For the average Canadian motorcycle punter, they likely have never heard of Kimpex, or for that matter most of the other accessory distributors that serve as middlemen between a company that makes a product and the shop that sells them.
Just bought a new Yuasa battery from your local dealer? That would have been from the big Kimpex catalog that the dealer pulls out from under the desk to find your type and then (unless they have one in stock) order it from Kimpex.
As you all know by now, the internet has thrown a bit of a wrench in this traditional model with more and more shoppers buying directly via the internet. Dealers are not the only ones to suffer, so too do the distributors, who also get cut out the equation.
Kimpex has just announced that you can now order any of its products directly from its own website. However, since this alone would invoke the wrath of their dealers, the buyer is requested to select their local dealer at check out, who then process the deal and gets a cut of the transaction for doing so. Since the deal is with the dealer, you also get to deal with them on any return, which may or may not be a benefit.
Distributor happy, dealer happy, customer happy … ish.
It’s not a bad solution to a business model that is suffering heavily from direct operations like FortNine (formerly Canada’s Motorcycle) here and Revzilla, located just over the border. The trouble is Kimpex only deals in a limited number of brands and so choice is limited but a quick comparo between Kimpex and FortNine did show that they were not just matching prices but in some cases, offering better deals on sale items.
Participating dealers need to agree to certain rules and conditions from Kimpex (so not all dealers will show on the list) but it’s an interesting new model and a potential lifeline to smaller dealers who are having trouble getting onto the web as a sales tool. If it works, expect to see something similar from the other main distributors, and more buying choice for the Canadian motorcyclist.
Its a good plan, and works for other types of retail business.
Kudos to Kimpex for taking the first step in recreational products for Canada.
I thought of this before and it`s an interesting compromise especially if you want to keep good relations with your dealer or if you need him to change or install the parts you ordered ( If bike parts or accesories are concerned obviously. )
Dan Caldwell