UPC -vs- Product Code in New Product Configuration

Store Builder Questions
21

Okay, can someone explain to me or for the record:



Do you upload all data in a spreadsheet form to Google Base?

Do you manage and manipulate the data at Google Base?

What is the advantage of Google Base over Excel Spreadsheet, saved as CSV occasionally, and then uploaded?

Can google base handle option combinations?



There is no basic summary of what it does, and how it helps ecommerce shops managing inventory.



Thanks very much!





I made the following change to the /schemas/exim/products.php to allow Product Code AND Product ID to be displayed, making it easier to track and manage products and options via Excel (and i'm sure via other 3rd party tools):



Appprox ~ Line 93:


'export_fields' => array (
'Product code' => array (
'db_field' => 'product_code',
'alt_key' => true,
'required' => true,
),
'Product ID' => array (
'required' => false,
'db_field' => 'product_id',
),

22

[quote]

Do you upload all data in a spreadsheet form to Google Base?

[/quote]

No, I use my XML Data feeds addon but many people do use CSV files and most output what they want from csc and don't actually manage the data in a spreadsheet.

[quote]

Do you manage and manipulate the data at Google Base?

[/quote]

No

[quote]

What is the advantage of Google Base over Excel Spreadsheet, saved as CSV occasionally, and then uploaded?

[/quote]

This question doesn't make any sense to me. Why “manage” product data in a spreadsheet versus the cart or other inventory management system?

[quote]

Can google base handle option combinations?

[/quote]

Yes, but not automatically and their requirements for variants of apparel products are almost too prohibitive to allow for effective apparel listings for most merchants.

23

We use the .csv file and upload it via the “Data Feeds”. We set it up the first time and we do NOT touch or edit it again. We just upload it once per month. I hope to figure out the cron part next so I don’t have to touch it at all.



We have been able to use the “Data Feeds” that comes as part of CS-Cart to upload to all of the comparison shopping cart sites with the exception of Shopzilla. For some reason Shopzilla does not seem to be able to read the feed from the “Data Feed” properly. Their tech support says “extra commas” are being put in the file. So if you want to send a feed to Shopzilla you will probably need to get the mod from tbirnseth and use the xml upload. Google however works wonderful using the “Data Feeds” mod within CS-Cart.



Well, I guess I should admit that I am unsure if the Bing upload will work or not. I have created the feed, but I am still waiting (for several months now) for the account to get “approved”.



Here are the feeds that we HAVE been able to set up using the default “Data Feeds” from CS-Cart:

  1. Nextag
  2. Pronto
  3. Sort Price
  4. Shopping.com
  5. Become
  6. Pricegrabber
  7. The Find

    8) Amazon Datafeed (sorry, I can’t get the smiley face to go away on this one)
  8. Google

    The only thing we had to do was create new “Product Features”. I did NOT have to hard code or change anything within the code.

    Likewise, I do not “download” the file and edit them via Excel in any way. I upload them directly to the comparison’s FTP site and never put the files on my physical computer at all. There is some time setting up the initial “Product Features” and assigning them to all your products, but after that it is VERY easy to upload your data feed directly to the ftp site of each particular comparison site.



    On the product options/combinations, this may another instance where you would want to get the mod from tbirnseth. We do not sell clothing so we have not ran in to this yet.