Create a Standard (Hosted) Catalog

  • Updated

A Standard (Hosted) Catalog contains product data hosted directly on Unimarket's website. It is created by uploading a spreadsheet of products, providing customers with an easy way to shop for your goods and services.

Products in a hosted catalog can be:

  • Priced (e.g., $10.00 per item) with an Add to Cart option.

  • Priced per quote (RFQ) with a Get Quote button.

  • Managed (added, deleted, or edited) individually or in bulk after the initial upload.

 

Prerequisites

  • Audience: Premium Supplier

  • Intent: Upload a new hosted catalog.

  • Status: The profile must be Connected to the desired customer.

  • Setup: You must have already set up your Delivery Options and Payment Options. Refer to the help article Create Delivery Options.

  • File: Catalog data must be prepared in a CSV or ZIP file utilizing the Unimarket catalog template Products_Template_Standard_Hosted_Catalog.

Important Note: 

  • Make sure the column headers remain unaltered (i.e., name changed, not removed, no columns added or font changed).

 

Index Catalog Template Fields

Column Field Name Description Mandatory
A Code Product item number or code (SKU). Must be a unique ID. Y
B Name Name of Product (2000 Char limit). Y
C Description Description of Product (2000 Char limit). N
D List Price

The base price without any discounts applied.

If not applicable, enter 0.

 N
E Manufacturer Name The name of the manufacturer. N
F Manufacturer Part ID The manufacturers part number. N
G Form

If you have an existing supplier Form, you would like to link to the item. Enter the name of the Form.

Note: To capture the Form name, go the Profile (on the left side panel, of supplier profile > Forms tab).

 N
 H Category

Enter the relevant UNSPSC product code for the category of the product or catalog.

Refer to help article: Unimarket Product Categorization (UNSPSC)

 Y
I Units Enter the relevant Unit of Measure code (like DZN for Dozen). Defaults to "EA" (Each) if left blank. N
J Quantity Available Leave Blank, if not applicable. N
K Link Hyperlink to a specific webpage or online document (for product information). N
L Lead Time Indicates the number of days lead time to ship the product. N
M Allow Decimal Enter Y if the product can be bought in decimal quantities (e.g., 1.5). Default is N. N
N Image Name

Name of image file (e.g., picture.jpg) or URL:

 (e.g., http://www.yourwebsite.com/imagename.jpg).

 

A few tips when using URLs:

  • Make sure the link is a direct image link ending in .jpg, .png, or .gif.
  • Avoid spaces in the file name (e.g. yourimagename.jpg, not your image name.jpg).
  • Only use one method per upload (either ZIP with images or URLs, not both).
 N
O Discount

A percentage discount off the list price.

Leave Blank, if not applicable.

To have the discounted price visible to the customer, please enter the discounted price (in decimal format).

 N
P Hazardous Class
GHS (Globally Harmonized System) classification of hazards. Hazardous classes are typically numbered 1-9 and may include divisions such as 1.1 or 1.2 (Class.Division format).
 N
Q Hazardous UN Number
Four-digit United Nations (UN) number used to identify hazardous materials. This is different from a UNSPSC code.
 N
R Safety Data Sheet 
URL linking to the item's Safety Data Sheet (SDS). Users can click the link to view the SDS document.
 N
S CAS Number
Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Registry Number. A unique identifier assigned to chemical substances. Format: XXXXXXX-YY-Z.
 N
T Search Terms
Additional keywords that improve catalog search results. Enter multiple terms as a comma-separated list.
 N
U Pack Quantity
The number of individual items contained within the selected Unit of Measure (UOM). Example: UOM = Pack, Pack Quantity = 6.
 N
V Controlled
Indicates whether the item is restricted or controlled.
 N
W Green
Indicates whether the item meets the organization's green or environmentally preferred purchasing criteria.
 N
X Indigenous
Indicates whether the item is supplied by an Indigenous business or meets Indigenous procurement requirements.
 N
Y Energy Star
Indicates whether the item is Energy Star certified.
 N
Z Recyclable
Indicates whether the item can be recycled.
 N
AA Taxable
Indicates whether the item should be subject to tax calculations.
 
If applicable, enter value in decimal format.
 N

 

Step 1: Access the Create Catalog Screen

  1. Select Catalogs on the left side panel.

  2. Click Create Catalog.

 

Step 2: Complete the Header Tab

  • On the Header tab, complete all required fields marked with a red asterisk.

  • Once completed, select Continue.

Field Description
Catalog Name The name of the catalog, which will be visible to the buyer.
Catalog Description A brief description of the catalog.
Shipping Select from the pre-determined drop-down list. To learn more about on how to Create Delivery Options, refer to help article Creating Shipping Options For Your Hosted Catalog.
Catalog Type Select Standard to create a hosted catalog.

 

Step 3: Complete the Schedule Tab

This tab determines the date and timeframe the catalog will be open to designated customers.

  1. In the Publish field, choose:

    • Publish Now: The catalog will become active immediately upon completion. 

  2. By default, Start immediately when published box is enabled and the Start Date/Time fields is greyed out. 

  3. To select a future date, uncheck the Start immediately when published box and designate the date/time in the Start Date/Time fields.

