Parts Proliferation, OEM Dealers Threaten the Independent Aftermarket Like Never Before, says Pricedex CEO

Manufacturers and resellers in the North American automotive aftermarket are headed for serious trouble if they don't face up to reality of parts proliferation and OEM dealer competition and invest in updated technology that can help them match what the new car dealer already has.

That's the viewpoint of Terry O'Reilly, president and CEO of Pricedex Software, Inc., a leading provider of product information management solutions.

"There is no question that this market has changed dramatically in the past decade, and will continue to change in the next few years - probably faster than most businesses can keep up with it," says O'Reilly.
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Efficient Exchange of Accurate, Standardized Data Between Trading Partners is Critical to the Aftermarket

A major year-long study of aftermarket IT practices and data management has been released, confirming what many executives already know: accurate parts data is the lifeblood of the aftermarket, and improving its overall management and finding better ways to distribute timely, synchronized information between trading partners is critical to the industry.

The study was commissioned by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) and the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) in a cooperative effort to examine industry requirements and assess the feasibility of improved methods of data management in the aftermarket.

The report revealed that better methods of distributing higher quality data are indeed needed to help drive cost and other inefficiencies out of the supply chain, but that there was no clear consensus on the form of the solution.
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Catalog and Publishing Management - The Third Pillar of PIM

If you were to ask most aftermarket sales or marketing executives what their prime issue is with respect to getting product information to their customers, undoubtedly they would say that it's accurate cataloging that is demanding most time and resources.

But the type of cataloging they are talking about - the correlation of parts to vehicle applications, also known as "fitment data" - is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Catalog and Publishing Management.
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Using PIM to Improve Customer Relations and Win "Preferred Vendor" Status

How many companies do you know have had a great product, but you could never find it on the store shelf? Was it a favorite soft drink or beverage? A magazine? Or an electronic gadget?

Do you remember the frustration you felt at not finding what you wanted? What did you do? Chances are, you went to another store or you bought a different product.

Retailers know it's much less expensive to keep a customer than attract a new one. So how can we, as vendors, support them upstream from the upper end of the sales chain? What are the things that we can do to help them?
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