Auto parts distribution
Imdepa: growing 3x in customers without 3x the sales team
A distributor founded in 1960 moved the buying decision into a governed B2B portal. In 3 years it activated 153 customers and processed around 60,000 orders, with the rep shifting from processing to consulting.
Customer: Imdepa
Imdepa is a Brazilian auto parts distributor founded in 1960, operating in 9 states, with about 23,000 SKUs and roughly 16,000 corporate customers across the agricultural, industrial and automotive segments. In 2023 it launched a B2B ordering portal on CWS Platform, with a clear goal: keep operational efficiency while growing.
The result at scale
In 3 years of operation, the platform activated 153 customers (about 3x growth), processed around 60,000 orders and today runs about 25,000 sessions per month. The machine took over the simple transaction, and the rep moved from roughly 70% of their time processing orders to proactive consulting. It’s growth decoupled from the cost of structure: more customers served without growing the team in the same proportion.
Three engagement profiles
Each Imdepa customer found their own rhythm of use. The 3-year analysis revealed three patterns, all valid:
- Heavy User. The portal becomes operational infrastructure. One customer reached 18,920 logins, about 1,500 orders and 5 internal users over 3 years, integrating the portal into the whole team’s purchasing routine.
- Exploratory. The portal as a decision tool. One customer logged 1,309 accesses, 930 orders and a 70% conversion rate, exploring alternatives before closing.
- Late Adopter. Access when needed, without depending on a rep. A 63.6% conversion per session: they log in, find it, buy, without calling anyone.
Imdepa’s customer names are preserved (Customer A, B, C) for privacy.
Why it worked
The real B2B journey is complex, and the platform treats that as a native capability. An order of more than 250 SKUs is built in a single cart, with automatic calculation of IPI, ICMS and ST, freight and pre-approved credit, in seconds. What used to consume hours of a rep’s time now takes minutes of a self-sufficient customer. With friction removed, the customer chooses the channel because it’s operationally better, not out of digital preference.
“O valor real não é a receita que vemos nos números. É a operação que você consegue sustentar com o mesmo custo de estrutura. Crescemos 3x em clientes sem contratar 3x mais vendedores.”
Paulo R. S. Pereira, Digital Sales Coordinator at Imdepa.
Frequently asked questions about this case
What changed in the rep's daily work once the portal was in place?
They stopped typing orders. At Imdepa the rep spent roughly 70% of their time processing the simple transaction, the one where the customer already knows what they want and just needs someone to record it, and that work moved to the machine. What remains is what only a person does: understanding the customer's operation, suggesting what is missing, resolving the exception. The rep is not the victim of digital, they are its vector, and the business math follows: 3x growth in customers without 3x the team.
My customers are not all digital. Does the portal only serve those who already buy online?
No, and Imdepa's three-year analysis shows three rhythms coexisting, all of them valid. There is the customer who turns the portal into infrastructure and logs in daily with several people from the team; the one who uses it as a decision tool, exploring alternatives before closing; and the one who only shows up when needed, solves it and leaves, without depending on a rep. None of these profiles was converted by force. The portal earned usage by being operationally better, not by digital preference.
My orders carry hundreds of line items and complicated taxes. Does that fit in a cart?
It does, and that is the boundary separating the real B2B journey from retail checkout. An order with more than 250 SKUs is built in a single cart, with IPI, ICMS and ST calculated, freight and pre-approved credit, in seconds. Work that would consume hours of a rep's time on the phone takes minutes of a self-sufficient customer. That is the transaction cost of buying going down, and that is what changes behavior, not the screen.
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