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Overview


All the products on your website are integrated from your ERP, but did you know there's product information that can also be maintained via the CMS, completely independent of ERP systems?

To maintain products online, the 'Product Maintenance' feature must be enabled. If this wasn't done during your site's implementation phase, you can enable it yourself.


Once enabled, configure Product Maintenance settings to suit your website and workflow. Settings determine the options available in the Product Maintenance page (Products & Categories → Product Maintenance). This is  where online maintenance of a product's details is done (Step 3 below).


On this page:



1. Enable and configure Product Maintenance Settings 

Once the Product Maintenance feature is enabled and options have been configured, you're ready to maintain products in the CMS.  
 

  1. In the CMS, go to Settings → Feature Management → Products & Categories → Product Maintenance.

  2. Toggle Product Maintenance ON and click Configure. 

  3. Tick the product feature options you wish to maintain in the CMS.

    FeatureDescription

    Enable Product Description

    To enter/edit a description for online display for this product, tick Enable Product Description. Default: ticked


    Product Description Field Prompt: Edit the field label if required. Default: Product Description

     Enable Product Notes 

    Product Notes can be used to add anything you might want to highlight about this product. To enter/edit a Product Notes field for the product, tick Enable Product Notes Field. Default: ticked. 


    Product Notes Field Prompt: Edit the field label for 'Features' if required. Default: Product Notes



    Enable Note Fields 1 - 5

     Note Fields contain data stored in the ERP (e.g. PRONTO) stock-notes table. Ticking each option allows the data to be viewed in Product Maintenance. They cannot be edited.

    Tick/untick to show/hide the features to be maintained online for a product. If unselected here, the field will not be displayed in the Product Maintenance page. NOTE - Some features need customisation to be fully operational on your site. 

    • Hide Product is Gift Card Option field -  untick to enable a product to be a gift card
    • Allow Ordering Gift Card with Gift Card - tick to allow purchase of a gift card with a gift card 
    • Enable Maintenance of Postage & Handling - tick to enable a Postage and Handling maintenance field to be displayed
    • Enable Maintenance of Ribbon Flags - tick to enable ribbon flags to be set online for a product. Ticking this option opens the Ribbon Flag Options in this screen. You can add and delete ribbon flags used on your website (see step 5 below)
    • Enable Contract Ribbon Overrides - tick to enable a ribbon flag to be set against a product price code for a Customer. (See below.)
    • Enable Maintenance of Warranty - tick to enable a Warranty field to be displayed for each product.

    • Enable Maintenance of Product Categories - tick to enable the creation and editing of categories for a product in the CMS (instead of being maintained in the ERP and integrated to the web). Also allows products to be added to and removed from a category in Product Maintenance in the CMS.

    The system flag 'Disable Product Category Integration' must be on in order to wholly maintain categories via the CMS. Otherwise, category information in the CMS will be for reference only, as it will be overwritten on every integration.

    Integration Mode

    Default mode: 'Default'. Product Master data is integrated from the ERP and products will be considered valid for online selling if they have a sort code assigned and meet condition requirements.

    'Online': Products are marked valid in the CMS.

    • Enable Maintenance of Product Accessories - tick to allow maintenance of related additional products online for a product (also known as Cross-Sell).
    • Enable Maintenance of Product Alternates - tick to allow maintenance of related alternate products online for a product (also known as Upsell).
    • Show Category Code in dropdown - tick to append the category/sort code to the description in the dropdown selector.

    OFF

    ON

    Maintenance Mode

    ERP: If selected, only exclusively online content can be maintained in the CMS.

    Web: If selected, product information is completely maintained online.

    Ribbon Flag Options

    Appears only if 'Enable Maintenance of Ribbon Flag' above is ticked. You can upload and delete the ribbon flags assignable to products in Product Maintenance. BPD contains several default ribbon flags. You can also add custom ones here. See Product Ribbons for more information. 

