Developer Docs

Importing product data

Learn how to import your product feed into the alby system.

The Product Feed is a collection of products in your inventory and includes information on those products, such as prices, images, URLs, created date, and other attributes. This information is used within alby to generate questions and product recommendations.

Structure

There are two concepts of products within alby: product variants and their parent product.

Product variants represent the different versions of a single item, each identified by a unique Variant ID (variant_id). For instance, a shirt available in red, green, and blue colors will have three distinct variants, each with its own Variant ID.

The parent product, distinguished by a Product ID (product_id), serves as the overarching identifier for the item. Using the previous example, the shirt in all its color options is considered one parent product.

This structure establishes a hierarchical relationship where one parent product encompasses multiple variants.

Importing guidelines

Product feeds sent to alby must include a header row for each column in the file followed by the specific detail records that should be imported by alby.

Each row in your CSV file represents a variant, unique identified by a Variant ID variant_id. These variants are grouped using a Product ID product_id.

Below is an example of a compliant sample product feed file, including filename, header rows, and detail records:

File Structure

Although the filename can be flexible, alby recommends starting it with the brand name and ending it with the export date. Any CSV file format is acceptable. Only alphanumeric characters and underscores are allowed; please avoid using special characters such as colons, spaces, etc.

Example Filename

Brand_ProductCatalog_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.csv

alby will attempt to auto-detect and use the appropriate delimiter, it is advisable to use the standard comma delimiter.

Required Columns

You can view a sample file here.

Field	Type	Description
variant_id	string	The unique identifier for the variant, known as the variant_id, must match the ID used on the website. It should not exceed 128 characters.
product_id	string	The unique identifier for the product, known as the product_id, must match the ID used on the website. The product_id is a grouping identifier for each row in the file. It should not exceed 128 characters.
title	string	The title/name of the product. Product names should not have any line breaks.
price	float	The price of the product should be provided. If decimals are not included, they will be automatically added by alby. The default currency is USD, but you can specify other currencies by adding an additional currency column. The currency must comply with ISO 4217 standards.
link	string	The URL where the product can be viewed or purchased. This must be a valid and well-formed URL.
description	string	The product description is a detailed and comprehensive text that is crucial for the functionality of alby's AI features. This description should be as robust and thorough as possible, encompassing all relevant details, benefits, and specific attributes of the variant-level product.
image_link	string	The image_link is a URL that points to the image of the product variant. Ensure the link is accurate and accessible, as it will be used to display the product image within alby.

Once your CSV file is ready, please email it to your alby contact. If any issues arise during the import process, your alby contact will reach out to you for resolution