New Performance Years website!
 

We are looking at vastly improving our PerformanceYears.com home page.

We know the home page needs a major makeover, as well as the online ordering section.

One big question to ask you guys though....

How important is it to you that you see what is in stock when you order?

Very important. If it's not in stock, I do not order it. I'd rather have that information than thinking it is available, ordering it, then finding out later that it is out of stock.

Agreed, it needs to be shown at some point during the process. Even if it's at the checkout stage, as long as we can delete out of stock items, that's enough.

Also, pics and better clarification would help. I took advantage of your close-out items and selected a center console glove box insert. Only to find out the insert was for a standard shift not an auto shift console. THERE WERE NO PICS - Just the year of the application. Not only did I have to pay for the return shipping but, I was also hit with an unexpected re-stocking fee.

I would be nice to see what's in stock and how much.

But in Ziggy's case, that's just plain wrong. I'd be very ashamed of what you did to him PY. How you handle your mistakes should be vastly improved.

I agree, its important.. if its not in stock I want to order from someone who can ship right away!!

Kind of off the main topic, but the biggest gripe I have when using the online system to locate parts is the constant default to a "item number". Seems like that happens every time I change my search to another item. Same with the all catalogs default vs. the specific body style. It gets old quick when you are searching to see if an item is carried by PY and you have to reset the default each time.

GT, I'm surprised you would make a comment like this. First off, both you and Ziggy are now forcing me to jack this thread. Secondly, you have no information about the circumstances that caused Ziggy's response and therefore have no reason to make such a determination.

1. Ziggy bought the insert on a blowout special online for $9.50 less 2% online order discount. The part was normally $21.00
2. The item had the correct description. He must have just missed that. The picture was taken 12/14/2000 at 10:14am. It's been on our website since then. The item was for manual transmission and it appears like Ziggy has an AT. The item # is W11730
3. There was NO restock charge. He was refunded exactly $9.31 which is $9.50 less 2%.
4. This happened in 2012.

Forgive me for sounding a little unsympathetic but both of you guys need to think a little bit before you post. For 30 years we've been one the most fair, helpful, passionate Pontiac suppliers in the Country. I think 30 years worth of doing the right thing for our customers deserves a little more respect than getting unfairly trashed for a .19 cent mistake on Ziggy's part. :rolleyes:

I agree that it would be nice to have a picture for every item we have. We continue to add pictures on a daily basis. We now have taken close to 12,000 pictures. Unfortunately we have about 75,000 sku's! It's just not possible to have a picture for everything. There isn't a Pontiac supplier in the country that has more pictures than we do. But rest assured, we continue to add pics.

As far as the return is concerned, I posted my feelings in GT182's response.

Seeing something is in stock is definitely a plus. Factor in the prevailing "gotta have it now" mentality, and (IMO) it's a must have.

Rather than trying to tie it down to an exact number, approximations could work.

In stock
Low inventory
?? Call for details
2 week delay

Our wholesale site has pic's and inventory of every item we have in stock. That's about 10,000ish pieces.
Very time consuming but also a great sales tool.

also fix you Paypal option.

eric....ask yourself the same question....is knowing if an item is in stock or not important to you?

Much rather know what isn't avail before I place an order,
rather then getting a box of air with a back order notice.

Don't necessarily need pics but a full detail description is key.

None of what I order is time critical - really - and sometimes it's weeks before I get it onto the car. I only use your on-line system to look at parts so the picture would be more important to me - I usually call in my order anyways, have even done so while driving. Your people are always knowledgeable and can help me decide on a part & suggest others I may need & if I order early enough, it's here the next day! :D

Let me first clarify this.

IF we were to do a new site with no real-time stock status, we wouldn't just send you a box with 5% of the complete order. We'd let you know before billing and shipping.

However, with all the responses, it does look like we are probably going to keep our system with real live inventory tracking so you can track what is in stock when placing an order through our site.

Keep the feedback coming though. Updates are in store for sure!

I agree with 400 4sp that the return to default is a pain in the butt and my biggest gripe. The in stock posting Yes/No is unique to PY for online ordering, I don't think your other competitors have it.

I always appreciate knowing what is/is not in stock when I order. If I need something ASAP, I have to find a supplier who has it.

