In the article you will find detailed information about the structure of the product and availability MALL XML feed including the rules that need to be followed when creating both feeds. Important general rules:...
Important general rules:
- For this connection only MALL XML feeds work according to the structure below.
Other types of feeds don't work, the system won't load them. - The structure of MALL XML feeds is the same for all countries, only data such as category trees, parameters, VAT country will change according to the language of the country
- Heureka feeds do not work for this connection. MALL XML feed and Heureka feed are completely different types of feeds and are treated as 2 different types of connections. It is also not possible to combine feed types. Check if you have set the correct connection type in MALL Partner portal. If you have the wrong type of connection set up, email your Onboarding Specialist.
- Inventory cannot be inserted into the product feed, you need to create a separate availability feed.
- Feeds must be generated to online accessible URLs in XML format and only in UTF-8 encoding. We do not tolerate FTP or FTPS.
- Feed testing takes place directly in the MALL Partner Portal. After the URL links are created, they must be inserted into the portal in the Feeds tab and start processing. The result of the processing can be found in the Statistics where you will also find error messages that is to be corrected. Instructions for inserting feeds into the portal and where to find error messages can be found in the article here.
We also recommend that you always enable regular play at intervals.
On the following pages you will find a detailed description of the 2 basic forms of XML feed.
page 2: Product feed
page 3: Availability feed
In case you have any further questions, you can contact us via Help Centre.
Product feed
The first thing to do is to build a product feed that contains all the information about the products except their availability.
Important rules
- The order of the elements is not mandatory.
- The feed contains mandatory elements that must always be specified with corresponding values.
A more detailed description can be found below. - Any elements without a value will be evaluated by the system as an error. In case of mandatory elements it is necessary to add the value, in case of optional elements it is necessary to remove the whole element. It is also not possible to send empty elements using only the closing tag.
- Products that are not in stock still need to be maintained in the product feed. Their display on the website is controlled by Availability feed. For more detailed information on how to deactivate the product, please refer to the article here.
- Each category is identified by a unique ID. Categorical conditions may also include mandatory elements that must be inserted into the feed with exact values.
You can download the category tree export together with the categorical conditions here or you can also search for a category in the MALL Partner Portal in the section Category.
For a more detailed description of the categories, sorting parameters and their values, see the article here.
The accuracy of the sorting conditions is not validated by the system. A product with incorrect or missing categorical conditions will not be displayed on the website. The accuracy of the display can be verified in your Sandbox account. - Care must be taken to ensure that the possibility of creating groups of variant products, e.g. a T-shirt in 10 colour variants and 5 sizes is required as one product group/variant product. There are 3 key elements for creating a variant product: ITEMGROUP_ID, ITEMGROUP_TITLE and VARIABLE_PARAMS. All these elements are mandatory for the creation of variant products. A more detailed description of these elements can be found below.
- The system always checks products one element at a time until it finds an error in the product data. If it does, the product will trigger an error log entry and the system will move on to check the next product. So if you have more than 1 error in a given product, it cannot be detected the first time you load it.
Here you can download sample product feeds in .xml format.
- Non-variant product with all elements
- Non-optional product with only mandatory elements
- Non-optional product with energy label and information sheet
- Variant product with all elements
- MALL XML FEED sample with all examples
Description of product feed elements
In case you have any further questions, you can contact us via Help Centre.
| ITEMS mandatory element | The root element of the XML file. It is only in the feed once. | |
| ITEM mandatory element | Contains information about a particular product or variation. | |
| ID mandatory element | Product or variant ID. You enter your product code here, which is then assigned to orders, for example. Each ID must be unique. Must not be the same as ITEMGROUP_ID. Combinations of maximum 50 characters, allowed characters are: _ – 0-9 a-z A-Z (underscores, dashes, numbers zero to nine, lowercase and uppercase letters without diacritics). | |
| STAGE mandatory element | Determines whether the product is visible online. Takes values live/draft. In the implementation phase (TESTING), it is always necessary to send the draft value, the system would evaluate the live value as an error. The live value cannot be set at this stage. Products are switched to live only after a successful check of the kontrole product appearance and all settings have been made.. After checking, the onboarding specialist will switch your account to the final phase – PRODUCTION. He will then inform you that it is possible to switch the products to live. The products will then be visible on the website. The live value cannot be reverted back to draft. To deactivate the product, use one of the methods described here. | |
