PartsLogix Powers Agent Ordering System for Smart Move Tape

Smart Move Tape, a product that has been on the market for years, allows clear marking and labeling of boxes during a move without the hassle of having to use markers. Not only is each roll of Smart Move Tape clearly labeled with a room, it is also color coded.

The goal of the Smart Move Tape project was to allow registered agents and movers a way to login and place bulk orders. Using the PartsLogix system to handle reciept of the order and to process and ship the order. Aside from the standard PartsLogix order management features, Smart Move need a way to send order records to their billing company. A custom program with an EDI tie in was created to forward orders to Corcentric (3rd party) for billing.

Before your next move, make sure you pick up a Smart Move Tape kit!

Smart Move Tape, a product that has been on the market for years, allows clear marking and labeling of boxes during a move without the hassle of having to use markers. Not only is each roll of Smart Move Tape clearly labeled with a room, it is also color coded. The goal of the Smart [...]

Social Media Engagement and the Automotive Industry

There’s no doubt about it… We live in a time that is dominated by social media. Those companies who are not using social media to build their brand loyalty and awareness are missing out on a huge opportunity to engage their customers and more importantly, their potential customers. Having social media profiles on all major sites (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, YouTube) are all very important for companies and brands, but more importantly is user engagement.

The following graphic from Unmetric is a comparison of users and user engagement within the automotive industry.

Source: Unmetric

There’s no doubt about it… We live in a time that is dominated by social media. Those companies who are not using social media to build their brand loyalty and awareness are missing out on a huge opportunity to engage their customers and more importantly, their potential customers. Having social media profiles on all major [...]

Neuspeed launches Neu-F, the all new tuning brand for Fiat 500 vehicles

Utilizing the PartsLogix platform Neuspeed has leveraged their existing PartsLogix installation to launch an new brand and website for it’s Fiat Tuning brand Neu-F.

‘Neu-F’ is the all new tuning brand for Fiat 500 vehicles. We are currently offering wheels, sway bars, short shift kit, and other performance upgrades.

Visit Neu-F.com

Utilizing the PartsLogix platform Neuspeed has leveraged their existing PartsLogix installation to launch an new brand and website for it’s Fiat Tuning brand Neu-F. ‘Neu-F’ is the all new tuning brand for Fiat 500 vehicles. We are currently offering wheels, sway bars, short shift kit, and other performance upgrades. Visit Neu-F.com  

Create a Google Plus Local Listing in 3 Easy Steps

As Google continues to expand its social network, Google+, it continues to integrate new features that tie into Google search results, Google Maps, and many of their other services. As a small business owner, Google+ Local Listings now offers a way to get your business in front of more users by simply creating a Google+ Page (which you may already have, see the bottom of this post if you already have a Google+ Page).

Firstly, you’re going to want to login to your Google account, and navigate to Google+. If you don’t already have a Google account or a Google+ profile, you’ll need to set that up prior to proceeding. Once logged into your Google+ account, click on the Pages tab from the left navigation (see screenshot), you may have to click the More link to see the Pages button. You can alternatively just click here to create a page if you’re already logged into your Google+ account.

Google+ Local Listings (Step 1a)

After Clicking to create a page, you’ll be asked to enter your business phone number. Phone numbers, like email addresses are unique, so Google attempts to verify your unique business by requiring a phone number. It is important here to select “Local Business or Place” as this will allow you to show up in Google Local, Google Places, Google Maps, etc.

Google+ Local Listing (Step 1)

Upon entering your phone number, Google+ will pull up your business (if a listing is currently available), or ask you to enter more information. Company name, address, etc.

Google+Local Listing (Step 2)

After entering your business name and address, you’ll be at the final screen where you can upload business photos and add additional information to your page, such as phone numbers, email addresses, chat names as well as have the option to categorize your business.

Google+ Local Listings (Step 3)

Once you’ve completed your listing, you’ll need to verify it. Business verification is done by mail. Google will send a postcard to your physical business address that will have a PIN number on it. You’ll have to enter that PIN number to “verify” your business. Once that is complete, you’ll have a Google+ Local Listing Business Page.

