Admanseven

Hi All,
I'm Adam. I'm a professional bike mechanic of 13 or so years, currently living in Rotorua, NZ.
Doing a little research project and I would like to hear your stories around Bike Parts Compatibility.

If you're a regular customer/consumer, I'm interested to know if Bike Parts Compatibility is, or has been, a stumbling block for you at some point.
Does it guide where and how you shop?
Does it make buying online difficult, or impossible?
Do you find all the bike standards a bit confusing sometimes?
Would you buy more parts online if it was clearer to you that something "definitely would" fit your particular bike?
If you shop online, how do you generally find out what parts to buy?

If you're in the industry, I'm interested to know how it affects you or your business.
Does it take up time or resources answering questions related to parts fitting a customer's bike?
Is it difficult for sales or customer service staff to find the information they need to determine something will fit a customer's bike?
Do you see parts being returned that were not the right ones?
Do you think customers would buy more parts online if they were confident they were going to fit?

I hope you can help me understand this problem a little better...

Thanks in advance for your help.
Regards,
Adam