Adding a product
This page is for product editors and the store manager who signs new products off. It is the owner's checklist for every new product: what to have ready, what to fill in, and what to test before customers can buy it. The clicks for creating and publishing content are on Creating and editing content and Publishing and versions; this page does not repeat them.
Before you start
- To do: The product folder it belongs in exists (one folder per category is the usual structure, Product classes and catalog).
- To do: You have permission to create content of the product class in that folder.
- To do: Texts, images and the price are agreed. Prices and VAT are the owner's decision, not the editor's.
- To do: The product number matches the one in your bookkeeping or warehouse list.
The fields
The fields depend on how your product class was built. On a demonstration installation the Product class has a name, a product number, a short description, a description, a price, images, additional options, tags, a star rating, metadata and a specifications table (Product classes and catalog). Your own class may differ.
| Field (typical) | Fill in | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Name | The name customers search for | Short, no internal codes |
| Product number | Your article number or SKU | Same as in your bookkeeping |
| Short description | One or two sentences for lists | Reads well on a phone |
| Description | The full text | Sizes, materials, what is included |
| Price | The amount, the VAT type, and whether it includes VAT | See the next section |
| Images | Related image objects | Alternative text filled in (Media and uploads) |
| Options | Sizes, colors, extras, with price differences | Tested in the basket |
| Tags or keywords | Words for search and filters | The words your customers use |
| Metadata | Title and description for search engines | Not a copy of the name |
Price and VAT
With a single-currency price (ezprice) each price names one VAT type and says whether the amount includes VAT
(Prices and currencies).
- To do: The VAT type is the right one for this product, or "Determined by VAT charging rules" if your store uses VAT
rules (the name comes from
settings/shop.ini [VATSettings] DynamicVatTypeName). - To do: With VAT rules: the product category field is set, or the rules cannot tell which rate applies (VAT types and rules).
- To do: "Price includes VAT" is set the same way as on your other products.
- To do: With prices in several currencies (
ezmultiprice): custom prices for your main markets, automatic prices for the rest (Prices and currencies).
Options
The kernel has four option fields: ezoption, ezmultioption, ezmultioption2 and ezrangeoption
(kernel/classes/datatypes/). An option can change the price, and the choice is stored with the basket item.
- To do: Every option a customer can choose is one you can actually deliver.
- To do: Price additions are entered with the same VAT treatment as the base price.
- To do: Nothing in the option names needs explaining by phone.
Test before it goes live
Preview the draft first (Publishing and versions). After publishing:
- To do: The product appears in its folder, in the menu and in search.
- To do: Add to basket works, with each option.
- To do: The basket shows the right price; the confirmation page shows the right VAT and shipping.
- To do: The Store dashboard does not count it among "products without a price" (Store dashboard and order statuses).
You do not need to place a real order for every product. A test order is worth it for a new kind of product, a new VAT type, or a new option field (Basket, checkout and orders).
Who signs off
| Product | Suggested sign-off |
|---|---|
| A new item in an existing range | The editor publishes; the store manager checks the price the same day |
| A new range or category | The owner approves price and VAT before publishing |
| A product with a new VAT rate or a new option field | Owner, and a test order |
If your site has an approval workflow on the product folders, the draft goes to the approver automatically when the editor publishes (Workflows).
Related pages
- Products and catalog
- Creating and editing content
- Product classes and catalog (for businesses)
- Products, prices and VAT
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
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