In this article, you will learn what a product catalog on Allegro is, how it works and the benefits it provides to both sellers and buyers. You’ll learn how to link listings to the catalog, add new products, edit data in the catalog and use images from the catalog. The article also explains how to list product sets using catalogs.
Table of contents
What is Allegro's product catalog and how does it work?
Allegro’s product catalog is a central database containing information about products offered by sellers on the platform. It allows Allegro to group identical products offered by different sellers and present them in a consistent manner. At the initial product listing stage, Allegro creates a catalog for the product, which is available to all sellers. The catalog makes it easier to define key features, create a description and give access to the product’s photo gallery in the auction.
Linking the product to the catalog
Linking products to a catalog is simply grouping products together. To link a new listing to a catalog, simply add the product. If you have older listings, not linked to the catalog, you can link them manually or use Allegro’s help. Allegro automatically analyzes the listings and, based on the parameters they contain, assigns them to the appropriate catalogs. If you prefer to link the listing to the catalog yourself, follow the steps below:
- In the My Assortment tab, search for a product that is not linked to the catalog or apply the Allegro Catalog Connection – Unlinked filter :
- Select the Edit option in the searched offer
- In the Products on Offer section, click Select Product from Catalog. You will be redirected to a search engine that will help you find a product that matches an item in your listing.
- Once you find a product with the same parameters, add the catalog to your listing and Return to the edit form.
- If you have missing data in your bid, complete it and Save Changes.
Advantages of Allegro product catalog
Allegro’s introduction of catalogs has brought a number of tangible benefits for both sellers and buyers. Among the most important advantages for sellers, we can include:
Ease of bid management.
Speed of auction creation – Because of this, the seller has more opportunity to focus on other sales aspects.
No need to spend money on photo shoots, creating descriptions and searching for product parameters.
The advantages on the buyers’ side are:
Accelerated product search process.
Access to full product knowledge.
The purchase decision depends on the conditions of the seller, not the quality of the offer.
How to add a new product catalog?
Before you start the adding process, verify that someone has not added your product before. To add a new product, all you need to do is create a new listing, preferably based on a GTIN code that does not exist in the Allegro catalog. To do so, head to the My Assortment tab and select Add New Listing. Then follow the instructions below:
Search for a product based on the GTIN code (EAN or ISBN). If you do not have a GTIN code assigned to your product, you can search for the product in the catalog based on the product name.
If you do not find your product in the catalog, select Continue without selecting a product.
Complete the basic parameters of the product in each section.
Allegro, after verifying the data in the listing form and accepting it, will create a listing and catalog for your product.
Important! If you list without an EAN or ISBN code, allegro may erroneously link your listing to an existing catalog item based on similar parameters.
Edit data in an existing directory
To change the data in the existing Allegro product catalog, we need to report an error in the product catalog.
If the product was previously added to our assortment, we search for it in My Assortment. After searching, we press the Work with catalog option and then Report product error.
If the product has not been added to the range before, we start the process of adding the product and search for the catalog we are interested in. Once the product is selected, we go to the Products on offer field and select Report product error:
In turn, we search for the parameters we want to report for improvement and change their value. After changing the values of the parameters that were in error, we go down to the bottom of the page, where we can explain the reported changes and check the option for email notification after processing the request. We approve the whole thing with the Send button at the bottom right.
Once submitted, we can check whether our proposal has been accepted. To verify this, in the drop-down menu on the left Select Assortment, and then Change Requests at the very bottom of the subcategory. Under My Product Change Requests you will see all your submissions, along with the decisions of Allegro support.
Change of catalog in the offer
If your offer is linked to the wrong catalog, you can change the catalog at any time. To do this, go to the My Assortment tab in Sales Center, then search for the offer for which you want to change the catalog. Next, follow the steps below:
Click the drop-down list next to Work with Catalog and select Change Product from Catalog
- Remove the product
- Search by name or code for a new product to link to your offer.
- If you do not find the product you are interested in, or you want to create a new catalog, select Continue without product. Remember, however, that Allegro itself may link your product to another catalog. So it’s a good idea to have your own EAN, brand name or other parameters when listing, which will ensure that Allegro won’t link your listing to another similar product.
Can you use images from the Allegro catalog?
When Allegro creates a catalog, it creates a photo gallery in the catalog, using graphics provided as part of the first listing without a catalog. The photo gallery in the catalog, is freely available to the public. Any subsequent seller who lists an item, based on a given catalog, can make full use of the graphic materials available in the catalog.
To download images from the catalog, just at the stage of adding an offer, use the option Use data from the catalog, visible in the Photos and description section:
Product sets with different catalogs
Listing sets on allegro is even easier with Product Catalogs. At the stage of adding products, search for the first product – the one in whose catalog you want your set to be visible. Then, in the Products section of the Listing, scroll to the very bottom and just below the details regarding GPSR, press Add another product.
Search for more product catalogs that you want to combine in an auction. Remember that a set can consist of up to 10 different catalogs. If you don’t want your set to be visible in a catalog with listings containing individual products, however, you will need to create a new auction, creating a new catalog – in this case you may need a new EAN code.
Summary
Product catalogs significantly simplify the listing process. Automatic completion of parameters, access to auction descriptions or photo galleries are advantages that are expected to make sellers focus on other areas in E-commerce sales, such as providing better shipping terms or focusing on customer service. Allegro, in implementing this solution, aimed to improve the online shopping experience by improving the quality of listings provided by various sellers. Customers will also benefit – it has become faster and easier to find the product of their dreams, which certainly has a positive impact on the purchase decision and conversion.