Already have a Google+ Page?

Convert Google+ Page to Google+ Local Listing Page

We already had a PartsLogix Google+ page setup, however rather than creating it as a Local/Place page, we had set it up as a company/brand. I was unable to find any information on how to convert a Google+ Company/Brand Page to a Google+ Local Listing Page, so we took steps to delete our existing page and replace it with a new Local Page through the steps that you see above.

As Google continues to expand its social network, Google+, it continues to integrate new features that tie into Google search results, Google Maps, and many of their other services. As a small business owner, Google+ Local Listings now offers a way to get your business in front of more users by simply creating a Google+ [...]

Nitrous Express Launches New Site Using PartsLogix System

PartsLogix was once again chosen as a part management system by another high-performance parts manufacturer – Nitrous Express. NX produces nitrous oxide systems and has two divisions of products: Automotive and Powersports; so after discussing needs, wants and all of the capabilities of the PartsLogix system, NX decided choose idcubed.com, inc. as the developer for their new website. After considering all of the functionality that they had within their existing website, NX decided that idcubed.com, inc. and the PartsLogix system would not only be able to provide all of the existing tools/functionality that their existing website solution had, but it would also provide more manageability and enhancements, such as:

• AAIA ACES data Integration
  NX is now mapping their products to vehicles using the AAIA ACES data standard. This new product mapping has enabled NX to offer a Year/Make/Model/Engine lookup system to their website customers
• Multi-site functionality
  Now the automotive and powersports websites each have their own “home”. The Powersports website is located at a subdomain of the main site. www.nitrousexpress.com and powersports.nitrousexpress.com
• Shopatron Integration
  NX had previously integrated with Shopatron, idcubed.com, inc. has also worked with Shopatron in the past and integrating the new site was a no-brainer.
• Featured Content Management
  Now, NX staff has the ability to manage and maintain content on the homepage (as well as all other areas of the site) through an easy-to-use content management system.
• Social Media Integration
  Though not heavily integrated, the NX site features links to thier social pages and profiles within the header of the site so that they are accessible through all pages.
• On-Site SEO
  The PartsLogix system was built with on-site SEO in mind. Those who use the PartsLogix system are the most knowledgeable about the parts that they sell, the built-in SEO features allow NX to make their parts easier to find via online searches.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this project was working with NX to get the final result. Many of our projects, we handle the entire build out from concept to design to development to launch. Sometimes we will work with a design firm, who will provide us a design, but with the new NX website, Nitrous Express did the design and we worked together with the client throughout that process to get the most out of the site design and the PartsLogix system.

The end result – an updated website for 2013.

PartsLogix was once again chosen as a part management system by another high-performance parts manufacturer – Nitrous Express. NX produces nitrous oxide systems and has two divisions of products: Automotive and Powersports; so after discussing needs, wants and all of the capabilities of the PartsLogix system, NX decided choose idcubed.com, inc. as the developer for [...]

AAIA Legacy Sunset Date is Imminent – Upgrade to AAIA ACES

It’s been a long time coming, but the AAIA Legacy Make/Model table will no longer be published after December 31, 2012. For anyone who currently uses AAIA Legacy data for mapping parts to vehicles, an upgrade to the AAIA ACES data will be required to continue using AAIA data.

PartsLogix has developed an AAIA ACES mapping system for online retailers.

So why AAIA ACES over AAIA Legacy?
The AAIA Legacy vehicle table was developed in 1997 and was great at the time. The Legacy data table gave a unique ID to each vehicle based on Year/Make/Model/Engine, meaning that a company that manufactured windshield wiper blades was required to map the wiper blades to every vehicle (including engine data). Wiper blades are obviously a component that does not depend on the type of engine for vehicle fitment. This is the driving force behind AAIA ACES data mapping. When mapping parts to ACES vehicle data, you are only need to map as far as necessary to describe a part, so in the case of wiper blades, it’d be Year/Make/Model (possibly Submodel and/or Body Style as well – tables and fields that were not available in the Legacy Vehicle table).

