Product Management tools

The Product Management tools in the WebSphere Commerce Accelerator allow you to manage the products in your store's master catalog using various wizards and notebooks. You can also use the Product Management dynamic table, which allows you to update your catalog entry information directly.

Using the Product Management tools, you can access the following:

Catalog entries
Work with one of the following types of catalog entries:
Products
Products act as templates for SKUs, the individual pieces of merchandise which are ultimately sold to a customer. The product wizard allows you to create new products for your catalog. Use the product notebook to view or change product details, such as names, descriptions, and images, or delete products from your catalog. You can update product taxes, discounts, and shipping categories, and add shipping measurements for each product. You can also customize fulfillment options for your product, such as tracking inventory or backordering a product for an order. In the Product Management dynamic table, a product is represented by a The product symbol in the Product Management dynamic table. symbol.
SKUs
Once you have created your product, you must create SKUs to represent each orderable item of merchandise for sale. All SKUs related to a particular product exhibit the same set of attributes and are distinguished by their defining attribute values. Create SKUs using the SKU wizard. Or you can automatically generate SKUs for a product, once you have created all required product attributes. The SKU notebook allows you to view or change SKU details, such as names, descriptions, and images, and delete SKUs from your catalog. You can update sales tax, discounts, and shipping categories, and add shipping measurements for each SKU. In the Product Management dynamic table, a SKU is represented by a The SKU symbol in the Product Management dynamic table. symbol.
Bundles and kits
Bundles and kits are groupings of catalog entries. Used for promotional purposes, the catalog entries in bundles and kits are grouped in such a way to attract customers.
  • A prebuilt kit is a collection of catalog entries that cannot be sold separately. For example, a computer prebuilt kit might contain a specific central processing unit, monitor, and hard drive. A prebuilt kit has its own price and can be added to the shopping cart. Once added to the shopping cart, you cannot change the prebuilt kit contents. Viewed in similar ways as a product, a prebuilt kit can have descriptive attributes. In the Product Management dynamic table, a prebuilt kit is represented by a The prebuilt kit symbol in the Product Management dynamic table. symbol.
  • A dynamic kit is a group of products that are ordered as a unit. The information about the products contained in a dynamic kit is controlled by an external configurator and supplied at order entry time. The definition of the components that make up the kit is not known until the kit is configured, hence the name dynamic kit. The individual components of a dynamic kit cannot be modified in the order, but they can be reconfigured by the configurator. The entire configuration must be fulfilled together. In the Product Management dynamic table, a dynamic kit is represented by a The dynamic kit symbol in the Product Management dynamic table. symbol.
    Advanced Orders Dynamic kits can be nested, see Kits within kits for more information. WebSphere Commerce development environment Also see Configurable products for more information.
  • A static kit is also a group of products that are ordered as a unit. The information about the products contained in a static kit is predefined and controlled within WebSphere Commerce. The individual components within the order cannot be modified and must be fulfilled together. A static kit will backorder if any of its components are unavailable. While a static kit cannot be viewed in the Product Management dynamic tools, it can be viewed as a prebuilt kit. Refer to Creating a static kit for more information.
    Advanced Orders Static kits can be nested, see Kits within kits for more information.
  • Unlike kits, a bundle is a collection of catalog entries which allow customers to buy multiple merchandise with one click. For example, when a bundle for a computer is a central processing unit, a monitor, a hard drive, and a CD-ROM drive, the components can be sold separately. A bundle's price is composed by its different catalog entries. A bundle cannot be purchased directly. In the Product Management dynamic table, a bundle is represented by a The bundle symbol in the Product Management dynamic table. symbol.
Categories
A category, also known as a catalog group, is used to group products and services offered by the store. You can create, find, list, change, and delete categories. You can classify products and SKUs under different parent categories.
Attributes
There are two types of attributes:
  • Defining attributes are properties of SKUs in an online store, such as color or size. Attribute values are the property of an attribute such as a specific color (blue or yellow) or size (medium). You must predefine attribute values before assigning them to SKUs. Attribute values are implicitly related to their attributes. Each possible combination of attributes and attribute values equals a new SKU. After creating attributes and their values, you can update information such as name, description, and type (text, whole numbers, or decimal numbers). Defining attributes are also used for SKU resolution.
  • Descriptive attributes are simply additional descriptions. For example, some pieces of clothing should only be dry cleaned, never wash. A descriptive attribute can specify the dry clean only condition. Or if electronics equipment uses AA or AAA batteries. Descriptive attributes are not used for SKU resolution.
Pricing
A price for a product or SKU, in one or more currencies, along with a set of conditions such as setting a price for different quantities (for example, 1 to 5, 6 or more), which must be satisfied in order to use the price. You can create, list, and change pricing associated with a product or SKU.

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