| ITEMGROUP_ID mandatory element for variants | If it is a variant, this element indicates the ID of the variant group. The ITEMGROUP_ID must be unique and must not be the same as the ID. Combinations of a maximum of 50 characters, allowed characters are: _ – 0-9 a-z A-Z (underscores, hyphens, numbers zero to nine, lowercase and uppercase letters without accents). ELEMENT MANDATORY ONLY FOR VARIANT PRODUCTS | |
| ITEMGROUP_TITLE mandatory element for variants | If it is a variant, the field indicates the title of the parent product. The value should contain the general name of the variant group without specifics of the individual variants (for example, without color, size, ...). ELEMENT MANDATORY ONLY FOR VARIANT PRODUCTS | |
| CATEGORY_ID mandatory element | Category identifier It must always contain a category code according to our category tree for the country, where the products are implemented. Country trees may vary. Categorical conditions may also include mandatory elements; the category ID may not be sufficient to display the product correctly. Always check the categorical conditions for each category. | |
| BRAND_ID mandatory element | Brand identifier It must always contain the brand code, or BRAND ID. The brand code is not the same as its real name. You can find the brand ID in the MALL Partner portal under the Brands section. If your brand does not yet exist in our system, create a request for creation according to the instructions here. | |
| TITLE mandatory element | Product name/variant It must not contain the brand name, as the brand is automatically added to the first position of the BRAND_ID element on the website. The maximum length is 200 characters. It must contain keywords and, if it is a variant, its specification (for example, color). Special characters are not allowed. | |
| SHORTDESC mandatory element | Short product description It must not contain formatting or HTML characters, only complete sentences. The maximum length is 300 characters. The short description appears in the product listing on the website, so it should briefly introduce the product. | |
| LONGDESC mandatory element | Long product description It can contain basic HTML tags and the maximum length is 13000 characters. It must contain a more detailed description of the product. These are the basic HTML tags that can be used in a long description: <a>, <b>, <br>, <div>, <dl>, <dt>, <em>, <hr>, <i>, <img>, <li>, <ol>, <p>, <strong>, <sub>, <sup>, <table>, <tbody>, <td>, <tfoot>, <th>, <thead>, <tr>, <u>, <ul>. There's no need to use custom styles in the tags, without them the text will adapt best to our pages. If you have any tables in the description, you still need to add <table class="”tbl”">to make the table responsive. | |
| PRIORITY mandatory element | Fill in the value 1 in the field. The system automatically ranks products using an algorithm that works on the basis of the number of clicks, traffic and sales of a given product. This is an obsolete element that still needs to be filled in, but is not taken into account at all. We are currently working to remove it. | |
| PACKAGE_SIZE mandatory element | It takes the values smallbox/bigbox and indicates the size of the package. This element pairs the product with transportation, so it is important to have the correct transportation in place. Smallbox must meet 3 conditions – sum of all three sides of the package up to 175 cm – longest side of the package max 100 cm – package weight up to 20 kg A Bigbox is any package that does not meet the criterias above. | |
| BARCODE mandatory element | The EAN code of the product is mandatory for us.. The system accepts 13 numeric characters. If your EAN has 14 numeric characters, enter it as 13 digits without the leading 0. If you have a shorter 8-digit EAN, add as many 0s as are missing in the 13 characters. | |
| PRICE mandatory element | The price of the product including VAT appropriate for the country. The price can not include commission. | |
| VAT mandatory element | VAT as a whole number (e.g. 21). VAT must correspond to the tax rates applicable in the countries where the products are implemented. | |
| RRP mandatory element | Recommended retail price In countries outside the CZ, use a period "." as a separator. | |
| PARAM mandatory element | Product parameters Only parameters and values that are defined in our system for a given category are entered here. Detailed information about parameters for individual categories can be found in the Category section of the MALL Partner portal. | |
| PARAM mandatory element | NAME | Parameter identifier The parameter name must not be used, but its ID, which is in the English language (e.g. COLOR). |
| PARAM mandatory element | VALUE | Parameter value, which must always be in the local language and in a precisely defined wording (e.g. “red”). |
| VARIABLE_PARAMS mandatory element for variants | Indicates the parameters based on which the system should create variants. There can be a maximum of 2 (for example, size "SIZE" and color "COLOR"). ELEMENT MANDATORY ONLY FOR VARIANT PRODUCTS | |
| VARIABLE_PARAMS mandatory element for variants | PARAM | Variable parameter identifier (e.g. COLOR). The name of the parameter is not inserted here, but its ID. ELEMENT MANDATORY ONLY FOR VARIANT PRODUCTS |
| MEDIA mandatory element | Product images/variants. The maximum number is 20 and images must be on a white background/no background, without logos, watermarks or stickers. For more information on product appearance requirements, please see here. It is not possible to insert a duplicate image (URL or content). | |
| MEDIA mandatory element | URL | URL address of the image It must be 200 characters or less, without accents or spaces. Maximum image size is 2MB and resolution is 2000px x 2000px. Minimum size 100KB. If you change it, you must also edit the URL. |
| MEDIA mandatory element | MAIN | The true/false value indicates whether this is the main image. Only one MEDIA element can contain true. |
| MEDIA mandatory element | The Energy Label is also inserted into the media. Please note that it is necessary to use all elements from the example, otherwise the entire product feed will become inoperable. Mandatory only for products for which energy labels are required for legislative reasons. | |
