Products and Product Collections

The Products section in the dashboard lets you add your products and group them into collections. Using standard and custom product attributes (metadata), you can create product-specific rules limiting promotion and loyalty-earning rules. This article shows how to manage products and use them in campaigns. 

Contents

1. Glossary
2. Add products
3. Import products and SKUs
4. Product metadata
5. Product filters
   1. Apply standard filters
   2. Apply custom (metadata) filters
6. Group products in collections
1. Create static collection
2. Create dynamic collection
3. Predefined collection
7. Use products
   1. Apply discounts to specific products
   2. Exclude products from the promotion
   3. Define the required cart structure and volume
   4. Create unit discounts (free products)
8. Products and collections maintenance
9. Activity

Glossary

The glossary explains the definitions you will use when working with products and product collections. 

Product id

When adding a product to your account (using the Dashboard or API), it's assigned to a unique internal identifier. You can find it in the URL address when viewing product details. The product id is generated by Voucherify automatically when adding a new product and can't be edited. Here is an example of a product id:

prod_09268673c85013482b

Source id

Source id is an optional attribute that reflects a unique product identifier from your system (external id). Besides the source id, each product is automatically assigned to a special internal id generated by Voucherify when adding a new product. 

Filters Editor

The Filters Editor builds filters using standard and custom product attributes. You can use it to browse particular products or to group inventory into product collections. To open the Filters Editor, click Find and apply filters in the Products tab.

Product collection

Product collections group products under predefined criteria. You can create static collections that remain unchanged with time or dynamic collections that update the product list with ongoing changes. Adding products to Voucherify is not required to create dynamic collections.

Validation rules

You can attach optional limits to your incentives and earning rules (loyalty program). A customer's order needs to meet all assigned rules to make a successful redemption or get loyalty points. Read more.

Order

Order entity lets you pass your transactional data to the Voucherify account. Passing order items with a redemption request is required to execute product-specific limits. Read more.

Product metadata

Discount effect

When creating discounts (in-cart discounts, coupons) or gift cards, you must choose how they will be applied to the customer's order. Different discount effects are available for different campaign types. Amount and percent discounts can be applied to the whole order or particular items, while unit discounts can add new or only missing items to the customer's cart. Read more.

SKU

A stock-keeping unit (SKU) is a product variant. You can define many product SKUs (variants) for each product. Each SKU has its metadata and attributes. During the validation process, SKUs are treated as products. This means that the SKU inherits the metadata assigned to the product and combines product and SKU attributes.

Add products

You can add a new product to the Products section in the dashboard or the Products API. Adding products to Voucherify is not required to create dynamic collections and product-specific campaign rules. 

Add a new product in the dashboard

Creating a new product is a three-step process:

• Adding product details.
• Adding product variants (SKUs) (optional).
• Adding custom attributes as metadata (optional). 

First, go to the Products view and run the creator with the plus. 

Add product details:

1. Provide the product name (mandatory). 
2. Set up the source id (unique external identifier) and the product price (optional). 
3. Create an attribute(s) corresponding to variants. The next step will fill it with different values when creating particular variants (SKUs). 
4. Lastly, upload a photo of your product (optional).

Click the  Next step and create SKUs of your choice. You can add many SKUs to a single product. Each variant can have different values of attributes and individual metadata properties. If you don't need product variants, skip this part and go to the Next step.

In the third step, you can add optional metadata to your product. Please remember to use metadata definitions added firstly to the Metadata Schema. Go here for the detailed instructions on Product metadata.

Hit Save to confirm and add the product. 

Add a new product via API

API enables you to create new products/SKUs and manage items that have already been created. Visit the API reference to learn more.

Import Products and SKUs by CSV

Using a CSV file, you can import products and SKUs into your project. This method can also be used to update the names of existing products in Voucherify.

Import Products using CSV

Prepare a CSV file with your products.

When the CSV file is ready, go to the Products view and click on the Import tool in the top right corner. 

