Creating bundles

You can create a bundle to attract customers. Bundles are groupings of catalog entries that can be purchased together.

About this task

There are two ways to add a bundle to your catalog:
  • By copying an existing bundle
  • By creating a bundle
    Note: You cannot create a bundle in the sales catalog. Add a bundle by copying an existing one from the master catalog.
WebSphere Commerce EnterpriseNote: If you are using the extended sites model and are currently in the extended site store, you can add a bundle to your extended site store from the asset store. To add the bundle, copy an inherited asset store bundle. When you copy the bundle that you inherit from your asset store to the extended store, the new bundle becomes local to the store, not inherited.

WebSphere Commerce EnterpriseWhen 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

  1. Open the Catalogs tool.
  2. From the explorer filter, select Master Catalog.
  3. Copy an existing bundle, or create a bundle:
    OptionDescription
    To copy an existing bundle, in the explorer view, click the category that the bundle belongs to
    1. In the list view, right-click the bundle. Then, click Copy.
    2. In the list view, right-click any field. Then, click Paste. The bundle properties view displays.
    3. Make any necessary updates to any mandatory fields.

      A new bundle is added with the same attributes, unless you specify changes. When you copy a bundle, the offer price and merchandising associations for that bundle, are not copied.

    Restriction: To copy bundles, 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 bundles into the explorer tree when you are using the Master Catalog Categories filter or Sales Catalog Categories filter.
    To add a bundle
    • Click File > New > bundle
    • Click the Manage Kit tab. The Bundle Properties view displays.
  4. Expand the General Bundle Information section. Complete the following information:
    PropertyDescription
    Code The language independent catalog entry identifier.
    Name The name of the catalog entry
    Short description Type a brief description of the catalog entry.
    Long description Type a detailed description, if applicable.
    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.
    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. The part number is different from the code.
    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.
    Introduced in Feature Pack 2Recurring order item Indicate whether the bundle is available for a recurring order.
  5. Expand the Publishing section. Complete the following information:
    PropertyDescription
    For purchase This check box is read-only and cannot be cleared if the entries for purchase are on auction.
    On special Indicates whether the catalog entry 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.
  6. Expand the Display section. Complete the following information:
    PropertyDescription
    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.

    Feature Pack 5 or laterFor 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.

    Feature Pack 5 or laterFor 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.
  7. Optional: Expand the Custom section. Complete the following information:
    OptionDescription
    Property Description
    Field 1 A customized field for your catalog entry data. The entry must be a decimal number such as 5.345.
    Field 2 A customized field for your catalog entry data. The entry must be a decimal number such as 5.345.
    Field 3 A customized field for your catalog entry data. The entry must be a whole number such as 5.
    Field 4 A customized field for your catalog entry data. The entry must be text.
    Field 5 A customized field for your catalog entry data. The entry must be text.
  8. Optional: Introduced in Feature Pack 3Click the Search Engine Optimization tab to change the SEO options for the bundle:

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

    The following list describes SEO substitution parameters that you can use on bundle pages.
    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:

    PropertyDescription
    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.
  9. Click the Components tab.Complete the following information:
    • Find and add products and SKUs that belong to the bundle. In the Quantity field, specify the number of each product or SKU that the bundle contains. To change the order that catalog entries display within the bundle, type a value in the Sequence field. Lower values display at the top of the list.
    PropertyDescription
    Sequence The order in which the object is displayed. Numbers are displayed in ascending order.
    Type The component type. Bundles can contain SKUs or products.
    Store Name The name of the store.
    Code The bundle unique identifier. This number cannot be changed.
    Name The name of the SKU.
    Quantity The number of SKUs within the selected catalog entry.
  10. Click Save; then click Close.

What to do next

  • Click the Descriptive Attributes tab to work with descriptive attributes.
  • Click the Merchandising Associations tab to work with merchandising associations.
  • Click the Associated Assets tab to work with attachments.
  • Click the References tab to view any merchandising associations or all sales catalog categories the bundle belongs to.