision-mismatch RMAs to prove value.
Who we spoke to: 10 participants (frontline technicians, parts counter, service advisors/upfit sales, plus a few engineering/procurement voices) across the US and Germany, contributing 70 responses.
What they said: Sourcing is a daily, repeatable flow-detect need, verify exact identity (VIN/part number/photos/measurements), check internal stock, choose supplier by lead time and reliability over price, place PO/will-call/expedite, then inspect and update records. Main insights: The dominant pain is untrustworthy availability and data-phantom “in stock,” sliding ETAs, and revision/suffix misfits-plus portal/RMA friction and unannounced substitutions.
Time cost is consistent: 2–12 hours per person per week (teams in the low tens), with spikes driving a few hundred to several thousand in weekly costs; downtime and rework dwarf the labor minutes.
Trust signals that win adoption are clear datasheets/certs, revision-locked VIN/MPN fitment, branch-level stock with real cutoffs and tracking, and a reachable human; availability and predictable delivery beat small price deltas. Takeaways: Ship an MVP that guarantees revision-locked fit, branch-level live inventory with cut-off times, binding ETAs with carrier tracking, default no-substitutions, and doc packs up front, plus a human escalation channel.
To de-risk switching, integrate via punchout/attachments API to avoid double entry, run a proof pilot (include weekend/late-day orders and an actual RMA) on high-downtime use cases, and measure ETA truth rate and revision-mismatch RMAs to prove value.
Participant Snapshots
10 profiles
Miriam Schwarz
Miriam Schwarz, 31, married, no kids, Hanover-based data scientist at an automotive supplier, high-income renter. Pragmatic, evidence-led, values quality and time-efficiency; meal-preps, runs 2–3x weekly, targets 10K, promotion, better sleep; prefers YouTub…
Kristyn Lin
30-year-old Filipino design technologist in Virginia Beach with four young children. Budget-conscious, family- and faith-centered, pragmatic buyer. Values safety, durability, and clear instructions; relies on reviews, community, and transparent pricing.
Joseph Akin
55-year-old Catholic maintenance supervisor in Tuscaloosa. Married, no kids, practical, budget-conscious, into motorcycles, woodworking, and SEC football. Prefers durable, repairable products, straight talk, and reliable service; avoids subscriptions and ov…
Jaime Tejada
Jaime Tejada, 47, is a bilingual auto sales specialist in Visalia with variable commission income, a rented townhouse, and public health coverage. Family, faith, reliability, and transparent value guide his choices across work, money, and community life.
Michael Mclimans
Springfield, IL automotive tech, 43, married with one son. Budget-focused homeowner with public healthcare, back injury accommodations, and a practical outlook. Values reliability, local community, and straight talk; prefers durable, repairable, fairly pric…
Sonny Carrizales
Dallas-born, Spanish-speaking former auto parts salesman on disability. Single, community-minded, faith-forward, and careful with money. Values durability, clear pricing, bilingual support, and back-friendly convenience. Loves classic trucks, family time, a…
James Neri
James Neri, 41, is a Spanish-speaking mechanic in rural Georgia, married with two kids. Family-first, Catholic, uninsured, and budget-conscious, he values reliable tools, clear pricing, bilingual support, and community-driven trust over flashy claims.
Sarah Mcghee
Nigerian-born manufacturing process engineer in rural North Carolina. Married without kids, practical and community-minded. Blends cultures, mentors in STEM, values reliability and durability, gardens, cooks, and plans finances and travel with care.
Clara Voigt
31-year-old Ulm-based production planner, married with a toddler. Values reliability, time-saving, and practical sustainability. Budgets carefully on a comfortable income, runs regularly, and makes evidence-based, low-fuss buying decisions.
Yusuf Çelik
Practical, warm 40-year-old in Stuttgart. Part-time manufacturing tech, one child. Budget-aware yet quality-focused, privacy-conscious, and sustainability-minded. Chooses durable, time-saving solutions with clear pricing and honest support.
Miriam Schwarz
Miriam Schwarz, 31, married, no kids, Hanover-based data scientist at an automotive supplier, high-income renter. Pragmatic, evidence-led, values quality and time-efficiency; meal-preps, runs 2–3x weekly, targets 10K, promotion, better sleep; prefers YouTub…
Kristyn Lin
30-year-old Filipino design technologist in Virginia Beach with four young children. Budget-conscious, family- and faith-centered, pragmatic buyer. Values safety, durability, and clear instructions; relies on reviews, community, and transparent pricing.