Choose  Import from the CSV file and upload the file with your products.

Go to the  Map Fields step to map data from your CSV columns to Voucherify fields.

On the left-hand side, you can see the CSV column names that need to be mapped to fields from a  Select property list. After selecting the matching field, choose Plus to confirm mapping.

Product Attributes Mapping

If you want to add a field unlisted in the built-in properties, change the  Voucherify fields to Custom Attributes. Define the name of your custom field and confirm with the plus. The attribute and its value from the CSV file will be added as products' metadata. 

When the mapping is ready, click  Import to confirm. 

When the import is done, Voucherify will notify you about the result in the Notifications Center. Select  Notifications and select Go To Notification Center at the bottom, then select Personal Settings > Import products to set up notifications for importing products.

Import SKUs using CSV

When the CSV file is ready, go to the Products view and click on the Import tool in the top right corner. 

Choose  Import SKUs from the CSV file and upload the file with your SKUs.

Go to the  Map Fields tab to map data from your CSV columns to Voucherify fields.

On the left-hand side, you can see the CSV column names that need to be mapped to fields from a  Select property list. After selecting the matching field, choose Plus to confirm mapping.

When the mapping is ready, click  Import to confirm. 

When the import is done, Voucherify will notify you about the result in the Notifications Center. Select  Notifications and select Go To Notification Center at the bottom, then select Personal Settings > Import skus to set up notifications for importing SKUs.

Product metadata

Metadata in products and SKUs enables you to create and execute product-specific campaign rules whether you decide to sync your inventory with Voucherify or not. You can upload products and use metadata to extend their characteristics with custom attributes or skip adding products and still use metadata to validate the customer's cart while redeeming the code.

Metadata Schema

With the Metadata Schema, you can reflect the custom product and SKU properties. In effect, every product/SKU will get a set of custom fields (each for a corresponding level or in an array form), which you can fill in if you decide to add/import your product catalog to Voucherify. If you don't want to import your catalog, you can pass added metadata attributes with order line items in the redemption request and still execute metadata-specific validation rules in your campaigns.

Products and SKUs share the same dedicated schema that stores all their custom attributes and ensures data integrity. To add new metadata to a schema, go to the Project Settings and the Metadata schema tab. 

Expand the list of Standard schemas and choose Product to define a new definition of metadata attribute.

Choose Add new definition to define attribute details. 

You don't attach these attributes to specific products/SKUs; you define their names, types, and values (optional). If you mark the  mandatory option, defining this attribute value will be required when adding a new product or SKU to your account.

For string and number properties, you can define additional conditions for accepted property values. 

When a new definition is ready, confirm with Save. For the list of all metadata types and available configurations, visit the Getting started guide. 

Product filters

You can use filters for standard searching (to browse particular items) and for grouping products into collections. To find product filters, go to the Products tab in the Campaign Hub section, click Find,  and apply filters.

Standard product filters:

• Filter by source id
• Filter by name
• Filter by creation date
• Filter by price

How to create standard filters?

1. Go to the Products section in your dashboard and click Find and apply filters.

2. Click the name of the filter you're interested in. For example, Filter by Price.

3. Create filter(s) using available operators. You can create many filters with a single attribute. For example - Condition: more than, and Value: $100. Confirm each filter with the plus. 

4. When all criteria for a single attribute are set, confirm with Apply. 

5. You can choose another attribute from the list to build more filters. Using OR/AND, you can define if items need to match all added filters or only one of them. 

6. When all filters are set, click Apply to confirm and see the filtering results.

From this view, you can group products into collections. They are built on top of applied filters. Go to this section to read more.

Custom product filters (metadata)

Custom attributes (metadata) let you create filters that aren't available by default. You can choose to filter by metadata already added to the Products schema or filter by a new metadata attribute. Although you can create filters with a new metadata attribute on the spot, we highly encourage you to add all needed metadata to your Product schema first.