To be totally honest, it has been a couple of years since I tried to order on-line from PY b/c whenever I went to try to find full-sized or comparable parts or what have you it was IMPOSSIBLE to use the site to find parts for various reasons. It was literally the clunkiest site I had ever used, and I buy nearly everything I use in life on-line b/c I live in a remote location. I ended up having to call on the phone each time just to determine if you all had what I was looking for. I am never ordering during normal hours, so that deterred me from trying to order after that.

So, any improvement would be beneficial. It griped me most of all b/c I wanted to support PY, but the on-line process was too time consuming to work for me. Not really complaining like it sounds, but hoping that it will encourage a more user friendly site that BRINGS A TON MORE BUSINESS. In the same vein, Pics are crucial for sales. Most of the time, I will not buy if I can not see it. Burned too many times. 75k items or not, undoubtedly it would boost sales. If you put one for every new item as it came in and then a goal for a certain # per month to add from current inventory it would get done eventually and you would only have to maintain in the future once completed. I have done gigantic projects like this. If organized and motivated, they get done and bring benefits.

Sentiments like yours are well documented. We absolutely get your frustration. We plan to continue to find new fullsize parts and we plan to keep taking pictures. We've also continuously tweaked the online order system. However, the Fullsize parts parts business is as you put it 'the clunkiest' we've ever seen! Clunky in, clunky out. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that there are only 3 full line, fullsize Pontiac online catalogs in existence. And I will guarantee you there won't be any more. Sure we could take the time to add a picture for every single fullsize product we make. But the cost to do so would far outweigh the additional sales. It's just that simple and that depressing when it comes to fullsize Pontiac parts. There has been almost no new product development in this line over the last 20 years. No bumpers, fenders, hoods, trunk floors, floor boards, dash pads, headlight bezels, grills, parking lights, tail light bezels, tailpanels, trunk lids, rocker moldings, suspension etc. And there NEVER will be. The fullsize product line is a financial loss for PY. The only reason we have it is to allow the real Pontiac enthusiast to have a one stop shop for all their Pontiac needs. Except for a handful of opportunities that we continue to investigate (and have had some success with), the fullsize Pontiac owner will continue to be forced to find most needed items by being a very good detective. :(

There simply isn't a big enough market to support the investment needed to produce the above strategic items that would in turn energize this product line.

So while I totally understand your frustration in your fullsize Pontiac online shopping experience, I must submit that most of your frustration should be aimed at lack of availability of parts and not the shopping experience itself. PY carries the same parts that Ames and OPG carries and we have a comparable amount of pictures and descriptions of those items.

Sadly for everyone, the success of the other Pontiac lines pays for the lack of success of the Fullsize line. I think its true for all three suppliers. And in business, you traditionally don't carry a loss leader that's 1/3rd of your product line. Yet we do it anyway. So when I see a post like yours, it's pretty darn depressing and a part of me says why bother. :( I have talked many times to my competitors and the sentiment is similar. Again I know it's frustrating as a fullsize owner, but take a step back and picture no choices at all.

No kidding. It is depressing when you've dragged a project ('65 Catalina) out for over a decade and during that time it's been a very slow drip of new parts. Sure there are some entrepreneurs out there making battery trays and few other things, but nothing BIG in years. Sure be nice to have some out sheet metal patches, but that'll never happen. However, there's no excuse for rubber or plastic parts not being made, i.e the clutch rod boot for 65-68 B Body.

Anyway, keep of the good work, and we'll keep buying the parts. BTW, I agree that the online buying site looks very outdated and needs a total makeover, so if the customer can see if it's in stock or not, that would help a lot.

Maybe just tag the items backordered and give a estimated delivery date.

Currently our shopping cart already shows you stock status. Our problem is that the new shopping cart is very difficult to integrate with our accounting system that shows you the stock availability. So while our shopping cart is fairly basic, we really don't see the urgent need to have it be 'prettier'. Especially when it may cause us to not show the stock status. Also, the current system allows you to look at your complete purchase history and check ship dates and backorder status's. We always felt it was a worthy trade-off. No offense to our competitors but I can't stand browsing Year One's and Ames shopping carts. They are slow and you never find what you want. They have way less pictures and diagrams and the technical information supplied is not very good.

I think sometimes you guys look at sites like Summit racing and other giants. A small Pontiac company is just not going to be able to compete with a web site like that. I alos think sometimes you get use to working with one system and then are uncomfortable when you have to learn something new.

We tag the backorder for our customers to track status but giving estimated delivery dates is only available from some of the giant internet retailers. And their estimates are just that, estimates. Suppliers dictate when a backorder is going to be available again and they all have varied degrees of competence.



just to restate to everyone, Our current order system shows whether an item is in stock and always has.

