Channels

Storing and managing your product information in the PIM is only part of the benefits of using Jasper PIM. Our self-serve Channel Configuration tool gives you the ability to add new BigCommerce or Shopify Storefronts quickly and easily, without the need for tech support.

Some of the available configuration options on channels require other features of the PIM to have been configured previously.

Connect the PIM to a Shopify Storefront

With Jasper PIM, you are able to connect to an e-commerce storefront and publish product data within minutes. This article will guide you through the process to create the necessary credentials to link your Shopify storefront.

Step 1: Generate Shopify API Credentials

Shopify users with admin access and app permissions are able to set up private apps and generate API credentials.

Navigate to the Apps menu and click the Develop apps link at the top of the page.

If you're using Apps for the first time you will need to click on the Allow custom app development button in order to authorize your store to create custom apps.

Create a new app from the button and name it JasperPIM

Once the app has been created, go to the Configuration tab and click Configure at the Admin API integration section. Ensure that following permissions are set to Read and Write (the rest should be left as No access)
- Products (Required)
- Inventory (Required if inventory is to be tracked)

Save the configuration and go to the API credentials tab and Install the app

Once the app has been installed you will get your API token. You will need that token and the API key to connect the PIM to Shopify.

Step 2: Create a Shopify Channel in the PIM

PIM Administrators or anyone with the proper permissions can create a channel.

Navigate the left side menu by going to Configuration > Channels and click create a channel.
Name your channel (something that easily identifies it), make sure to select Shopify from the available types, and click Create.
Refer to the Channels Overview Article for a detailed explanation of all the available configuration fields.
Configure your channel with appropriate bases, root categories and inventory locations. If you wish to track inventory from the PIM make sure to check the track inventory box as well.
Once you have reached the Credentials section, proceed to copy and paste:
- Shopify API Key to the API Key field
- Shopify Token to the Password field
- For the API URL, copy your Shopify store address and add /admin/api at the end (ex: https://xxxxxxxxxx.myshopify.com/admin/api). Click Save in order to lock in the channel configurations.
Now that your channel is created and enabled in the PIM you can assign products to be enabled on that channel in bulk or individually from the product Channels Tab.

Step 3: Configure Shopify Channel Entities

Below you will find detailed information about how to configure your Shopify Channel.

Channel Details	Description

Channel Details	Description
Name	The name you want to give to this channel. Choose a unique and meaningful name.
Inventory Location	Specify the product inventory that should be used by the channel. If you want to use inventory levels from multiple locations, just inform each location separated by a comma, like "US, Canada". This will push the sum of the quantities in the "US" and in the "Canada" locations.
Version	The version of the content that should be pushed to the store. If the content on the version is empty, it will use the "master" version.
Price Base	Specify the base product price record that should be used by the Channel. This is a mandatory field and has to be setup even if you wish to sell products without prices.
Base category	Specify the root of the category tree used by the channel. Once the store is configured the value for this field cannot be changed.
Base URL	The store public URL. This allows quick access to the Shopify store admin and front-end to check a specific product.
Channel Sync	Choose to turn channel sync on/off. If “Enabled- changes will be pushed” is selected, every change on products that are enabled on the channel will be pushed. If “Disabled- changes will be ignored” , no changes will be pushed to the channel.
Inventory Tracking	Choose whether you want the Inventory to be tracked or not on the Channel. Disabled: Leave the existing store settings as is None: Disable the inventory tracking in Shopify Product/Variants: Enable the inventory tracking in Shopify
SH Options-> Settings	Description
Push json products into metafields	If enabled, the warranty field will have a JSON version of the product. Enabled Disabled
Push Parent Categories	Select whether to assign the parent categories to the products when they get synced to Shopify.
Hide Disabled Products	Specify whether to make disabled products visible or not visible. Enabled Disabled
Import - Skip products from version stores that doesn't exist on master	When enabled, the channel will only import products from version stores that exist on master version and skip those that do not exist on master version. Enabled Disabled
Default Weight Unit	Specify the default value for Weight Unit. Possible values are: g kg oz lb
Price List Countries	Specify the countries that can allow updates for product prices using Price Lists from Shopify. You can select multiple countries that the products is being sold to.
Thumbnail Required to Sync	If enabled, the products with Thumbnail only get synced. If disabled, the products will get synced even without Thumbnail.
Push Variant Images	If enabled, the channel will push all the variant assets to the parent. If disabled, the channel will push only the Thumbnail to the parent.
Push json category into metafields	Select whether to include or exclude category as JSON in the metafields. Enabled Disabled
Metafields Namespace	Specify what namespace to display for BigCommerce metafields. If empty, use “Jasper” as the default namespace.
Inherit Product Tags From Master	Specify whether to include or exclude tags from previous version or master version. Enabled Disabled
Price Sync	Specify whether to sync prices when pushing products into BigCommerce store or not. Enabled Disabled
Product Channels Enabled	Display a list of all Shopify channels that are enabled.
Price Required to Sync	If enabled, the products with active prices only get synced. If disabled, the products will get synced even without any active prices.
Push children as single products	Specify whether to push children as single products to Shopify or not. Enabled Disabled
Store in Metafields Products Variant Prices Variants with Relations Relations with Attributes Options Inventory Barcodes parent Assets	Choose what PIM entities get pushed to Shopify as a Metafield Variants Variants with Attributes Relations Generic Entities Prices Attributes Brand Tags Future Exclusions

Step 4: Import Products From Shopify Store

If you are ready to import your products from Shopify store to your Jasper PIM, use the newly created channel to import the products.

Only proceed further if you have updated all of your products in Shopify. Once you run the import, all changes to product data will need to take place in Jasper PIM.You must save your channel credentials first before running an import.

Disable your recently created channel by unchecking the "Enabled" box.
Navigate to your newly created channel's Import tab.
Click "Run Import" to initiate import of products from Shopify to Jaser PIM.
You can view the progress of the import by going to the "Jobs" menu.
After the import process says "Finished", you can enable the channel again.

The "Run Import" button only works as a one time request to import all products from your Shopify store platform. This is not meant as a two-way sync once this import is complete.

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