Joseph Akin
55-year-old Catholic maintenance supervisor in Tuscaloosa. Married, no kids, practical, budget-conscious, into motorcycles, woodworking, and SEC football. Prefers durable, repairable products, straight talk, and reliable service; avoids subscriptions and ov…
Jaime Tejada
Jaime Tejada, 47, is a bilingual auto sales specialist in Visalia with variable commission income, a rented townhouse, and public health coverage. Family, faith, reliability, and transparent value guide his choices across work, money, and community life.
Michael Mclimans
Springfield, IL automotive tech, 43, married with one son. Budget-focused homeowner with public healthcare, back injury accommodations, and a practical outlook. Values reliability, local community, and straight talk; prefers durable, repairable, fairly pric…
Sonny Carrizales
Dallas-born, Spanish-speaking former auto parts salesman on disability. Single, community-minded, faith-forward, and careful with money. Values durability, clear pricing, bilingual support, and back-friendly convenience. Loves classic trucks, family time, a…
James Neri
James Neri, 41, is a Spanish-speaking mechanic in rural Georgia, married with two kids. Family-first, Catholic, uninsured, and budget-conscious, he values reliable tools, clear pricing, bilingual support, and community-driven trust over flashy claims.
Sarah Mcghee
Nigerian-born manufacturing process engineer in rural North Carolina. Married without kids, practical and community-minded. Blends cultures, mentors in STEM, values reliability and durability, gardens, cooks, and plans finances and travel with care.
Clara Voigt
31-year-old Ulm-based production planner, married with a toddler. Values reliability, time-saving, and practical sustainability. Budgets carefully on a comfortable income, runs regularly, and makes evidence-based, low-fuss buying decisions.
Yusuf Çelik
Practical, warm 40-year-old in Stuttgart. Part-time manufacturing tech, one child. Budget-aware yet quality-focused, privacy-conscious, and sustainability-minded. Chooses durable, time-saving solutions with clear pricing and honest support.
Overview
0 participants
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Demographic Overview
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Participant Incomes
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 ACS 1-year (Table B19001; >$200k evenly distributed for comparison)
Media Ingestion
Connections appear when personas follow many of the same sources, highlighting overlapping media diets.
Questions and Responses
7 questions
Response Summaries
7 questions
Word Cloud
Question Summary
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Summary
Themes
| Theme | Count | Example Participant | Example Quote |
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Outliers
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Persona Correlations
Analyzing correlations…
Overview
Across the 70 responses, parts-sourcing pain clusters tightly around three operational failures: (1) unreliable availability/ETAs (systems report stock or create labels that do not translate into real deliveries), (2) brittle part-data and revision control (suffixes, firmware, connectors cause rework), and (3) high-friction systems for ordering and returns (opaque portals, hidden fees, slow RMAs). Demographics and role shape the coping strategy: frontline and rural operators prioritize immediate, human-verified availability and will accept higher cost or physical pickup to avoid downtime; production planners and QA in enterprise contexts prioritize master-data fidelity, approvals and SAP/CMMS integrations; sales/dealer-facing roles focus on guaranteed ship dates because missed ETAs directly damage revenue and reputation. The highest-impact product change demanded is a binding, revision-locked availability signal with a verifiable delivery timestamp plus accessible technical documentation and supplier accountability for missed dates.
