Suppliers | Mapping Brands & Categories

The Mapping tab on a supplier connection allows you to route the supplier's brands and categories into the brands and taxonomies you actually use on your storefront, so imported products land in the right place.

From here you can decide what each supplier brand and category should become on your store, or leave it to be created automatically when products are first imported.

Accessing the Mapping tab

To access mapping for a supplier:

• From the left-hand menu, go to Suppliers.

• Open a connected supplier to view its connection.

• Select the Mapping tab.

The Mapping tab will open, showing the Brand mapping and Category mapping tables for that supplier.

Why mapping matters

Different suppliers label their brands and categories in their own way, and those labels rarely match yours exactly. Mapping lets you fold each supplier label into a brand or taxonomy you already use, so your catalogue stays tidy and products are grouped consistently — rather than ending up with a separate brand or category for every variation in a supplier's data.

Brand mapping

The Brand mapping table lists every brand found in the supplier's products. Each row shows:

• Supplier brand — the brand label as it appears in the supplier's catalogue.

• Products — the number of supplier products using that brand.

• Store brand — the brand on your store that the supplier brand should map to.

For each supplier brand, choose a store brand from the dropdown in the Store brand column. To leave a brand unmapped, select Auto-create on import — Orbit will then create the brand for you the first time matching products are imported.

Category mapping

The Category mapping table works in the same way, routing the supplier's product categories into your store's taxonomy. Each row shows:

• Supplier category — the category label as it appears in the supplier's catalogue.

• Products — the number of supplier products in that category.

• Store category — the taxonomy on your store that the supplier category should map to.

For each supplier category, choose a store category from the dropdown, or leave it set to Auto-create on import to have the taxonomy created automatically on first import.

Saving your mappings

When you change a dropdown, Orbit holds your changes until you save them. Click Save mappings to apply your choices for that table, or Reset to discard them and return to the last saved values. Brand mapping and category mapping are saved separately, so remember to save each table after editing it.

If a supplier label no longer appears in the catalogue, its row is marked Source no longer in catalogue so you can see it is no longer in use.

Auto-creating unmapped items

Any brand or category left as Auto-create on import is created for you the first time matching products are imported. This means you do not have to map everything before importing — you can import straightaway and tidy up your mappings later, or map the items that matter and let Orbit handle the rest.

Why mapping is important

Mapping keeps imported products aligned with the brands and taxonomy your customers already browse, so your storefront stays consistent and easy to navigate. By mapping a supplier's brands and categories before importing, you avoid duplicate or stray entries and keep your catalogue accurate as you grow.

If you have any questions, please contact us at support@orbitcommerce.net