Conrad: marketplace guide

About this guide

This is a ChannelEngine guide on the Berlin-based marketplace Conrad. Here you can find information on how to request a Conrad account, how to configure this marketplace on ChannelEngine, what the specific requirements are, and more.

Table of contents

Commercial information

How to request an account

Marketplace features

Settings and configuration

Marketplace-specific requirements and exceptions

• Setup
• Categorization
• Mappings
• Listed products

FAQs

Commercial information

Founded	1923
Founder	Max Conrad
Headquarters	Berlin, Germany
Area served (orders)	Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands
Revenue	USD 1.05 billion (2019)
Number of monthly visits	circa 6 million
Website	Conrad
Setup cost	none
Commission	percentage based on product category
Other costs	monthly fee
Payment	thrice/month (5th, 15th, and 25th)
Product categories	electronics
Input language	German
Input currency	EUR
Content creation	yes
Profile on ChannelEngine	Conrad

How to request an account

To start selling on Conrad, fill in the appropriate Sell on the Conrad Marketplace contact form:

• German sellers - fill out the Verkaufen Sie auf dem Conrad Marketplace contact form. A German tax number, commercial register extract, legal representing ID document, and bank account statement are required. Further details are provided during the onboarding process by the Conrad business developer.
• Dutch sellers - fill out the Verkoper worden contact form. Only companies with a warehouse location in the Netherlands and a Dutch VAT number can sell their products on the Conrad Marketplace.

After you filled out the form, a Conrad business developer contacts you and guides you through the next steps. 

Marketplace features

Supported	Not supported
Product offers (based on the SKU)	Returns (marketplace)
Product content	Marketplace fulfillment service
Orders (no split orders)	Repricing
Cancelations (merchant)	Automatic relationships
Returns/refunds (merchant)	Sales channels
Shipments
Product variations (sizes/colors)
Carrier mapping
HTML formatting
Multiple stock locations

Settings and configuration

Setting up each marketplace on ChannelEngine follows the same flow, once you add the marketplace:

1. Go through the Setup.
2. Create a Product selection.
3. Complete the Categorization.
4. Set up the Mappings: content, offers, and carriers.
5. Configure the Pricing: rules and currency conversion.
6. Finish the Activation.
7. Check the Listed products overview.

Marketplace-specific requirements and exceptions

Setup

Conrad has specific requirements for sellers such as: German sales tax identification number, logistics in Germany, and shipping of individual orders.

Conrad also has some strict rules concerning products. Sellers are not allowed offering products that have a  Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft (FSK), Germany's Self-Regulatory Body of the Movie Industry, rating above 18 – or content that glorifies violence or war. Also, products subject to the battery deposit law cannot be offered on Conrad.

On ChannelEngine

Conrad is a Mirakl-based channel, so you can connect it to ChannelEngine using a Mirakl Connect SSO account. For more information on this, check out the Mirakl-based channels: SSO authorization article.

You can leave the Mirakl seller name field empty, as Conrad does not support repricing.

Invoice uploads

To configure your invoice settings, click Advanced settings. You can then click the dropdown menu Enable invoice uploading, which contains the following options:

• ChannelEngine invoices - when ChannelEngine receives a shipment, it automatically generates an invoice and attaches it to the shipment before exporting it.
• Merchant invoices (optional) - when ChannelEngine receives a shipment, it exports it – even if there is no invoice attached to it.
• Merchant invoices (required) - when ChannelEngine receives a shipment, it only exports it if an invoice is attached to it. If not, you receive a notification.
• None - when ChannelEngine receives a shipment, it takes no action other than notifying you that no invoice is present.

If you select one of the Merchant invoices options, make sure to enable the invoice upload to ChannelEngine via the Merchant API. For that, call the POST /v2/orders/{merchantOrderNo}/invoice endpoint. Note that only invoices in PDF are supported.

Invalid XML characters

To remove invalid XML characters from your product data, click Advanced settings and enable the Check and filter invalid XML characters setting. ChannelEngine checks product data submitted in the XML format for invalid characters (e.g.: Ã, ¢, â, etc.). Once identified, invalid characters are removed or converted to a valid equivalent.

Categorization

Categorization is mandatory if you want to create or update existing product information on Conrad. Both categorizations and mappings only result in updates if the content connection is enabled, and the relevant credentials have been entered (see the Setup section). The categorization is straightforward, and it uses attribute names in German.

Mappings

Content

Required

• Brand name - the brand of the article. This attribute is, in fact, optional. If a value is not entered, No name is used. If one of your brands is missing, please contact Conrad.
• Content units - the correct unit of measurement.
• Content units per selling unit - what is inside the sold item? It can be 1 piece, 2 pieces, 100 pieces, etc. It is important that this is correctly mapped, using a numeric value with a precision of up to 4 decimal points (e.g.: 0.0001). The 'Content units' mapping is used to set the correct unit of measurement
• Manufacturer article ID - the unique manufacturing part number (MPN). MPNs are crucial when it comes to online product findability. Brands, that is, items not classified as No name products, require an MPN.
• Product title - a unique description of the product in German, with all relevant and distinguishing features. The product name must have at least 20 characters, and a maximum length of 120 characters. It is advised to use a maximum of 70 characters. Unique selling points can be entered in English.
• Product ID - the unique number of the item in the seller's system. This ID or SKU is used as reference for the offers, and requires a length between 1 and 40 characters.
• Selling unit of measure - the way the product is sold: 1 piece, 1 pair (i.e.: 2 pieces that belong together), 1 pack (i.e.: 3 or more of the same item), 1 set (multiple items), 1 meter (if buyable in variable lengths), etc.
• VAT rate - the VAT classification of the product: normal tax, reduced tax (e.g.: books), no tax, or reverse charge.