Total responses: 70
Key Segments
| Segment | Attributes | Insight | Supporting Agents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frontline technicians & parts-counter (rural/small-city, USA) |
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Speed and certainty trump price. These respondents use photos, WhatsApp/phone calls, will-call and in-person pickup; they rely on visual confirmation over paperwork and are willing to pay expedites or drive to secure parts immediately. | James Neri, Michael Mclimans, Sonny Carrizales |
| Production planners, QA and engineers (Germany, enterprise) |
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Tolerance for informal workarounds is low. These roles require revision-locked BOMs, certified docs (CE/DoC, calibration), SAP punchouts and controlled onboarding; pain centers on systemic delays and data governance rather than ad-hoc part chasing. | Clara Voigt, Miriam Schwarz, Yusuf Çelik |
| Sales / dealer-facing roles (USA) |
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ETA certainty and traceability are existential-missed promises cost revenue and reputation. These respondents demand human-confirmed tracking and guaranteed ship dates to confidently commit to customers, with notable emotional burden when ETAs are fuzzy. | Jaime Tejada |
| Mid-to-senior plant roles (manufacturing leads, facilities) |
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They quantify systemic impact (downtime cost, approvals) and favor pre-approved alternates, spare strategies and contractual accountability (credits/fees) for missed dates. They blend ERP tooling with human escalation paths. | Sarah Mcghee, Joseph Akin, Kristyn Lin |
| Hybrid tooling operators (ERP + low-tech workarounds) |
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Even where enterprise systems exist, teams retain low-tech artifacts for speed and clarity. Any product solution must integrate with ERPs but also offer low-friction channels (photo uploads, single-click claims, direct rep contact) to displace entrenched manual practices. | Clara Voigt, Sarah Mcghee, Jaime Tejada, Kristyn Lin, Miriam Schwarz |
Shared Mindsets
| Trait | Signal | Agents |
|---|---|---|
| Availability over lowest price | Most respondents prefer known suppliers, paid expedites or will-call pickup when certainty matters; price is a secondary consideration when uptime or safety is at stake. | Clara Voigt, Sarah Mcghee, Michael Mclimans, James Neri, Joseph Akin |
| Human contact is the ultimate certainty | Phone calls, WhatsApp and direct rep contact are frequent workarounds to portal opacity; a reachable human is repeatedly valued higher than portal data. | Jaime Tejada, James Neri, Joseph Akin, Kristyn Lin, Michael Mclimans |
| High cost of poor part-data / revision errors | Suffix/revision mismatches (pinouts, connector clocking, firmware) produce repeat installs, RMAs and lost throughput-creating measurable labor and equipment costs. | Yusuf Çelik, Miriam Schwarz, Kristyn Lin, Joseph Akin, Jaime Tejada |
| Hybrid tooling persistence | ERP/CMMS systems coexist with spreadsheets, photo folders and QR labels. Low-friction manual artifacts often outlive tooling trials and indicate where new solutions must minimize switching cost. | Clara Voigt, Sarah Mcghee, Jaime Tejada, Kristyn Lin, Miriam Schwarz |
| Rural shipping sensitivity | Operators in rural locales repeatedly accept driving to will-call, pay extra freight, and insert buffer time because carrier promises fail more often outside urban networks. | James Neri, Sarah Mcghee, Jaime Tejada, Joseph Akin |
Divergences
| Segment | Contrast | Agents |
|---|---|---|
| Frontline technicians vs Production planners/QA | Frontline actors prioritize immediate, visual confirmation and will-use expedites or physical pickup; planners/QA focus on auditable revision control, approved suppliers and integration with SAP/CMMS even if that slows execution. | James Neri, Michael Mclimans, Sonny Carrizales, Clara Voigt, Miriam Schwarz, Yusuf Çelik |
| Sales / dealer-facing vs Engineering/Procurement | Sales roles demand guaranteed ship dates and human-tracked ETAs (to protect revenue/reputation); engineering/procurement roles tolerate process-driven timelines and emphasize documentation and approved alternates over rushed expedites. | Jaime Tejada, Sarah Mcghee, Joseph Akin, Kristyn Lin |
| Rural operators vs Urban/enterprise operators | Rural shops accept personal pickup and pay premiums to mitigate unreliable carriers; urban/enterprise operators lean on carrier networks and formal logistics SLAs, expecting tighter integration and penalties for missed dates. | James Neri, Sonny Carrizales, Sarah Mcghee, Clara Voigt |
