Catalog Manager: Builder vs. Filter Mode
The Catalog Manager provides you two different options when it comes to loading products to your catalog.
- Catalog Builder Mode: In this approach, you select the products you would like to sell from the feed view and add them to either your Product Queue or your Store Catalog in order to customize and review them before syncing to your sales channel. Builder Mode is the recommended approach if you want to customize any of the product data or simply want to load only select products from your supplier's feed into your store.
- Catalog Filter Mode: In this approach. all the products from your Supplier Feed are loaded directly into your catalog except for those products that have been filtered by any exclusion rules you have created. You create the the exclusion rules from the Exclusions tab of your Catalog Rules.
Catalog Builder vs Filter Mode Explained [Video]
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I switch from Builder mode to Filter mode and vice versa?
Go to your Catalog Rules and click the Controls tab. Then look for the Switch button near the bottom.
You will be presented with a warning message when switching modes. The message will explain the effects the switch will have on your Store Catalog.
When switching from Filter mode to Builder mode you will be presented with this message :
When switching from Builder mode to Filter mode you will be presented with this message :
What happens when I switch modes?
- Your catalog rules, product selections, customizations, and tags will not be lost if you choose to switch between the two different modes. You can switch back and forth without losing settings. However, the switch will affect what products do or do not display on your store (assuming your integration is active)
- If you switch from the Filter mode to Builder mode, your Store Catalog may not have any products in it. In Builder Mode, you must populate your Store Catalog by selecting products from your Supplier Feed to move to your Store Catalog.
When switching modes your feed will automatically be paused.
Since switching modes has a high impact on the products that will appear on your store, we automatically set your feed to paused. This gives you time to ensure that your catalog is populated with the products you want before you set your feed back to active and your next sync runs.
Please note that any products previously loaded to your store that are no longer in your catalog will be deactivated on the next sync.
Why does Inventory Source recommend Builder Mode?
Catalog Builder mode allows you to:
- easily select only the products you want to list on your sales channel.
- quickly move them to your Product Queue or Store Catalog with Advanced Search and Bulk Operation features.
- use the Product Queue to move products in batches that you would like to eventually add to your Store Catalog (and upload to your store) but want to review and/or customize the products prior to doing so.
- customize product data before uploading to your store. It is a best practice to modify and upgrade the supplier-provided product data. Builder Mode allows you to do this with each product individually, or in bulk, using our Bulk Product Customization File, found in the "Bulk" section of your Catalog Rules.