Blog
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4/7/2025
From cost center to strategic lever: how a spare parts portal revitalized aftersalesIn the agricultural equipment sector, aftersales is often seen as little more than a necessary function to ensure operational continuity. But some companies have chosen a different path. I am referring to a company in this industry that I personally supported through a digital transformation journey, culminating in 2019 with the launch of a B2B eCommerce portal featuring an interactive spare parts catalog. With this article I would like to anonymously share some data I had access to, showing how this innovation improved customer relationships and gave a tangible contribution to business growth.
This is a rapidly expanding company that continues to innovate on multiple fronts. The revenue growth achieved over the analyzed period confirms one key message: aftersales can be much more than a service function, when strategically managed.
I analyzed the evolution of the business from 2017 to 2024, focusing on several key indicators: the share of spare parts in total revenue, the impact of eCommerce, customer retention rates, and yearly growth. The numbers tell a story of deep transformation.
Spare Parts becoming strategic: from 12% to 29% of total revenueIn 2017, before digitalization, spare parts accounted for approximately 12% of total revenue. By 2024, this share had risen to 28.75%.
In absolute terms, spare parts revenue grew from €3 million to €13.8 million, an increase of +360%, compared to an overall company revenue growth of “only” 92% over the same period. The most interesting aspect, however, is that this evolution was not driven only by the product lifecycle, but was actively enabled by the interactive spare parts portal with eCommerce.
While in 2019 only 22% of spare parts sales were generated online, by 2024 this share had reached 82%. The digital channel effectively became the primary aftersales channel.
From occasional purchases to digital customer loyaltyThe introduction of eCommerce did more than shift sales channels—it changed customer behavior.
In 2019, only 15% of customers placed at least one order per month through the portal, and just 2% purchased on a weekly basis. By 2024, 89% of customers order monthly and 59% weekly. This radical shift demonstrates growing customer loyalty and an ongoing relationship with the brand.
Such purchase frequency cannot be achieved simply by moving sales online. It requires ease of use, immediate access to part numbers, real-time availability, and an interface capable of guiding even less experienced users toward the correct spare part.
Aftersales as a shield during market cyclesIn 2024, the company recorded a slight decline in overall revenue (–5.9%) due to a broader market contraction (analyzed in previous articles). Despite this, spare parts revenue continued to grow (+16%), cushioning the impact and preserving a healthy financial balance. This is not a minor detail: it means that aftersales, once considered a cost center, has become an anti-cyclical component, capable of supporting profitability even during market slowdowns.
P.S. It is important to emphasize that the company entered the most challenging phase of the COVID period (2020) with an order backlog sufficient to cover approximately ten months of operations. During the lockdown, it seized the opportunity to reorganize and reallocate internal resources, completing the digitalization of the spare parts catalog, which had just begun. In that context, the new eCommerce portal clearly demonstrated its value, allowing the company to continue serving customers efficiently and to capture the first tangible returns on its investment. The Tangible Benefits of Aftersales DigitalizationThe data highlights several key advantages:
ConclusionThis case clearly demonstrates how aftersales can move beyond a support role and become a true growth engine. Aftersales eCommerce integrated with an interactive spare parts catalog is not simply an alternative way to take orders—it is a strategy focused on relationships, efficiency, and continuity.
Investing in a digital portal with an interactive spare parts catalog does not just mean reducing errors or speeding up deliveries. It means building a new business model, capable of generating value across the entire product lifecycle, in a scalable, measurable, and resilient way.
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