Many automotive aftermarket businesses have fitment data for their replacement auto parts catalogs available on eBay and Amazon. This fitment data includes different aspects of the fitment like compatibility in the form of the year/make/model of the vehicle and can expand to trim/submodel, engine, as well as other information that is necessary to make sure your part fits the vehicle it’s being installed on. However, not all fitment data is created equal.
When it comes to selling car parts and accessories online, the process can have many steps. First, the seller must determine whether or not the part has fitment data for their country. With this information, they enter that data and send it to eBay or Amazon as necessary.
In this article, we will cover how to find fitment data for your product listings online so you can provide accurate information about what fits what.
What Is Fitment Data?
Also known as compatibility information, fitment data is an important item that needs to be included when listing your product on eBay or Amazon. It’s the type of information that tells both a customer and the seller which fitment matches their vehicle. The fitment data should include manufacturer, part number, model name, or year of manufacture, as well as any other information needed to make sure that your fitment is compatible with the person’s car they are looking for.
Fitments are typically needed if you’re selling parts online and generally come in one of two forms: fitments from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or other third-party manufacturers.
To have correctly formatted fitment data, businesses in the automotive aftermarket sector need to put together a fitment data database for their catalog of replacement brand auto parts. This job is made more difficult because fitment data from OEMs can be costly. It can be hard to get fitments that are reasonably priced and compatible with the ACES and PIES industry standards, which make up how we identify a part’s compatibility.
In addition, fitment information from OEMs may not include fitments for all the different years of a vehicle’s manufacture.
Finding fitment data from other third-party manufacturers is an alternative to fitment information obtained directly from original equipment manufacturers, but there are downsides. For example, some fitment data might be inaccurate or incomplete, resulting in missed business opportunities.
The Importance of Fitment Data for Replacement Brand Auto Parts
The number of potential cars that a universal auto part or accessory can be used in is expansive. The average auto part/accessory fits about 32 different vehicles and, while not all applications are perfect for any one vehicle, many will still work. When you include clear, complete, and accurate fitment data on your product listings, you potentially reach all customers searching for auto parts and accessories that fit their vehicle.
In addition, fitment data is an integral part of the ACES and PIES industry standards. As a fitment data user, it’s essential to provide accurate compatibility information for your customers to find what they’re looking for.
Too often, people search for products by brand name instead of finding the aftermarket auto parts and accessories that fit their vehicles. To increase the chances of getting found online, make sure you provide complete descriptions and accurate fitment data.
If your fitment data is not accurate, you risk selling the wrong parts to customers. An inaccurate auto part fitment is sure to draw complaints from customers, which can affect your company’s good standing with the online marketplaces you sell on, such as eBay or Amazon. This can result in costly returns when angry customers send the item back for a refund, stating that you provided incorrect compatibility information.
The Fleeting Nature of Fitment Data
While fitment data is a critical business asset for any organization operating in the aftermarket sector, this type of asset needs to be constantly updated and maintained.
Frequently, fitment data is out of date as the automotive industry changes. For example, suppose a vehicle model has changed to fit new safety standards or roll-over prevention requirements. In that case, that information needs to be updated in all fitment databases and on any company websites listing those specific items for sale. If this does not happen soon enough, customers could compare different sources of fitment data and find discrepancies which can lead to dissatisfied consumers who may turn away from your brand altogether or, worse yet, have complaints filed against you by their local consumer rights association.
It’s also very possible that customers looking for specific parts and accessories for their vehicles will not be able to find them in your listings since the fitment data attached to them is out of date.
For this reason, those who have auto part catalogs need to constantly take care of their fitment data and update it as required.
The fitment data for your auto parts and accessories need to be accurate so that you can provide the correct fitments. If not, customers will have difficulty finding what they want from your business despite how many listings you might have online or in print.
Keeping Fitment Data Accurate
The fitment data for a replacement auto part is one of the essential pieces of information about that part. The fitment data can be used to ensure compatibility with other parts in the car, which will help avoid problems such as leaking hoses or improper installation. A few things you should always check when looking at fitment data are:
- make sure they’re up to date and accurate (especially if there have been any changes made)
- take note of what type of fitments it supports (exterior vs. interior)
- finalize your selection by checking the dimensions and weight of each option before making a purchase decision
Some suppliers will supply the data for a monthly fee if you are a tech-savvy small business that wants to collect, manage, or use your fitment data for catalogs of auto aftermarket products. Amazon and eBay Motors also have their catalogs, which you can search. If your auto part is not in the catalog, you will need to add compatibility information to your listings manually.
These are businesses that don’t have the time to maintain their cataloging or master their ACES and PIES for online sales. Consequently, this isn’t the best option for many busy business owners; therefore, they should choose to use an existing automotive aftermarket data catalog or purchase one from these providers of fitment data catalogs.
So if you don’t have the experience, time, and knowledge to keep your database up-to-date, inaccurate fitment data can cause problems. Fitment data is an ongoing process. The standards for vehicle parts often change – as frequently as once a month. To keep accurate records of your auto parts catalog, you will need to regularly update the data within it. If these records are not maintained, your list will eventually be outdated and filled with errors that could lead to lost customers in the long run.
Where To Find Fitment Data?
The automotive aftermarket industry can find fitment data for their part catalogs in eBay Motors and Amazon. Updated vehicle lists are periodically provided. Products are listed by make and model, allowing you to review changes in fitment data for specific vehicles. While eBay Motors and Amazon have built-in tools for managing fitment data, listing compatibility can be labor-intensive because it takes a lot of time to add just a few fitments for one single listing. This means that many auto parts and accessory sellers turn to third-party software solutions.
Finding the right ACES data for your Amazon or eBay product listings is now possible thanks to third-party providers, which have allowed sellers access to inexpensive fitment data. However, listing fees and expensive software are still necessary.
Third-party software like myFitment, ensures you have accurate and complete fitment data for your catalog of automotive aftermarket parts. myFitment is a fitment and compatibility data discovery tool that allows for easy cataloging across Amazon and eBay. The myFitment tool provides bidirectional support for listing and inventory management using ACES PIES best practices, without any need to fill out tedious forms or communicate with the engineers on your team – saving you both time and money! Providing accurate fitment data, in addition to the ACES and PIES industry standards, will result in an improved buyer experience that may lead to increased sales.
myFitment’s entire solution is based on automation and includes hundreds of reports and bulk processes. Managed by an experienced team who provide timely data quality checks to automated fitment data, myFitment has ensured that information about compatibility with vehicles is accurate and relevant. We keep the list of compatible vehicle configurations updated every month – as soon as new cars are released!
Do you have questions about Amazon or eBay Motors compatibility, how to ensure your master vehicle lists are accurate and complete? For information on how myFitment can help you get your listings in front of marketplace buyers, call us at 855-4FITMENT. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with vehicle compatibility innovations!