Some things to keep in mind regarding AAIA Legacy Sunset

• The Legacy vehicle table is being removed from the AAIA Vehicle database. Likewise, the tables relating Legacy data to the VCdb will be removed from the ACES VCdb.
• Converting data from Legacy to ACES is possible, but data will likely need to be reviewed and further qualified.
• Additional information pertaining to AAIA Legacy Sunset

PartsLogix will maintain a pre-”Legacy Sunset” database for clients and companies who have not updated (or have chose not to update) to AAIA ACES.

WEBSITE COUNTDOWN It’s been a long time coming, but the AAIA Legacy Make/Model table will no longer be published after December 31, 2012. For anyone who currently uses AAIA Legacy data for mapping parts to vehicles, an upgrade to the AAIA ACES data will be required to continue using AAIA data. PartsLogix has developed an [...]

Hermans Auto Body Chooses PartsLogix Non-Ecommerce Site Using PartsLogix Platform

Herman’s Auto Body selected PartsLogix as the platform for their website due to its ease of use and manageability. The PartsLogix system allows Herman’s Auto Body staff to maintain and make updates to the website without having to call and wait for webmasters to make changes.

“The PartsLogix system is exactly what we needed and the fact that we can create our own galleries on the site is just an added bonus”, said owner Jerry Loaiza, “Now we’ll be able to document our work online with before and after photos for our clients to see.”

As the internet continues to grow, the ability to stay connected becomes more and more important, Herman’s Auto Body has also integrated their Facebook and Yelp! pages into the site as well, allowing their customers to interact in more ways.

Herman’s Auto Body selected PartsLogix as the platform for their website due to its ease of use and manageability. The PartsLogix system allows Herman’s Auto Body staff to maintain and make updates to the website without having to call and wait for webmasters to make changes. “The PartsLogix system is exactly what we needed and [...]

PartsLogix is Selected to Power Another Non-Automotive eCommerce Store

After the owners of Brew PS saw growth and success of their newly opened eCommerce website, they started to think about carrying more products. Not just more products but different types of products. In order to classify their products separately and take advantage of domain naming to help with SEO, they decided to migrate to the PartsLogix multi-site system to power their second site Keg Outlet. “Just one year ago, Brew PS was seeing just under 1,000 visitors per month, that number has grown to more than 5,000 visitors per month now, and more importantly, the users are now more engaged, spending more time on our site and viewing more pages per visit,” said Cary Hanson, the co-owner of Brew PS. “After seeing our sales and traffic grow the way that it has with Brew PS, we wanted to see if we could duplicate the results in another home brewing niche while still growing Brew PS.” And that’s how Keg Outlet was born.

After having worked closely with Brew PS to get their first site branded and running the way that they wanted to see it running, the guys at Brew PS were confident that the PartsLogix system would be able to help them power their next idea. They came to us and said that they didn’t want to spend as much time on branding and tying in all the different external things that one could spend time on, they just wanted a clean and simple design that would allow them to take advantage of all of the SEO features and functionality that the PartsLogix system offers. So that’s what we did – we gave them a customizable template and setup areas on their homepage where they could add and update their own graphics, the rest is standard stuff that is found in the PartsLogix system, from product management to page creation and management.

As Brew PS grew their web presence from “zero” to over 5,000 visitors per month in about a year using the PartsLogix system, they’re looking to do the same in new niche of the home brewing market – homebrew keg kits. Don’t think that they are just limited to kegs for homebrew though, they carry commercial kegging parts, tools and hardware, CO2 tanks and much, much more. Whether you’re a seasoned home brewer looking to get some kegging parts for your system or whether you’re a beer lover who is looking for a classic wall-mounted Starr bottle opener, Keg Outlet will likely be able to help you find what you’re looking for.

After the owners of Brew PS saw growth and success of their newly opened eCommerce website, they started to think about carrying more products. Not just more products but different types of products. In order to classify their products separately and take advantage of domain naming to help with SEO, they decided to migrate to [...]

