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How Products Work: Catalog, Directory and Lists

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Overview #

ScopeMatch keeps your products in two libraries. The Product Catalog holds what you sell. The Product Directory holds what you buy. Both use the same ScopeMatch categories and specifications, so a product is described the same way wherever it appears.

Your lists draw on these libraries. Supply lists (your suppliers) use products from your Product Directory. Distribution lists (your customers) use products from your Product Catalog.

A product is stored once. When the same product is in your Catalog or Directory and in several lists, they all point to that one product. That keeps names and specifications consistent, and it is why edits and deletions can reach more than one place.

Your Catalog also works for you in other companies’ lists. When a buyer adds your company as a supplier of a product, ScopeMatch checks it against your Product Catalog and your locations. A complete catalog is what shows you as a confirmed supplier of that product.

Plans #

Free: up to 10 products in the Product Catalog, 10 in the Product Directory and 10 in each list. Basic: up to 250 in each, with Bulk Upload. Pro and Premium: no product limit. See Tiers and Features.

When to Use It #

Read this when you:

  1. Add products to a supply or distribution list and want to know where they end up.
  2. Edit a product that appears in more than one list.
  3. Want to remove a product from one list, or delete it completely.
  4. Find two products that describe the same thing.

Step-by-Step Guide #

  1. Add a product to a supply list. In the list’s Products view, choose Link from directory to pick products already in your Product Directory. You can also add a new product with the full form, the guided wizard, Import with AI or Bulk Upload. If your Directory already has a product with the same category, specifications and notes, the list uses that product instead of creating a copy. If not, ScopeMatch creates the product and adds it to your Product Directory as well.
  2. Add a product to a distribution list. This works the same way with your Product Catalog: choose Link from catalog, or add a new product. New products are added to your Product Catalog automatically, so on Free and Basic they count toward your catalog limit.
  3. See where a product is used. In the Product Catalog, the Customer lists column shows each distribution list that uses a product. In the Product Directory, the Supply lists column shows the supply lists. Click a list to open the product inside it.
  4. Edit a product. Editing a product in the Catalog or the Directory changes it everywhere it appears. If you edit a product inside a list and it is also used elsewhere, ScopeMatch shows where and asks you to choose: Update everywhere, or Create new product for this list. The second option leaves the original untouched and moves only this list, with its suppliers or customers for that product, to the new version.
  5. Remove a product from a distribution list. Open the product’s menu and choose Unassign from list. The product stays in your Product Catalog and in any other list.
  6. Delete a product. Delete removes the product everywhere: from your Catalog or Directory, from every list that uses it and from your Digital Warehouse items. Suppliers in your supply lists stay on the list without that product. This can’t be undone.
  7. Merge duplicates. In the Catalog, the Directory or a list, select two products and choose Merge. Pick the primary product and the specifications to keep. Lists and supplier assignments that used the other product move to the merged one, and the other product’s Digital Warehouse items are removed.

At a glance: Product Catalog = what you sell, used in distribution lists and shown on your company profile. Product Directory = what you buy, used in supply lists.

Best Practices & Tips #

Do: #

  • Build your Catalog and Directory first, then use Link from catalog or Link from directory to add products to lists.
  • Use product notes only for real differences. Two products with the same category and specifications but different notes are kept as separate products.
  • Merge duplicates as soon as you spot them, so every list points to the same product.
  • Keep your Product Catalog complete, so buyers who list you as a supplier see your products confirmed.

Don’t: #

  • Delete a product just to take it off one list. On distribution lists, use Unassign from list. Supply lists don’t have this option yet, so check the Supply lists column in your Directory before deleting.
  • Put products you sell in the Directory, or products you buy in the Catalog.

FAQs #

  • Why did a product I added to a supply list appear in my Product Directory?
    • New products added to a supply list are also added to your Product Directory, so you can reuse them in other supply lists. Products added to a distribution list go to your Product Catalog in the same way.
  • I added the same product to two lists. Is it duplicated?
    • No. If the category, specifications and notes match, both lists use the same product. It is shown once in your Catalog or Directory, with both lists in its lists column.
  • I changed a product in one list and it changed in another list too. Why?
    • Both lists use the same product. Next time, choose Create new product for this list when ScopeMatch asks, to change it in one list only.
  • Why can’t I add more products?
    • On Free and Basic, the Product Catalog, the Product Directory and each list hold up to 10 (Free) or 250 (Basic) products. Pro and Premium have no product limit.
  • What happens to suppliers when I delete a product?
    • They stay in your supply list, without that product. Assign them another product if needed.

Troubleshooting #

  • A list shows a product you didn’t expect: it may be linked from another list. Check the lists column in your Catalog or Directory.
  • You can’t find Unassign on a supply list: it is only on distribution lists for now. Contact helprequest@scopematch.com if you need a product taken off one supply list only.
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