NAPERVILLE, Ill. — Vertical Development, Inc. and Spork Marketing recently collaborated to create a new plug-in that integrates ShowMeTheParts’ API into WordPress websites. Combining ShowMeTheParts massive aftermarket parts database with the world’s most popular website platform makes bringing parts information to customers easier than ever before.
The first company to use this new tool is GMB North America, Inc. On the previous GMB North America website, customers had to leave the site to check parts information on ShowMeTheParts.com. As part of developing a new website for GMB, Spork Marketing created a WordPress plug-in that integrates GMB’s ShowMeTheParts catalog directly into the WordPress website system, so now customers can find what they need for their vehicles immediately. The results are now live on GMB’s website, www.gmb.net.
“Our new WordPress plug-in leverages the ShowMeTheParts’ API, which allows any parts seller or manufacturer to add a full suite of catalog lookup tools to a WordPress website,” says Jason Lancaster, president of Spork Marketing. “As perhaps the most popular website platform in the world, WordPress is already a reasonable choice for any auto parts or accessory manufacturer’s website. Our plug-in makes WordPress an even better option.”
ShowMeTheParts is the largest public parts database on the market. It is designed to deliver every piece of information an aftermarket parts customer may need including interchange information, specifications, data sheets, photos and even 360-degree views. Vertical Development designed the database so that it can be tailored to specific businesses while still carrying over the same web and mobile interfaces the company has refined over years of development.
“The ShowMeTheParts plug-in is THE catalog search solution for anyone with a WordPress website,” says Jay Wright, president of Vertical Development. “Using the new plug-in from Spork Marketing makes it easy for companies to upgrade existing WordPress websites to seamlessly function with the comprehensive parts search tools from ShowMeTheParts.”
WordPress is a proven site-building platform with more than 60 million users including companies and institutions as large and diverse as Sony, Dole, and the U.S. Library of Congress. Its popularity stems from an extensive portfolio of plug-ins that can be used to build anything from personal home pages to e-commerce websites.
ShowMeTheParts’ robust API gives users three ways to search for parts information: by VIN, by part number, or by vehicle information including the year, make and model. Once the vehicle is selected, the site presents a list of compatible parts including available photos, interchange information, and part attributes drawn from the ShowMeTheParts database.
In Spork’s new plug-in, the ShowMeTheParts’ search functions are assembled as widgets, so any function can be added to any page on the site, giving customers quick access while they’re browsing or through a unified search page when it’s all put together. Completing a parts search creates a unique URL which can be linked to in promotional blogs, advertising emails, and even social media. Thanks to the unparalleled size of ShowMeTheParts’ database, most of the back-end work is already done: it’s simply a matter of specifying the parts that are in stock, and the database and plug-in do the rest.
To take a tour of the all new ShowMeTheParts WordPress plug-in with this brief demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4moVXwwv_k or visit GMB’s website to see the catalog lookups live at www.gmb.net. To put ShowMeTheParts to work for your brand or company, visit verticaldev.com/showmetheparts/ or call (847) 609-9540.
