Getting Started with the Aftermarket Catalog

Introduction

The Aftermarket Catalog is one of three catalog types available in Ecommerce. It serves as the central hub where your dealership manages aftermarket product data, lists products to online marketplaces, and retrieves price and inventory calculations. This guide walks you through the foundational concepts and initial setup so you can begin working with the catalog confidently.

Accessing the Aftermarket Catalog

To open the Aftermarket Catalog:

1. Log in to Ecommerce.
2. From the Ecommerce Home Page, click Catalog in the main navigation.
3. Select Aftermarket.

From the Aftermarket Catalog you can:

• View and manage your aftermarket product data
• List products to your connected marketplaces
• Retrieve real-time price and inventory calculations across your distributors

Key Concepts

Before diving into setup, it is important to understand how Ecommerce organizes product information. Three concepts form the backbone of the system: MPNs, Distributor SKUs, and Product Groups.

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN)

The MPN is the foundation of Ecommerce. Every product in the system is identified by a single, unique Manufacturer Part Number. When you look at a product in the catalog, you are looking at an MPN.

Why this matters: Ecommerce is an MPN-based system. Rather than tracking inventory separately for every distributor, Ecommerce aggregates price and inventory data from multiple distributors into a single MPN. This gives you a unified view of availability and cost across all of your sources for the same product.

Distributor SKU

A Distributor SKU is the identifier Ecommerce uses to connect a product to a specific distributor's catalog. Distributor SKUs exist solely for price and inventory purposes -- they feed cost and stock information into the MPN they are associated with.

Ecommerce creates Distributor SKUs by adding a two-letter prefix to the distributor's own part number. The prefix identifies which distributor the SKU belongs to.

Examples:

How MPNs and Distributor SKUs Work Together

Think of it this way: the MPN is the product, and the Distributor SKUs are the sources for that product. Multiple Distributor SKUs can feed into a single MPN.

                     ┌─── PU2103-0174  (Parts Unlimited)
                     │
  MPN: 2103-0174 ───┼─── WP2103-0174  (Western Powersports)

In this example, three distributors carry the same product. Ecommerce rolls up all three into one MPN so you can compare pricing and see combined inventory at a glance.

Products vs. Product Groups

Product Groups also carry a category path, which determines where the products appear when organized by type (e.g., "Gear > Jackets > Touring"). This structure keeps your catalog organized and makes it easier to find and manage related items.

Distributor Abbreviation Reference

Every distributor in Ecommerce is assigned a two-letter abbreviation. These abbreviations are used as prefixes on Distributor SKUs throughout the system. You will encounter them frequently when working with override files, inventory feeds, and SKU lookups. We have multiple Distributors in the system, below are a few examples:

Tip: When preparing override files, always use the correct two-letter prefix for the distributor. An incorrectly formatted SKU will not match any product in the system.

Setting Up Your Distributors

Before the Aftermarket Catalog can pull price and inventory data, you need to connect your distributor accounts and configure inventory rules. This is a two-part process.

Part 1: Connect Your Distributor Accounts

Each distributor you work with requires a Dealer ID -- this is the account number your distributor has on file for your dealership.

1. Navigate to Settings > Account Settings.
2. Locate the distributor you want to connect.
3. Enter your Dealer ID for that distributor.
4. Save your changes.
5. Repeat for each distributor you purchase from.

Note: Your Dealer ID is assigned by the distributor, not by Ecommerce. If you are unsure of your Dealer ID, contact the distributor directly or check your invoices.

Part 2: Configure Inventory Rules

Inventory rules control how Ecommerce handles stock from each distributor's warehouses. Each distributor may have multiple warehouse locations, and you can configure rules independently for each one.

For every warehouse, you will set two key values:

Steps to create an inventory rule:

1. Navigate to Settings > Inventory Rules.
2. Click Create Rule.
3. Select the Distributor from the dropdown.
4. Set the Dropship Cutoff Value for the selected warehouse.
5. Set the Lead Time Value for the selected warehouse.
6. Click Submit.
7. Repeat for each warehouse you want to enable.

Important: Distributors often operate out of multiple warehouses in different regions. You may need to create separate rules for each warehouse location. Review all available warehouses for a distributor to make sure you are not missing a closer or better-stocked location.

Additional Product Details

Each product in the Aftermarket Catalog carries several attributes beyond its MPN. Understanding these helps when reviewing listings or troubleshooting data issues.

Each Distributor SKU linked to a product also tracks:

Tip: If a product shows as discontinued from one distributor but is still available from another, Ecommerce will still reflect the available inventory from the active source. The MPN-based aggregation means you always see the full picture.

Important Notes for New Users

• SKU Structure and Existing Listings: Ecommerce uses the Distributor SKU format described above across the entire platform. If you have existing marketplace listings that were not created through Ecommerce, the system will end those listings to prevent conflicts. Before you begin, contact your account manager to coordinate the transition of any non-Ecommerce listings.
• Currency: Distributors operate in either USD or CAD. Ecommerce tracks which currency each distributor uses, so pricing data is always presented in the correct currency context.
• Excluded Warehouses: Some distributor warehouses may be marked as excluded, meaning they will not factor into your inventory calculations. If you notice a warehouse is not providing inventory data, check with your account manager to confirm its status.
• Blacklisted Distributors: In some cases, a distributor may be blacklisted at the account level, which prevents their data from feeding into your catalog. If you expect to see data from a distributor and it is not appearing, this is one possible cause. Your account manager can verify and adjust this setting.