The Merchandiser is a powerful tool that assists you in the completion of various templates through the ChannelAdvisor Software. Through the merchandiser you can dynamically transform the data in your inventory to meet whatever listing requirements you may encounter. You will be able to customize various aspects of the merchandiser and will even be able to view real time previews of what your data will look like after being transformed. Being able to master this tool will assist you when listing to the various online channels.

Prerequisites

You should be familiar with the following topics before continuing:

• Using ChannelAdvisor as your inventory management system

Video - ChannelAdvisor Merchandiser

• ChannelAdvisor Merchandiser  - This video demonstrates how to map templates utilizing the merchandiser tool.   View the Transcript of this Video

Tasks to Complete

Complete the following tasks related to this topic:

Mapping Options

The foundation of the merchandiser is the four mapping options that are available to complete each field of the module-specific template. These mapping options are what will determine which data is sent and how that data will look once your products are listed to the channel. The four mapping options are as follows:

The Merchandiser Action Bar

Once you have accessed one of the ChannelAdvisor templates that are utilizing the Merchandiser tool you will notice a bar at the top of the page. This is referred to as the action bar. This area will allow you to select the mapping option to utilize when populating each field by selecting one of the tabbed views. You will select these fields and rules later in order to add them into the template.

• All View
  • Search for and select from a list of your inventory fields
  • Search for and select from a list of already created business rules 
  • Search for and select from a list of already created lookup lists 

• Inventory Fields View  
  1. You have the option to customize this view by selecting your most popular fields so that they can be easily accessed when mapping each field.  
     • Simply select the view additional options box
     • Select which fields you would like to add or hide from the inventory field. 
  2. You will always the option to search for and select from your entire range of inventory fields using the All Inventory Fields view.

• Business Rules and Lookup Lists View
  1. Create new business rules and lookup lists
  2. Search for and select from a list of already created business rules 
  3. Search for and select from a list of already created lookup lists 

• Preview View
  1. By default there will be 10 random SKUs available for you to select and preview as you complete the template
  2. If you are using ChannelAdvisor as your inventory manager you will also have the option to search for a specific SKU by typing it in the search box

Mapping the Template Using the Merchandiser

Additional Merchandiser Features for Mapping the Template

1. Mapping using multiple mapping options - You have the option to dynamically map your template using multiple inventory field and multiple mapping options. For instance you could talk your Product Title inventory field and append your brand name inventory field to create a more detailed product name to send to a channel. You could also append a text value as well such as "Authentic". 
2. Create a business rule while mapping a template field - By using the evaluate function available for each template field you can create a business rule to be applied and then save that business rule for future use.
• Simply select the evaluate checkbox
• Select from a list of functions
• Complete the equation to form the business rule
• Save the business rule for future use (Optional)
3. Preview Pane - Use the preview pane to see how your data will look for a specific SKU