Ability to Import/Export product data
under review
Neil McQuillan
Here is a tool a third party developer is working on with the new Cloud MT API which they plan to launch to allow the import and export of data.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IC1nSvvbVo
Neil McQuillan
The REST API for manipulating product data, it is code complete and will be available following a hotpatch to Cloud MT in the next few weeks.
We have a nacent marketplace platform if anyone wants to write the UI for an CSV or Excel updater we'd be up for promoting this and dealing with the recurring billing and promoting this to our customer base. The writer would receive 70% of the revenue.
J
Jonathan
Neil McQuillan: Hi Neil, I've already got the beginning of something built out in preparation for the new Cloud MT API launch. A CSV/Excel updater is on my roadmap and I'd like to work together to see if it's something you wish to offer to your customers 🙂 How can I get in touch with you outside of this forum?
Neil McQuillan
I would expect this to be in the September ecommerce release (the API endpoints) we are having to make some enforced changes to our PayPal integration which creates some risk on this work, as PayPal have mandated API changes (my understanding is this also brings enhanced functionality for PayPal's buy now pay later options so there is commercial benefits for our customer here as well). It will also flow PayPal into the checkout in a quicker more efficient checkout option.
Once that's out of the way this is the next task before we move onto to replacing our checkout UI and server side code.
W
Will (MR)
For this Post's 3rd birthday next week, any chance of an update. - PLEASE?
Neil McQuillan
Will (MR): This is the next big piece on our agenda.
I'm confident the API extensions will be available after the July 12th release, it might be sooner than that, so we're looking at 11 weeks maximum.
I'd be interested in who might want to create a tool we can offer on a shared revenue basis. We've been experimenting with this idea with a brilliant picking application one of our customers wrote. We do the recurring billing and the sales work, and then take a revenue share very much like the AppleStore.
A
AndyA. Office
Neil McQuillan: Sounds interesting. Is there any documentation for what's included in the API and how to interact with it available before release?
Neil McQuillan
AndyA. Office: Andy, The API would be REST driven so the same as the Cloud POS interactive API. The API 'Swagger' documentation which is what you see for the POS API is created as part of the coding process. What we are aiming to do is provide a single API call which allow the retrieval and update (GET/POST) of product information but there might be separate end points for example setting image references. The goal us to create an API which allows you to list a product without the need to enter Cloud MT.
We will certainly add extra GET endpoints to allow you to get information which would be required to validate a listing prior to updating it (notably what are the available facets). We will allow images files to be uploaded.
A
AndyA. Office
Neil McQuillan: Sounds good look forward to seeing it in action.
A
AndyA. Office
Neil McQuillan: Any updates?
W
Will (RA)
Neil McQuillan: please tell me this is due, bulk changes to 1500 products is a real
pain/impractical. Uneconomical.
Neil McQuillan
Would the API route provide a stop gap until we can get the resourcing sorted to implement full import/export?
We are mad keen to do it, but we have other pressures for the upcoming months. We will definitely add this but things like forward orders etc have kept us busy.
The upcoming months we're going to overhaul the front end of the ecommerce site, making it faster and adding more control over the homepage and promotions (e.g. when you create a coupon you'll be able to have it appear on product pages the coupon is applicable to). The demand for this in our customer base is huge.
You'll see a lot more progressive stuff and resourcing for tasks like import/export as we move towards the end of the year. We've completed full overhauls of Cloud MT, Customer Rewards and SIM in the ecommerce team all of which needed doing, but we're now going to have much more resource to focus on functionality, it's just the front end changes will come first.
W
Will (RA)
Neil McQuillan: absolutely, a get & put api request would be great? No ‘Id’ could return all items (Id, barcode and lay updated). And a call with an Id could return all the e-commerce data?.
Put would obviously only be for a single item.
A
AndyA. Office
Neil McQuillan: Do you have any documentation how this might work and what parameters can be changed/updated?
A
AndyA. Office
Neil McQuillan: Is there any update on how we can use the API to achieve this?
W
Will (MR)
Neil McQuillan: Is there an ETA or Timeline on this?
Neil McQuillan
Will (MR):
What do people want to import/export? If I can get a feel for this we can create REST controllers which allow this. The basic fields on a product record (e.g. name, description etc.) would be fairly straightforward.
Our own Api which we use via Cloud MT is extremely complex and requires a lot of 'insider' knowledge so we're going to need to create new REST controllers for import/export so it was more complex than I was hoping, but its definitely something we want to do.
Things I can think off are:
- Basic fields on a product record.
- Images (a separate call would be required to manage image files)
- F&F settings (e.g. setting/altering departments)
If I can get help with exactly what people want to access/update then it's a more viable project to get moving with.
W
Will (MR)
Neil McQuillan: we would need to make 2 calls, one to the interactive api, to get all the 'cloudPOS' details needed, then another for the cloudMT, unless this can be combined as a single call? - working on the assumption, that the 'is available on the website, is a flag that could be exposed to the cloudPOS interactive API Call.
for cloud MT
GET and PUT Boolean
Active
Use AutoSim Data?? I assume but have no working knowledge
Prelaunch checkbox
Delivery charges
Click and collect only
Block pick up
Stock is tracked
Block SIM (I assume)
Marketplace only
F&F Priority
Block Coupons
Block Finance
Text fields PUT and GET
Name
SEO Page Title
Short Description
Description
Prelaunch (text or date)
Item Weight. Dimensions
Tech Spec,
Size info
Additional desc.