    Contract Ribbon Flag Options

    Enable configuration of ribbon options based on product price codes. Price codes display different price levels for different customer types that have been set up in the ERP. Customers that qualify for a price code will see this set of prices. Contract ribbons allow you to use a different ribbon flag against products within a price code. You can also add a contract type to a price code so that a ribbon flag displays only for customers with the price code and contract type, e.g., if you want to flag an even more special price for certain customers . These flags can be overridden at a product level. 

    NOTE - A ribbon flag set here for a price code/contract type will override any standard ribbon flags for qualifying customers.   


    To add a specific ribbon for a price code that applies only to a customer type:

    1. in Price Code, enter the price code. 
    2. In Contract Type, if a Customer is further differentiated by a contract type, enter this. 
    3. In Contract Ribbon Filename, to upload the ribbon to display for this , click Select or Upload Image.
    4. Click Save or Save & Exit.


    Product Override
    You can enable Product Override so that specific products are excluded from a ribbon setup: 

    1. Scroll up to Feature Options and ensure Enable Contract Ribbon Overrides is ticked.

    2. Scroll back down to Contract Ribbon Options.
    3. For the ribbon you want to add the product exception, click Edit Product Override.
    4. Click the Add Product Override button. 
    5. In Product Code, enter the code of the product to exclude.
    6. In Filename, click Select or Upload Image and select the ribbon.  
    7. Click Save & Exit.

    You can also bulk import, export or delete product overrides. Hover over Options and select the menu item required.


     
  4. When you have finished setting the options, click Save or Save and Exit.



Once Product Maintenance settings have been configured, go to Product Maintenance to perform maintenance functions for a product based on these settings. 

2. Search for a Product 

To add custom filter options, see Product Search Custom Filter Options.


To maintain one or more products, go to the product's Product maintenance page.  

  1. Go to Product & Categories → Product Maintenance. All products are automatically listed. 

  2. To find a product, in Product Search, enter the product code, product name or keyword relevant to the product. Leave it empty if you want to find all products by a particular filter.

  3. To add a filter, select a filter in the Filter dropdown, otherwise leave it as 'All'.   

  4. To run the search, click Search. Products found by your search criteria will be displayed. You can edit a product by clicking Edit next to the product. 

  5. To clear your search and return to the default 'Product Search' screen, click Reset Search.

3. Product Maintenance Options

In the Product Maintenance page, click Edit for a product's Product Maintenance page. Notice the displayed fields and what is editable depend on configurations done in Settings (Step 1 -'Configure Feature Settings'). 

The Product Maintenance page is divided into sections. If a section detailed here does not appear, it's likely that the feature has not been enabled in 'Feature Settings'.  If you need this feature, return to Step 1 for guidance. 

Expand/Collapse Sections

To aid ease of viewing, each section can be opened or collapsed. Click 'Expand Section' or 'Collapse Section' as you need. 


1. ERP Product Data

This section displays product information integrated from your ERP. The data are for reference only as they are not editable in the CMS.  



2. Product Information

The Product Information section contains product fields that can be edited in the CMS. Below is a table containing each field and its usage.

FieldUsage

Display Online

(Available only if Integration mode is 'Online'; otherwise, a product's status defaults to that in the ERP.)

Determines whether the product is active and searchable by users on your website.

  • OFF: you will see the message 'the product is not considered Item Valid (The 'Display Online' setting above is disabled)' here. The product will not be searchable by users on your site. 

  • ON: the product has the status 'Active' in Product Maintenance and is searchable.

    Why is my product not searchable?

    If 'Hide Child Attributed Products' is active on your site (see Product Variants help), one of two messages appear under the 'Display Online' toggle.  They are reminders that whether an active product is searchable also depends on:

    • whether it is a child product. Child products will not be listed in search results when 'Hide Child Attributed Products' is active.  The message for a child product includes an alert that it is not searchable. Only the Master product will appear in the search results.   
    • whether Category and Search caches have been refreshed after updates or configuration changes. This message appears for all non-child products, including Master products. See All about Cache Management help.  
Title

The Product Title widget in your Product Detail template will display what is entered here. 

If left blank, the widget will use the product description from the ERP.

Sub TitleIf the 'Show Subtitle?' option is enabled in your Product Title widget, the content from this field will display.

