Icecat Release Notes 179-180: Brand Partner Assignment, Copy Product Enhancement, Introduction of UK Energy Label

Icecat Release Notes 179-180 introduce an automatic brand partner assignment to their respective brands, an additional policy of product copying, the UK Energy Label digital asset type, and other significant developments. For further details, please refer to the previous Icecat Release Notes.

Automatic Brand Partner Assignment

We have successfully completed the implementation of an automatic assignment system for brand partners to their respective brands. This milestone not only streamlines our processes but also bolsters the security of our platform.

This achievement results from meticulous work crafting a specialized logic that considers both the data we hold within our system and the information provided by brand partners during their registration. One of the cornerstones of this enhancement is the requirement for brand partners to submit accurate and valid information during the registration process. This includes details like a valid email address and the brand’s official domain name.

This seemingly small step plays a crucial role in safeguarding the integrity of our platform. It ensures that only legitimate brand partners, armed with authentic and verifiable information, gain access to our PIM system.

With this development, brand partners who have successfully navigated the email confirmation process and assignment to the appropriate brand can now access our PIM. This empowerment enables them to efficiently manage their products within the Icecat ecosystem, offering greater control and flexibility over their product information.

Additionally, transparency and accountability have been core principles in our approach. Our system meticulously records all actions related to brand partner assignments, tracking who initiated the assignment and when it occurred. This meticulous record-keeping extends to the automatic assignment process as well.

However, it’s important to note that, in cases where the system doesn’t find a clear reason for matching, a manual process is still in place. This ensures that each assignment, whether automatic or manual, aligns with our commitment to accuracy and reliability.

New Policy for Copy Product Functionality

We are delighted to announce a significant enhancement for the Icecat team of editors. We are rolling out an additional policy for product copying, providing editors with greater control over the copying process.

This latest policy builds upon the foundation laid by the first policy, which was introduced earlier. The initial policy focused on product information creation and updates, with clear guidelines for “Create” and “Update” actions. In the context of this policy, “Create” implies that if a destination product lacks information but the source product contains it, the destination product’s information will be created. Conversely, “Update” signifies that when the destination and source products have information, the destination product’s data will be updated or merged.

The new, second policy takes product information management to the next level by introducing the concepts of “Create” and “Replace.” Similar to the first policy, “Create” remains consistent in its purpose. However, “Replace” goes a step further, enabling editors to replace any information within the destination product with data from the source product, even when the source product has no available information.

What is particularly exciting about this development is that we are diligently working on implementing the second policy across all our assets. Currently, editors can leverage this policy on specific assets, including the Product Life Cycle (PLC), product descriptions (including bullet points), product relations, reasons to buy, and the product gallery.

UK Energy Label Digital Asset

We are excited to unveil the addition of a new digital asset type, the UK Energy Label. This marks a significant step forward in our commitment to delivering comprehensive product data solutions to our users.

The UK Energy Label digital asset is now seamlessly integrated into our PIM system. This integration empowers you to include the UK Energy Label digital asset type alongside your product data, ensuring that you can provide accurate and up-to-date information about energy efficiency to your customers and partners in the United Kingdom.

Our partners can now receive the UK Energy Label digital asset as a separate entity in both Icecat XML and JSON files. This means that you can effortlessly incorporate this essential energy efficiency data into your product listings and provide your customers with the information they need to make informed decisions.

XML example:

JSON example:

Other Improvements in Icecat Release Notes 179-180:

• PIM Search Page Development Update.
  We’re inching closer to completing the development of our PIM Search Page. Alongside the backend logic, we are actively crafting the user interface to provide a more intuitive and efficient search experience. Our goal is to offer brand partners a range of helpful search filters, enhancing their product management capabilities.
  
• SEO Improvements for icecat.biz.
  Our commitment to improving your experience extends to enhancing our SEO efforts. During this sprint, we’ve focused on refining our icecat.biz sitemap generation. We have optimized anchor text for search engines, ensuring every product page is more discoverable and accessible.
  
• Revamped LOG Collecting System.
  We’re proud to announce the completion of a significant project: the reconstruction of our LOG collecting system. This overhaul brings numerous benefits, including enhanced data analysis capabilities, faster problem resolution, and optimized system performance. We look forward to delivering a smoother and more efficient experience for our users.