Catalog Ingestion Process
- Prerequisites
- Prepare your catalog
- Process
- Populate the template
- Upload Catalog to the Amazon portal
Prerequisites
In order for a catalog to be set up, the following must already exist:
- The Store(s) for which the catalog is being set up, must already exist
- Store login credentials which include a user with catalog upload permissions
- Complete the Tax Interview and State tax registration process if applicable
Prepare your catalog
- Identify the source system for the catalog data
- Export the items that will be offered in the store
Process
- Download the template
- Then add the data to this template. Save the template with a date/time stamp so it can be used / referenced later.
- Upload the file. After the data is added and saved, embedded macros will run, notifying of the errors in the data. Do not change or copy items to another file and use that file as the template, as all the macros will be lost.
Populate the template
- All of these fields are required (in light orange headers).
- If the number begins with a ‘0’, put an ‘ (apostrophe) in front of the number. For example enter 028400003001 as ‘028400003001. This will automatically save the number as text.
- A Catalog must be set up to recognize the items that are eventually sold via 3P Amazon technology for a Retailer. All of these fields are required (in light orange headers). The catalog must be set up prior to item-placement in the store (called “bootstrapping”). The scanning application will match the item code scanned, and search for it in the catalog. If the item is not found in the catalog, it cannot be merchandised in the store for sales.
- Some fields are dependent on others and may not show values till the previous fields are populated.
- The following symbologies are supported. 12 or 8 digit (UPC), 8 digits (EAN8), 13 digits (EAN), 10 digits (ISBN), 14 digits (GTIN) and integer for PLU.
- Items can be added or updated via the catalog template file.
- Items for more than one store, can be contained in the same file. This requires 2 entries in the same file.
Upload Catalog to the Amazon portal
After the data is added and saved, embedded macros will run, notifying of any the errors in the data. The file has embedded macros to allow you to validate the catalog data locally before uploading to minimize delays due to incorrect data. It is not recommended to change or copy items to another file and use that file as the template, doing so will result in the loss of the macros.
The file will be validated when the file is saves locally preventing invalid data from being uploaded and after the file has been processed a report will display any errors during the processing of the catalog.