AUTOMOTIVE CATALOG DATA
Autoforge is built around the realities of automotive catalog data. Connect vehicle application information, structured product content, fitment relationships and ecommerce workflows to create a better shopping experience for aftermarket parts customers.
AUTOMOTIVE DATA IS DIFFERENT
Traditional ecommerce catalogs are usually built around a straightforward relationship between a product, its attributes and a category. Automotive catalogs introduce another critical dimension: the vehicles and applications associated with each product.
A brake pad, filter, suspension component or performance part may look like an ordinary ecommerce product, but the customer also needs to know whether that product belongs on a specific vehicle.
ACES and PIES provide standardized ways for automotive businesses to exchange the application and product information needed to build richer catalogs. Autoforge is designed to turn that structured automotive data into storefront experiences customers can actually use.
ACES VS. PIES
ACES and PIES are often mentioned together, but they solve different parts of the automotive catalog problem.
ACES is used to communicate automotive application and fitment information — essentially describing which products are associated with which vehicle configurations.
This application data can provide the foundation for vehicle-specific shopping experiences.
PIES is used to communicate structured automotive product information. It focuses on what the product is rather than which vehicles the product fits.
Product data can then be used to create richer product pages, categories, search results and merchandising experiences.
AUTOMOTIVE PRODUCT CONTEXT
An automotive ecommerce storefront needs both sides of the product relationship.
Product information gives shoppers the specifications, brand, description and characteristics of a part. Application information provides the vehicle context needed to understand compatibility.
When those data sets work together, the storefront can move beyond a basic product catalog and become a vehicle-aware automotive shopping experience.
FROM DATA TO STOREFRONT
Use application relationships to help customers discover products associated with their selected vehicle.
Combine structured product information with fitment data to give shoppers more context before purchasing.
Combine product names, brands, identifiers, attributes and vehicle context to create more useful product search.
Structured attributes make it easier to give customers filters that reflect the actual characteristics of automotive products.
Use structured product and application information to build more useful category and vehicle-specific browsing experiences.
Better catalog structure makes it easier to build recommendations, alternatives and related-product experiences.
AUTOMOTIVE DATA WORKFLOW
Autoforge is designed around an automotive catalog workflow where product information and vehicle application data can be transformed into commerce-ready experiences.
Product and application information originates from manufacturers, brands, data providers or internal catalog systems.
Product content, vehicle applications, attributes, identifiers and relationships are prepared for use within the ecommerce catalog.
Products are connected with vehicle applications, categories, attributes and other catalog relationships.
The resulting catalog supports fitment, search, filtering, product detail pages and automotive navigation.
AUTOMOTIVE CATALOG ECOSYSTEM
Automotive catalog systems use structured reference data to identify vehicles, products, part types and other relationships consistently.
Vehicle reference information provides standardized identifiers and attributes for vehicle configurations used within application data.
Part classification data helps describe automotive part types in a consistent way across product catalogs.
Product attribute reference data helps standardize characteristics used to describe automotive products.
Fitment relationships connect products with the vehicle configurations and conditions under which they apply.
Part numbers, brands, descriptions, specifications and other product information help build complete commerce experiences.
Autoforge brings these relationships together so structured automotive data can become useful storefront navigation and product discovery.
WHY STRUCTURED DATA MATTERS
ACES and PIES are not merely catalog file formats. The data they communicate can influence nearly every part of an automotive ecommerce experience.
Connect products with the vehicle applications they are designed to support.
Give search systems more structured product and vehicle context to work with.
Build richer product pages from standardized product information and attributes.
Structured relationships become increasingly important as catalogs grow across products, brands and vehicles.
BUILT FOR THE AFTERMARKET
Turn automotive product and application data into useful search, fitment, categories and product pages for retail shoppers.
Automotive Ecommerce for Retailers →Organize complex automotive catalogs while supporting professional buyers, wholesale customers and large-scale product discovery.
Ecommerce for Automotive Distributors →Connect your product content and application information to direct-to-consumer and partner-facing ecommerce experiences.
Automotive Manufacturer Solutions →ACES & PIES FAQ
ACES stands for Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard. It is used within the automotive aftermarket to communicate product application and vehicle fitment information.
PIES stands for Product Information Exchange Standard. It is used to communicate structured automotive product information such as identifiers, descriptions, attributes and other catalog content.
ACES primarily describes product application and vehicle compatibility, while PIES describes the product itself. A simple way to think about the difference is that ACES helps communicate where a part fits, while PIES helps communicate what the part is.
The data your business needs depends on your catalog and operating model, but many automotive ecommerce experiences benefit from both structured product information and vehicle application data.
ACES application data describes relationships between products and vehicle configurations. Those relationships can be used by an ecommerce platform to narrow catalogs, confirm product compatibility and support vehicle-specific shopping.
VCdb is the Vehicle Configuration Database used as reference data for standardized vehicle information within the automotive aftermarket catalog ecosystem.
PCdb is the Parts Classification Database. It provides standardized automotive part-type classifications that can be referenced within aftermarket catalog data.
Structured application and product information can give an ecommerce search system additional context for product discovery, vehicle filtering, attributes, categories and part-number searches.
PUT YOUR AUTOMOTIVE DATA TO WORK
Turn automotive product information, vehicle application data and catalog relationships into fitment, search, navigation and product experiences built for the aftermarket.
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