Operate > WebSphere Commerce Accelerator > Product Management tools > Work with catalog entries > Products
Add a product
A product is an item or a group of items that exhibit the same attributes.
Procedure
- Open the WebSphere Commerce Accelerator.
- Open the category tree for the master catalog:
- Click Merchandise > Catalog Management
- Click Products > Catalog Management
- Select the category which will contain the new product and click New Product. The General page displays. Add the following information:
- In the Product Code field, type the code for the product, which uniquely identifies the product within the WebSphere Commerce system.
- In the Name field, type the name of the product, such as "Leather coat".
- In the Announcement Date field, add the year, month, and day that the product becomes available to customers. This field is for the interpretation and information. WebSphere Commerce does not perform any actions based on this date.
- In the Withdrawal Date field, add the year, month, and day that the product is removed from the catalog and is unavailable for customers to purchase. This field is for the interpretation and information. WebSphere Commerce does not perform any actions based on this date.
- In the Availability Date field, add the year, month and day that the product is available to customers for purchase. This field is for the interpretation and information. WebSphere Commerce does not perform any actions based on this date.
- In the Last Order Date field, add the final year, month and day that the product is available for order. This is the latest date a customer can order the product. For example, a manufacturer can discontinue a product, but because stock still exists, the product is still available for order for one month. This field is for the interpretation and information. WebSphere Commerce does not perform any actions based on this date.
- In the End Of Service Date field, add the year, month and day when the product is no longer in service. For example, this date can be the date that a software manufacturer stops providing upgrades for a version of their product. This field is for the interpretation and information. WebSphere Commerce does not perform any actions based on this date.
- In the Discontinue Date field, add the year, month and day when the product is discontinued. For example, this date can be the date the manufacturer stops producing the product, or the date the store stops selling the product. IBM recommends that this field be used consistently to avoid confusion. This field is for the interpretation and information. WebSphere Commerce does not perform any actions based on this date.
- Select the Display to customers check box to ensure that the product is available for viewing in the catalog. Note that this check box is only applicable to products that do not have attributes, such as a CD.
- Select the For purchase check box to specify that customers can include the product in their shopping carts and order the product. If the product is on auction, this check box will be read-only and cannot be cleared.
- Click Next. The Description page displays. Add the following information:
- In the Short description field, type a brief description of the product, such as "Women's long leather coat".
- In the Long description 1 scroll box, type a detailed description of the product, such as "Women's long leather coat. This black genuine leather trench has a removable lining so that it can be worn throughout the year. Matching buttons, a sleek belt, and tapered seams gives this coat a classic look."
- In the Long description 2 scroll box, type a second detailed description of the product, if applicable.
- In the Long description 3 scroll box, type a third detailed description of the product, if applicable.
- Click Next. The Category page displays with the parent category for the product. If required, you can select a different parent category.
- Click Next. The Images page displays. Enter the image paths and file names for full and thumbnail size images. Image files should be placed in the store's defined image directory. If the images are on a remote server, enter the image's URL, for example, http:// host_name /images/leathercoat_full.gif. If the images are on the WebSphere Commerce Server, enter a path relative to the store's root directory. For example, the ConsumerDirect starter store would use the following relative paths:
- Product images are stored in WC_EAR /Stores.war/ConsumerDirect/images/catalog. In the Full size image file and location field, type /images/catalog/leathercoat_full.gif. In the Thumbnail size image file and location field, type /images/catalog/leathercoat_tn.gif.
- Product images are stored in WCDE_INSTALL \workspace\Stores\Web Content\ConsumerDirect\images\catalog. In the Full size image file and location field, type \images\catalog\leathercoat_full.gif. In the Thumbnail size image file and location field, type \images\catalog\leathercoat_tn.gif.
- Click Next. The Manufacturer Information page displays. Add the following information:
- In the Manufacturer Part Number field, type the part number that the manufacturer uses to uniquely identify the product.
- In the Manufacturer Name field, type the name of the manufacturer or company for the product.
- Click Next. The Discounts page displays. Do the following:
- Select the discount name from the Available discounts list, and click Add. This page is only enabled when using schema-based discounts, which is maintained for compatibility with earlier versions.
- Click Next. The Sales Tax page displays. Do the following:
- Select the tax name from the Available taxes list, and click Add.
- Click Next. The Shipping Tax page displays. Do the following:
- Select the tax name from the Available taxes list, and click Add.
- Click Next. The Units of Measure for Shipping page displays. Do the following:
- In the Weight field, type the product weight.
- In the Weight Measure field, select a unit of measure for the weight.
- In the Sold in multiples of this amount field, type the multiple that the product is sold in.
- In the Number of items per package field, type the number of items per shipping package.
- In the Unit of Measure field, select the unit of measure used for the product.
- Click Next. The Fulfillment page displays. Do the following:
- Select Track Inventory to track the product inventory for the fulfillment center using WebSphere Commerce, select Do Not Track Inventory if you do not want to track inventory, or select Externally Track Inventory if you use an external fulfillment system to track inventory.
- Select Allow Back Order to allow a product to be backordered, if the customer chooses to accept a backorder.
- Select Force Back Order to temporarily suspend allocation of a product. When a customer places an order for this product, the product is placed on backorder, even if there is inventory available.
- Select Release Separately to specify that the product should be packaged and delivered separately from the other products within the order. For example, fragile items, such as a chandelier, should be boxed separately from other items to avoid potential damage to the product.
- Select Returnable to indicate whether or not the fulfillment center should expect a return for the product.
- Select Creditable to indicate whether or not the fulfillment center can provide credit for the product.
- In the Enter the smallest amount that can be measured field, type the smallest amount that can be measured or tracked by the inventory system. Inventory amounts are tracked in integral units. This number, along with the unit of measure you specify, indicates how much each integral unit represents. For example, if a textile product is measured and cut to the nearest inch, specify 1 inch. Note: Once you have defined specified items for this product, you cannot change this amount since it affects the meaning of all amounts of this product recorded in the database.
- From the Unit of Measure list, select the unit of measure used for the product.
- Click Next. The Advanced page displays. Add the following information:
- In the URL field, type the URL where customers can download the product (in the case of software) or more information about the product. Verify the URL does not contain blank spaces.
- Click Finish to save the product.
What to do next
- You must add defining attributes to the product in order to create multiple SKUs. If there are no defining attributes attached to the product, a single SKU must be created for the product to be orderable.
- After adding a product, you can create its price.
- If the changes to the catalog data do not display in the store, the Site Administrator might need to remove the currently cached JSP pages.
If a customer is viewing their shopping cart at the time you update the price of a catalog entry that is in their shopping cart, they will continue to see the old price. If they refresh their shopping cart, they will see the updated price for the affected catalog entries, but the total order price may not reflect the new price until the customer either updates their shopping cart, or proceeds to submit their order.
Related concepts
Related tasks