| High-volume plant leads vs Low-activity specifiers | Plant leads experience frequent sourcing friction and quantify downtime impacts; specifier-focused roles (lower transactional load) surface pain mainly around onboarding, multi-domain delays and vendor qualification rather than constant part-chasing. | Joseph Akin, Sarah Mcghee, Miriam Schwarz |
Creating recommendations…
Generating recommendations…
Taking longer than usual
Recommendations & Next Steps
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Overview
The study validates a clear, repeatable pain chain: shops prize availability and truthful ETAs over small price deltas, and they’re routinely burned by phantom stock, slipping dates, and revision/suffix mismatches. The fastest path to ROI is an MVP that delivers:
- binding, revision-locked availability (VIN/MPN-suffix exactness, no silent subs)
- branch-level live inventory with real cut-off times
- carrier-booked tracking (not “label created”)
- docs-in-one-click (datasheets/CoC/calibration)
- reachable human escalation for late-afternoon/weekend orders
Quick Wins (next 2–4 weeks)
| # | Action | Why | Owner | Effort | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Default No Substitutions + capture rev/suffix at request | Eliminates silent alternates that drive RMAs and rework; maps to users’ exact-fit priority. | Product | Low | High |
| 2 | Show cut-off times + ship-from branch on every quote | Users plan around real cutoffs; prevents ‘ghost in-town’ promises that arrive days later. | Product | Low | High |
| 3 | Expose doc packs at quote (datasheet, CoC, calibration) without login | Removes procurement/QA gate friction called out across roles. | Engineering | Low | Med |
| 4 | Spin up a WhatsApp/Text hotline for human ETA confirmation | Human contact is the ultimate certainty; matches urgent, late-day workflows. | Ops | Low | High |
| 5 | Pilot photo-on-pick for critical SKUs (label + shelf) at two branches | Builds trust in branch-level counts; reduces wrong-rev/wrong-box incidents. | Partnerships | Med | High |
| 6 | Supplier ETA accuracy scorecard (internal) and nudge emails | Shifts behavior toward honest dates; steers orders to reliable sources. | Data | Med | Med |
Initiatives (30–90 days)
| # | Initiative | Description | Owner | Timeline | Dependencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Binding ETA Engine + Carrier Booked-Slot Integration (MVP) | Generate a binding ship date at quote with booked carrier window and instant tracking on order; auto-alert + auto-overnight policy on slips. | Engineering | 0–8 weeks (pilot); 9–16 weeks (scale to 5–8 branches) | Carrier APIs (UPS/FedEx/regional couriers), Supplier order-confirmation webhooks, Legal SLA templates for slip handling |
| 2 | Revision-Locked Catalog and VIN/MPN Graph | Normalize parts to VIN splits and MPN-suffixes; enforce no-sub by default; show approved alternates with explicit compatibility notes. | Product | 0–10 weeks (initial coverage); ongoing enrichment | OEM supersession data, Distributor attribute feeds, Internal data model + validations |
| 3 | Branch-Level Live Inventory Feeds | Ingest bin-level counts + cutoffs from 2–3 regional distributors via CSV/SFTP/API; expose ship-from, partials, and next inbound dates. | Partnerships | 0–6 weeks (2 partners); 7–14 weeks (expand to 6–10) | Partner data agreements, Feed mapping & QA monitors, Simple reconciliation tooling |
| 4 | RMA/Core & Wrong-Rev Fast Path | Pre-authorized labels, no-fee returns on supplier mis-picks/wrong rev, 48h credit target; photo evidence logic to reduce disputes. | Ops | 4–10 weeks | Returns policy alignment with partners, Label/credit automation, Support macros + audit fields |
| 5 | ERP/DMS Punchout & Attachments API | Offer lightweight punchout and an API to push quotes, doc packs, tracking, and reason codes into SAP/CMMS/DMS to avoid double entry. | Engineering | 6–16 weeks | Customer IT contacts, OAuth/SSO setup, Attachment storage & retention policy |
| 6 | Emergency Logistics & Human Escalation Program | Weekend/late-day coverage, local will-call/courier directory, named reps; playbooks for line-down or fleet-delivery scenarios. | Support | 2–6 weeks | Staffing roster, Courier SLAs, Playbooks + on-call tooling |
KPIs to Track
| # | KPI | Definition | Target | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ETA Truth Rate | Percent of orders delivered within the promised window (quote-to-dock). | ≥ 95% in pilot; ≥ 97% at scale | Weekly |