PartsLogix Scheduled to Offer Mobile Sites to Customers

As portable and mobile devices are becoming more and more the norm, PartsLogix has been investing time in the development of a mobile platform. The mobile platform will provide a nearly exact URL match, redirecting a user that clicks a link to be seamlessly redirected to the mobile version of that page. Any site that is currently running a PartsLogix 3.0+ installation will have the ability add-on a mobile site.

After reading a recent report on Mashable, 5 Paradoxes Shaping the Future of Mobile Commerce, idcubed.com, inc. decided that a mobile platform was needed sooner than later. The 5 points made in the article speak for themselves, and certainly stresses the importance of having a mobile platform in today’s market. Those 5 points being:

1. Customers spend more time on their mobile devices than on their desktops
2. Mobile shoppers are more focused
3. Click-through rates are higher on mobile devices than desktops
4. Mobile shopping peaks at night
5. The importance of the mobile web – 30% of all social media traffic originates on mobile devices

“This is something that can help our customers bottom line immediately”, said Jason Gelinas – the PartsLogix Mobile Mastermind, “Offering our customers a mobile version of their website and improving the end-users experience on mobile devices is a win-win. Web content formatted for the device its being displayed on, and a better opportunity to convert a sale for our customers.”

Regardless of the effect of mobile, its about presenting buyers with options. Users will still have the abillity to view the full version of the website on their mobile devices, the mobile version will simply make the site easier to browse and navigate with less pinching and zooming in/out.

Source: Mashable – 5 Paradoxes Shaping the Future of Mobile Commerce

As portable and mobile devices are becoming more and more the norm, PartsLogix has been investing time in the development of a mobile platform. The mobile platform will provide a nearly exact URL match, redirecting a user that clicks a link to be seamlessly redirected to the mobile version of that page. Any site that [...]

Outlaw Offroad Updates to PartsLogix Multi-Site System

Outlaw Offroad has been working with idcubed.com, inc. since 2006 to power their eCommerce needs. Launching in 2006 when the system was called automotive.NET, Outlaw Offroad has grown, as has the PartsLogix system. Between the features that you’d expect from an online parts management system and the ability for the sites to be customized to meet more specific needs, Outlaw Offroad upgraded to the PartsLogix multi-site setup and has since launched 3 new sites.

The first of the new sites was Monarchy Motors. After moving to a new location in the Costa Mesa/Irvine area, Outlaw Offroad saw a need to offer parts and products to not just trucks, but high-end cars. Monarchy Motors was launched and is used as an online catalog more than an eCommerce system. Users are able to browse through the high-end products offered.

Next, with the launch of the Ford F-150 Raptor and its increasing popularity, Outlaw Offroad decided to create an online marketplace specifically for Ford Raptor owners called Outlaw Raptor. The Outlaw Raptor website is an eCommerce portal directed specifically toward Ford Raptor owners looking for the best products to increase the performance and capability of their trucks.

Last, and most recently, launched in January 2012, the success of the Outlaw Raptor website and popularity of the Ford SVT F-150 Raptor spurred the creation of a non-eCommerce website – Raptor Expeditions. The Raptor Expeditions website, as told by Outlaw Offroad:

Raptor Expeditions is a unique off road adventure business. We offer 3 different adventure types designed to appeal to all experience levels. Our purpose is to draw Ford Raptor owners out of the urban jungle and into the Raptor’s natural habitat, and to do it in a safe, enjoyable and exciting way.

The Outlaw Offroad multi-site setup takes advantage of the PartsLogix systems ability to allow multiple themes. All sites are built on the same template with a simple theme switch. The challenge was in creating the Raptor Expeditions site with a width 20% larger than the rest of the sites. The end result was a site that has an entirely different look than the other sites.

Outlaw Offroad has been working with idcubed.com, inc. since 2006 to power their eCommerce needs. Launching in 2006 when the system was called automotive.NET, Outlaw Offroad has grown, as has the PartsLogix system. Between the features that you’d expect from an online parts management system and the ability for the sites to be customized to [...]