Use a Variant ID or SKU

There are two ways to represent in your Emplifi Ratings & Reviews product catalog feed an item that has multiple variations (such as a shirt available in the color red, green, or blue):

1. Create an ID for each variant and relate them through the VIRTUALPARENTCODE field.

2. Use a single ID to represent all the variations of the item.

The Commerce Product Catalog uses ID, while the TurnTo Catalog Feed uses SKU. Since both serve as unique row identifiers for their respective catalog entries, recommendations for one apply to the other.

Create an ID for each variant and relate them through the VIRTUALPARENTCODE field.

If you want each variant in your original catalog to have its own entry in your Emplifi Ratings & Reviews product catalog feed, you can relate variant items together by including an identical VIRTUALPARENTCODE value for all variants. Your variants likely already have a code from your originating system that ties them together. Use that code in the VIRTUALPARENTCODE field.

• Pros
  Because each variant has its own ID within the catalog, you can collect reviews, questions, and visual content at a variant level for more granular data.

• Cons
  Requires more detailed understanding of how Emplifi Ratings & Reviews widgets function. For example, reviews do not post at the virtual parent code level. Reviews post at the ID level, which in this case is specific to the variant rather than the product. The Review List widget can list all variants' reviews combined ("mixed in"), or list just this ID's reviews and then show other variants' reviews in a separate "Reviews for Similar Products" area.

Example: Catalog entries for each color of a t-shirt
In this scenario, the t-shirt's red, green, and blue color variants each have their own ID in your original catalog: SHIRT83-RED, SHIRT83-GREEN, and SHIRT83-BLUE. Since each variant has a unique ID, you need a row in your catalog feed for each. Additionally, each row should also include a value in the VIRTUALPARENTCODE field that ties the variants together, such as SHIRT83.

To learn more, see Virtual Parent Code (VPC) and Members.

Use a Single ID to Represent All the Variations of the Item.

If you want to collapse a set of variants from your original product catalog into a single item in your Emplifi Ratings & Reviews product catalog feed, you can use a single ID to represent all of the variants. You can then connect the variant data to the single ID by listing variant UPC or EAN codes in the upc or ean field.

• Pros
  Since one ID covers all of the variants for a product, all of the variants' reviews, questions and answers, and visual content for that product are automatically included on the product detail page.

• Cons
  You lose variant-level details. For example, all variants are represented by one default product image, which may not match the variant purchased but will still be used in the review solicitation email. Similarly, the Checkout Comment modal can display only the title and image associated with the single catalog entry because data doesn’t exist for the variants.

Example: One catalog entry for all colors of a t-shirt
In this scenario, the t-shirt's red, green, and blue color variants each has its own ID in your original catalog: SHIRT83-RED, SHIRT83-GREEN, and SHIRT83-BLUE. To combine these ID into a single product listing, use only one entry in the catalog feed to represent all three variations of the shirt, such as SHIRT83. You can then connect the variant data to the single ID by listing variant UPC or EAN codes in the upc or ean field.