| 2 | Revision-Mismatch RMA Rate | RMAs due to wrong rev/suffix/connector out of total order lines. | ≤ 0.8% in pilot; ≤ 0.5% at scale | Weekly |
| 3 | Orders With Tracking at Quote Time | Share of quotes that include a booked-slot tracking link or carrier ID before PO. | ≥ 70% pilot; ≥ 85% at scale | Weekly |
| 4 | Cutoff Adherence | Percent of orders shipped by stated branch cut-off time. | ≥ 98% | Weekly |
| 5 | Human Escalation Resolution Time | Median minutes from escalation to confirmed ETA for urgent orders. | ≤ 15 minutes | Weekly |
| 6 | Pilot Retention and Expansion | Percent of pilot shops reordering weekly + number of branches feeding live inventory. | ≥ 75% pilot shop retention; 6–10 branches in 16 weeks | Biweekly |
Risks & Mitigations
| # | Risk | Mitigation | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Supplier resistance to binding ETAs and penalties for slips. | Offer carrots (preferred placement, volume routing) and start with soft credits/auto-overnight before cash penalties; publish scorecards. | Partnerships |
| 2 | Inaccurate branch feeds create new trust failures. | Implement feed QA (delta thresholds, anomaly alerts), photo-on-pick for critical SKUs, and fallbacks to human confirmation. | Data |
| 3 | Operational overhead from photo verification and weekend coverage. | Limit to critical SKUs; batch verification windows; rotate on-call; add SLA-driven incentives for branches. | Ops |
| 4 | Legal exposure from “binding” promises. | Clear SLA language, carve-outs (weather/customs), auto-makegood vs. cash penalties; staged rollout before broader marketing. | Legal |
| 5 | Integration friction (ERP/DMS) causes double-entry and slows adoption. | Deliver minimal attachments API + CSV export first; co-build punchouts with 1–2 design partners; document mappings. | Engineering |
| 6 | Grey-market/quality leakage via aggregators. | Whitelist suppliers, enforce no-sub by default, surface certification status at quote, and fast-path RMAs for misrepresented goods. | Product |
Timeline
Weeks 0–2: Partner selection, SLA templates, cut-off schema; spin up Text/WhatsApp hotline.
Weeks 3–6: Integrate 2 distributors (CSV/API), expose ship-from + cutoffs, launch no-sub + rev capture, enable doc packs at quote.
Weeks 7–10: Carrier booked-slot for pilot SKUs; photo-on-pick at 2 branches; stand up RMA Fast Path; begin ETA scorecards.
Weeks 11–16: Expand to 6–10 branches, add ERP/DMS attachments API, tighten alternates/compatibility graph, publish pilot trust metrics to users.
Post-16 weeks: Formal SLA program (auto-overnight/credits), broaden catalog coverage, selective punchouts, regional courier network.
Weeks 3–6: Integrate 2 distributors (CSV/API), expose ship-from + cutoffs, launch no-sub + rev capture, enable doc packs at quote.
Weeks 7–10: Carrier booked-slot for pilot SKUs; photo-on-pick at 2 branches; stand up RMA Fast Path; begin ETA scorecards.
Weeks 11–16: Expand to 6–10 branches, add ERP/DMS attachments API, tighten alternates/compatibility graph, publish pilot trust metrics to users.
Post-16 weeks: Formal SLA program (auto-overnight/credits), broaden catalog coverage, selective punchouts, regional courier network.
Research Study Narrative
MotorMinds Customer Validation Study v3 - Executive Synthesis
Objective. Validate the parts sourcing pain point for auto repair shops. Across 70 responses, the pain is consistent, measurable, and commercially material: unreliable availability/ETAs, brittle part/revision data, and high-friction ordering/returns workflows repeatedly degrade uptime and erode trust.
What we heard (cross-question learnings).
- Reliable availability beats price. Respondents prioritize lead time and certainty over marginal savings. As Clara Voigt put it, “I push on lead time first, price second, because downtime burns cash.” Typical weekly time lost to sourcing friction is 2–12 hours/person, with team totals in the low tens and spikes to 40–80 hours in launch/break-fix weeks (e.g., Sarah Mcghee).
- Exact identification is non-negotiable. The standard workflow verifies VIN/MPN/suffix with photos and measurements before ordering. James Neri: “I take a foto of the old part and the number.” Wrong-rev incidents are costly: Yusuf Çelik described ERP showing stock that was the “wrong thread and rev E, which the amplifier hated.”
- Visibility failures cascade. Phantom “in stock,” sliding ETAs, and label-created-but-not-shipped are pervasive. Jaime Tejada: “ETAs that slide with no tracking… someone says ‘should be Tuesday’ with nada to back it up.” Teams then hoard spares, open every box on arrival, pay expedites, or cannibalize units.
