Creating products

Products act as templates for SKUs, the individual pieces of merchandise that are ultimately sold to a customer. The product describes the general characteristics of the merchandise, and the SKU distinguishes the differences between the merchandise. For example, a product can be a men's shirt, and the SKUs for that product can be the different colors of the shirt. Such as a men's red shirt and a men's green shirt.

About this task

There are two ways for you to add a product to your store:

Create a product
Note: You cannot create a product in the sales catalog. Add a product by copying an existing one from the master catalog.
Copy an existing product

Note: If you are using the extended sites model and are currently in the extended site store, you can add a product to your extended site store from the asset store. To add the product, copy an inherited asset store product. When you copy the product that you inherit from your asset store to the extended store, the new product becomes local to the store, not inherited.

WebSphere Commerce Enterprise When you create a catalog entry in an extended sites store, either directly or by copying an inherited catalog entry, avoid specifying a code for the catalog entry that is a duplicate of an inherited catalog entry code. An extended site store catalog entry and a catalog asset store catalog entry can have the same code because the catalog entries belong to different stores. If duplicate codes exist, store functions that retrieve catalog entries by only the code value can behave unexpectedly or can result in an error. For example, if a store function uses the code to retrieve only a single catalog entry and instead finds two catalog entries that have the same code, an error can occur. Ensure that the code value that you set for any extended site store catalog entry does not exist for an inherited catalog entry. If your extended site store does include duplicate codes, use the Catalogs tool to change the codes for your extended site store catalog entries.

Procedure

Open the Catalogs tool.

Use one of the following ways to add a product to your catalog:

Option	Description
Create a product	To add an entirely new product, from the File menu, click File > New > Product. The Manage Product tab displays in the Product Properties view.
Copy an existing product	To copy an existing product, on the explorer tree, click the category that the product belongs to. To find the product, see Finding a catalog entry. Restriction: To copy products, you can also drag them from the main work area or utilities view into the explorer tree when you are using the Master Catalog filter. You cannot drag products into the explorer tree when you are using the Master Catalog Categories filter or Sales Catalog Categories filter. In the list view or explorer tree, right-click the product. Then, click Copy. In the list view, right-click on any field. Then, click Paste. The Product Properties view displays. Complete the required fields and click Save. A new product is added with the same properties. Note: When you copy a product, the defining attributes, offer price, SKUs, and merchandising associations for that product are not copied over. For efficiency, avoid copying more than 30 products at a time. Note: If your product includes attribute dictionary attributes, the defining and descriptive attribute dictionary attributes are copied over when you copy the product. The offer price, SKUs, and merchandising associations are not copied over. For efficiency, avoid copying more than 30 products at a time.

Option

Description

Create a product

To add an entirely new product, from the File menu, click File > New > Product. The Manage Product tab displays in the Product Properties view.

Copy an existing product

To copy an existing product, on the explorer tree, click the category that the product belongs to. To find the product, see Finding a catalog entry.

Restriction: To copy products, you can also drag them from the main work area or utilities view into the explorer tree when you are using the Master Catalog filter. You cannot drag products into the explorer tree when you are using the Master Catalog Categories filter or Sales Catalog Categories filter.

In the list view or explorer tree, right-click the product. Then, click Copy.
In the list view, right-click on any field. Then, click Paste.
The Product Properties view displays.
Complete the required fields and click Save.

A new product is added with the same properties.

Note: When you copy a product, the defining attributes, offer price, SKUs, and merchandising associations for that product are not copied over. For efficiency, avoid copying more than 30 products at a time.

Note: If your product includes attribute dictionary attributes, the defining and descriptive attribute dictionary attributes are copied over when you copy the product. The offer price, SKUs, and merchandising associations are not copied over. For efficiency, avoid copying more than 30 products at a time.

Expand the General Product Information section. Complete the following information:

Property	Description
Code	The product code.
Name	The name of the product. This field can be edited in multiple languages.
Short description	Type a brief description of the product. This field can be edited in multiple languages.
Long description	Type a detailed description, if applicable. You can enter HTML code in this field. If you choose to specify HTML code, you should receive this source code from your developers. Before you paste HTML code into the field, you must click the following icon in the text toolbar: If you are using the default WebSphere Commerce rich text editor, click . If you activated CKEditor, click to launch CKEditor, then click Source. For more information about rich text editors, see Rich text editors. This field can be edited in multiple languages.
Keyword	Type one or more keywords, which are separated by a comma and a space that describe the contents of the Web page. Some Internet search engines use these keywords to determine whether your page satisfies a search query. This field can be edited in multiple languages. This field can be edited in multiple languages.
Additional description 1	Type a detailed description of the catalog entry, if applicable.
Additional description 2	Type a detailed description of the catalog entry, if applicable.
Manufacturer	Type the name of the manufacturer or vendor.
Manufacturer part number	Type the part number for the catalog entry, uniquely defined by the manufacturer. This number is different from the code that is used to define the object in the system.
Parent category (master catalog)	The category to which an object such as a category, product, or SKU belongs, or the catalog to which a top category belongs. See Moving a catalog entry for an example of how to change the parent category.
URL	Type the URL where customers can download the product (in the case of software) or more information about the product. Ensure that the URL does not contain blank spaces.
Recurring order item	Indicate whether the catalog entry is available for a recurring order.
Subscription item	Indicate whether the catalog entry is a subscription item.

