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How to manage marketplace categories

Marketplaces often use their own specific category structures. To list products successfully, you must map your internal categories to the marketplace's "Default Categories".

Why Marketplace Mapping is Unique​

While you might have a category called "Laptops", a marketplace like Bol.com might require you to map it specifically to "Elektronica > Computers > Laptops". Proper mapping ensures your products are discoverable and satisfy marketplace-specific attributes.

Steps to Map Marketplace Categories​

  1. Navigate to Sales Channels > Marketplaces > Categories.
  2. Select Integration: Choose the marketplace you want to map categories for from the dropdown menu.
  3. Find Unmapped Categories: Look for rows marked as "Not Mapped" with a warning icon.
  4. Create Mapping:
    • Click the Create Mapping button next to your category.
    • Use the search field to find the closest matching category in the marketplace's system.
    • Select the correct category from the search results.
  5. Review & Change: You can always click "Change Mapping" to update a previously mapped category.

Notices about your marketplaces​

When a marketplace needs your attention, a notice bar appears at the top of the portal pages. Unmapped categories are the most common reason, but the bar also mentions offers that were not accepted and missing shipping, payment or return policy settings.

  • All these notices are combined in one summary bar, for example "2 marketplaces need attention: 5 unmapped categories".
  • Each marketplace has its own chip with the number of open items. Click a chip to go straight to the place where you fix it, such as the category mapping.
  • Click Show details to see every notice with its own button, for example Map categories. Click Hide details to fold the list again.
  • Click the × to hide the bar. It stays hidden until something changes, for example when a new unmapped category appears. Your choice is remembered in your browser.

Errors, for example a connection problem with a marketplace, are not part of the summary. They stay visible as separate red rows until they are solved.

Tips for Better Mapping​

  • Be Specific: Choose the deepest possible sub-category for better visibility.
  • Bulk Mapping: StoreLinkr maps all products in a category at once, making it efficient to manage large catalogs.
  • Subcategories follow their parent: A subcategory without its own mapping uses the mapping of the closest mapped parent category. Map a main category once and all its subcategories are covered, then map a subcategory separately only when it needs a different marketplace category.
  • Import Products First: Ensure you have imported products from your source so that your category list is populated.