Product Description

The WYSIWYG textbox provides for formatted descriptions. This content can be displayed via the Product Description field in the Product Field widget.

To display the input textbox, hover your pointing device in the textbox, and click the icon that appears. 

When you have finished editing, remember to click Save. 

Product Notes

The WYSIWYG textbox provides for formatted product feature notes. This content can be displayed via the Features heading in the Product Field widget. It is stored in the product table under 'ProductFeatures'.
Notes (1 - 5)

This content is integrated from PRONTO and stored in the product table under 'Notes1' (or Notes2, Notes3, etc.).

You can display it on the Product Detail page using a Product Field widget.

Postage and HandlingThis content is stored in the product table under 'PostageAndHandling' and can be displayed via the Product Field widget.
WarrantyThis content is stored in the product table under 'Warranty' and can be displayed via the Product Field widget under the heading 'Warranty Information'.
Ribbon Flag

A ribbon flag can be set to display on the product image. Several Product Ribbons are included as standard in BPD, but you can add your own custom ribbons.

Ribbon Start Date / Ribbon Expiry DateA set ribbon can be displayed for a specified period, e.g., for a limited time promotion. If required, set Start and Expiry dates and times for the ribbon flag. If there is an expiry date/time, the system will remove the ribbon automatically.
Is Gift CardIf this product is a gift card, toggle ON. This detail can be displayed via the Product Field widget under IsGiftCard. 
Show Price as POAON: 'POA' (price on application) is displayed on your website instead of the product price.
Is Dangerous GoodsON: flags the product as a dangerous item. This detail can be displayed via the Product Field widget.
Is Free FreightON: flags that the product has free shipping. This detail can be displayed via the Product Field widget.
Is Tailgate RequiredON: flags that the product requires tailgate delivery. This detail can be displayed via the Product Field widget.
Is Email DeliveryON: flags that the product is delivered by email. The information can be displayed in the Product Details page via the Product Field widget by selecting the Product Field 'IsEmailDelivery'. (For further details about setting up a product for email delivery, click here.)
Is ReturnableIf toggled on, this content can be displayed via the Product Field widget by selecting the Product Field 'IsReturnable'.
Delivery and Pickup OptionSelect whether the product is for Delivery, Pickup or both. The selected option will display in the Product Detail and Shopping Cart pages. NOTE - If a specific option is not selected, it will default to both.


Here's an example of a product being edited in the CMS, and the resulting output on the website. Keep in mind that this site's Product Detail template contains several Product Field widgets, each displaying content from a different field in the above table. 

Product Maintenance in CMSResulting Output


3. Categories

(Available only if 'Enable Maintenance of Product Categories' was ticked in Settings. If not, assigning Products to Categories can be done in Category Maintenance.)


A product is assigned to one or more Categories. In this section, you can add the product to as many categories as required.


Click the Add Category button, then enter the category name in the input field. Suggestions will be returned as you type -  select the required category from the list.
 

To remove a category, tick the 'Delete' option.  When you click the Save button at the top of the page, the deletion will be completed. 


4. SEO Fields

Search-engine friendly URL, Page Title, and Description tags for the product are maintained here.  

These values are normally auto-generated on first integration. You may edit any of these values as required and they will not be overwritten on subsequent integration events.  

FieldDescriptionExample
SEO UrlThe user- and search engine-friendly URL for the product page.

Here's an example of these SEO settings in the real world.

The Commerce Vision Blog is obviously not a product, but the principles are the same.

Page Title TagThe title that displays on search engine results pages, just above the URL.  
Meta Description TagThe blurb that displays under the Title and URL.



5. Custom Fields 

NOTE - This section is displayed only if custom fields for the Product table have been created for your site and they are marked 'active'. 

Need more information? See Add Custom Fields To Products and Categories.


6. Media 

Images and videos to display in the product gallery are uploaded here. When you upload an image, the original image will be duplicated 4x to images with different pixel sizes. Images uploaded via the Integrator will also appear in this section. You can re-order images by dragging and dropping. TIP - The maximum file sizes to ensure fast loading are: desktop/tablet: 250kb, mobile: 50kb. 