- Humans outperform portals in ambiguity. When time is tight, phone/text wins: Kristyn Lin-“A five-minute call beats five days of portal purgatory.” Michael Mclimans uses the phone camera for tags and dimensions so the counter can match parts.
- Tool trials succeed only with verifiable accuracy and low friction. Aggregators that “ghost” inventory are abandoned (Sonny Carrizales: “I don’t babysit fake ETAs.”). Kept solutions: QR-to-PR eKanban (Clara), group texts with trusted reps for branch-level stock and cutoffs (Joseph Akin).
- Magic-wand ask: a binding source of truth. Clear consensus for revision-locked fit (VIN/MPN-suffix), branch/bin-level live counts with true cutoffs, and carrier-booked delivery timestamps, with docs exposed via API/SAP. Yusuf: “truthful, revision-locked availability and delivery dates… that do not slip.”
- Switching hesitations center on trust and operations. Top blockers: fake “live” inventory (Jaime), hidden fees/lock-in (James: “Fine print… No gracias.”), RMA/core pain (Michael), integration/double-entry (Miriam), and revision blindness (Joseph).
Persona correlations.
- Frontline techs & parts counters (rural/small-city, USA): Speed/certainty > price; rely on photos, calls, will‑call/pickup; accept expedites to avoid bay downtime (Neri, Mclimans, Carrizales).
- Production planners/QA/engineers (Germany, enterprise): Demand revision-locked BOMs, certs, SAP punchouts; pain in systemic delays and data governance (Voigt, Schwarz, Çelik).
- Sales/dealer-facing (USA): Live or die by guaranteed ship dates and traceability; fuzzy ETAs create revenue and reputation risk (Tejada).
- Plant leads/hybrid operators: Quantify downtime, want pre-approved alternates and contractual remedies; blend ERP with human escalation (Mcghee, Akin, Lin).
Recommendations (what to build and prove).
- MVP pillars: revision-locked catalog (VIN/MPN-suffix, no substitutions by default), branch-level live inventory with real cutoffs, carrier-booked ship windows (not “label created”), and one-click doc packs (datasheet/CoC/calibration).
- Human escalation by design: late-afternoon/weekend text/WhatsApp hotline with named reps; aligns to the repeated “people beat portals” behaviour.
- Returns/Core fast path: no-fee on mis-picks/wrong rev; 48h credit target; photo evidence to reduce disputes.
- Lightweight integration: CSV/SFTP/API feeds from distributors; attachments API/punchout to SAP/CMMS to prevent double entry (per Miriam’s criteria).
Risks and mitigations.
- Supplier resistance to binding ETAs: start with soft credits/auto-overnight and publish scorecards.
- Inaccurate branch feeds: feed QA + pilot photo-on-pick for critical SKUs (Akin requested human-confirmed holds).
- Operational overhead (weekends/photos): limit to critical SKUs; rotate on-call coverage.
- Legal exposure: clear SLA carve-outs (weather/customs); staged rollout.
- ERP/DMS friction: deliver minimal attachments API and co-build punchouts with design partners.
Next steps and measurement.
- Weeks 0–2: Select 2 distributor partners; define cutoff schema; launch text/WhatsApp hotline.
- Weeks 3–6: Integrate branch feeds; ship-from and cutoff on every quote; enforce no-sub + rev capture; expose doc packs without login.
- Weeks 7–10: Enable carrier booked-slot on pilot SKUs; pilot photo-on-pick at 2 branches; stand up RMA/Core fast path.
- Weeks 11–16: Expand to 6–10 branches; release attachments API/punchout; publish ETA scorecards to users.
- KPIs (weekly): ETA Truth Rate ≥95% pilot/≥97% scale; Revision‑Mismatch RMA ≤0.8% pilot/≤0.5% scale; Quotes with Booked Tracking ≥70%/≥85%; Cutoff Adherence ≥98%; Human Escalation Resolution ≤15 minutes.
Bottom line: The study validates a durable, high-value problem. Delivering binding, revision-locked availability with real cutoffs, booked delivery, and human backstops directly addresses the core failure modes respondents described-and is the fastest path to adoption and ROI.
Recommended Follow-up Questions
Updated Jan 22, 2026
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In a typical month, please estimate: total parts orders placed, average line items per order, average order value (your currency), and the percentage of orders that are expedited.matrix Quantifies order volume/mix to size the opportunity, forecast SLA load, and calibrate pricing and staffing.
