The SEMA Show is always full of amazing new products and some of the most fantastic vehicle builds you’ve ever seen! For PartsTech, SEMA is always a rich opportunity to connect with auto shops, industry peers, and partners. 

Engaging with first-time visitors, long-time users, and everyone in between at SEMA 2024 gave us fresh insights and meaningful perspectives. Each conversation — whether with a new face, a familiar customer, or a trusted partner — helped refine our understanding of what shops truly need and underscored our drive to serve the industry better.

We asked one of our employees who attended SEMA for the first time to staff the PartsTech booth to share what stood out to him. Here is a summary of Stefano Fenzo’s experience (Product Marketing Manager, PartsTech).

Simplicity matters most

One of the most significant benefits of attending a tradeshow like SEMA as a vendor is seeing how users react to our product in real time. Sharing PartsTech’s intuitive design and capabilities was met with enthusiastic responses on the tradeshow floor.

“I didn’t have to get very far into a PartsTech demo to feel palpable excitement from someone who had never seen PartsTech before,” said Stefano. “They were genuinely impressed by how easily they could select a vehicle and immediately start looking for parts. What truly caught their attention, though, was the ability to quickly compare prices across all their suppliers and build a cart with parts from each supplier — all in one place. Everything else was just a cherry on top. 

This experience reaffirmed that simplicity is a game-changer for busy shops — we are cutting through the noise and delivering real value.”

Crowd favorites

All-in-one cart for parts AND tires

Perhaps the most highly reactive “ah-ha” moment for folks was when they saw PartTech’s all-in-one cart. 

“Most shops juggle multiple suppliers daily to find what they need and have to make several purchases from different suppliers for a single repair order,” said Stefano. “When folks saw me add multiple parts from different suppliers to a single cart and click once to order, they were so surprised. And then when I showed they could also add tires into the same cart as parts and click to order everything at once, I think I blew their minds a bit, haha.”

This capability, combined with the option to add tires to a parts order, was especially impactful for those working with tires. Vehicle-specific tire recommendations also proved an unexpected but highly appreciated bonus — saving shops time, reducing guesswork, and helping them to get tire recommendations to their customers faster. 

Identifying complex parts with ease

Another standout feature that generated buzz at SEMA was our Visual Search Suite. “What really impressed shops about our Visual Search Suite was that PartsTech’s vehicle diagrams are completely free for all makes and models. They love how they can simply click on a part in the diagram and instantly search across all their suppliers to order exactly what they need,” Stefano noted. “It’s a true time-saver and accuracy booster.”

For attendees, it was clear that tools like this deliver tangible benefits to both seasoned and new shop employees who just need a little help finding the right part.

Feedback from current PartsTech customers

SEMA also allowed us to connect with many of our current customers. It was humbling and gratifying to hear their stories of how PartsTech has transformed their parts and tire ordering process. “Our current users at SEMA consistently expressed that PartsTech is something they wouldn’t trade for any older methods. They could never go back!” said Stefano. 

The recurring theme in these conversations was clear: PartsTech saves time, reduces effort, and ultimately helps shops run more efficiently. This type of feedback fuels our drive even more to continue innovating and meeting the needs of the industry.

New feature spotlight for current customers: Fluids & Chemicals Tab

Our new Fluids & Chemicals feature stood out as a significant enhancement for existing users — streamlining the ordering process for supplies like engine oils and essential chemicals. “The ability to order chemicals and fluids with just a few clicks in the same place as parts and tires was a standout feature for many of our current users,” Stefano explained. “Hearing how customers believe this new feature will transform yet another slow process reaffirmed the value of listening and collaborating with our users.” 

Reflecting and moving forward

The conversations, feedback, and enthusiasm shared by shops and partners reinforced our dedication to evolving PartsTech based on the real needs of the shop. Every interaction highlighted our ongoing mission to address fundamental challenges, improve shop operations, and deliver more innovative solutions to the industry.

To everyone who visited and shared their insights — thank you. You inspire us to keep moving forward, one part at a time.