When it comes to selling car parts and accessories on the Walmart automotive eCommerce platform, retailers need to look for ways and tools that can help increase their chances of success. Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard (ACES) is an industry-standard used by auto parts manufacturers to connect the information they have about car parts with Walmart’s database.
The Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard ACES operates by matching up the catalog data of one retailer with another using a shared database. It contains all fitment data for products to ensure accurate fitment information across multiple sites. ACES is not just another data standard. ACES has become the go-to industry standard for selling car parts on Walmart and the rest of the digital environment. That’s because of its accuracy and widespread use by hundreds of manufacturers.
Retailers need to look for ways to increase their chances of success online, and the ACES industry standard is one of those tools that can help them do that and more. This article explains the Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard, how it works, and why retailers should use ACES when selling car parts on the Walmart digital marketplace.
What Is Fitment Data?
All data about a product and whether it can be installed in a vehicle is called fitment data. This is the type of information that businesses use to compare the compatibility of products. ACES was created to keep track of all this information in the database so that ACES XML may access it. However, complete control over fitment data is not available through ACES.
Fitment data is important because it ensures that customers receive the right parts and accessories. This can be especially important for retailers who sell products on websites like Walmart.com, where customers order online and expect to get what they ordered. Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard allows auto part retailers to verify fitment data before selling a product on their website or in-store inventory management system.
Fitment data can consist of simple information such as the vehicle’s year, make, and model. But it can also include more detailed data such as fuel type, engine, headlight or fog light type, motor data such as displacement and number of cylinders, and more.
What Is The ACES Data Standard?
The Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard (ACES) is a vehicle aftermarket industry-specific standard that lets participating manufacturers, ACES members, and ACES authorized third parties exchange product information. Product Data from ACES allows for the seamless transmission of comprehensive product specifications between system participants compliant with the ACES framework, including Original Equipment Manufacturers, ACES participants, and ACES authorized third parties.
The ACES standard allows manufacturers in the automotive sector to share products. Make, year, model, and other designations such as part type are included in these standards. Among the numerous details we have in fitment information is vehicle make, model, and year.
The ACES industry data standard is made out of several databases:
- The Vehicle Configuration Database (VCdb) – The Auto Care Association’s VCdb contains roughly 60,000 different combinations of year/make/model vehicles from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Some in the United States can be traced to as far back as 1896 are traceable. For Canada and Mexico, the data goes back to 1942 and 1961, respectively. When it comes to Powersports vehicles, models dating from 1920 are included in the VCdb. Any non-universal automotive parts without fitment information will not be included in ACES.
- The Parts Configuration Database (PCdb) – The PCdb database is a repository of replacement parts, service items, and similar goods sold by businesses in the aftermarket automobile sector. The objective of this database is to make catalog storing and retrieval easier for auto manufacturers. This database may help you find the process components you need for your car more quickly. There will be fewer mistakes and interpretational gaps in how each product should be utilized when products are classified correctly. As a result, customer happiness improves as well.
- The Qualifier database (Qdb) – While it is not a part of the Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard, the Qualified database is a fully normalized and relational database that may be used with ACES. It aids in the standardization of fitted terms (qualifiers) utilized in e-cataloging and data searches and lookups. These qualifiers are required to get around correctly. Trading partners may load product information faster by using these coded qualifiers, resulting in increased sales and speed to market. It also helps by finding the appropriate products and reducing unnecessary returns.
It’s crucial to remember that ACES files are usually delivered in an XML format. Each of these ACES XML documents will contain data regarding one brand, and aftermarket vendors should check all of their aftermarket data against the ACES standard to verify it is legitimate and accurate. If any fitment data is missing, it is referred to as an “application hole” in the business and may result in missed sales opportunities.
How To Use ACES Data Standard To Sell Car Parts on Walmart.com
Together with Powersports Support and RevolutionParts, Walmart allows automotive aftermarket parts retailers to list their Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard ACES catalogs for sale on the Walmart.com automotive eCommerce platform. Both platforms mentioned above help retailers by allowing them to upload Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard ACES data. After the ACES data has been uploaded, retailers can start selling car parts and accessories on Walmart’s marketplace.
The Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard ensures fitment accuracy within a standard model year for each OEM vehicle. It means it’s easier for customers to find what they are looking for when searching online at Walmart or any other website where Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard ACES art catalogs have been listed by auto part retailers.
While the precise details regarding how each program was developed and built will vary, utilizing such data management systems should be straightforward. The system should also be capable of connecting you to every vehicle type currently available in the Vehicle Configuration Database (VCdb), as well as product data found in the PCdb and Product Attribute database (PAdb).
The system will assist you in evaluating your catalog data against the new PIES and ACES XML files, highlighting any existing problems and providing actionable insights on how to fix them. The program will also need to allow you to customize the way your data is mapped. This implies that you’ll have several levels of information available for your components. You may go as basic as a year/make/model configuration or as complex as adding additional elements such as gasoline types, engines, body styles, and other characteristics to your digital assets depending on what you want or need.
Additionally, when utilizing a third-party catalog data management tool to manage your ACES data, you should be able to get regular health checks on your data to ensure that it is still viable. These comprehensive product and application data health checks will almost certainly reveal and, in most situations, fix any issues that may arise. More advanced solutions give you more reporting tools to find ways to add extra information in line with your existing coverage objectives.
How myFitment Will Help
Third-party programs like myFitment ensure that your fitment data is accurate and complete while also being in the appropriate format for Walmart, Amazon, eBay, or your own automotive parts and accessories website. You may correct any mistakes immediately by maintaining your vehicle listings up to date and compliant with fitment compatibility data. This means improved buyer convenience, lower return rates, and greater profits for your Walmart items advertising.
myFitment’s entire solution is built around automation and offers hundreds of reports and bulk procedures. Most importantly, myFitment checks your fitment data for accuracy and relevance once a month by comparing it to the most up-to-date list of compatible vehicle configurations generated by the Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard ACES. This means that your data will always be up-to-date and relevant, even when you are not updating your Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard for sale on Walmart.
Customers must first know whether the part fits their car before buying from Walmart, eBay Motors, Amazon, or your automobile parts and accessories website. Fitting compatibility is critical to online sales of automobile components and accessories.
For more than a decade, the staff at myFitment has been managing fitment on a massive scale, providing more than 1.5 billion lines of fitment data for over 25 million items. Do you sell automobile parts on eBay? Are you currently selling on Amazon? Do you want to learn more about Amazon or eBay Motors vehicle fitment compatibility and how to ensure that your master vehicle lists are accurate and comprehensive?
Together with myFitment, you will be able to take full advantage of what Walmart has to offer. Contact us today and learn more about how to use the ACES data standard to sell auto parts and accessories on Walmart, your own website, and other eCommerce marketplaces.