By default, the CMS-uploaded image at the top of this list will be the first image displayed in any search on your site and in the Product Detail page. If a product has images uploaded via the Integrator and the CMS and you want the first Integrator-uploaded image to display first, please contact Commerce Vision to enable this option. NOTE - this option is available only for versions 4.21.02 and above.     


Adding Images

  1. To add an image or multiple images simultaneously, click Upload Images.
  2. Go to your file(s) and click on them to select. Use 'Ctrl-click' or 'Shift-click' to select multiple images. Click Open.


  3. Once the images have finished uploading, click Insert.


  4. Once you click Insert, the image thumbnails will display in the product's media list.
  5. To enter relevant descriptions of your image, enter a value, then click Add Tag. You can add more than one tag.

  6. Click Save or Save and Exit. Copies of the uploaded image will display in the appropriate folder. 

Are image colours not as expected?

A: There are a number of factors that affect the rendering of colours for images on your website, e.g., different browsers.

One common issue relates to the colour mode set for the original image. You might have edited and saved the image in CMYK colour mode, which is typically used for print. During the CMS upload, the mode will be converted to RGB for online display. This process might result in the colour changes you're seeing. So when designing an image for your website, make sure the colour mode is set to RGB in the first place.

Here is an article that may provide useful information.

Adding Videos

Video can also be added quickly and easily. Both YouTube and Vimeo formats are supported.  To add a video, see: Add Video to a Product Page.

7. Documents

Links to documents relevant to a product, e.g., size guides, product specifications or installation instructions, are added here. The links with document information displays in the Product Detail page. You can add a link to a document that is in CMS already or upload it here. 

To add a document link,

  1. Click Add Files.

  2. Select the document(s) and click Insert.  

Bulk Link Documents

You can also bulk link multiple products to documents using the Product Document Import function. 

8. Features

This is another name for metadata associated with the product. Feature details are user-defined so you can use them to reflect what are important considerations for the products you sell. They can be used by your customers to narrow down to the most suitable products when viewing a page full of products. This data can also be shown in the Product Compare window, and in a product's Technical Specifications.

Product features and their associated values are either A) integrated from your PRONTO Metadata module, or B) configured via the CMS in Products & Categories → Product Features (CMS Metadata maintenance). 

If you're unsure which mode your site is using, feel free to check with us. 

9. Accessories (Cross-sell)

Accessories are related products displayed to the shopper in a product's Product Details page. Accessories is called 'cross-sell' because suggestions include products that complement the product being viewed. If your site has enabled online maintenance of Accessories & Alternates, Accessories is maintained in this section. 

To add an Accessory product, enter the product code or description in the input box. Select the product from the list and click the Add Accessory button. 

To remove an Accessory, select the Delete option.

Repeat as required, then remember to Save. 

Accessories & Alternates are then displayed on the Product Detail page via the Cross Sell / Up Sell Widget.

10. Alternates (Up-sell)

Alternates are similar product suggestions displayed to the shopper in the Product Detail page when they are viewing a product. Alternates is called 'up-sell' since suggestions can include higher-profit or higher-value items.  If your site has enabled online maintenance of Accessories & Alternates, Alternates is maintained in this section. 

To add an Alternate, enter the product code or description in the input box. Select the product from the list and click the Add Alternate button. 

To remove an Alternate, select the Delete option.

Repeat as required, then remember to Save.

Accessories & Alternates are then displayed on the product detail page via the Cross Sell / Up Sell Widget.

11. Master Product

This section will be displayed only if Product Variants is enabled for your website. 


A Master product is a product that has variants (child products each with their own product codes) associated with it. 

A product can be flagged as a Master Product here by toggling ON 'Is Master Product'. Child products can then be added to the Master product. For more information and a how-to guide to set up Master/child features, see Product Variants.  


12. Product Subscription

This section will be displayed only if Subscription Products is enabled for your website. 


For more information and a how-to guide, see the Subscription Products (LSC) help page.


Related help

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