Products & Variants
A PIM system serves as the central repository for all product-related data, allowing you to manage, enrich, and distribute information seamlessly.By mastering the creation and management of products and variants.
In this guide, we'll walk you through the step-by-step process of leveraging your PIM system to create and manage products and their variants efficiently.
To learn more about Products & Variants, go to Key Concepts.
Upon logging in, navigate to the side menu of the NoChannel Commerce Portal, go to PIM, and click on Products & Variants. Initiate the product creation process by clicking Create Product in the top-right corner.
In the Product creation process, provide the following details:
- Display Name: Enter a Display Name that distinctly identifies the product and will be displayed on your site as a product.
- Product Template: Choose the appropriate product template for your product from the available dropdown options. This template provides the basic gray structure for your product.
- Product ID: Enter a unique Product ID that would help identify the product.
Users can input a Product ID for their product; however, if the Product ID already exists, an error will occur. If no Product ID is provided, the system will assign a randomly generated Product ID.
After completing the form, you are presented with two choices:
- Create Draft: Click the Create Draft button to save your product as a draft, keeping it unpublished on the portal. This allows you to revisit and edit the product details at your convenience before making it live for user visibility.
- Create & Open: Click on the Create & Open button, and you will be directed to the Product Details page. This is the preferred choice when you intend to make the product live and immediately utilize it on your site and the NoChannel Commerce Portal.
On the Product Details page, configure the product by providing essential information in the Product Info tab:
Under Associate to Website, link your website with the PIM system using the dropdown menu.
In the Core Information, provide the following details:
- SKU: Enter the unique code for the product's storekeeping unit.
- Product Name: Enter the name of your product. This is the primary identifier that customers will see when browsing your inventory.
- Description: Enter a brief description of your product in two to three lines. Include features and specifications, and any other unique selling points for your potential customers.
- Tax Code: Enter the applicable tax code for the product to ensure accurate tax calculations.
- Brand/Vendor: Specify the brand or vendor associated with the product.
- Product Tags: Add relevant product tags to enhance searchability and improve SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
Tags are keywords or phrases that describe your product and help customers find it more easily when searching on your website or through search engines.
If you wish to customize the product template details, check the right-hand navigation of the Product Details page. Click on the hyperlink to the attached template. The link will promptly redirect you to the Product Template Details page, where you can conveniently edit the template information per your requirements.
Schedule Product: Navigate to the Schedule Product section in the right-hand navigation menu. Here, you can specify the Activation Date and Deactivation Date for your product.
- Activation Date: This is the date when your product becomes available for customers to purchase or access on the website. Once the activation date is reached, the product will be made visible and accessible to users, allowing them to place orders or interact with it as intended.
- Deactivation Date: Conversely, the deactivation date is the date when your product will no longer be available for purchase or access. After this date, the product will be automatically removed or hidden from the website, preventing further orders or interactions.
Under SEO, you are required to add the following details:
- Slug: Enter the unique part of the URL that identifies the product page against the user's search query.
- Page Title: Specify the SEO page title to optimize the product's appearance in search results. The page title should be descriptive and include important keywords related to your product, increasing its visibility and click-through rate in search engine results pages.
- Meta Description: Write a brief description of the page's content to influence click-through rates from search engine users.
- Meta Keywords: Input relevant SEO meta keywords to enhance search engine visibility. These keywords should accurately reflect the content and purpose of your product, helping search engines match your product with relevant search queries.
Under Related Products, include related products by clicking on Add Item. This will open a Catalog List Dialog.
Here, choose the appropriate products and add them. On your site, these will come up as suggestions/related products in conjunction with the created Product.
To add product variants, go to the VARIANTS tab.
Click on Add Variant and in the Create Variant pop-up, under the Variant Information tab, enter the details described above. You can also set the state of your created variant:
- Normal: The product is fully visible and available for purchase.
- View-only: The product is visible but cannot be purchased.
- Hidden: The product is not visible on the online portals.
For more information on states, go to the PIM States guide.
To upload product images, go to the IMAGES tab.
- Enter the image URL in the Add Images field or click the "+" icon to add a picture.
- Once the image is added, in the images table, enter Image Description and Alternate Text.
- You can upload multiple pictures to show various angles or features.
Once all of the Product details have been added, navigate to the top of the page where you will find these options:
- Validate: Click Validate after finalizing all your changes to officially publish your created product template on the NoChannel Commerce Portal. This action makes your product accessible and visible on the platform.
- Save Draft: Click on Save Draft to save all your changes and retain your template as an unpublished version. This provides flexibility to revisit and edit the product details before making it live.