The scale of the automotive aftermarket industry has exceeded 1.2 trillion yuan, and the giants have joined forces to start the "battle" of digital transformation

Reporter Fang Chao and Quartz Jing report from Shanghai

"At present, there is a growing demand for 'high-quality car maintenance' among car owners. In this context, solving the pain points of customers in the process of car maintenance and providing customers with higher quality products and services is the purpose of the in-depth cooperation between Tuhu and ExxonMobil, and it is also the original intention of the joint insistence. ”

On April 19, Chen Min, founder and CEO of Tuhu Yangche, told reporters from media including China Business Daily. On the morning of the same day, Tuhu and ExxonMobil (China) Investment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "ExxonMobil China") announced a comprehensive upgrade of their strategic cooperation in Shanghai, with the two parties releasing new products and disclosing the details of the intelligent supply chain cooperation.

The 2023 Automotive Aftermarket Maintenance Industry White Paper predicts that the output value of China's automotive aftermarket maintenance industry will reach 1.2 trillion yuan in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 25%.

"With the continuous growth of China's car ownership, increasing vehicle mileage and vehicle age, it is expected that the CAGR of the automobile service market will reach 9% from 2023 to 2027. At the same time, Huayuan Securities Research Report believes that the automotive aftermarket track is growing steadily and has obvious anti-cyclical ability.

Directly hit the pain points of users and create an intelligent supply chain

In the context of the continuous growth of the automotive after-sales service market, how to better solve the pain points of users in the process of car maintenance has attracted increasing attention from the industry, and accelerating digital transformation is undoubtedly the key to breaking the situation.

The Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other 9 departments jointly issued the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the High-quality Development of the Automobile Aftermarket", which pointed out: "actively expand the circulation channels of auto parts, build a multi-channel and multi-format auto parts circulation network, and meet the diversified needs of consumers for auto aftermarket accessories", and "actively promote the application of the electronic health record system for automobile maintenance, and improve the digital service capacity and level of the automobile maintenance industry".

"Through more than 10 years of deep cultivation in the automotive aftermarket, Tuhu is committed to connecting consumers, store terminals, distribution channels, and upstream brands through digital means, and creating value with technological innovation. Tuhu said.

The relevant person in charge of Tuhu and ExxonMobil China will optimize supply through intelligent planning, comprehensively improve operational efficiency from the supply side to the delivery side, meet the changing market demand, enhance market competitiveness, and provide innovative and high-quality products and timely and reliable services for the majority of car owners.

It is reported that the specific details of the cooperation between Tuhu and ExxonMobil China include achieving seamless real-time communication through automatic order docking, changing the way logistics are processed, and building a more flexible and responsive ecosystem through automatic booking of order delivery to meet the increasingly diverse product and service needs of consumers.

"At the same time, based on the active cooperation between the two parties at the level of authenticity identification for many years, the 'one item, one code' genuine product traceability technology will also be more deeply applied to the Tuhu car maintenance platform, so as to realize the full-link traceability of product circulation data for users, and roll out the 'one item, one code' genuine product traceability project nationwide. The relevant person in charge of Tuhu car maintenance introduced.

It is reported that based on the in-depth research on user needs, Tuhu has also launched the "immediate installation" service. According to Tuhu Car Maintenance, car owners can place an online order through the Tuhu Car Maintenance APP by selecting the "Install Now" label store, and they can go to the store for construction on the same day without waiting. At present, the proportion of Mobil lubricants in the "immediate loading" orders has reached 71%, the order satisfaction rate has reached 97%, the lead time has been shortened to 9 days, and the delivery fulfillment rate has increased to 86%.

"We believe that digital transformation is the future, and for Mobil, digitalization is not only a means, but also an important way for us to improve product quality, service experience and meet the diverse needs of consumers. Wang Qun, general manager of ExxonMobil China's North Asia lubricants China consumer business unit, said.

Aim at demand and accelerate product upgrades

While promoting the comprehensive upgrade of intelligent supply chain cooperation, the use of digital capabilities to create products that better meet the needs of users has also become an important direction for automotive aftermarket giants.

According to the data of the "New Youth Automobile Consumption View Report", in 2021, users aged 18 to 25 will account for 36.05% and 34.88% of users aged 25 to 30 in the age of buying a car for the first time, which means that the young group of "car owners" is expanding.

"Tuhu's car maintenance platform has the advantage of digitalization and can efficiently collect consumer needs. Combined with ExxonMobil's innovative lubrication technology accumulated for more than 180 years and the industry's advanced product strength, it accurately grasps the cutting-edge trends in the product field, realizes the customization of the product side and the personalized matching of the demand side, and continues to provide innovative products and personalized services for car owners. Tuhu said.

At the press conference held on April 19, a number of high-end engine oil series products jointly launched by Tuhu and ExxonMobil China also ushered in their debut, among them, the new Mobil 1 Premium Edition product series, including 0W-20 and 0W-30 two low-viscosity products, which are common to European models.

According to the relevant person in charge of ExxonMobil China, in addition to the excellent performance and quality of Mobil 1, the Mobil 1 Premium Edition product has superior fuel economy, and its excellent wear resistance and high temperature durability can provide all-round protection for the engine.

According to Tuhu Car Maintenance, consumers can also purchase and experience the Mobil 1 Science and Technology Innovation Edition product series at Tuhu Car Maintenance Workshop Store. Designed for consumers who pursue technological innovation, the Science and Technology Edition uses more advanced formulations and technologies.

"It has excellent cold-start performance, which can effectively help alleviate the phenomenon of low-speed pre-ignition and help extend the life of the engine. It performs at both high and low temperatures. According to the relevant person in charge of Tuhu Car Maintenance, the new technology joint creation MT series jointly launched by Tuhu Car Maintenance and ExxonMobil - MT60 has also been supplied simultaneously.

According to Chen Min, "As an innovative enterprise established for 13 years, Tuhu has been committed to improving the quality of automotive services and industrial efficiency through digital innovation. Wang Qun said that through the complementary advantages and in-depth cooperation between ExxonMobil China and Tuhu Car Maintenance, "we can provide more personalized and differentiated products and services for car lovers guided by the needs of users and changes in the market, and jointly create a new ecology of digital and intelligent maintenance." ”

(Editor: Quartz Jing Review: Tong Haihua Proofreader: Yan Yuxia)