| MEDIA mandatory element | URL | Energy label URL It must be 200 characters or less, without accents or spaces. Maximum image size is 2MB and resolution is 2000px x 2000px. Minimum size 100KB. If you change it, you must also edit the URL. |
| MEDIA mandatory element | MAIN | always fill in the value FALSE |
| MEDIA mandatory element | ENERGY_LABEL | always fill in the value TRUE |
| MEDIA mandatory element | INFORMATION_LIST | always fill in the value FALSE |
| MEDIA mandatory element | The media also includes Information sheet. Please note that it is necessary to use all elements from the example, otherwise the entire product feed will become inoperable. Mandatory only for products for which information sheets are required for legislative reasons. | |
| MEDIA mandatory element | URL | URL of the information sheet It must be 200 characters or less, without accents or spaces. Maximum image size is 2MB and resolution is 2000px x 2000px. Minimum size 100KB. If you change it, you must also edit the URL. |
| MEDIA mandatory element | MAIN | always fill in the value FALSE |
| MEDIA mandatory element | ENERGY_LABEL | always fill in the value FALSE |
| MEDIA mandatory element | INFORMATION_LIST | always fill in the value TRUE |
| PROMOTION optional element | Indicates the promotional price of the product. For a more detailed description of the sale offer, please see here. | |
| PROMOTION optional element | PRICE | Special price with VAT. |
| PROMOTION optional element | FROM | Price valid from (in format 2022-03-20T13:00:00) |
| PROMOTION optional element | TO | Price valid until (in format 2022-03-21T13:00:00) |
| DIMENSIONS mandatory element | Product dimensions for shipping When including DIMENSIONS in the feed, it is always necessary to include all dimension elements to correctly load the products. For example, if you only need to add the weight dimension (for pricing shipping based on weight), enter a value of 0 for the other dimensions. | |
| DIMENSIONS mandatory element | WEIGHT | Weight in kg |
| DIMENSIONS mandatory element | WIDTH | Width in cm |
| DIMENSIONS mandatory element | HEIGHT | Height in cm |
| DIMENSIONS mandatory element | LENGTH | Length in cm |
| LABEL optional element | You can find the labels that can be used here. The number of labels on a product is not limited, but no two can be the same. | |
| LABEL optional element | NAME | Label identifier The basic labels FDEL (free shipping), NEW (new) and SALE (sale) can be used. Any other labels can be used only after prior consultation with your sales representative. |
| LABEL optional element | FROM | Label validity date from (2022-03-20T13:00:00) |
| LABEL optional element | TO | Label validity date until (2022-03-20T13:00:00) |
| DELIVERY_DELAY mandatory element | Indicates the number of full working days for product delivery. The value must be a whole number. This information can also be set for the entire portfolio in the Delivery section in the MALL Partner portal. The delivery delay setting on the product is superior to the setting in transport. The value 0 means that the data is taken from the transport setting. The values of delivery delay on transport and on the product or variant are not added together. | |
| TARIC_CODE mandatory element | CN (Combined Nomenclature) code corresponding to your product.
These codes are crucial for customs declarations when importing or exporting goods within the EU and to/from the EU. If you're unsure about the correct code, we recommend using the official EU CN database or consulting a customs expert. The system accepts 8 numeric characters of the CN code. |
Availability feed
The feed settings for product availability are the same as for the product feed, but the structure of the XML file is different.
Important rules
- URL field for the availability feed must not contain the same reference as a product feed.
- The availability feed is always separate and has its own mandatory structure.
- All elements in the feed are mandatory.
- The order of the elements is optional.
- If you have variant products in your product feed, you should always send availability to the variant ID, never to ITEMGROUP_ID.
- Deleting products from the availability feed is not a valid way to deactivate products.
For more detailed information on how to deactivate the product, please refer to the article here. - A product that exists in the product feed, but for which there is no equivalent in the availability feed remains in the system with the last successfully loaded information.
- The indication of availability for the variant and non-variant product is identical.
- The maximum number of pieces in stock is 9 999.
- We recommend that you always indicate the real inventory. For goods produced to order, we recommend that you specify the maximum number of pieces you are able to order in one order as availability.
- The availability number can only be given in integers, any other number will be evaluated as an error and the availability will not be played.
ATTENTION:
If you are ONBOARDING and your account has not yet been activated, the ACTIVE field must always contain the value "true".
Here you can download a sample availability feed in .xml format.
Description of availability feed elements
| AVAILABILITIES | XML root element (only occurs once in the feed). |
| AVAILABILITY | Element indicating availability for each of the products and variants. |
| ID | Product ID/variants. Must be the same as the ID you specify in the product feed. |
| IN_STOCK | Number of items in stock, if the number of items in stock is 0 please keep the product in the feed, it will be displayed as unavailable. It must always be listed in full number. |
| ACTIVE | It takes on values true/false, used to deactivate a product that is in stock. For more detailed information on how to deactivate a product, please refer to the article here. It is also a condition for displaying the product/variant on the website that the ACTIVE element is set to true. |
In case you have any further questions, you can contact us via Help Centre.