Shop Hunter Marketplace closing in on 5,000 customers

In November of 2020, Hunter began offering “consumables,” or typical replacement parts, for sale on HunterNet® 2.

It was a good idea. A little more than three years later, the company’s subsequent Shop Hunter ecommerce site is just a few dozen short of 5,000 customers, and now accounts for two thirds of Hunter’s overall ecommerce business.

And it’s been done, said Product Manager Mike Brecht, “while staying true to our proven business model and field organization.”

Complementing the nationwide network of local representatives, Shop Hunter Marketplace offers more than 150 commonly ordered wear items for U.S. customers. Examples include tire changer polymer mount heads, tire paste and brushes, balancer wheel mounting cups and many other typical parts easily installed by the customer.

Genuine Hunter consumable parts deliver proven functionality and durability, unlike some aftermarket “internet-only” vendors. The online marketplace enables customers to buy on their own schedule, day or night. Multiple delivery options are available, including next-day air.

Growth by any metric has been steady since the beginning, said Mike. “We started with 75 parts; we’re over 150 now. And we’ve begun offering more complex parts, such as an entire flange plate.”

The number of orders has grown 45 percent in the past year. Approximately 30 percent of today’s customers are repeat customers.

One reason is making sure customers can easily find the genuine Hunter replacement parts they need. Progressive filtering leading to the specific item, product descriptions, and large photos illustrating the location of the part on the equipment help confirm they’ve made the correct selection.

In the past three years, there have been only about a dozen returns, with the vast majority of orders going out the same day.

What’s next? Keeping a good thing going, Mike said.

“We’re focusing on making sure the ecommerce experience is not only a viable experience, but the best in the industry, as automated and self-sustaining as it can be.”