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Which part categories most often cause sourcing errors or delays in your shop?maxdiff Identifies where pain concentrates to target catalog depth, data enrichment, and supplier partnerships first.
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Which features would most increase your confidence to place an order without calling a supplier?maxdiff Prioritizes trust-building MVP features that reduce human verification and accelerate adoption.
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What minimum service levels would you require to switch suppliers/platforms? Please specify: required on-time delivery rate (%), maximum acceptable ETA deviation, latest weekday cut-off for same-day ship, RMA approval turnaround, and support first-response time.matrix Sets concrete SLA targets for operations, contracts, and competitive differentiation.
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Which systems must a new parts platform integrate with for you to adopt it, and how important is each (e.g., ERP/DMS, CMMS, OEM catalogs, eProcurement/punchout, accounting, messaging)?matrix Defines critical integration scope to remove double-entry and unblock deployment.
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What additional amount would you be willing to pay per order for guaranteed delivery speeds (same-day by end of day, next-day by 10:30am, weekend delivery, 2-hour local courier)?matrix Informs premium service pricing and unit economics for guaranteed fulfillment tiers.
Use concrete option lists for maxdiff/matrix items (categories, features, SLA fields, systems, delivery speeds) to ensure consistent responses.
Study Overview
Updated Jan 22, 2026
Research question: Validate the parts sourcing pain point for auto repair shops and identify what to fix.
Who we spoke to: 10 participants (frontline technicians, parts counter, service advisors/upfit sales, plus a few engineering/procurement voices) across the US and Germany, contributing 70 responses.
What they said: Sourcing is a daily, repeatable flow-detect need, verify exact identity (VIN/part number/photos/measurements), check internal stock, choose supplier by lead time and reliability over price, place PO/will-call/expedite, then inspect and update records. Main insights: The dominant pain is untrustworthy availability and data-phantom “in stock,” sliding ETAs, and revision/suffix misfits-plus portal/RMA friction and unannounced substitutions.
Time cost is consistent: 2–12 hours per person per week (teams in the low tens), with spikes driving a few hundred to several thousand in weekly costs; downtime and rework dwarf the labor minutes.
Trust signals that win adoption are clear datasheets/certs, revision-locked VIN/MPN fitment, branch-level stock with real cutoffs and tracking, and a reachable human; availability and predictable delivery beat small price deltas. Takeaways: Ship an MVP that guarantees revision-locked fit, branch-level live inventory with cut-off times, binding ETAs with carrier tracking, default no-substitutions, and doc packs up front, plus a human escalation channel.
To de-risk switching, integrate via punchout/attachments API to avoid double entry, run a proof pilot (include weekend/late-day orders and an actual RMA) on high-downtime use cases, and measure ETA truth rate and revision-mismatch RMAs to prove value.
Who we spoke to: 10 participants (frontline technicians, parts counter, service advisors/upfit sales, plus a few engineering/procurement voices) across the US and Germany, contributing 70 responses.
What they said: Sourcing is a daily, repeatable flow-detect need, verify exact identity (VIN/part number/photos/measurements), check internal stock, choose supplier by lead time and reliability over price, place PO/will-call/expedite, then inspect and update records. Main insights: The dominant pain is untrustworthy availability and data-phantom “in stock,” sliding ETAs, and revision/suffix misfits-plus portal/RMA friction and unannounced substitutions.
Time cost is consistent: 2–12 hours per person per week (teams in the low tens), with spikes driving a few hundred to several thousand in weekly costs; downtime and rework dwarf the labor minutes.
Trust signals that win adoption are clear datasheets/certs, revision-locked VIN/MPN fitment, branch-level stock with real cutoffs and tracking, and a reachable human; availability and predictable delivery beat small price deltas. Takeaways: Ship an MVP that guarantees revision-locked fit, branch-level live inventory with cut-off times, binding ETAs with carrier tracking, default no-substitutions, and doc packs up front, plus a human escalation channel.
To de-risk switching, integrate via punchout/attachments API to avoid double entry, run a proof pilot (include weekend/late-day orders and an actual RMA) on high-downtime use cases, and measure ETA truth rate and revision-mismatch RMAs to prove value.
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