Aftermarket Insider Issue 75 - (Page 26)

T E L E M AT i C S T R E N D L i N E cut ting-edge connectivit y Telematics Trendline: following the growth of automotive Telematics BY DE R EK KAUFM AN, C3 NE T W ORK, IN C . Telematics Trendline is a monthly article designed to inform AAIA members about the trends in telematics applications for both the retail automotive and commercial trucking industries. Gone are semi-annual catalog printings, replaced by same day updates that keep data dynamic. period. It has grown from 37 clients to 186, with 123 of them using the site as their own branded parts information solution.It has also grown its coverage of types of parts from 942 to 2811. That success is based on how the site was developed. Mechanics and parts retailers were involved in its design, and the simplicity of use and intuitive search methods show their input was taken very seriously. With its new mobile app, ShowMeTheParts adds location-based services with its “Where To Buy” feature. Get the information you need on a part – then use the site to find retailers in your area that carry it. The mobile app is a free download. The next step in the evolution of the site is to move to a full e-commerce platform that will take the service from an informational database to full online shopping transactions. WDs and retailers will use those services to tie their brick and mortar locations to customers using an online shopping cart. Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/7zlmdk5. ShowMeTheParts.com Vertical Development in Downers Grove, Ill. has worked for almost 30 years behind the scenes of some of the transportation industry’s bestknown parts catalogs. They aggregated the information, established the formats and, over time, built a structure around the industry’s standardization of information. In a conversation with Vertical Development vice president Ron Garland, we learned about the transition his company has done to take that catalog expertise online with ShowMeTheParts.com. At first glance, the concept is simple – combine the standardization of industry data with a common webbased format that can be branded for specific clients, then package the whole approach in a mobile app that brings parts information right to the sales counter or mechanic’s bay on a smart phone. Dig a little deeper, however, and you’ll find an ingenious approach to efficiency and consistency that allows hundreds of companies to make their products visible while simultaneously reducing their costs and increasing their speed-to-market of new information. Gone are semi-annual catalog printings, replaced by same day updates that keep data dynamic. And people like it. Since its introduction in 2008, ShowMeTheParts.com has grown to more than 700,000 site visitors per month – over 20 million users have visited the site in a four-year 26 | AFTERMARKET INSIDER | VOLUME 75 http://www.aftermarket.org/Publications/Telematics-Trendline.aspx http://www.tinyurl.com/7zlmdk5

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Aftermarket Insider Issue 75

Aftermarket Insider Issue 75
Contents
President’s Message
Aftermarket eForum™
Government Affairs
Association News
Green Highlight
Toolbox
Industry News
Market Intelligence
Association News
Telematics Trendline

Aftermarket Insider Issue 75