The aftermarket industry doesn’t lack in eCommerce opportunity; it lacks coordination.
As suppliers, distributors, marketplaces, and internal teams expand across more channels, growth is increasingly constrained by disconnected data, fragmented systems, and manual processes that don’t scale. At the center of that challenge sits cataloging — not as content, but as infrastructure.
This article explores how cataloging has evolved, why traditional approaches are breaking down, and what a modern, connected catalog looks like in practice.
Want the full framework behind this perspective?
This article is based on a presentation originally delivered at the CAWA Leadership & Educational Forum.
Opportunity Exists. Coordination Is the Bottleneck.
eCommerce is no longer experimental in the aftermarket. CAWA member survey data shows roughly 45% of companies generate 1–10% of revenue online, while another 25% generate 11–25%. Demand is clearly there.
What’s holding growth back isn’t interest. It’s execution.
As companies expand across B2B portals, marketplaces, direct-to-consumer sites, and legacy ordering systems simultaneously, weaknesses in product data and coordination become impossible to ignore.
This impact can show up quickly downstream…
- Shipping errors increase.
- Returns climb.
- Warranty claims don’t align with inventory.
- ERP, PIM, and commerce platforms remain disconnected.
As a result, operations teams spend more time managing exceptions than maintaining flow. These aren’t isolated problems. They’re delayed symptoms of disconnected catalog ownership and insufficient infrastructure.
If growth feels harder than it should, the issue is rarely the channel. It’s the catalog.
This is where most teams get stuck.
In the original CAWA presentation, we break down how cataloging maturity impacts execution—and what changes when catalogs become connected infrastructure.
From Tribal Knowledge to Industry Standards
Before ACES and PIES, cataloging relied heavily on human expertise. Printed catalogs, PDFs, phone calls, and tribal knowledge filled the gaps.
This approach worked in a slower, lower-scale environment.
ACES and PIES fundamentally changed the aftermarket by standardizing vehicle fitment and product attributes. Together, they enabled digital commerce at scale and remain a critical foundation today.
But standards alone don’t address channel-specific requirements, rich content needs, continuous validation, or partner-specific interpretations. They define structure, not ongoing coordination.
Standards are essential—but they’re only the starting point.
They establish how data is exchanged, not how it’s continuously validated, adapted, and coordinated as products move across channels.
Learn what comes next.
The Three Phases of Cataloging Maturity
Cataloging has evolved through three distinct phases.
- Static cataloging relies on ACES/PIES XML files, spreadsheets, file transfers, and compliance as the finish line. It works at low scale and breaks quickly as channels multiply.
- Managed cataloging introduces structure, validation, cross-team collaboration and ownership. Chaos is reduced, but friction still appears once data leaves the system.
- Connected cataloging shifts the goal entirely. The focus moves to channel readiness, visibility into what’s live and selling, and continuous feedback loops that drive improvement.
Maturity is measured by outcomes, not files delivered.
What differentiates maturity isn’t how data is delivered—it’s whether teams can see what’s live, understand what’s working, and identify where improvement is needed across channels.
See how connected cataloging works.
The Connected Catalog as Infrastructure
A connected catalog isn’t a single tool or database. It’s a system of systems that supports how teams actually operate.
It requires clean, normalized core data, automated channel-specific transformations, continuous monitoring of data health, and deep integration across ERP, PIM, eCommerce, marketplaces, and partner platforms.
How the catalog is used is just as important.
- Sales teams rely on accuracy to manage assortments
- Marketing teams activate products consistently
- eCommerce teams track readiness and performance
- Operations teams see fewer exceptions and returns
When cataloging is treated as shared infrastructure, it creates leverage across the business.
See the infrastructure model in action.
AI’s Role: Amplifying, Not Replacing
AI delivers value when it’s applied to the right systems.
Cataloging intelligence has evolved from rules-based automation to machine learning, and now toward agentic AI systems that can observe, act, and improve over time.
AI is most effective when it amplifies connected infrastructure, not when it operates in isolation.
When applied correctly, it:
- Surfaces issues earlier
- Reduces manual coordination
- Scales expert best practices across thousands of SKUs
Without connection, AI simply accelerates fragmentation. AI doesn’t replace structure. It rewards it.
See how AI fits into connected cataloging.
From Connected Catalog to Connected Growth
As organizations move from static files to managed systems and then to connected operations, the catalog evolves from an operational requirement into a growth platform. The Growth Partner Program (GPP) represents the next step: shared visibility, cross-functional alignment, and success measured by mutual growth — not file delivery.
When catalogs connect, growth follows.
Where the Industry Is Headed
The aftermarket’s next phase of growth depends on:
- Shared data foundations across partners
- Continuous readiness across channels
- Stronger cross-functional collaboration
- Intelligent systems that scale human expertise
The industry doesn’t have a data problem. It has a coordination problem. And cataloging is where coordination begins.
See the future model for coordinated cataloging
Final Thought
Companies that treat cataloging as infrastructure rather than content will be best positioned to scale efficiently, collaborate effectively, and grow sustainably.
If you’re deciding where to invest next, the most important question isn’t “What tools do we need?”
It’s “How well does our catalog coordinate with the business?”
Want to explore this framework in more detail?
Download the original presentation behind this article to see how connected cataloging drives coordination, visibility, and scalable growth.
