The PromoStandards App allows administrators to quickly create products using product information supplied by participating promotional-product vendors.
PromoStandards can import product details such as descriptions, images, variant options, pricing, vendor part IDs, inventory, weight, and other product data. After the product is created, it can be edited and managed like any other product in Prodigy.
Important: PromoStandards is a product-import and inventory-data tool. It does not place orders with vendors, purchase inventory, send products to decorators, or manage fulfillment. When a customer places an order, the distributor is still responsible for purchasing the required products from the vendor and completing the production and fulfillment process.
In this article, you will learn how to:
- Enable the PromoStandards App
- Activate PromoStandards vendors
- Enable vendor inventory
- Import a product from PromoStandards
- Select product options
- Select product images
- Review an imported product
- Manage PromoStandards inventory
- View supplier configuration
- Understand what PromoStandards does and does not automate
Enabling the PromoStandards App
To get started, navigate to Apps from the left navigation menu.
Locate the PromoStandards tile and click Enable.
On the PromoStandards App page, click Enable again.
After the App is enabled, the Vendor Settings section will appear.
Activating Vendors
The Vendor Settings table lists the PromoStandards vendors currently available through the integration.
Use the switch in the Active column to activate each vendor whose products you may want to import.
Activating a vendor makes that vendor available when creating a product from a source. There is generally no disadvantage to activating multiple vendors, since doing so simply gives administrators more product sources to choose from.
Avoid deactivating a vendor while existing products rely on that vendor’s inventory data.
Enabling Vendor Inventory
The Vendor Inventory switch controls whether products imported from a vendor can use that vendor’s current inventory data.
When Vendor Inventory is enabled for a vendor, imported products can use Apply PS Inventory to track inventory using the vendor part IDs assigned to their variants.
Vendor Inventory updates automatically as inventory information changes through PromoStandards.
Administrators can still override this setting for an individual product by switching that product to manual inventory management or stock-status management.
After configuring the vendor settings, click Save Changes.
Importing a Product From PromoStandards
To create a product using PromoStandards, navigate to Products → All Products.
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Click Add Product in the upper-right corner.
Select From Source, and then click Add Product.
Selecting a Vendor
Select the appropriate vendor from the Activated Vendors menu.
Only vendors activated in the PromoStandards App settings will appear in this list.
Finding the Product Vendor ID
Open the vendor’s website and locate the product that you want to import.
The vendor’s product page should display a product number, style number, or other product identifier. Copy this value.
For example, the SanMar product shown below uses ST227544TB as its Product Vendor ID.
Return to Prodigy, enter the value in the Product Vendor ID field, and click Continue.
Selecting Product Options
Prodigy will display the options supplied for the product, such as colors and sizes.
All available options are selected by default. Clear the checkbox beside any color, size, or other option that you do not want to include.
Prodigy creates variants using every possible combination of the selected option values. For example, selecting two colors and five sizes may create ten variants.
Some combinations may not actually be produced by the vendor. Those variants may have no vendor inventory or no valid vendor part ID. Review the imported variants before publishing the product.
For products that do not have selectable options, the page will display No options available for this product. Click Continue to proceed.
Selecting Product Images
The next step allows you to choose which vendor images to import.
Images are grouped according to the option with which they are associated, such as product color. Select the images that you want to retain for each option.
Deselecting an image prevents it from being added to the product’s image library or displayed for the associated option.
You may also import the product without retaining the vendor images and upload your own images after the product has been created.
When finished, click Add Product.
Waiting for Product Creation
Prodigy will begin building the product using the information supplied through PromoStandards.
Product creation normally takes approximately two minutes, although some products may take longer.
Click Continue, and then refresh the Products page after the import finishes.
The new product will appear in Products → All Products. Like all newly created products, it will initially be Hidden.
Click the product name to review and edit it.
Do not change the product to Visible until its information, pricing, inventory, shipping details, and tax settings have been reviewed.
Reviewing an Imported Product
PromoStandards imports most of the information required to create the product, including:
- Product title
- Description
- Images
- Variant options
- SKUs
- Vendor part IDs
- Vendor pricing
- Weight
- Inventory information
Imported products can be edited like manually created products. Administrators can rename products, replace images, update descriptions, adjust pricing, add personalization, enable Logo Management, or make other storefront changes.
However, certain fields should be reviewed before the product is published.
Categories
Imported products may not include any product categories.
Scroll to the Categories section and assign the product to the appropriate categories so customers can find it through the storefront catalog.
For example, an imported polo shirt might be assigned to categories such as Men’s Apparel, Polos, or Corporate Apparel.