I would be more interested in knowing how the part fits, customer comments and how to correct?

Gregg

X2 with zephyrracer says as per customer comments on parts that have been bought.
I know for a fact that I would have never bought [not from PY] a set of the chrome moldings for the vent area at the lower front grill area. [1969 GTO]
The other venders book said fit great,they were junk,would not fit no way,I bent 1 trying to fit and ended up throwing them in the trash.
Customer views or comments or reviews would be nice.

Stock availability is very important. Customer reviews are second on the list.

I think another item worth consideration is Performance Years participation on Ebay, or the lack thereof. I make ~75% of my purchases through Ebay because they have a friendly user interface, robust search feature, and ultra easy Paypal checkout. Ames, Inline, Parts Place and others have a growing Ebay presence which seems to lend credence to the cost/benefit being favorable.

Also, when generically searching for parts online using Google or other search engines, Classic, Ames, Ecklers and others frequently come up in response to my search, but I don't believe PY has ever come up. It might be financially beneficial for PY to undertake efforts to improve their ranking in search responses.

Good luck, we all want to see PY succeed and prosper.

We do have an ebay presence. The Store is under CCASS1. We have been only placing our own reproductions on ebay, but just started expanding to more items.

If only Ebay didn't take them fees :gag:

eBay: :gag:
Amazon: :D (found some Pypes pieces there too)

I usually check the paper catalog for parts and get the number before ordering online. I do like the idea of knowing if a part is in stock before ordering it.

This is a great point. The first place I go to is eBay when I want a part. Ames must have half their catalog their and shipping is always a couple of bucks cheaper vs buying through their site. If PY was there for a quick check out like that! I'd certainly buy from PY first.

But then that leads to the web site here. If it were easier/faster to find parts, I'd come here first. Ames site is just as bad and the parts Place is the worst. I guess my point is that if the right part is there, I go whre it's easier to find it and faster to checkout.

I have been purchasing items from PY for about year now. I am restoring, little by little,
a 69 GTO. There has been only a couple items that weren't in stock when I called. Not a big deal too me but it would be convenient to see how many pieces were in stock of
a particular item.

I also agree with some of the other post as to calling in and talking to PY's knowledgeable staff. Being a first time GTO owner there
is a lot I need to learn and these guys usually have an answer or suggestion to questions I have. For example, something as simple
as speedometer cable chatter. A friend of mine who owns a number of Pontiacs told me the easiest way to get the cable seated in
the transmission gear is to remove the housing from the transmission. Some one at PY told me that after lubricating the cable and putting it back through the cable sheath attempt to seat it in the gear by pulling it out, turning it a little and pushing it back in. I had
it seated and back on the Speedo housing in 10 minutes.

Very important. If it's not in stock, I do not order it. I'd rather have that information than thinking it is available, ordering it, then finding out later that it is out of stock and pictures would be nice,Pics are crucial for sales . Some places have thumbnail pictures, and those don't work either. I want to be able to compare it to what I have. :-)

Not sure if it was mentioned, but how about being able to sort by year? Would help with searching through for items needed.

Stock, yes very important. ALSO, if NOT in stock, HONEST delivery estimate. BTW, you guys are awesome to deal with. I always kind of like the phone order real voice thing myself....... talking to someone who knows cars is great. rock on PY....

No need to integrate it, why not when we pull up the item it shows in stock or not. If it's not in stock give me the option to add it as a back order item or pass at this time.

Then return me to the previous screen.

Yes in stock/out of stock is important to me as well.

I also download a catalog first then use the part number to order. And please let us set our preferences and keep them, even for the next visit, tie it to our user name.

Over all you guys do a good job at customer service. Just the website to order is a pain.

Update: The first phase of the new PY website is going live later today. This phase does NOT yet address the new online ordering system. However, we have been testing the new system all Summer and plan to implement it later in the Fall. It will include In Stock - No Stock information. Being able to rate and comment on a part is also planned.

In the meantime, I hope the new facelift holds you guys off for a bit. :)

I just call. The personalized service works well for me. Never used PY's online catalog or search well because it seemed slower than calling. HIS

I don't like it...nope,not 1 bit.
My GTO is not in the pictures ;o)

I'm sorry but currently I do not like your new parts website, nothing shows up, I prefer to download the catalog a shop that way. Where do you even download a catalog? It pulls up items I'm not even looking for, for only a few models??????????? Very difficult to find anything.

