This article is part of a guide series on setting up an API for your specific Marketplace in Channable. Each step in the process is crucial to ensure that your product data is correctly aligned with Marketplace requirements. Detailed instructions for each step can be found in the following articles.
For information about Marketplaces V2, please refer to this article.
Attributes are fields in Channable and on the Marketplaces where specific information about your products is linked. Ensuring that the attributes in Channable are correctly filled is crucial for aligning your product data with the values required by the marketplace to which you are sending your products.
As we begin the rollout of Marketplaces V2 (Click here to read more), some of the Marketplace APIs already offer the option to switch to the new version.
We have combined the Build and Attribute builder into one, providing a more streamlined interface. In this article, we will explain how both versions of the steps work and display the differences.
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The differences
In Marketplaces V1, the Build and Attribute steps were separate, leading to a more fragmented workflow. Here's how the new Marketplaces V2 streamlines this process:
Marketplace V1 Build Step
- Purpose: The old Build step was where you filled in shared attributes for all items, such as EAN, prices, and titles. These attributes were applicable across all product categories.
- Example: If listing various products like electronics and clothing, you would enter general attributes like price and title here.
Marketplace V1 Attribute Step
- Purpose: This step is focused on category-specific attributes that vary per product type, like size for clothing or dimensions for furniture.
- Example: For clothing, you’d enter specific attributes like size and color, while for furniture, you’d input dimensions and material.
Marketplace V2 Build Step
- Integration: Combines both the old Build and Attribute steps into a single interface, simplifying the process.
- Centralization: All attributes, both shared and category-specific, are managed from one centralized location, reducing the need to switch between different pages.
- Indicators: Uses color-coded indicators—mandatory fields in pink and optional fields in orange—making it easy to identify which fields need to be filled.
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Tabs: Divided into "Shared Attributes" and "Category-Specific Attributes" for better organization.
- Shared Attributes: Apply to all products, such as EAN and title.
- Category-Specific Attributes: Relevant only for certain categories, like shoe size for footwear or dimensions for furniture.
Below, you can select either Marketplaces V2 or V1 to expand and access detailed instructions. These guidelines will assist you in navigating the process effectively.
Marketplace V2 Build Step
In the Marketplace V2 Build step, you configure all necessary attributes for your items, ensuring your product data aligns with marketplace requirements. This step is crucial for successful product listings and avoiding errors.
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Overview of the Build Step
The Build step features a centralized interface that allows you to manage and map all attributes efficiently. Field indicators show mandatory fields in pink and optional fields in orange. You can also use the "Hide optional fields" button to filter out non-mandatory fields and focus on the essential data.
On this page, there are two tabs: shared attributes and category - specific attributes. Below, we'll discuss the differences between the two:
Shared attributes
Shared attributes apply to all products, such as EAN, prices, and titles. This tab provides a comprehensive view of these attributes, allowing you to fill in the necessary information for all items in one go. Examples include general information like the country of origin.
Marketplace specific tabs
Depending on the marketplace, additional tabs are found in the 'Shared attribute' section of the Build step. For detailed guidance specific to the Marketplace, please refer to the Marketplace article and search for 'Additional requirements for [Marketplace]'.
Category - specific attributes
Category-specific attributes are relevant only for products within a specific category. For example, size attributes for clothes and dimensions for furniture. This tab organizes these attributes by category, ensuring you can easily manage and map them. Examples include attributes like shoe size or color for footwear categories. The category layout displays a list of categories with the number of items in each.
By using the Build step effectively, you can ensure that all your product data is accurately mapped, meeting marketplace requirements and optimizing the quality of your product listings.
Linking Attributes in Channable
As explained in the section "Overview of the Build Step," attributes in Channable are divided into two types: shared attributes and category-specific attributes.
Difference Between Shared and Category-Specific Attributes
Remember as explained earlier the steps of populating the attribute tabs work almost the same, with the following differences:
- Shared Attributes: Found on the shared attributes tab, these values remain constant for all items (e.g., country of origin).
- Category-Specific Attributes: Located on the attributes per category tab. In this tab, you must click on a specific category to see an overview of category-specific attributes (e.g., item width).
Populating attributes with static values
- Access the specific attributes tab: Navigate to the attributes tab that you want to populate in the build step.
