Automotive Catalog Data Management: Improve ACES and PIES with Curator
- David Skaw
- Feb 14
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 20
The Challenge of Consuming and Managing Automotive Catalog Data
Managing automotive catalog data can be overwhelming, especially for businesses handling thousands of SKUs. Without a structured system, errors can lead to lost sales, customer dissatisfaction, and operational inefficiencies. In the competitive automotive aftermarket, precise data management is essential to maintaining a strong industry presence.
Managing catalog data in the automotive aftermarket industry presents unique challenges. With numerous manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers handling a vast number of SKUs, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information across platforms is a complex yet crucial task. Without a streamlined approach, businesses face errors, data inconsistencies, and lost sales opportunities.
The Importance of Catalog Data Accuracy in the Automotive Industry
Accurate catalog data is critical for automotive businesses for several reasons:
Customer Satisfaction – Buyers need confidence that they are purchasing the correct part for their vehicle.
Reduced Returns & Warranty Claims – Incorrect listings can lead to customers ordering the wrong parts, increasing return rates and warranty claims.
Operational Efficiency – Organized and structured catalog data allows businesses to streamline processes and focus on growth.
Competitive Advantage – Companies with complete and up-to-date catalog data can outperform competitors by ensuring their products are visible and correctly mapped to applications.
Understanding ACES and PIES Data Challenges
ACES (Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard) and PIES (Product Information Exchange Standard) are two key data formats used in the automotive aftermarket industry to manage and exchange product information efficiently.
ACES (Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard): This format is specifically designed to handle vehicle fitment data, ensuring that each part is correctly mapped to compatible makes, models, and years. It follows a structured XML format, allowing manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to standardize and update fitment details accurately across different platforms.
PIES (Product Information Exchange Standard): PIES is focused on the product details themselves, including part numbers, descriptions, dimensions, pricing, and digital assets such as images and technical specifications. This format helps maintain consistency in product listings across multiple channels, ensuring customers have accurate and up-to-date information.
ACES and PIES are essential tools for companies looking to streamline catalog management, reduce data errors, and improve automotive product data accuracy across all platforms, from e-commerce to inventory systems. However, many businesses struggle with the following challenges:
Inconsistent data from multiple suppliers
Gaps in product listings
Time-consuming manual updates
Inventory and catalog mismatches
Data loss during imports
These issues can lead to incorrect listings, missing parts in the catalog, and inefficiencies that impact revenue and customer satisfaction.
How DataPoint’s Curator Solves Automotive Catalog Data Issues
To address these challenges, DataPoint offers Curator, an advanced data processing solution designed to organize, standardize, and maintain catalog data efficiently. Curator automates ACES and PIES data acquisition management, reducing manual work and improving accuracy.
What is Curator?
Curator is not a replacement for catalog software but acts as a central hub for processing and normalizing data before it enters business systems. Key functionalities include:
Continuous monitoring of manufacturer files – Detects and processes new or updated ACES and PIES files automatically.
Data standardization – Normalizes data across multiple suppliers into a consistent format.
Change tracking – Identifies part additions, removals, and updates for proactive catalog management.
Customizable rules – Allows businesses to apply processing rules, such as delaying part removals or updating branding.
Inventory alignment – Ensures stocked parts match catalog data to prevent listing errors.
Watch Curator in Action
✅ Curator DOES:
| ❌ Curator DOES NOT:
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Step-by-Step Walkthrough: How Curator Works
Data Collection – Curator continuously monitors manufacturer file servers and detects new ACES and PIES files.
File Processing – It identifies the type of file (ACES, PIES, digital asset) and queues it for processing.
Data Normalization – All data is standardized, ensuring consistency across suppliers and brands.
Audit & Analysis – Curator compares new data with previous versions, flagging discrepancies before updates.
Data Delivery – The processed data is delivered to the business in the required format, ensuring catalog accuracy.
Case Study: The Impact of Curator on Catalog Management
The Problem: A Wholesaler’s Catalog Challenges
A leading wholesaler faced ongoing catalog inconsistencies that created operational inefficiencies and revenue losses. They sourced parts from multiple manufacturers, each using different ACES file versions and naming structures. This led to:
Incomplete Fitment Data – Many SKUs lacked detailed ACES mappings, making it difficult for customers to find the right parts.
Disorganized Product Information – PIES data varied across suppliers, resulting in missing or incorrect descriptions, images, and specifications.
Frequent Data Loss – Manufacturer updates often removed parts from files without notifying the wholesaler, leading to lost catalog listings.
Manual Workload – Employees spent significant time manually correcting and updating ACES and PIES data, delaying product availability.
These issues not only slowed down operations but also led to an increase in customer complaints due to mismatched or missing parts in the catalog.
The Solution: Implementing Curator
After implementing Curator, the wholesaler was able to:
Automate File Processing – Eliminating manual imports and reducing data entry errors.
Enhance Data Consistency – Standardizing information across all suppliers.
Improve Fitment Accuracy – Ensuring each part was properly mapped to vehicles.
Monitor Data Changes – Preventing sudden losses of cataloged parts by flagging discontinued items before removal.
The Outcome: A More Efficient and Accurate Catalog
By using Curator, the wholesaler significantly improved its catalog accuracy, streamlined data processing, and reduced the time spent on manual updates. This resulted in increased product visibility, improved customer satisfaction, and a more reliable inventory management process.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Understanding ACES and PIES Data Management
For businesses looking to optimize their catalog data, here are common questions about ACES, PIES, and how Curator streamlines data management.
1. How does Curator handle different file formats?
Curator is built to process any file format used in ACES and PIES, regardless of version or naming conventions. It automatically detects file types and organizes them accordingly.
2. How does Curator prevent accidental data loss?
Curator monitors manufacturer updates and retains removed parts for 90 days before deletion, allowing wholesalers time to review and manage discontinued items.
3. Can Curator customize data formats for different platforms?
Yes! Curator delivers data in multiple formats to accommodate different e-commerce platforms, ERP systems, and cataloging software.
4. How long does it take to implement Curator?
Implementation time depends on the complexity of your catalog, but Curator is designed to integrate smoothly with minimal disruption.
5. What are the cost benefits of using Curator?
Curator reduces manual workload, prevents inventory mismatches, and minimizes catalog errors, leading to cost savings in labor and operational efficiency.
6. How does Curator assist with branding?
Many manufacturers provide unbranded data. Curator matches ACES and PIES files to branding details using advanced cross-referencing techniques.
7. How often does Curator update catalog data?
Curator continuously scans for updates and processes data on a scheduled basis to keep catalog information accurate.
Conclusion: Take Control of Your Automotive Catalog with Curator
Struggling with catalog inconsistencies? Automate your ACES and PIES data with Curator and eliminate manual errors, improve product visibility, and enhance customer experience.
Inaccurate catalog data can lead to lost sales, customer frustration, and unnecessary inventory costs. Ensuring seamless data integration and standardization is critical for maintaining a competitive edge in the automotive aftermarket. Curator provides a robust solution by automating ACES and PIES data management, ensuring accurate, up-to-date, and well-structured catalog data.
Take control of your catalog management today. Learn More About Curator.