Create a filter with a custom property

1. Add a new metadata attribute to the schema as in this instruction.

2. Go to the Products section and choose Find and apply filters.

3. Select Custom attributes.

4. Choose a previously added metadata attribute.

5. Create metadata filter(s) using available operators. Confirm each filter with the plus. Note that you can create one filter for each combination (for a single metadata attribute, there can be multiple filters, each with a different condition).

6. When all criteria for a single attribute are set, confirm with Apply.

7. You can choose another attribute from the list and combine standard or custom filters in a single search query. Using OR/AND, you can define if an item needs to match all added filters or only one of them. 

When ready, click  Apply to confirm the created filters and see the search results. 

From this view, you can group products in collections on top of applied filters. Read on to learn more.

Create a product collection

Collections group products that share the same attributes (standard and custom ones). Product collections can be used in validation rules to model product-specific limits. Collections are built using filters in the Products section in the dashboard. There are two types of collections:

• Static collection that remains unchanged after it is saved. Each static collection may contain up to 20 products.
• Dynamic collection that checks each incoming order item against collection criteria and updates its product list in real time.

Both static and dynamic collections are built on top of applied filters. The list of available product filters can be found here. Additionally, a static collection can be created by manually selecting items from the main products list. 

Create a static collection

Follow the steps below to create a static collection. 

Step 1: Filter products from the list

Go to the Products section in the dashboard and browse the products you want to include in the collection by using the filters as described here.

Step 2: Mark the products from the list

When you have a product list ready, mark the checkboxes next to the items.

Step 3: Save the static collection

Click Create static collection and provide its name.

After you confirm with Save, the collection is completed and cannot be updated. 

When a product added to the static collection has SKUs, the SKUs will also join the static collection.

Create a dynamic collection

Follow the steps below to create a dynamic collection. 

Step 1: Set filters defining collection criteria

Go to the Products section in the dashboard and define the criteria for the products included in the collection. Collection criteria are set by using filters, as described here. 

Step 2: Create a dynamic collection

When the filters are set, click Create dynamic collection and name it.

From the moment you confirm the collection with Save, new products will dynamically join and leave the collection depending on whether they meet the criteria or not. 

Predefined collection

In each Voucherify project, you can find a predefined collection All Products that gathers all items already added to your account and items that come with each request. You can use this collection to build product-specific validation rules that will be checked for each product coming in the customer's order.

Use products

If you pass orders with validation or redemption requests, they will be validated against product-specific campaign rules and limits. The order object needs to provide the list of order line items and their attributes. Voucherify validates each item from the customer's cart, whether it's added to your account or not. You can read more about the Order object in this API reference. 

Using products in Voucherify comes down to the following:

1. You can use discount effects and apply discounts to specific items only, including the cheapest or most expensive items.
2. You can create order-related validation rules to model the required cart structure that qualifies customers for redemption or earning new loyalty points.
3. You can create coupons and auto-applied promotions with unit discounts. Redeeming a unit discount gives a customer a free product in a predefined number.

Apply discounts to specific products

You can create coupons and in-cart promotions that are applied to specific products only. When creating a new promo campaign in the Campaign Manager, validation rules let you choose whether the discount will be applied to the whole order or specific items. Moreover, if you use amount discounts, you can split a single discount into discounted items proportionally to their share in the total amount or total items count. Items-specific discounts can be applied to the cheapest or most expensive cart items. Read more.

You can choose the gift card effects in addition to discounts. When creating a new campaign, validation rules let you choose whether the gift card balance should be applied to the whole order or specific items.

Read more about discount effects.

Exclude products from the promotion

Similarly to defining discounted items, you can define to which products the discount or gift card cannot be applied. You can exclude particular products or entire product collections. As a result, discounts or gift balance will be applied to the whole order or selected discounted items except items defined in excluded products. 