Expand the Publishing section. Complete the following information:

Property	Description
For purchase	Indicate whether customers can include the product in their shopping carts and order it. This check box is read-only and cannot be cleared if the entries for purchase are on auction.
On special	Indicates whether the product is on special.
On auction	Indicates whether the catalog entry is available for auction. This field is read-only.
Announcement date	Add the year, month, and day that the catalog entry becomes available to customers. Click the calendar icon to select a date. This is an informational field.
Withdrawal date	Add the year, month, and day that the catalog entry is removed from the catalog and is unavailable for customers to purchase. Click the calendar icon to select a date. This is an informational field.
Availability date	Add the year, month, and day that the catalog entry is available to customers for purchase. Click the calendar icon to select a date. This is an informational field.
Last date to order	Add the final year, month, and day that the catalog entry is available for order. Click the calendar icon to select a date. This is the latest date that a customer can order the catalog entry. For example, a manufacturer can discontinue a product, but because stock still exists, it is still available for order for one month.
End of service date	Add the year, month, and day when the catalog entry is no longer in service. For example, this date can be the date that a software manufacturer stops providing upgrades for a version of their product. Click the calendar icon to select a date. This is an informational field.
Discontinued date	Add the year, month, and day when the catalog entry is discontinued. For example, it can be the date that the manufacturer stops producing the product, or the date your store stops selling the product. Click the calendar icon to select a date. It is recommended that this field is used consistently to avoid confusion. This is an informational field.

Expand the Display section. Complete the following information:

Property	Description
Display to customers	Select this check box to indicate that customers can view this category in the storefront.
Thumbnail	Type the path to the thumbnail image and the name of the image, such as images/shirt.jpg. All image files must be placed in the store's defined image directory. Determining the correct image directory and whether you need an absolute or relative path depends on your store's configuration. For example, the WebSphere Commerce starter store images use a relative path that points to the default installation directory under the store name. Use of a relative path is most common. Use of an absolute path is dependent on your initial configuration. Ask a store developer with Site Administrator authority for the correct image directory if you are unsure. This field can be edited in multiple languages. For the Aurora starter store, this path must be to the 160-pixel-wide thumbnail image of this catalog entry, for example:images/catalog/apparel/women/womens_dresses_160x160/WD_038_a_blue.jpgThis path must have a directory with a name that contains the following character string: `160x160`. The server matches the character string to locate this image and the other catalog entry images in different sizes.
Full image	Type the path to the full-size image and the name of the image, such as images/shirt.jpg. For the Aurora starter store, this path must be to the 1000-pixel-wide full image of this catalog entry, for example:images/catalog/apparel/women/womens_dresses_1000x1000/WD_038_a_blue.jpgThis path must have a directory with a name that contains the following character string: `1000x1000`. The server matches the character string to locate other catalog entry images in different sizes. The 1000-pixel-wide full image is not currently used in the Aurora storefront. On the product details page, the 447-pixel-wide image is used as the full image of the product.

Expand the Pricing section. Complete the following information:

Property	Description
List Price	An optional field to display the list price. List price is sometimes called MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price). This price is intended for catalog display purposes only; it is not typically used as the actual price customers must pay. A store might display a list price above an offer price to show customers that they are getting a better deal with the offer price. One common use of the list price is to display the MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price). Your site can choose not to use a list price at all. If your store uses price rules for the list price, the default List price rule sets the list price customers see on the storefront. The List price rule might use the price in this field as is, or the rule might adjust the price. Make sure that you are aware of how the List price rule sets list prices before you add or update this price. The price in this field is stored in the default List Price list.
Offer Price	The price at which the catalog entry is offered for purchase. Click New to add in a new offer price. Type a Minimum Quantity at which the catalog entry can be offered at this price. The maximum quantity is determined by the minimum quantity of the next range. For example, if the minimum quantity of a catalog entry to be sold at $35.00 is one, and the minimum quantity of the same catalog entry to be sold at $25.00 is 10, then the maximum quantity for the catalog entry to be sold at $35.00 is nine. If your store uses price rules, the price at which the catalog entry is offered for purchase is set by a price rule. The price rule might use the price in this field as the offer price for this product. Alternatively, the price rule might adjust the price in this field, or calculate a price for this product by using a different price list, for example. Make sure that you are aware of how price rules are used in relation to this Offer price value before you add or update the price. The price in this field is stored in the default Offer Price list.