  4. Review Draft: The catalog will be uploaded to the Pending Catalog section with all products in the Draft Products tab for review.

  5. The End Date field can remain blank to create a never-ending catalog.

  6. Once completed, select Continue.

 

Step 4: Complete the Customers Tab

This tab allows you to select which connected customers will receive the catalog.

  1. Click inside the Customer(s) text box and key in the desired customers to select them.

    • Note: If Requires Approval appears next to a customer's name. Catalog Approval is enabled by that customer and you may be unable to add additional customers, if that specific customer is chosen.

  2. Once completed, select Continue.

 

Step 5: Complete the Upload Tab

This is where you upload your prepared catalog file. Important Note: Size limit for uploaded file(s) MUST be under 100MB.

  1. To download the required template, select Download Template.

Important Note: 

  • Make sure the column headers remain unaltered (i.e., name changed, not removed, no columns added or font changed).

 

  1. Once your file is ready for upload, save it as a CSV or ZIP file.

    • Note: If the zip file does not upload after selecting Browse and the zip file is too large. We recommend split the file into two > zip each file individually (each zip file must be under 100 MB. If you see the file size amount is over 100MB, split into a third file) > and upload the files separately, in Unimarket.

  2. Select Browse

  3. Choose the desired file name, and click Finish.

 

  1. You will be routed to the Catalogs In Progress screen.

  2. The uploaded file will go into Processing catalog status (i.e. Unimarket is currently uploading the catalog products, check back again later).

    • You can refresh your screen to view if the status has update or you can log out of your profile and return later.

  3. If an error occurs, refer to the Error Resolution section below.

  4. If no errors occur and opted to Publish Now (on the Schedule tab), the hosted catalog will disappear from the Catalogs In Progress screen. The catalog is now available to buyers for purchasing.

 

Error Resolution

Note: Catalogs not completed in the Catalogs in Progress screen, will be deleted one month after being loaded. For assistance, please contact the Unimarket Support team within your profile.

 

If you received an error, please:

  • Confirm the file size is less than 100MB. 

  • The file is saved as a CSV.

  • Ensure all fields are completed. According to the information provided in the Hosted Catalog Template Field Explanations help article.

  • The column headers have not been altered (i.e., name changed, not removed or font changed) AND

  • Follow the applicable instructions below.

 

Validation errors were found in products

  • Description: Information provided did not meet the file upload criteria (e.g., trademark/copyright icon and/or the word Clone, is included).

  • Resolution Options: 

    • Option 1: Click View to see the error(s) > Manually Update the item in Unimarket > and select OK.

    • Option 2: Click View to see the error(s) > resolve the errors on the file > repeat Step 1 to create a new hosted catalog with the updated file.

    • Option 3: Click More Actions > select Delete All Errors and Finish. To create the catalog of the items that did not generate an error. Next, resolve the errors on the file > re-upload the error items, using help article Edit/Update Items in a Hosted Catalog (instructions under header titled Option 2: Update Multiple Items via CSV Upload).

 

Error when processing data load

  • Description: The file is unreadable by Unimarket (e.g., file format is not CSV, or an incorrect header was used).

  • Resolution Steps: 

    • Review the file format > ensure all the headers in file, align with the required columns in template (i.e., no name changes, no columns has been removed or no font changes)

    • Repeat Step 1 to create a new hosted catalog with the updated file.

 

Catalogue errors were found

  • Description: An error occurred when loading the data file.

  • Resolution Options: 

    • Option 1: Repeat Step 1 to create a new hosted catalog with the updated file.

    • Option 2: Click More Actions > select Delete All Errors and Finish. To create the catalog of the items that did not generate an error. Next, resolve the errors on the file > re-upload the error items, using help article Edit/Update Items in a Hosted Catalog (instructions under header titled Option 2: Update Multiple Items via CSV Upload).

 

An error occurred uploading the file - please try again

  • Description: The file is unreadable by Unimarket (e.g., file format is not CSV, or an incorrect header was used).

  • Resolution Steps: 

    • Review the file format > ensure all the headers in file, align with the required columns in template (i.e., no name changes, no columns has been removed or no font changes)

    • Repeat Step 1 to create a new hosted catalog with the updated file.

 

Error  Description Resolution Steps
Missing property 'TAXABLE' at line xxx.

The 'Taxable' field in your catalog template is used to indicate whether an item should have tax applied. 

While it may not have been strictly required before. It looks like the system is now expecting this field, to be filled out for each product. 

This could be due to an update or a change in validation rules. To make sure all catalog data is complete and accurate.
  • Make sure the 'Taxable' column in your catalog file is populated for every item. 
  • You can enter 'Yes' if the item is taxable or 'No' if it isn’t.
  • Double-check that there are no blank or null values in the 'Taxable' column, before uploading your file.
  • Save your updated file and try uploading again.

 

 

Results/Validation

The catalog's status can be tracked on the Catalogs In Progress screen. To view how open catalogs are displayed on the customer's side:

  1. Go to Profile on the left side panel.

  2. Click View Store.

  3. Select the catalog name to browse the products.

 

What's Next / Related