This year’s SEMA Show marked a major milestone: for the first time ever, Shopify had an official booth on the show floor. Staffed by account executives and solutions engineers, the booth drew steady attention from aftermarket parts brands eager to understand Shopify’s automotive capabilities.
Historically, automotive hasn’t been a major focus area for Shopify but we could see the shift happening in real time as brands stopped by to ask questions, share challenges, and explore what’s possible. Shopify even used the dedicated automotive and parts page Ambaum built as part of their product demos, showcasing how the platform can power complex catalogs and fitment workflows.
Building Momentum Through Collaboration and Education
Beyond the show floor, Ambaum had productive conversations with SEMA’s education team about opportunities to collaborate next year. We’re exploring the idea of teaching a class on how to customize aftermarket parts sites on Shopify like covering fitment data (year, make, model), VIN decoding, core charges, and more.
This kind of education is critical as more automotive merchants move from legacy platforms to Shopify, looking for ways to modernize their customer experience while managing the complexity of parts data and compatibility.
Connecting the Community at the Wynn
Our happy hour at the Wynn has become an Ambaum tradition at SEMA, and this year’s event didn’t disappoint. Clients, Shopify team members, and app partners joined us to share insights about the future of eCommerce in the automotive space.
There was plenty of energy and optimism in the room and a few fun rumors circulating that now that Tobi Lütke (Shopify’s CEO) is getting into motorsports, the platform’s investment in automotive might only accelerate from here.
Looking Ahead
SEMA continues to be one of Ambaum’s biggest and most valuable events each year. It’s where we connect with our clients, explore what’s next in automotive commerce, and strengthen relationships with Shopify and key partners.
We’re already planning for SEMA 2026, and with Shopify’s growing footprint in the industry, we expect next year to be even bigger.
