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The new site, www.AftermarketMatch.com, has been described as a sort of "dating service" for aftermarket suppliers and distributors, which allows them to align and match up their technological capabilities around EDI document exchange, industry data standards (PIES, ACES, etc.), and Web services. Companies can evaluate their trading partners' capabilities relative to their own and identify areas of improvement (as well as potential new trading partners).
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When trading partners agree to share information through the site, one can view the respective capabilities and requirements of the other for EDI documents and versions, including the EDI SuperSpec; industry data standards and versions of ACES and PIES, including the AWDA specification; and Web Service standards such as IPO and i•SHOP. The free site also enumerates specific field requirements for PIES.
The service made its debut at the ATC Fall Conference in October, and was fully launched just prior to AAPEX.
The collaboration between AAIA and AASA grew out of the latter organization's ATC Customer E-Commerce Matrix. The original matrix was a tool that enabled suppliers to view their customers' e-commerce and data standards requirements. It also provided a view of the use of those standards within the industry.
"The tool worked well, but it lacked the cross-industry use that we needed to provide an accurate view of technology adoption," says Chris Gardner, vice president of programs and services at AASA. "Last year at AAPEX, we met with AAIA and agreed to partner on a re-launch."
"We recognized that we didn't have an effective way for resellers to see the e-commerce capabilities of their supplier partners," says AAIA CIO Scott Luckett. "We knew that if we worked together, we could increase the user base and increase the likelihood for success."
The two groups created a steering committee that included data receivers and suppliers to develop the tool, and Pricedex provided the underlying technology.
According to Gardner, the key difference between the new tool and its predecessor is that AftermarketMatch works on the basis of interactive matching. "Companies have to extend invitations to their trading partners, and they have to accept to allow the partner to view their information. We've also simplified the standards and e-commerce technology that is included. We eliminated some of the legacy standards and generally cleaned up what was in the matrix."
Luckett says the original matrix was too "granular," and the new tool is much simpler to use and more effective at matching partners. Filling out the online profile to use the system takes between less than 20 minutes — and it's free.
"This does not answer every minute question about a company's requirements, but it tells you who they are, what they are looking for, and how to contact them," Luckett says. "The original matrix tried to account for everything; we've left a lot of the details out of the scope of this because if you want to know what retailer X requires for a specific field, then you establish a relationship with the retailer and talk to them. This directly enables you to find out if they take PIES, require ACES, and what version of EDI communication they support. That's a huge leg up."
Distributors/resellers will be able to identify the suppliers that have the capabilities to meet their technology needs. They can search the site and request to look at the capabilities of different customers that match their requirements. Suppliers can identify the most common elements within the standards that their core customers require.
"If there are multiple ways of communicating catalog information or product information, but the supplier determines that their core customers only need 75 of those several hundred fields populated, then they can focus on those 75 fields instead of worrying about all the others," Gardner says. "They can simplify the scope of what systems and processes they have to manage."
Companies can also identify potential new trading partners based on their capabilities. "The leading motivation for suppliers in particular was to answer the question: where can we invest our limited resources to get the biggest bang for our buck, and see the greatest return on investment? That's really what this allows you to answer almost at a glance," Luckett says.
The associations will also have a better picture of industry use and adoption of the various standards and technologies.
In order to encourage participation, the two companies will be demonstrating the tool at industry events throughout the year, as well as working with individual companies to explain the benefits of using the tool. The associations are working with the major retailers and program groups to encourage their suppliers to use the tool, and they will be offering webinars and training next year.
According to Gardner, at least 70 companies signed on after the ATC conference.
