Helping STIHL increase online checkout five times over

How STIHL and PowerChord brought Buy Online, Pick Up in Store to a dealer-exclusive brand, capturing online purchase intent and multiplying revenue across the dealer network.

Industry

Handheld outdoor power equipment: chain saws, trimmers, blowers, and mowers

Founded

Waiblingen, Germany, in 1926

US Network

More than 10,000 authorized local dealers

Distribution

Sold exclusively through dealers, not big-box stores

◆Background

Who is STIHL?

STIHL is a global leader in handheld outdoor power equipment, with gas-powered and battery tools spanning chain saws, trimmers, blowers, pressure washers, lawnmowers, and augers. Built for homeowners as well as agriculture, landscape, and construction professionals, STIHL products are sold exclusively through an extensive dealer network.

◆The Challenge

Meet online shoppers without bypassing dealers

Because STIHL sells exclusively through its dealers, meeting modern shoppers online raised a specific problem: how to let customers research, compare, and buy on the brand's website without working around the local dealers who complete every sale.

STIHL needed a purchase path that captured buying intent at the moment of decision and still routed each transaction through a nearby dealer.

◆The Ask

Buy Online, Pick Up in Store

STIHL and PowerChord partnered to simplify online shopping with a Buy Online, Pick Up in Store initiative built on the PowerChord platform. Customers handle all of their research and product comparison on STIHL's website, then add their chosen products to a cart for direct purchase and convenient pickup at a local dealer.

The Result

Capturing buying intent at the point of decision

When shoppers reach the point of directly comparing products, they have clear intent to buy, and the Buy Online, Pick Up in Store flow captured that intent at exactly the right moment. The added convenience drove conversions. When social distancing protocols arrived in early 2020, STIHL and its dealer network were ready: online purchases with local curbside pickup became essential, and because the infrastructure was already in place, STIHL cut through the competition and led the market through a difficult stretch.

▲ Increase

164%

Year-over-year increase in sales revenue after launching Buy Online, Pick Up in Store

▲ Increase

399%

Year-over-year increase in online revenue in April 2020

Ready to bring your dealer network into focus?

One platform, one partner.

Talk to PowerChord