LONG BEACH, CA - August 30, 2007 - Building the database for the largest automotive performance part shopping engine is a labor of love for DPI employees. To that end, the achievement of one million cataloged parts is a milestone for celebration.
"The primary reason that no one has ever attempted to do this before, says Thomas Moore, DPI founder and President: "is that it is virtually impossible to do.
First, there has never been an 'industry standard' structure for defining what part fits what vehicle(s). One part - like a part for a Chevy small block V8 - could fit over 600 vehicle types and years. Another part could fit only one model of one year of vehicle.
We initially set out to solve this problem- with the help of SEMA and AAIA, the industry associations - that would define what a part fits and allow ecommerce companies, distributors and manufacturers to all 'speak the same language.' Then, we developed a specialized web application (SPEEDcat) to enable manufacturers to apply this standard categorization to their parts. This creates a "plug and play" ecommerce-friendly database that improves part selection accuracy for car and truck enthusiasts.
A million parts is just a good start - actually the best in the industry. However, there are probably four million parts out there to catalog, and more are being developed every day in this relentlessly growing industry.
We're committed to doing the 'impossible' - bringing tens of millions of auto enthusiasts valuable information on how to personalize and improve their vehicles and increase the satisfaction they get from owning them. We're matchmakers, of a sort, bringing people small improvements to their daily lives - one part at a time."
The Comparison Shopping Guide powered by the Digital Performance parts database is today accessible on web sites that reach over three quarters of a million Internet users a month. By the end of the year, additional syndication partners are expected to bring the Shopping Guide to 10 million potential users a month.
The Digital Performance Shopping Guide is carried on Dealsonwheels.com and DPI's own directory sites: Streetperformance.com, Dirtdirectory.com and Raceindustry.com. And it will soon appear on Off-road.com and Recycler.com.
ABOUT DIGITAL PERFORMANCE
Digital Performance is a Long Beach-based Internet services company with a portfolio of products and services for manufacturers, resellers and enthusiasts involved in the SEMA marketplace. In its five years, it has developed the leading software service to help manufacturers catalog their parts for electronic marketing, as well as the largest database of performance parts and accessories with specific year/make/model fitment information. This information helps consumers find and purchase the parts that will fit and perform on their vehicles -- the first time. http://www.digitalperformance.com
