Virtual Automotive Cloud Inventory For Your Resellers

Experience the Benefit of Infinite Aisles with a Virtual Inventory Cloud.

Your Auto Parts Retailers Show Your Drop Ship and Special Orders as Stock Inventory

The GCommerce Virtual Inventory Cloud is an automotive cloud inventory that allows distributors to order and ship non-stocked items for auto parts retailers without reaching for the phone or browsing the suppliers’ websites. A non-stocked item could be anything that your online store clients do not personally carry but you, as a distributor or manufacturer might. VIC turns drop shipping and special orders into profitable sales that benefit distributors, manufacturers, and retailers.

Let Your Resellers Sell From a Virtually Limitless Inventory

Digital distribution means your resellers are no longer limited to selling from their inventory but your inventory as distributors and manufacturers.

Traditional methods of searching for parts and placing drop ship and special orders are time-consuming and require many steps. Virtual Inventory Cloud (VIC) decreases the possibility of errors while saving you time and money.

The Virtual Inventory Cloud from GCommerce puts all the information needed to pick and sell from the virtual supply chain at your fingertips.

Virtual Inventory Cloud makes it easy to locate hard-to-find products from dozens of suppliers with a single easy-to-use portal, or through an integration with any current ERP system. Ease of use for retailers and online stores means less time involved in searching for hard-to-find auto parts by distributors and manufacturers.

Say “Yes” to More Orders in Less Time

The GCommerce Virtual Inventory Cloud (VIC) provides product availability, pricing, estimated shipping costs, ship dates, and special charges in seconds. You no longer have to do that research manually, giving you more time to focus on the distribution of more aftermarket auto parts.

Virtual Inventory Cloud gives distributors, brand owners, and resellers real-time visibility to the inventory of their drop shippers through a single ordering system.

When you, as a supplier updates your inventory, GCommerce monitors product and inventory data to ensure it’s all current.

Orders and acknowledgments are sent electronically. Shipping notifications and tracking information are returned electronically. This limits the number of manual touches decreasing the possibility of any errors.

Virtual Inventory Cloud Order Tracking keeps track of acknowledgments and shipping information. If a problem arises with an order, VIC lets you know so you can resolve it quickly.

Virtual Inventory Cloud Follows Supplier/Buyer Business Rules

The Virtual Inventory Cloud operates within the business rules in place between trading partners. This means that the set line items and quantity rules for special orders are enforced.

  • Buyer “Ship To” locations and supplier distribution center locations are saved and auto-filled. Reduce manual data entry for each order and save time and money.
  • VIC keeps track of holidays and shipping cutoff times by distribution center to provide accurate “promised ship date” calculations. 
  • Suppliers choose their supported shipping methods. Buyers control their preferred shipping method by the choices available. 
  • The supplier shipping method codes are standardized. This allows the buyer to support a single freight code standard.
  • You can set minimum order quantities and multiples. VIC will enforce these rules not allowing orders to complete until the requirements are met. 
  • Special fees, core charges, and handling fees are quoted with the price.

Internet Parts Ordering Web Services

Internet Parts Ordering (IPO) is the automotive aftermarket standard API for real-time drop shipping, special order inquiries, and order transactions. The IPO API extends your supply chain to all virtual inventory suppliers. This allows you to capture more sales.

Some suppliers support the integration of VIC with their ERP systems and communicate through the IPO protocol. This ensures that quote responses are specific to the customer and delivered in real-time. IPO also allows buyers to integrate VIC with their catalog or POS system, eliminating the need for a separate portal.

Virtual Inventory Cloud Connects Those Who Use Web Services with Those Who Don’t

VIC can integrate with all IPO versions. This allows the buyer to implement a single version of IPO to communicate with all trading partners. Let VIC do all the work for you.
VIC from GCommerce offers access via a stand-alone portal or integrated IPO option. So, whether you’re web savvy or not, you can use VIC for your special-order needs. Suppliers use several different versions of IPO with specific customizations to streamline the buying process.
VIC can blend IPO with your existing EDI connection. This integration can deliver shipping and invoicing transactions via IPO without the need for additional programming to connect your EDI.

IPO Allows Real-Time Responses specific to the Customer

IPO-ERP supplier integration displays your newest products quickly so you don’t miss any sales opportunities with new product uploads. Your ERP System controls what the buyer can buy.
Inventory quotes are fetched in real-time from the supplier’s order management system. This eliminates the need to send large frequent inventory files that can slow down your site. A slow site can cause dropped clients, missed sales, and lost revenue.
Since the IPO responses are specific to the customer making the inquiry, pricing and fees are specific to that customer.

Integrating Virtual Inventory Cloud at the Point-Of-Sale Speeds Inquiry and Response

Including the VIC API in the point-of-sale or current catalog system will speed up the inquiry process and eliminate the need to move to a separate application.

VIC integration with leading warehouse management system (WMS) applications contributes to seamless visibility to suppliers, allowing them to see a live inventory.
The IPO specification is relayed to VIC through the API. This connection speeds up development and leads to a faster ROI.
VIC also has a light version. This integration sends the PO information created outside of the WMS and imports it to match the ASN and the invoice from the supplier.

IPO Implementation Support

GCommerce has more experience with Internet Parts Ordering (IPO) than anyone. Our exclusive implementation documentation reduces data transfers to the minimum amount required for transactions between trading partners. Faster web service integration means your aftermarket auto parts go to market more quickly and online sales begin sooner.

Exclusive GCommerce IPO Documentation Speeds Development

The GCommerce team is here to help with your IPO project; a phone call or email gets your questions answered. Regular meetings ensure we stay on track.

Software developers have access to exclusive GCommerce implementation quick start guides, training videos, and process checklists, resulting in faster development and ROI.

We provide sample message files for each Business Object Document (BOD) in the most popular versions to follow in development.

The GCommerce IPO Test Platform Verifies When Code Works

The GCommerce IPO Test Platform enables developers to see the specific XML code of a well-formed IPO inquiry and response.

Messages can be uploaded to the platform and validated against the standard.

The IPO test platform takes the guesswork out of a web service implementation and reduces IT development costs. You can test from search to PO acknowledgment to ensure a smooth transition to production go-live.


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