The Challenge
Customers couldn't find the right parts for their vehicles. Search was broken: results would appear briefly then vanish. There was no way to look up parts by VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), forcing customers to manually browse through thousands of products. The client was losing sales every day and wanted to run ads but couldn't justify the spend with a broken buying experience.
VIN Decoder Integration
I integrated the DataOne VIN Decoder API, which maps any VIN to the exact vehicle make, model, year, and specifications. This powers automatic part compatibility: enter your VIN, see only parts that fit your vehicle. The system caches decoded VINs to minimize API calls and speed up repeat lookups.
Search Rebuild
Replaced the broken search with Algolia, providing real-time search-as-you-type with typo tolerance, faceted filtering (by vehicle, category, brand), and instant results. Products are indexed with compatibility data so search results are always relevant to the customer's vehicle.
Interactive Installer Map
Product pages now include an interactive map showing all active installer locations near the customer. Each pin shows installer details, services offered, and availability. This converts online browsers into in-store customers and adds a service layer on top of the parts sale.
Admin Panel and Notifications
Built a complete admin dashboard for inventory management, order tracking, and customer communication. Integrated Twilio for automated email and SMS notifications: order confirmations, shipping updates, and appointment reminders. The admin can manage products, view analytics, and configure notification templates.
Outcome
The platform went from a broken search experience to a fully functional e-commerce system with intelligent part matching. The engagement started as a single milestone and evolved into an ongoing partnership with continuous feature development. The client can now confidently run ad campaigns knowing the buying experience converts.
Tech stack
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