Pricing
The initial selling price is supplied by the vendor.
Administrators can replace this price, set different prices for individual variants, or configure tiered pricing where appropriate.
Tax Settings
Some imported products may not automatically be marked as taxable.
In the Shipping and Taxes section, enable Product is taxable when required.
Shipping Dimensions
Weight is generally imported, but product dimensions may be missing.
If the product requires shipping and dimensions were not supplied, edit the variants and enter the appropriate length, width, and height. This information can usually be found on the vendor’s website.
Variants can be selected in bulk when the same dimensions apply to multiple items.
Optional Product Information
Depending on how the product will be used, administrators may also want to configure:
- Descriptive attributes
- Up-sell products
- Cross-sell products
- Product Personalization
- Logo Management
- Related categories
- Shipping origin
- Product visibility
Because the information available through PromoStandards can vary between products and vendors, review each imported product individually before publishing it.
Managing PromoStandards Inventory
When Vendor Inventory is enabled for the product’s vendor, the Product Inventory section will include two inventory sources:
- Apply Manual Inventory
- Apply PS Inventory
Apply PS Inventory
Select Apply PS Inventory to use inventory quantities received through PromoStandards.
For products with variants, inventory is tracked separately for each variant according to its Vendor Part ID.
Administrators may still configure:
- Inventory thresholds
- Whether customers may purchase when out of stock
- Variant visibility
- Other inventory-related product settings
Apply Manual Inventory
Select Apply Manual Inventory to stop using live PromoStandards inventory and manage the quantities directly in Prodigy.
When switching from PromoStandards inventory to manual inventory, the current supplier quantities are preserved as the starting values. Administrators can then edit those values as needed.
For products with variants, manual quantities must be managed at the variant level. Multiple variants can be selected and edited together when they should share the same quantity.
Disabling Vendor Inventory
If Vendor Inventory is disabled for a vendor after products have already been imported, those products will return to the standard Prodigy inventory controls.
The most recently received inventory quantities remain in place, but they will no longer update when the vendor sells or restocks the item. Future inventory changes must then be managed manually.
Vendor Part IDs
Each imported variant contains a Vendor Part ID.
The Vendor Part ID connects that particular variant to the corresponding vendor item and is used to retrieve its PromoStandards inventory.
Although Vendor Part IDs may be editable, changing them can interrupt inventory tracking. They should generally remain unchanged.
The product SKU and Vendor Part ID are separate fields. In some cases, the imported SKU may match the Vendor Part ID, but this is not guaranteed.
Viewing and Editing Variants
Scroll to Manage Variants to review the imported variants.
This section allows administrators to view or edit:
- Variant option values
- Vendor Part IDs
- Prices
- SKUs
- Inventory
- Weight
- Dimensions
- Visibility
Variants that do not exist in the vendor’s actual catalog may have no inventory or valid vendor data. Hide or remove any combinations that should not be available to customers.
If a required vendor variant is accidentally removed, the most reliable solution is generally to import the product again.
The same vendor product may be imported more than once. This can be useful when creating different storefront products from the same base item, such as versions with different logos, audiences, pricing, or decoration options.
Viewing Supplier Configuration
Products with variants include a Lookup Supplier Configuration link in the Manage Variants section.
Click this link to view the supplier’s complete variant information.
The supplier configuration displays:
- Size or other option values
- Color or other option values
- Vendor Part ID
- Inventory on hand
This view includes supplier variants that were not selected during the original product import.
The supplier configuration is informational only. Selecting a row does not add the variant to the product or change the current product configuration.
Products without variants do not display the Lookup Supplier Configuration option.
Publishing the Product
After reviewing the imported information:
- Add any required categories.
- Confirm the product and variant pricing.
- Review each variant and remove unavailable combinations.
- Confirm the inventory method.
- Verify the Vendor Part IDs.
- Add any missing shipping dimensions.
- Enable Product is taxable when applicable.
- Configure any personalization, logos, related products, or other optional settings.
- Save the product.
- Change the product visibility from Hidden to Visible when it is ready for customers.
What PromoStandards Does Not Automate
PromoStandards helps administrators create products and optionally track supplier inventory. It does not complete the purchasing or fulfillment workflow.
When a customer orders an imported product, the distributor must still:
- Purchase the required items from the vendor
- Arrange decoration or personalization
- Send products to a decorator when necessary
- Manage production
- Create shipments
- Fulfill the customer’s order
Imported products may be used as a starting point for additional Prodigy features, including Product Personalization and Logo Management.
That’s everything you need to know about using the PromoStandards App.