Boeing Global Services, an arm of Boeing Corp. that sells parts and data products to the aviation industry as well as maintenance and engineering services, is flying high with B2B ecommerce.

William Ampofo, vice president of parts, distribution services, and supply chain, Boeing Global Services

In 2021, Boeing Global Services, which works with 6,000 global suppliers and carries an inventory of 15 million numbered parts, generated $2 billion in ecommerce sales.

Based on $2 billion in online sales, ecommerce accounted for 12.3% of $16.32 billion in total sales. This marks a 5% increase from total revenue of $15.54 billion in 2020. Boeing Global Services didn’t break out ecommerce sales for 2020.

“Boeing Distribution Inc., an online portal and formerly called Aviall, sold nearly 70,000 parts products through its ecommerce site to commercial and government customers, eclipsing pre-pandemic levels,” Boeing says. “Commercial orders accounted for $1.5 billion in sales, reflecting the continued recovery in the airline industry.”

Boeing has a long history selling parts online to the aviation industry, beginning in 1999. Boeing Distribution, which has headquarters in Dallas, is one of the world’s largest providers for new aviation parts and related aftermarket services.

The company markets and distributes products for more than 240 manufacturers and offers approximately 2 million catalog items from 40 customer service centers in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, Boeing says.

Boeing Distribution also provides maintenance for aviation batteries, wheels, and brakes, as well as hose assembly, kitting, and paint-mixing services. Other products include supply chain and logistics services, including order processing, stocking and fulfillment, automated inventory management and reverse logistics to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and customers.

“Boeing is improving ecommerce with our customers in mind,” says Boeing Global Services vice president of parts, distribution services, and supply chain William Ampofo. “In addition to launching new digital tools, we will continue to focus on digital and performance improvements, along with simplifying how we engage with our customers.”

In 2021, Boeing Distribution’s online revenue last year was 15% higher compared to pre-pandemic levels, while orders were 20% higher. The company did not break out any specific metrics.

The stronger ecommerce sales came as Boeing Distribution rolled out new tools to improve the customer experience. These include a new homepage, a live chat feature, and an online knowledge center, Boeing says.

The refreshed ecommerce parts website, which features more than 500,000 products, generated 5 million visits from 50 countries last year, Boeing says.

“Our $2 billion closeout to 2021 was a great capstone as the market heads to a more stable recovery,” says Boeing Global Services president and CEO Ted Colbert. “Our ecommerce capabilities are a great example of the digital solutions we provide to enable industry recovery and growth.”

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