Video
Buyers Guide
GET and PUT the Ids for the following:
(We would get the data to undestand the ids from separate API calls)
Primary Category
Google Category
Shared Buyers guide
Range Viewer
Alternative Page Layout
Find and filter, I think if we can get the raw ids for each ‘parameter’ then we can assign via the ID (GET and PUT).
Then again, a call to a separate API for whatever F &F options are.
I am assuming they are in one table, but if not, different calls may be quicker.
Colour Groups “is in a colour group” as a GET would be helpful, but an API call to see details or make changes would be separate to this.
Custom Builder, as this stops an items feeding to google shopping, we have no use for this.
Related items again if this has content, to either say ‘has related items’ and a separate call to query them, or to provide a list of item ids for related items (Get and PUT) would be great.
Delivery Delay, Back Order, Back in stock Notifications, Star Buy, setup for ebay, setup for amazon, excluded from another site, not sure how they are coded, but to know if they have content, and either to show and allow GET and PUT on them or a way to perform API calls.
Images
Ideally the url to main image would be good to get and put.
Multiple images if we can be informed there is more than 1 we can work with that,
Further work like providing a list of all urls , their order and being able to upload, manipulate change order, would be helpful (but probably a further api call for this).
CloudPOS the ability to GET and PUT on more areas would be helpful, to allow proper import/export.
A
AndyA. Office
Neil McQuillan: Any Updates?
Neil McQuillan
Merged in a post:
Download and import Cloud MT products
P
Phil Topliss
Is there a way to download the items in cloud MT make changes and then re import.
It seems changes can only be made on an item by item basis.
It would be really useful to be able to download the file see what data is missing ie SEO Title, descriptions item specifics or needs fixing, make batch changes and re upload
Neil McQuillan
under review
A
AndyA. Office
Neil McQuillan: Has this task been demoted from planned to under review? It's not very clear. This is still a piece of functionality that is desperately needed and would be nice to have an update on the likelihood of it being delivered.
Neil McQuillan
AndyA. Office: We'd love to add this, there is an API on Cloud MT which we want to extend out with this functionality, but currently we're focused on delivering our ecommerce road map.
C&C overhaul on product page (live this week);
Selling from Forward Orders - Coming next Feb;
Cosmetic and speed overhaul of speed and content management on product, home and Find and Filter (category) pages;
International translations of ecommerce.
Once this is done I can see import/export being close to the top of the new roadmap.
We certainly want to do it, as we looked to re-onboard a customer who had left and hated their new platform but this was the barrier to getting that deal done.
A
AndyA. Office
Neil McQuillan: Personally I think import/export functionality would be a higher priority to most of your retailers than some of the things listed above. It would nice to hear something a bit more committal and some potential time frames. I can see why it's absence might deter potential customers from considering Citruslime as a viable option as the current set up makes managing a large product catalogue harder than it might be on other platforms. I would have thought it's inclusion would also open up the CL platform to be used by online retailers from other verticals not covered by supplier SIM data. I know I probably sound like a broken record on this one, but for me it's one of the most important features missing from the platform and it's inclusion would greatly improve day to day site management.
W
Will (MR)
AndyA. Office: Wholeheartedly agree with AndyA, this area is literally a huge HUGE HUGE issue.
It's impossible to simply update or adjust products en masse.
- could someone in CL shadow a 'customer' who is trying to use the CloudMT platform for a high volume of changes for an hour or so.. maybe we are all missing a trick?
Some scenarios:
- Need to move 250 slow selling products into a sale facet for example - using a report from cloudpos.
- Take 50 products out of site 1, so they are only in site2.
- Make all of a brand click and collect only. etc..
it's REALLY hard!!
even extending the bulk wizard functionality to allow import and export would be a good start.
A
AndyA. Office
Neil McQuillan: It's been a while so I thought i'd check if there are any updates on this?
Neil McQuillan
open
Neil McQuillan
planned
This is functionality we have on our road map, but an overhaul to Customer Rewards and implementation of Klarna are our next ecommerce development targets (after the release of Cloud Merchant Tools)
W
Will (MR)
Neil McQuillan: Can we add some weight to this request rather than just a vote? The bulk manipulation of this data is desperately needed, either thru API or import/export. Our cost to maintain products on CloudMT is increasing dramatically, due to having to individually make changes.
PLEASE CONSIDER THIS AN AREA TO PRIORITISE!
S
Scott
Neil McQuillan: any idea where this is sitting on the roadmap now as it’s desperately needed now that suppliers have in the main got their act together and supply the data in spreadsheet form?
A
AndyA. Office
Neil McQuillan: What's the situation with this at the moment? I've just updated another Canny request on here about adding additional columns to the bulk wizard screen to make targeting more granular, that wouldn't be required if we could export, edit & import product data.
W
Will (MR)
Neil McQuillan: Please can some dev time be allocated to this, maybe for it's first birthday present..