NEW: Localized Product Relations and Localized Brand Names

Per 1st of April 2019 (not a joke), Icecat releases small changes in its product XML, JSON and XSD/DTD schemas to support localizations for preferred product relations and brand names. Because cross-sell recommendations vary per country, and in China brand names are transcribed.

We expect the impact on existing interfaces to be low. In case that brand name and product relation localizations are important, existing interfaces need to be reviewed.

Localized, Preferred Product Relations

The structure of the XML and JSON files have been slightly changed. Triggered by a need of DELL, we have added localizations to product relations and have improved the parameter “Preferred”, which indicates if a product relation is “Recommended” by the respective brand or not. The parameter “Preferred” has now a Start Date and an End Date. In case that the “End Date” has expired, we show the “End Date” as empty and the parameter “Preferred” equals to “0” (i.e., not recommended by the brand anymore). 

Localized brand names

We have two situations in which there’s a need for localized brand names. In China and other East Asian countries, brand names can be transcribed. For example, Philips can be transcribed as 飞利浦 (Fēilìpǔ), and consumers don’t always search a product by its roman brand name. Another situation is brand names that are licensed to other companies and need to be managed as independent brands. For example, we distinguish “Philips by Signify” with this unique string, but still describe the products on each local market with “Philips” as a localized brand name, and of course 飞利浦 in China. Localized brand name values are shown in the new tag “Name” for respective locale in the Supplier attribute.

Old product XML:

New Product XML

Old product JSON

New product JSON

Old XSD structure

New XSD structure

Old DTD structure

New DTD structure

Vazha Abramishvili

Chief Operating Officer at Icecat