This article will show you how to create multiple listings for one product using a feature we call the Product Merge.
As an example, you carry a particular model shock in black. Amazon has three different listings for this same shock. You want to sell on all three listings, but use only one item to manage the inventory across them. The Product Merge makes accomplishing this simple.
If you are trying to merge multiple imported listings, not launch new listings, please see Merging Imported Listings With Different SKUs Into One Product (Merging PO Sources).
Downloadable Excel Example of Listing One Product Multiple Times
At the bottom of this article is the file we used to list the same black shock on multiple Amazon ASINs.
What we'll cover:
- How Listing One Product Multiple Times Works
- Enabling the Match by Product 'SKU' Feature in Your Market List
- When to Use Kitting Instead of the Product Merge
- How to Merge Products
- Related Articles
- Downloadable Excel Example of Listing One Product Multiple Times
How Listing One Product Multiple Times Works
To understand Product Merge, we need to explain how Solid Commerce uses SKUs and Warehouse IDs.
Most of the time, people use the same Product Custom SKU and Warehouse ID when they create new products. When we import listings, we also use the SKU from the marketplace in both fields. However, when you use the Product Merge feature, you use the same Product Custom SKU for all the items, but a different Warehouse ID for each one.
EXAMPLE: For your black shock if your Product Custom SKU was EG-Blk-1, you would use it for all three listings. The Warehouse ID on the first listing would be the same ID, EG-Blk-1. The Warehouse ID of the second listing would be EG-Blk-1-01. The third Warehouse ID would be EG-Blk-1-02.
Master Item:
- The item with the Warehouse ID EG-Blk-1 is the Master Item.
- You add it to a Warehouse and list it through a Market List, just like you would with any single product.
- It controls the quantity for all the listings.
Child Items:
- The items with Warehouse IDs EG-Blk-1-01 and EG-Blk-1-02 are the Child Items.
- They are only added to your Market List, not your Warehouse.
- Child Items share all of the product level details and inventory information with the Master Item.
Here's why using different Product Custom SKUs and Warehouse IDs on the Child Items works:
The Warehouse ID is the identifier that connects us to your marketplace listings.
The quantity we use in the Market List is actually pulled from the Solid Commerce Warehouse you select as the PO Source for your listing. To find that quantity, we first search your Warehouse for the Warehouse ID. If we don't find the Warehouse ID, and you have enabled the Match by product 'SKU' (Including Alternate SKU's) option in your Market List, we search for the Product Custom SKU instead.
Because you do not add the Child Items to a Warehouse, we cannot find their Warehouse IDs when we attempt to pull their quantities into the Market List. Instead, we find the Product Custom SKU of the Master Item and connect to its quantity. Any update to the quantity of the Master Item will cause the quantity of the Child Item to adjust, and vice versa.
Enabling the Match by Product 'SKU' Feature in Your Market List
You must enable the Match by product 'SKU' (Including Alternate SKU's) option in your Market List for the product merge feature to work. If you don't enable this option, our system will not search your Warehouse for the Product Custom SKU of your merged item when we fail to find its Warehouse ID.
To enable the Match by product 'SKU' option:
1) Inside Solid Commerce, navigate to the Inventory Manager.
2) Expand the Marketplace you are merging products on. Select the Market List the products you are merging are saved in.
3) Click on the Edit button.
4) In the Edit List Data pop-up, check the Match by product 'SKU' (Including Alternate SKU's) box.
5) Click the Save button.
When to Use Kitting Instead of the Product Merge
You only want to use Product Merge when creating two or more listings for the exact same product. If you have products with slightly different product details, you should create a kit instead.
EXAMPLE: You carry one set of shocks that fit both Chevy and GMC trucks. You want to create two different listings for the shocks, each with a different title and manufacturer. Because the Manufacturer field is a product level field in Solid Commerce, you need to create two slightly different products. You can create a kit to use one product to control the inventory across your listings. To learn how, please see the two kitting articles listed in the Related Articles section.
How to Merge Products
1) Add your Master Item to a Solid Commerce Warehouse using a spreadsheet.
2) Upload your file with a Product and Inventory update.
3) Using a separate tab dedicated to your marketplace, add your Master Item and Child Items.
- Include all of the Marketplace columns you normally use to list items.
- Enter each child item on its own row with a unique Warehouse ID.
4) If you are listing to multiple Amazon ASINs, you also need to use a column with the header: Amazon Item ASIN.
- This marketplace level field allows you to provide the correct ASIN for each Amazon listing you want to sell on.
5) Upload your marketplace tab with a Marketplace only update.
6) List the merged products exactly like you list single products.
- For any marketplaces that list automatically, make sure all your items have the automation turned on.
- For eBay, you will need to manually initiate the listings using the List products now button in your Market List.
Related Articles
- Merging Imported Listings With Different SKUs Into One Product (Merging PO Sources)
- Creating and Customizing a Solid Commerce Excel Template
- Uploading With the Excel Tool - Quick Guide
- Retrieving With the Excel Tool - Quick Guide
- Introduction to Kitting: Bundles, Kits, and Aggregates
- Creating Kits: Listing One Product Multiple Times
Downloadable Excel Example of Listing One Product Multiple Times
Here is the file we used to list the black guitar on multiple Amazon ASINs.
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