Aftermarket Catalog - Overrides & Product Customization

This guide covers how to customize your aftermarket catalog in Ecommerce by overriding images, descriptions, product attributes, and prices. It also explains how to report catalog data issues and how to upload products that are not yet in the Ecommerce catalog.

Overview

The Ecommerce aftermarket catalog contains hundreds of thousands of manufacturer part numbers (MPNs). Catalog data — images, descriptions, sizing, pricing — comes from manufacturers and distributors. You may need to customize how products appear on your marketplaces. That is what overrides are for.

An override replaces a piece of catalog data with your own version. Overrides are specific to your account and do not affect other dealers. You can override:

All override management starts in the Override Management Center.

The Override Management Center

The Override Management Center is the main hub for viewing and customizing a single product. It displays everything Ecommerce knows about an MPN in one place and gives you the tools to change what your customers see.

How to Open It

1. From the Ecommerce Home Page, navigate to Catalog > Aftermarket.
2. Use the filters or search bar to locate the product you need.
3. Click the MPN (the blue hyperlink in the catalog table).

The Override Management Center opens, showing the full product information page for that MPN.

What You Will See

The page is organized into several sections:

Overriding an Image

You can replace the catalog image for any MPN with your own. There are two ways to do this: one at a time through the Ecommerce interface, or in bulk using a CSV file.

Option 1 — Override a Single Image in the UI

1. Open the Override Management Center for the MPN (Catalog > Aftermarket, click the MPN link).
2. In the Product Image section, you have two choices:
   • Upload File — Select an image file from your computer.
   • Upload URL — Paste the full URL of an image hosted elsewhere on the web.
3. Click Save.

Your override image is stored securely and will replace the catalog image on your marketplaces after the next revision cycle (typically within 24 hours, but timing depends on your catalog's revision schedule).

To remove an image override and revert to the catalog default, click Remove Existing Override in the same section and save.

Option 2 — Override Images in Bulk via CSV

When you need to override images for hundreds or thousands of SKUs, use the CSV import through File Center.

1. Navigate to File Center.
2. Look for the Import/Export Image Overrides option.
3. Download the template file to see the required format.
4. Fill in the CSV with your MPN values and image URLs (one row per MPN).
5. Upload the completed CSV file.

The system processes image imports in batches. Large files are handled automatically — you do not need to split them yourself. After processing, your overrides will appear following the next revision cycle.

Overriding a Description

Description overrides let you control the text that appears for products on your marketplaces. You can override at two levels:

Priority Rule

Product-level overrides always take precedence over Product Group overrides. If you set both, the individual product override is what your customers will see for that specific MPN. All other MPNs in the group that do not have their own product-level override will continue to display the group-level override.

How to Override a Product Group Description

1. Open the Override Management Center for any MPN in the group.
2. Locate the Product Group Information section.
3. Enter your new description in the Product Group Description Override field.
4. Click Save.

The override applies to every MPN in that product group. This is the most efficient approach when the products in a group are similar enough to share a single description.

How to Override an Individual Product Description

1. Open the Override Management Center for the specific MPN.
2. Locate the Product Description section.
3. Enter your new description in the Product Description Override field.
4. Click Save.

This override applies only to this MPN and will take priority over any group-level override that may also be set.

Formatting Notes

• HTML is supported but not required. You can include basic HTML tags (such as <b>   , <ul>   , <li>   , <br>   ) if your marketplace supports formatted descriptions. Plain text works fine as well.
• CSV upload for descriptions is not available. Description overrides must be entered through the Ecommerce UI, one product or product group at a time.

Overriding Size, Color, and Option

Each MPN can have three attribute fields that describe its variations: Size, Color, and Option. These values appear on your marketplace listings and help customers find the right product.

How to Override Size, Color, or Option

1. Open the Override Management Center for the MPN.
2. Scroll to the Product Details section.
3. Edit the Size, Color, and/or Option fields as needed.
4. Click Save.

Your overrides replace the catalog defaults for this MPN on your marketplaces.

Example: A catalog entry lists a brake pad color as "BLK". You could override it to "Black" for a cleaner customer-facing listing.

Overriding Distributor Pricing

The Override Management Center shows every distributor that carries a product, along with each distributor's SKU and MSRP. This information is displayed regardless of which distributors you have configured in your account — it gives you a full picture of availability.

How to Override a Price

1. Open the Override Management Center for the MPN.
2. Scroll to the Distributor Information or Price Overrides section.
3. Locate the distributor SKU you want to adjust.
4. Enter your override price for the specific marketplace where you want the new price to apply.
5. Click Save.

Price overrides are set per distributor SKU, per marketplace. This means you can set different prices for the same product on different marketplaces if needed.

Managing Shelf Inventory

If your dealership stocks certain aftermarket products on your own shelves (rather than relying solely on distributor fulfillment), you can record that inventory in Ecommerce.

How to Manage Shelf Inventory

1. Open the Override Management Center for the MPN.
2. Scroll to the Shelf Inventory section.
3. Enter or update the following fields:

1. Click Save.

Shelf inventory is managed per MPN. Keep quantities up to date to avoid overselling.