I would say that you are searching by putting in a description. example; 'radiator cap' If you do this, then you will get nothing or almost nothing because if the description says 'rad cap' it doesn't match. If you put in 'cap' then you get too many results. With the restoration supply business, there are far too many descriptions to yield good results by trying to shop by description. It is much better browsing experience if you use the various categories and sub categories to find what you want. If you have our hard copy of the catalog, then it's easiest to just key in the part number.

You download a catalog by clicking on 'catalogs' from the home page or scrolling to the bottom of the home page where each catalog is displayed.

I downloaded the catalog, printed it on the company printer and order by email or on the phone. the guys are decent to deal with!

It's a business choice how you present your information to your users, but I must say having too many categories can make finding items difficult.. I personally prefer searching, and not only on your site. If you have "search", make it useful.

Searching can be made much more effective by including phrases, words, or numbers that are obviously related to the product within the record for that item.. Metadata..

If all you have from the data from your supplier is Rad Cap.. Add to the description "radiator" or other words that make sense to someone looking for it...

If you are saying that for example, the 1972 Pontiac A Body Radiator Cap you sell is called "Rad Cap" in the bit of data you get from your supplier, and you take the data you get from the supplier and simply insert that into the items' record in your Database, then I think that's not the best practice. There is a lot you can do to add useful information.

In my business, we deal with thousands of records in many databases for a variety of purposes. I do understand the effort. But as I said it's a toss up.
We can all improve our web presence, but that's the beauty of the web, You CAN change it all the time. Not like a Catalog..

The website designer Im sure has data on searches here and this site can be fine tuned with that. Some new websites can learn on their own.
Having done a lot of POP marketing in the past, I find that 1, having the part, 2, a picture of said part, and 3 making checkout easy ( paypal would require no address, CC numbers etc.) Oddly enough, I buy PY Stuff on Ebay with 2 clicks! and Chis has a picture or two up there...How easy is that? ( I know ebay sucks the sellers but its a good example of simplicity)
Correct
Fast
Easy
Is the only way to sell these days..having the tools in place at the POP makes things happen. People will reconsider if its too much work as in long computer searches.
I recommend a "Thread" on the Forums for "Customer installed parts Pictures" Screen them and make SURE the PN and a LINK to them is ON that Pic or near it to purchase said part. SEEING that part ON a fellow members car is a HUGE persuasion, and woudn't take much to do.

One problem with the site is it requires more knowledge of the cars than it should. For example I'm putting a list together of things I need for a engine rebuild for the 65 Bonneville. I want a new water pump and divider plates. If I go to the full size catalog there are no entries. I have to do an item search for "water pump" to find you do of course have the parts in stock.

This issue is by no means limited to PY. For example go to auto zone and ask for a pilot bearing for a 65 Catalina 421 4 speed. They will tell you they don't have them. Then ask for the same part for a 68 GTO 400 4 speed, and they go get the bearing off the shelve.

Absolutely good point! These systems are only as good as the data we enter. This particular issue was easy to fix. I added both items to the online FS catalog now. You'll see them if you try again. In fact, I found about 10 part numbers that somehow were omitted from the FS catalog. Now they are there.

This is a problem. A bad search engine probably does me damage than no search engine. If I search and come up empty, I assume you don't sell what I need so I'm forced elsewhere.

After reading ask these issues, I tried something different: I worked in the downloaded catalog in Adobe using that search function. VERY effective. That led me to the part number which i then looked up on PY site.

In general, I appreciate what PY does, I like the web chat function a lot, but as a consumer, I have come to expect a lot from my on line shopping experience, like summit's site. I understand they have more money. I'm just explaining where I'm coming from and what I'm comparing to.

I will still turn here first wherever possible, in part because of this forum.

So keep asking for feedback. Just knowing that you ask, and hearing from you first hand where you can't deliver and why, goes a long way in my being more sympathetic to the situation, which will lead to my trying to buy from you more.

Communication is king.

Thanks for all you do

Adam has nailed it dead on and couldn't have said it better.

Corrected a few "smart phone" errors (corrections in all CAPS). Who came up with that oxymoron of a term, anyway?

As technology advances more and more becomes available and the more consumers expect it. Even Summit and Jegs have a lot of problems with their search engine. Be patient because PY/Ames, now one company are doing the best they can and are more willing to serve their customers than just about any company out there.