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.

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

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.

PartsLogix Branches Out from Automotive Parts

For nearly a decade, the PartLogix system (formerly known as automotive.NET) has been used primarily to sell and manage automotive parts and applications online. Over the years, as more and more features and functionality have been added to the system, it became apparent that PartsLogix could be used for more than just selling car/motorcycle/truck/SUV parts online. “For companies and small businesses that don’t need to manage vehicle applications and product fitments, we can simply remove that functionality and still provide a high-end custom website”, said Jason Gelinas, partner at idcubed.com, inc. And that exactly what happened when Brew PS came to ID3 in need of an e-commerce platform for their new idea.

Brew PS needed a company that could allow them to work with their own designs and branding, but also need the ability to sell, manage and maintain product data on their own. idcubed.com, inc. and the PartsLogix system were able to accomplish this. “We set them up on our Bolt-On PartsLogix package, and stripped out some of the unnecessary features of the admin system that the client wouldn’t use, such as vehicle management, photo galleries and press releases”, said Jason. Vehicle management wasn’t needed for obvious reasons, photo galleries were put on hold until Brew PS started attending more local & regional events, and the press release section was replaced with their blog, which ID3 also setup for Brew PS, using the WordPress system and modifying the design to match the Brew PS main site layout.

“One of the main reasons we chose ID3 and the PartsLogix system was the ability for us to manage all of the SEO elements on our site. PartsLogix allows us to customize every important aspect of the page so that we can target the keywords that we want”, said Cary Hanson, co-founder of Brew PS. In addition to taking advantage of the SEO features and functionality in the system, Brew PS also uses social media integration, standard category and page management, as well as the promotions system that allows them to run specials and promos on products/categories/etc. So next time you hear the name PartsLogix, don’t just think automotive, because whether your business is home brewing equipment or something else, PartsLogix can help you get your products online and in front of consumers.

MerchMethod Launches on the PartsLogix Platform

Upon recently launching a redesigned version of their site, idcubed.com, inc. next migrated the existing MerchMethod website management system to the PartsLogix system. MerchMethod is an artist driven entertainment and music merchandising company, with services ranging from online stores to wholesale, with a full tour department. “With the continued advancements in the PartsLogix management system, we now have the capability to add custom components into the administration area that will be client specific”, said Brendan Hanson of ID3. Custom components were exactly what MerchMethod needed on their website, they have artist specific stores, so they needed the capability to be able to upload and customize each stores page. From the Hell Fire Canyon Club to Valley Relics, each store contains its own theme which is all managed by MerchMethod through a custom built store management page in the PartsLogix admin area.

“The new PartsLogix system has allowed us all the functionality that we need while offering new features that we didn’t have previously”, said Tommy Gelinas, owner of MerchMethod, “We look forward to seeing the future additions and developments to the PartsLogix system and are excited to see how they can help our business”.

New GreedSpeed Website Launched

idcubed.com, inc. has redesigned and relaunched the GreedSpeed website while also modifying and updating many features of the PartsLogix parts management system which will become available to customers on the PartsLogix platform shortly.

The main purpose and focus of the redesign was to take advantage of many of the new features and functionality that are offered in the PartsLogix system. The redesign added over 200 pixels (3+ inches) to the width of the site, providing more area for product imagery and photography, as well as more detailed product descriptions. The homepage features a random image that loads a new project/feature vehicle each time the page is loaded.

Behind the scenes, the new GreedSpeed site takes advantage of the SEO management tools offered by the PartsLogix system; allowing parts pages, category pages and other pages throughout the site to be keyword and SEO optimized individually. The site also takes advantage of the parts filtering capability and the customizable product and page messaging that is now available within the PartsLogix administration system. GreedSpeed also takes advantage of the power of social media by offering Facebook, Twitter and Google +1 links on all product detail pages.

PartsLogix Mobile System Launches with ACT Mobile Mini-Site

Advanced Clutch Technology (ACT) continued their ever-growing web presence by adding a mobile version of their website for their customers. ACT noticed a fair amount of traffic coming to their website through mobile browsers such as iPhones, iPods, Android and other handheld devices, so after doing some analysis on the traffic, they figured it’d be a good idea to offer a mobile version for the new and growing audience.

Since launching the new mobile version of the site, ACT has seen a dramatic decrease in the bounce rate for mobile users. Limiting the graphical interface, but offering simple, intuitive product lookup and shopping features, the ACT mobile site has provided Advanced Clutch Technology with a strong tool in automotive space.

Visit www.advancedclutch.com on your mobile device and be redirected automatically, or to view the mobile site on your computer, you can visit www.advancedclutch.com/mobile

New Performance Exhaust PLUS Website Launched

idcubed.com, inc. has redesigned and relaunched the Performance Exhaust PLUS website using the newest version of the PartsLogix parts management system. The redesign focused on taking advantage of the larger amount of screen real estate that is available with most new computers and monitors. The redesign added over 200 pixels (3+ inches) to the width of the site. The homepage was updated with a jQuery scrolling image area (to replace traditional flash scrolling areas) that is compatible with smartphones, iPhones, iPads, etc.

Behind the scenes, the new Performance Exhaust site takes advantage of the SEO management tools offered by the PartsLogix system; allowing parts pages, category pages and other pages throughout the site to be keyword and SEO optimized individually.

Performance Exhaust PLUS carries an impressive line of the top manufacturers in the industry including the full line of Magnaflow exhaust systems, Cherry Bomb and Flowmaster exhaust systems.

Grow Your Brand with Free Desktop Wallpapers

Building a brand is easier than ever in today’s world that is dominated by online shopping and social media sharing. A quick way to grow your brand and brand recognition (whether or not you’re in the automotive aftermarket) is by offering free downloads that are brand/logo centric.

Here’s a quick and easy example, company logo on a solid background using the companies colors. PartsLogix desktop wallpapers for your Mac or PC.

If these sizes don’t work for you, let us know if you’d like a different size and we’ll make it for you. The versions below are 1280×1024.

PartsLogix to Add AAIA ACES / PIES Data Mapping Capabilities

While the PartsLogix parts management system has always allowed products to be mapped to AAIA data, it has historically used the AAIA Legacy dataset for mappings. The problem with the AAIA Legacy vehicle data is that it is stored as a flat file (non-relationally). That’s where the power and benefit of the AAIA ACES and PIES data formats come in handy. The first question that you’re probably asking yourself is: What does ACES and/or PIES stand for?

• ACES – AAIA Catalog Enhanced Standard
• PIES – Product Information Exchange Standard

You’ll notice a similarity between the two names, and that is the word “Standard”. Historically, automotive data has not followed or adhered to any particular standard, and that has made it extremely difficult to exchange data and information between companies/distributors/wholesalers/retailers/etc. That’s where AAIA (Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association) comes in. AAIA has created these new data standards which they update and maintain and release quarterly updates.

Here are some things that you can look for in the new PartsLogix AAIA ACES / PIES data mapping tools:

• Easy to use interface
• Capability to map multiple vehicles to a product at a time
• Export capability
• Import capability