Property

Description

List Price

An optional field to display the list price. List price is sometimes called MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price). This price is intended for catalog display purposes only; it is not typically used as the actual price customers must pay. A store might display a list price above an offer price to show customers that they are getting a better deal with the offer price. One common use of the list price is to display the MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price). Your site can choose not to use a list price at all.

Introduced in Feature Pack 2 If your store uses price rules for the list price, the default List price rule sets the list price customers see on the storefront. The List price rule might use the price in this field as is, or the rule might adjust the price. Make sure that you are aware of how the List price rule sets list prices before you add or update this price. The price in this field is stored in the default List Price list.

Offer Price

The price at which the catalog entry is offered for purchase. Click New to add in a new offer price. Type a Minimum Quantity at which the catalog entry can be offered at this price. The maximum quantity is determined by the minimum quantity of the next range. For example, if the minimum quantity of a catalog entry to be sold at $35.00 is one, and the minimum quantity of the same catalog entry to be sold at $25.00 is 10, then the maximum quantity for the catalog entry to be sold at $35.00 is nine.

Introduced in Feature Pack 2 If your store uses price rules, the price at which the catalog entry is offered for purchase is set by a price rule. The price rule might use the price in this field as the offer price for this product. Alternatively, the price rule might adjust the price in this field, or calculate a price for this product by using a different price list, for example. Make sure that you are aware of how price rules are used in relation to this Offer price value before you add or update the price. The price in this field is stored in the default Offer Price list.

Note: If you are using the extended sites model, the offer price for the catalog asset store is displayed first. Then, the list price and offer price for the extended store.

Optional: Introduced in Feature Pack 1

Expand the Custom section. Complete the following information:

Property	Description
Field 1 (Integer)	A customized field for your catalog entry data. The entry must be a whole number.
Field 2 (Integer)	A customized field for your catalog entry data. The entry must be a whole number.
Field 3 (Decimal)	A customized field for your catalog entry data. The entry must be a decimal number.
Field 4 (Text)	A customized field for your catalog entry data. The entry must be text.
Field 5 (Text)	A customized field for your catalog entry data. The entry must be text.

Click the Descriptive Attributes or Defining Attributes tab to work with attributes.

Note: For subscription products, you must associate the subscription common attributes to the product.


Attribute name	Attribute identifier	Description
Subscription duration	timePeriod	The time period for which the subscription runs for. For example, a 12-month subscription.
Fulfillment frequency	fulfillmentFrequency	The time in between each fulfillment. For example, a newsletter that is printed every month.
Payment option	paymentFrequency	The payment frequency of the subscription product. For example, upfront payment of the entire subscription or payment charged each time that a newsletter is shipped to the shopper. You cannot use upfront payments.

Optional: Click the Search Engine Optimization tab to change the SEO options for the product:

To insert an SEO substitution parameter, use the format: <seo:SEOSUBSTITUTIONPARAMETER/>.

SEO substitution parameters
<seo:StoreName/>: The name of the store. For example, Aurora.
<seo:StoreDescription/>: The store description. For example, Online Department Store.
<seo:ProductName/>: The catalog entry name.
<seo:ProductKeyword/>: The catalog entry keyword.
<seo:ProductShortDescription/>: The catalog entry short description.
<seo:ProductPartNumber/>: The catalog entry part number.
<seo:ProductManufacturerPartNumber/>: The catalog entry's manufacturer part number.
<seo:ProductManufacturer/>: The catalog entry manufacturer.

Override the default values for any of the following fields:

Property	Description
URL keyword	Specify a unique name for the category to be used in the URL on the storefront. If you do not specify a keyword, the name is used.
Page title	The language-specific page title for this category. The title that you provide displays in the title bar in the customer's browser.
Meta description	The language-specific meta description for the page. The meta description is used by a search engine to provide a description of your site and this category on a search results page. The text that you provide is put in the page's META tag.
Image alt text	The language-specific image alternative text for the category image. The alt text describes the contents of the image for search engines to accurately rank and index the image. The text that you provide displays when a customer hovers over the category image.

Click Save; then click Close.

What to do next

Add merchandising associations to the product.
Add assets such as warranties, or user manuals to the product.
Generate SKUs or create SKUs for the product.
View any merchandising associations or bundles that are associated with the product, or view all sales catalog categories the product belongs to, click the References tab.