By industry
Auto parts catalogs: fitment and part numbers in order
In short
In auto parts, buyers first need to know whether the part fits their vehicle. A good catalog stores fitment, the manufacturer's part numbers and specifications as structured data, not loose text, so they can be searched, filtered and sent complete to every channel without the mistakes that end in returns.
The question that matters: does it fit?
Someone looking for brake pads, a filter or a shock absorber does not buy based on the photo. They buy when they are sure the part is the right one for their vehicle. Wrong fitment data is not a detail: it is a return, a wasted shipment and a customer who does not come back.
That is why in this industry the product record is organized around two pieces of data: which vehicles the part fits and what its part number is.
The data that matters
- Fitment: vehicle make, model, year and trim or engine.
- Part number: the original manufacturer's number and the equivalents.
- Specifications: dimensions, material, position (front, rear, left, right).
- Part brand and whether it is original or a replacement.
- Package contents: single part, pair or set.
Fitment as data, not text
Many product records carry fitment as a long paragraph: “For 2015 to 2019 models of…”. That text cannot be filtered or validated, and it easily contains mistakes. Storing it as data, with make, model and year attributes, lets the store offer a search by vehicle and lets each channel receive the information in its own format.
Part numbers you can search
Many buyers arrive with a part number in hand. If that number lives in an attribute, search finds it; if it is buried in the description or in an image, it does not. The same goes for other brands' equivalents, which are a form of cross-selling.
How Bruxel handles it
In Bruxel every product has typed attributes grouped into families, including list attributes for makes, models and years, and completeness measured product by product and per channel. You import your catalog as it is, complete what is missing with AI and review before publishing. Finally, you export to each channel with the columns it asks for; the export guide shows how.
Where to start
Start with the parts that get returned the most. Check that their fitment is captured as data —make, model, year and trim— and not as text, and that the manufacturer's part number and its equivalents are in attributes. Then measure what each record is missing for the channel where you sell the most. Fixing fitment on the most-returned parts is the quickest way to see the change in your operation.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I store the list of compatible vehicles?
As structured product data, not inside the description: vehicle make, model, year and trim in attributes that can be filtered. A paragraph listing twenty models cannot be searched or validated.
What do I do with equivalent part numbers?
Store them as attributes too: the original manufacturer's number and the equivalents. Many people search by part number, and having it as data lets them find and compare it.
Try it with your catalog
Create your free account and try Bruxel with your own products using the welcome credits.
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