Bulk Operations via CSV

For large-scale catalog work, Ecommerce supports CSV-based imports and exports through File Center. The table below summarizes what is available.

General CSV Tips

• Always download the template file first so you use the correct column headers and format.
• Large files are processed in batches automatically. There is no need to manually split them.
• After uploading, allow time for the import to process. Changes will appear on your marketplaces after the next revision cycle.
• Description overrides cannot be imported via CSV. They must be entered through the Ecommerce UI.

Reporting a Catalog Data Issue

The Ecommerce Catalog Team maintains the master aftermarket catalog. With hundreds of thousands of MPNs, occasional data issues can occur — a mismatched product image, an incorrect description, or a wrong fitment association. When you spot a problem, report it directly from the catalog.

What Happens When You Report an Issue

• The product is placed under review by the Ecommerce Catalog Team.
• While under review, the product's inventory is set to zero on all marketplaces. This prevents customers from purchasing a product with incorrect data.
• The Catalog Team investigates and corrects the issue.
• You receive an email confirmation when the review is complete.
• Corrected data may take several days to appear on your marketplaces because catalog data is re-indexed on a weekly basis.

How to Report a Catalog Data Issue

1. Navigate to Catalog > Aftermarket.
2. Locate the product(s) with the data issue.
3. Highlight the row(s) in the catalog table by clicking on them. You can select multiple rows.
4. Click the "Report Catalog Issue" button.
5. In the dialog that appears, add detailed notes describing what is wrong. The more specific you are, the faster the team can resolve it.
   • Good example: "Image shows a red brake caliper, but this MPN is for a black caliper. Correct image available at [URL]."
   • Poor example: "Wrong image."
6. Submit the report.

Uploading Products Not in the Ecommerce Catalog

If you sell aftermarket products that are not yet in the Ecommerce master catalog, you can add them using the Ecommerce Custom Product Uploader, also known as the Private Catalog.

The Private Catalog allows you to create product listings that are specific to your account. These products are not part of the shared Ecommerce catalog and will not appear for other dealers.

For detailed instructions on using the Custom Product Uploader, refer to the Private Catalog help content, which covers:

• How to create custom product entries
• Required fields and formatting
• How private catalog products appear on your marketplaces

How Overrides Are Applied — Priority Rules

Understanding override priority helps you predict exactly what your customers will see.

Description Priority (Highest to Lowest)

1. Product-Level Description Override — If set, this is always what displays for that MPN.
2. Product Group-Level Description Override — If no product-level override exists, the group override applies.
3. Catalog Default Description — If no overrides exist at either level, the original catalog description is used.

Image Priority

1. Image Override (your uploaded file or URL) — If set, this replaces the catalog image.
2. Catalog Default Image — If no override exists, the original catalog image is used.

Attribute Priority (Size, Color, Option)

1. Attribute Override — If set, your value replaces the catalog default.
2. Catalog Default Value — If no override exists, the original value is used.

Price Priority

1. Price Override (per distributor SKU, per marketplace) — If set, this is the listed price.
2. Distributor MSRP — If no override exists, the default MSRP is used.

General Notes

• All overrides are specific to your account. Other dealers are not affected.
• Overrides are cached for performance. In most cases, changes take effect after the next revision cycle rather than instantly.
• Removing an override reverts the product to the catalog default for that field.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long does it take for my override to appear on my marketplace listings?

A: Most overrides take effect after the next revision cycle. This is typically within 24 hours, but the exact timing depends on your catalog's revision schedule.

Q: Can I override descriptions using a CSV file?

A: No. Description overrides must be entered through the Ecommerce UI in the Override Management Center, one product or product group at a time.

Q: If I set a Product Group description override and also a Product override for one MPN in that group, which one wins?

A: The Product-level override takes precedence for that specific MPN. All other MPNs in the group without their own product-level override will display the group-level override.

Q: I reported a catalog issue. Why is the product showing zero inventory?

A: This is by design. While a product is under review by the Catalog Team, its inventory is set to zero on all marketplaces to prevent sales of a product with incorrect data. Inventory will be restored once the review is complete.

Q: How long does it take for a catalog issue to be resolved?

A: The Catalog Team will investigate and correct the issue, then send you an email confirmation. Corrected data may take several additional days to appear on your marketplaces because the catalog is re-indexed on a weekly basis.

Q: Can I override data for a product that is currently under review?

A: The product will remain flagged for review regardless of overrides you set. It is best to wait for the review to complete before making further changes to that MPN.

Q: I uploaded an image override via URL, but the image is not displaying. What happened?

A: The image URL may be unreachable or broken. Open the Override Management Center for that MPN, verify the URL, and re-upload if needed. If the issue persists, try uploading the image as a file instead.

Q: What is the difference between the Ecommerce catalog and the Private Catalog?

A: The Ecommerce catalog is the shared master catalog maintained by the Ecommerce Catalog Team and available to all dealers. The Private Catalog (Custom Product Uploader) is where you add your own products that are not in the master catalog. Private catalog products are visible only to your account.

Q: Can I export my current overrides to review them?

A: Yes. Use the export options in File Center to download your image overrides, product data, and product attributes as CSV files.