Define the required cart structure and volume

Order-related validation rules let you model the required cart structure and volume. You can assign validation rules to coupons, gift cards, in-cart promotions, referral codes, digital rewards, and earning rules in loyalty campaigns. When at least one validation rule is violated, the redemption fails/earning rule is not fulfilled. 

Create order structure validation rules

Order structure validation rules define what criteria items in a customer's cart need to match to redeem the code/earn loyalty points.

Rules are built by picking products from the list or using Filters Editor and product collections. Filter(s) for products are saved under the dynamic collection. Each dynamic collection can combine many product filters built with metadata and standard product attributes. If you use the collection in validation rules, items from incoming orders will be validated against collection filters. 

Open the advanced Rules Builder and expand Order structure validation rules. Define what items can and/or cannot be in the customer's cart. You can also define subtotals, the number, and the price of required items.

Every order item matches

• Using the Filters Editor, you can define criteria that EVERY item in the customer's cart needs to match (based on metadata and standard product attributes). On top of set filters, you can also define:
  • Subtotal of matched items – the total amount of all items that meet criteria set with product filters.
  • Quantity of matched items – the total count of all items that meet criteria set with product filters.
• (Every) Order items quantity – this rule defines the quantity of every order line item (no connection to the rules above).
• (Every) Order item price – this rule defines the price of every order line item (no connection to the rules above).

Any order item matches

• Using the Filters Editor, you can define criteria that ANY (at least one) item in the customer's cart needs to match (based on metadata and standard product attributes). On top of set filters, you can also define:
  • Subtotal of matched items – the total amount of all items that meet criteria set with product filters.
  • Quantity of matched items – the total count of all items that meet criteria set with product filters.
• (Any) Order items quantity – this rule defines the quantity of at least one order line item (no connection to the rules above).
• (Any) Order item price – this rule defines the price of any order line item (no connection to the rules above).

None of the order items matches

This rule defines criteria for products that exclude customer's cart from redemption or earning loyalty points. For example, gift cards from campaign X can't be redeemed if any of the items in the cart have metadata  collection is premium.

Cheapest of the order items/ Most expensive of the order items

You can set rules for the cheapest/most expensive item in the cart or for the cheapest/most expensive item in the cart that belongs to a specific product collection. 

• By choosing the All Products collection, the validation will select the cheapest or most expensive item in the cart.
• By choosing a specific collection created with product filters, such as the "Desserts category," the validation chooses the cheapest/most expensive item in the cart that belongs to the chosen collection.

Then you can define the following limits for the cheapest/most expensive item:

• Subtotal of matched items – the total amount of all qualified cheapest/most expensive items.
• Quantity of matched items – the total count of all qualified cheapest/most expensive items.
• Items quantity in any matching order line  – this rule defines the required quantity of each qualified cheapest/most expensive item.
• Unit price of any matching order line – this rule defines the required price of each qualified cheapest/most expensive item.
• Metadata of matched items - this rule builds limits using order line item metadata. Rules need to be met by each qualified cheapest/most expensive item.

Create order volume validation rules

Order volume validation rules define the following limits and rules:

Read more about creating validation rules.

Create unit discount

You can create a unit discount and offer free items with your coupons or in-cart promotions. In order to create such a discount, the product (unit) needs to be added to your account beforehand. You can choose how many free products customers will get when they successfully redeem the discount. 

Read how to set up a unit discount.

Products and collections maintenance

You can manage your products using the dashboard or Products API. When it comes to product collections, you can't edit them after they are saved. You can remove each collection from your dashboard. Go to the Products tab > Select collection. Choose a collection from the list and use the bin icon to remove it.

The arrow icon enables you to refresh the collection and update its product list on demand.

Product dashboard

When you click on the product name, Voucherify directs you to the product dashboard. You can update product details, add new SKUs, and delete any unwanted item from this view. The pencil icon lets you edit the product and add new SKUs. The bin icon enables you to remove the item for the project.

Activity

You can also view the activities for a particular product and get more insights by clicking on the event or log.