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Cromosol has been a leading auto parts distributor in the Argentine market for 80 years. Its e-commerce success story began a few years ago when, already established as a B2B wholesaler, the company sought to expand its sales spectrum by developing dropshipping as a business unit in its own right. Its already professionalized work in the auto parts industry was strengthened by the support of Mercado Inteligente, a consulting firm specialized in e-commerce, and by integrating Alephee’s platform to centralize all operations.
The Challenge: How to go from number 1 offline to number 1 online?
With a goal to “professionalize the company and the industry,” as stated by Gastón Zamora – Head of Marketing, Ivanna Gomez – Head of Dropshipping at Cromosol, and Ezequiel Alonso from Mercado Inteligente, Cromosol set out to understand the retail channel, its particular challenges, how to grow through new digital channels, and how to support this transition.
Unlike companies starting from scratch in e-commerce, Cromosol already had an in-house cataloging team that developed their own tool to digitize sales. Therefore, their journey started a few steps ahead by deciding how to engage with vendors in the sector. How could dropshipping become a business model? What training, resources, and support could they offer collaborators so everyone could enter e-commerce with equal opportunities?
Cromosol’s strength lies in being a “young company” despite more than 85 years in the industry. They define themselves as “constantly evolving” to embrace new opportunities and tackle the challenges of e-commerce as unavoidable necessities. “We change the formula if needed, but always with our feet on the ground; above all, we are a team,” they affirm, envisioning the future of the auto parts industry.
Solutions found through synergy
The integration with Alephee focused on building a digital product catalog that centralized all information circulating in the e-commerce space. It was a phased cataloging process designed for orderly growth. Out of Cromosol’s 22,000 products, they began working with 2,000 SKUs to provide more detailed tracking and to specialize their dropshipping model.
“Working with Alephee created synergy and a strong team,” says the Cromosol team. Training new vendors who want to do e-commerce is a necessary step to onboard new players who can carry on the brand-led initiative.
Cromosol and other key players in the auto parts sector are committed to a long-term cultural effort that empowers resellers to take ownership of their business. “The hardest work starts after professional cataloging,” they note, because many merchants ask themselves: “What now?”. It’s essential to show them that after the sale comes after-sales support, customer service, and much more.
Educating the new players
“The auto parts industry is very physical,” says Cromosol, referring to a sector rooted in traditional storefronts and workshops where customer service has always been face-to-face. In this context, moving the industry to e-commerce and digitizing sales processes brings unique challenges.
Training and supporting both long-time and new resellers is key to ensuring everyone has the same opportunities to enter e-commerce. “It’s not easy to put every player on the same level with the same tools,” they explain. “Cromosol’s goal is to give every client internal or external the same chance, while respecting the entire commercial chain.”
To that end, reseller training is conducted regularly. A major theme of these sessions is sharing hard-won lessons: “Many vendors think that connecting to brand or distributor catalogs means everything is solved, but that’s just the beginning.”
Vendors who give up on e-commerce often do so because they don’t understand their potential. Once connected, new questions arise questions Cromosol and Alephee view as opportunities requiring definition: What should I do with my business? What profit margin should I apply? Why does one product sell better than another?
Currently, Cromosol has 72 active resellers fully connected to its digital catalog via the Alephee platform. However, as Argentina’s number-one auto parts wholesaler, Cromosol is committed to continued growth inviting new players to join and collaborate, just as has always been done in this sector.
Goals and Conclusions
With a vision firmly focused on innovation and the future, Cromosol is committed to opening new accounts across Argentina and reaching customers nationwide. Its main goal is to enable non-wholesale accounts to begin dropshipping—broadening their reach and offering more business opportunities to a wider audience.
Cromosol and its e-commerce leadership team view “innovation” as more than just a trend. They believe true growth and success will come when all players in the e-commerce ecosystem speak the same language and fully understand what dropshipping is. It’s not about taking advantage of an opportunity while others lag behind; it’s about ensuring everyone is part of a collective growth process.
That’s why Cromosol is dedicated to educating and training all resellers explaining why they should be involved in e-commerce and how they can benefit from it. The idea is to foster dropshipping growth by educating every link in the chain, so everyone can understand and leverage the opportunities this business model offers.
Conclusion
In short, Cromosol aims to expand nationally by opening accounts in different Argentine regions and reaching customers across the country. But their vision isn’t limited to geographic growth they also seek to expand the knowledge and understanding of dropshipping within the auto parts industry. The goal is for all resellers to be part of this shared growth, working together to drive e-commerce forward and fully capitalize on the opportunities it presents.
