Product Types and Attributes

Product Type and Attributes

Add a Product Type

1. In the Merchant Center main menu, go to Settings > Product types and attributes.

2. Click Add product type.

3. In the General Information section, follow these steps:

   1. For Name, enter a unique name for the Product Type.

      You can search for a Product Type by its name. Before you perform a search, you must index your Project.

   2. For Description, enter a description for the Product Type.

   3. Optional: For Key, enter a unique identifier for your Product Type. This helps identify the Product Type resource in the API.

   You can update the name, description, and key of the Product Type later at any time.

4. Click Create product type.

To specify characteristic properties of Products, add Attributes for the Product Type.

Add an Attribute

1. Click Add an attribute.

2. On the Add attribute page, follow these steps:

   1. For Attribute identifier (name), enter a unique identifier for the Attribute. This is an internal identifier and will not be displayed in the store front.

      Two Attributes can share the same name across different Product Types, only if they are of the same Attribute type and have the same constraints.

   2. For Attribute label, enter a name for the Attribute. This will be displayed in the Product details screen, and helps you find an Attribute when creating or editing Products. If multiple languages are configured for a Project, you can enter localized values for each language.

   3. Optional: For Attribute description, enter a description for the Attribute. This will be displayed in the Product details screen below the Attribute label. If multiple languages are configured for a Project, you can enter localized values for each language.

   4. For Attribute constraints, select one of the following options depending on how an Attribute (or a set of Attributes) must be validated across all Variants of a Product:

      • None: the value can be entered individually for each Variant as the Attribute has no constraints.
      • Unique: the value must be different for each Variant of a Product.
      • Same for all: the value is defined at a Product level and is identical for all Variants of a Product.
      • Combination unique: the combination of values of all Attributes of a given Product must be different for each Variant.

   5. For Attribute type, select the data type for the Attribute:

      • Yes/No (boolean): allows to select Yes or No. A boolean Attribute could be, for example, if a product is child-friendly or not.

      • Text: allows to enter a string or (localized) text. A text Attribute could be, for example, the name of an author (if the product is a book).

      • Number: allows to add a numeric value. A number Attribute could be, for example, the weight of a product.

      • Money: allows to set a currency and its numeric value in cents. A money Attribute could be, for example, the value of a stamp (as a product).

      • Date/time: allows to set a date and/or time in ISO 8601 format. A date/time Attribute could be, for example, to display set time for products related to events.

      • Reference: allows to reference another resource by ID. The available resources are: category, channel, key-value-document, product-type, product, review, shipping-method, state, and zone.

      • List (enum): allows to select from predefined values. The values can be set by providing a unique enumeration key and a label for the list item that will be a visible and selectable option in a drop-down. At least one Enumeration Key and Line Item Label must be defined. A list Attribute could be, for example, the different colors of a product.

        

      If an Attribute can contain multiple values at the same time, select Create a set with this type.

      If selected, the Attribute can only be optional for a Product.

   6. Optional: For Attribute settings, select the settings for the Attribute based on your need:

      • Type of reference: available only if you've selected Reference in the previous step; you can use the following resources as reference: category, channel, key-value-document, product-type, product, review, shipping-method, state, and zone.
      • Searchable: if selected, the Attribute is included in the shop frontend search (Product Projection Search) and affects the search results.
      • Required: if selected, the Attribute is mandatory and must be filled for all Products or Product Variants assigned to a given Product Type.
      • Allow multiple line field (an expandable field recommended for longer texts): available only if you've selected Text in the previous step; if selected, allows to use a multiple line field for the Attribute.

3. Click Add attribute.

4. The Attribute is then listed in the New or modified attributes section. To save the Attribute for the Product Type, click Save.

Edit an Attribute

New Attributes can be fully edited before saving. Saved Attributes are limited to the following:

• Only Attribute label, Attribute description, and Searchable fields settings are editable.
• Values of List (enum) Attribute types can be added, edited, and deleted in the table containing all the values. The table can be sorted only in non-edit mode.

After updating the Attributes, click Update attribute. The modified Attributes are then listed in the New or modified attributes table with a Modified label (only for previously saved Attributes). To fully save the changes to the Product Type, click Save.

Delete an Attribute

New Attributes that are not saved can be deleted instantly without saving the Product Type or confirming the deletion. To delete new Attributes, click discard attribute in the New or modified attributes table.

To delete an Attribute that was previously saved, click the Delete icon in the Attributes table of a given Product Type or the upper-right corner of the Attribute details screen.

The Attribute is then listed in the New or modified attributes table with a Deleted label. To fully save the changes to the Product Type, click Save. The data of the deleted attributes cannot be recovered after saving.

Save a Product Type

If a new Attribute is added or an existing Attribute is modified, two tables are shown in the Product Type overview page. The first table shows new or modified Attributes, and the other table shows saved Attributes. To fully save changes to a Product Type, click Save. After saving the changes, all Attributes from the first table move to the second table.

You’ll get a notification if the Product Type is saved successfully. If it fails due to a validation error in an Attribute, you’ll be redirected to the respective Attribute definition detail view to correct the error.

Attribute Groups

Attribute Groups help in organizing related Attributes together to ease data enhancement workflows. For example, if a set of Attributes should only be editable by the Marketing team, you can create an Attribute Group Marketing and grant the team access to this Attribute Group. You could also group Attributes to organize and display them together on the Product detail pages. For example, Attributes such as width, height, and depth can belong to an Attribute Group dimensions to display them together on the Product detail pages.

Attributes can be shared among several Attribute Groups. Attributes of different Product Types can be added to the same Attribute Group.

Create an Attribute Group

To create an Attribute Group, do the following:

1. Go to Settings > Product types and attributes in the Merchant Center main menu, and then click the Attribute groups tab.

2. Click Add attribute group.

3. Enter a name for the Attribute Group, and optionally, a description and key.

4. Search and/or select existing Attributes from the Add attributes drop-down to assign them to the Attribute Group. You can also assign Attributes after creating an Attribute Group.

   The Add attributes drop-down is only available for indexed Projects.

5. Click Create attribute group.

Attribute Groups are also displayed on the Product details page as individual collapsable panels in the order of their creation helping you to easily review and edit assigned Attributes. Unassigned Attributes are displayed under the Ungrouped panel.

Add an Attribute to an Attribute Group

To add an Attribute to an Attribute Group, do the following:

1. Go to Settings > Product types and attributes in the Merchant Center main menu.
2. Select the respective Attribute Group and search and/or select existing Attributes from the Add attributes drop-down.
3. Click Save.

Edit an Attribute in an Attribute Group

You must have editing permissions for the Attribute Group to be able to edit an Attribute assigned to it.

Remove an Attribute from an Attribute Group

To remove an Attribute from an Attribute Group, do the following:

1. Go to Settings > Product types and attributes in the Merchant Center main menu.
2. Select the respective Attribute Group and click the Remove attribute from this group icon in the Attribute row.

Delete an Attribute Group

To delete an Attribute Group, do the following:

1. Go to Settings > Product types and attributes in the Merchant Center main menu.
2. Select the respective Attribute Group and click the Delete attribute group icon in the upper-right corner of the Attribute Group details page.
   Attributes that were assigned to the deleted Attribute Group are automatically moved under the Ungrouped panel.
3. Click Save.