Once you have completed the Setup Guide, you will need to map the Marketplace Template in ChannelAdvisor. ChannelAdvisor Product Mapping Templates are used to define the product data that will be sent to the Marketplace. The template will contain all the fields accepted by the Marketplace and will allow you to specify what inventory information should be sent for each product listing.
Prerequisites
You should be familiar with the following topics before continuing:
Tasks to Complete
Complete the following tasks:
- Mapping the Template
- Amazon Shipping Overrides
- Listing Products for FBA
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Tasks to Complete
1. Mapping the Template
Templates indicate to ChannelAdvisor what data from your inventory is to be used and how that data should be interpreted before being sent to the Marketplace. When you begin mapping your templates, you will have four options to complete each template field. The option that works best for you will depend on how you have prepared your inventory for each sites data requirements. The more effort you put into preparing your inventory the easier it will be to complete the template mapping process. For detailed information on how to utilize templates in ChannelAdvisor please visit the Customizing Template Fields page of the Strategy and Support Center.
Product Mapping Template Strategies
Amazon has over 100 fields available for retailers to use when describing their products. Some like "Title" are self explanatory, other fields are not so straight forward. Please consult the tool tip next to the field for a field definition and have the Amazon Inventory File Template handy for reference. Please refer to the Amazon Template Best Practices page for further instruction.
Product Categorization
Amazon requests specific information about a product in order to better classify it on their Marketplace. The more descriptive you are about your products, the more likely they will appear in Search or Browse results on Amazon. Most buyers use a combination of Search and Browse to locate the products they want to purchase. As a retailer, your job is to make sure that your product is as visible as possible during the buying experience to maximize the chance for a purchase!
Classifying your products with the correct Item Type Keyword / Browse Node ID can be a time consuming task, so ChannelAdvisor has developed a tool - the Product Categorizer - that helps you identify and associate your products with Amazon's specific list of values. To do this, ChannelAdvisor scans your inventory and suggest values for these classification fields, to help you launch your products correctly and completely. Our tool relies on the information you supply in order to make suggestions for values that you could provide to Amazon. These suggestions are reviewed by you prior to being sent Amazon.
2. Amazon Shipping Overrides
During the process of configuring your Amazon Template, you can also configure Inventory-Level Shipping Overrides (Shipping Overrides). Shipping overrides are exception values for product shipping that will be charged to the buyer instead of the value calculated through the Amazon Seller Central shipping table. For example, if you want to offer free shipping on some products or charge an extra shipping cost for certain, heavier weight, products.
Refer to the Amazon Shipping Overrides page for additional information on this subject.
3. Listing Products to be Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA)
If you are using Amazon to fulfill your Amazon sales, you will want to identify your products as being "FBA" to ensure that is provided to Amazon during the listing process. For specific instructions on how to set up specific products refer to the Listing Products for Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) page.
You can also choose to have your products automatically adjust from fulfilling from Amazon's warehouse (FBA) to fulfilling from your warehouse (MFN - merchant fulfillment network). This setting is available under Marketplaces > Amazon > Settings > Order Fulfillment. For more information refer to the Listing Products for Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) page.
