Inputting your products to your online store can very time consuming. Doing the products 1 by 1 could take about 5 minutes each if done right. You want to make sure you have the correct images, correct sizes, detailed descriptions, any needed links or videos, attributes for sizing or colors, and other product aspects. This is a great way to learn how the system works, but when you are ready to tackle entire product lines and want to nail down 100's of product additions a day, you need the Data Manager.

The Data Manager uses what is called Easy Populate Advanced. EP is downloaded in the Data Manager and then opened up in Excel. All the product fields are listed and you simply input the information there. Once you input the picture path names, you simply FTP them up to your images folder. Save the finalized EPA and then re-import it through the Data Manager. Now because VR eChise eCommerce solution uses the intense filter system, you need to classify your products to the corresponding filter components.

Classifying is done much like the EPA but in what we call EPC. EPC allows you to assign which part of Filter A and Filter B the product is connected to. For example, a product could be for the Subaru WRX car. When you download the EPC file, you input in each field for that product Subaru then WRX. Once you re-upload it back to the Data Manager, your live site will now recognize that product when you filter it!

The Data Manager is easy to use but you need to be trained properly. Any issues when working on the Excel file that you don't catch, can re-upload as duplicates or wrong category, or worse, you lose your data. You will always want to do a Database Backup in your Tools section before importing. The Rohnstein offers extensive training on the EPA and EPC features for our customers.

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