Online selling · Guide

When an ecommerce catalogue becomes complex

Signals, data models, and rules to consider when products, variants, and pricing exceed a standard catalogue.

A catalogue becomes complex when the same offer changes by variant, customer, market, availability, or commercial rule.

Separate products and variants

The product describes what a customer chooses; the variant identifies what is sold and managed. Mixing the two creates duplication, inconsistent filters, and difficult updates.

Price may depend on context

Price lists, quantity, customer, market, and period can produce different prices. Rule priority should be explicit and testable before the value reaches the basket.

Availability and sellability

Having stock does not always mean an item can be sold. Geography, channel, customer, and product composition may restrict sellability even when inventory exists.

Design before migrating

Before importing thousands of rows, define entities, relationships, and rules. A fast migration into the wrong model makes every later correction more expensive.

What to verify

  • Product separated from variant
  • Pricing-rule priority
  • Sellability separated from stock
  • Data model validated before import

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