- Select the field: Click on the field header to enter the static value.
- Enter the value: Input the required static value (e.g., country of origin).
- Save changes: Use the 'save' button or the 'save & preview' button to store your changes. All items will now have this static value.
Populating attributes with dynamic values
- Access the specific attributes tab: Navigate to the attributes tab that you want to populate in the build step.
- Select the field: Click the "+" (plus) character to add a dynamic field. This field will appear in blue, indicating it is dynamic.
- Save changes: Use the 'save' button or the 'save & preview' button to store your changes.
Additional Tips
- Extra information: When you want to populate an attribute, click on the (i) next to the field for more information about the type of value(s) the marketplace requires.
- Handling missing information: If the correct information is not available, you can apply rules to the field or create new fields in your import file and populate them via rules.
Once you have filled in all the mandatory attributes, Proceed to the quality step of your API. This tab provides an overview of how much is correctly filled in or not. In this article, we go more in-depth on the quality step of the API.
FAQ
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What happens if mandatory fields are not filled out?
Missing mandatory (pink) fields will result in errors during export, preventing your products from being listed. -
Can I edit dynamic values after saving them?
Yes, you can edit dynamic values, it will automatically change the value when you've changed it. -
How do I handle common errors in the Build step?
Common errors are indicated by Pink-marked fields. Check the marketplace requirements and ensure all mandatory fields are filled correctly. Use the 'Save & preview' button to identify and fix issues early.
Marketplace V1 Attribute step
In the Marketplace v1 Attribute step of your API, you will be presented with the Attribute Builder. This feature is designed to offer a detailed overview of the attributes available for items within a specific category.
It is an important tool for successfully aligning your product data with the attributes required by the marketplace to which you are sending your products.
Failing to correctly link this data can lead to errors in product listings.
- The overview
- Managing Categories and Populating Attributes
- Static values
- Dynamic values
- Attributes ready?
The overview
In the Attributes Step, you will see an overview of the categories.
This overview shows a list of all the categories you have set up in the Categories step. Each category is shown individually, because each category has its own set of attributes.
On the right, you can see how many items are in each category. The categories in this list are sorted by the number of items that are assigned to them.
Managing Categories and Populating Attributes
If you click on a category, you will see an overview of all products and their attributes in that specific category.
Each attribute corresponds with a column. If a field in the column is marked red, this means the attribute data for this product is missing or is incorrect (according to the marketplace).
By clicking on the header for the attribute you're planning to fill, a tab will pop up.
Once in this tab, you see a couple of headers.
- Attribute value: This is where you either fill in the static or dynamic value.
- Description: The marketplace explains what kind of value they want linked with this attribute.
- Example: A short example of what a possible value could be.
- Possible values: If the Marketplace only allows a specific type of value, we display that here.
It is crucial to mention that the value you add, needs to 100% match with what the possible values display. For example:
As you can see, 'Nederland' was not a correct value for this attribute, but 'Netherlands' was.
Important to note is that once you link a value (static or dynamic), this value is now selected for all items in all the categories.
For the 'Country of origin' attribute, a static value would work great, because most likely all the items are from the same country of origin.
But for a 'Shoe size' attribute, you would most likely have different sizes depending on the item, so a dynamic field would be the best solution!
We've explained how you can best fill in your attributes, but we have not discussed the difference between a static or dynamic value, we'll do that below.
Static values
By clicking on the attribute header and filling in the value (according to what the possible value is) and clicking save, all items will now have that static value that you just filled in.
As discussed above, this might not always be the best course of action, because you might need different values per item. Also, the value of a field can differ category to category, keep that in mind.
Dynamic values
The dynamic value is the one that you most likely will need to utilize most; with a 'dynamic value' we refer to a (dynamic) field in your items.
To link the dynamic field: click the "+" (plus) character and add the dynamic field to your attribute. This field will appear in blue, indicating that it is dynamic.
If you do not have the right information in the right field, you can apply rules to the field. You can also choose to create a new field in your import and fill that information via rules, here you can read more on how to create a field.
Attributes ready?
Once you have filled in all the mandatory attributes for your products, you can go to the Results tab of your API. In this tab you can see an overview of the products that are about to be sent to the Marketplace through your API.
If everything looks as it should, go to the Settings step of your API and activate the API and run it.