The following attributes are marked as optional, but mapping them is highly recommended:

Optional

• Artikelzustand (Item condition) - the condition of the article. E.g.: new, used, refurbished, etc.
• Commercial text - the description of the product. There is no length restriction, and limited HTML is supported (p, ul, b, li, em, br). Although optional, it is recommended that you map this attribute.
• Images - URL of the product image. Images must have a height or length of at least 400 px, and the format must be PNG, JPG, TIF, or GIF. Note that product images are required, even though they are marked as optional.

Product variations

Conrad provides a way to define product variants (parent-child relationships) using two attributes:

• Variant - the value or characteristic of the child product that differentiates it from other products under the same parent (e.g.: 16 GB). When variations exist within the same product family, Conrad displays them on the main product page in the dropdown menu Variants, provided that the total number of variations does not exceed 25 per parent product.
• Variant-group identifier - your internal ID assigned to a group of product variants (parent). All products within the same series or range should be grouped using the same value. E.g.: iPhone 12. 

Product-type specific

Conrad does not have any required product type-specific attributes, however they do have many optional attributes that are both product type-specific and generic attributes. This is because Conrad specializes in electronics, and each type of product can have multiple possible attributes (e.g.: number of connections, number of ports, types of sockets, power requirements, etc.).

Offer

The only mandatory offer mappings are Price, which is your desired sale price, and Reverse charge, which should be set to No unless your finance department advises you otherwise.

Optional

• Condition description - the description of the product's condition if it is different from new. E.g.: manufacturer refurbished product – as good as new.
• Discount end date - the date until when the product's sale price is valid, if applicable. The date format is YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS ZZ. E.g.: 2022-12-31 23:59:59 +00.
• Discount price - the product's sale price, if applicable. This attribute must have a lower value than the Price attribute.
• Discount quantity threshold - the minimum quantity required for the discount rate to be available.
• Discount start date - the date from when the product's sale price is valid, if applicable. The date format is YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS ZZ. E.g.: 2022-12-31 23:59:59 +00.

The following offer attributes are common to some Mirakl-based marketplaces, particularly in France and Germany:

• ECO #1-5 - Amount - the amount due for the eco-contribution related to the product. E.g.: 2.50.
• ECO #1-5 - EPR category code - the extended producer responsibility (EPR) code that applies to the product. For a list of category codes, check out the article Providing data to comply with circular economy regulations in Mirakl's help center (note that you need to be logged in to Mirakl to access this page). E.g.: DE-WEEE, FR-DEA, etc. 
• ECO #1-5 - Producer ID - your producer ID, received upon registering with a packaging register, such as Germany's LUCID. The maximum number of characters is 255.

The following offer attributes are common to Mirakl-based marketplaces:

• Leadtime to shipment - the number of days before you ship the product. By default, this is set to two. You can create your own unique rules, if applicable. For more information on this, check out the article Lead time to ship in Mirakl's help center.
• Minimum quantity alert - map this attribute to receive a notification from Mirakl if your stock drops below the threshold defined.
• Offer state - the product's condition. Find your option from the dropdown menu by selecting the fixed value to apply to all.
• Product tax code - the taxation code applicable to the product.
• Logistic class - your optional shipping class. Make sure to map it using the marketplace’s codes, not the labels visible in the front-end. These codes vary per marketplace. If this marketplace makes uses of logistic class codes, they can be found below.

Code	Label	Description
SM1	Klein & Medium 1 (Small & medium 1)	Less than 1 kg
SM2	Klein & Medium 2 (Small & medium 1)	From 10.1 kg to 15 kg
SM3	Klein & Medium 3 (Small & medium 1)	From 15.1 kg to 31.5 kg
bulk	Sperrgut (Bulky goods)	Bulky goods from 31.6 kg to 40 kg
pallet	Palette (Pallet)	Pallet from 40.1 kg to 500 kg
extra1	Weitere Logistikklasse 1 (Other logistics class 1)	Price for logistics class 1
extra2	Weitere Logistikklasse 2 (Other logistics class 2)	Price for logistics class 2
free	Kostenfreier Versand (Free shipping)	Use the logistics class to define the shipping costs for an offer
FSM1	Fulfillment Klein & Medium 1 (Fulfillment Small & Medium 1)	Fulfillment less than 10 kg
FSM2	Fulfillment Klein & Medium 2 (Fulfillment Small & Medium 2)	Fulfillment from 10.1 kg to 15 kg
FSM3	Fulfillment Klein & Medium 3 (Fulfillment Small & Medium 3)	Fulfillment from 15.1 kg to 31.5 kg
fbulk	Fulfillment Sperrgut (Fulfillment bulky goods)	Fulfillment bulky goods from 31.6 kg to 40 kg
fpallet	Fulfillment Palette (Fulfillment pallet)	Fulfillment pallet from 40.1 kg to 500 kg
fextra1	Fulfillment Weitere Logistikklasse 1 (Fulfillment Other Logistics Class 1)	Fulfillment other logistics Class 1
fextra2	Fulfillment Weitere Logistikklasse 2 (Fulfillment Other Logistics Class 2)	Fulfillment other logistics Class 2
fulfree	Fulfillment Kostenfreier Versand (Fulfillment Free Shipping)	Fulfillment free shipping
oci	OCI Sortiment (OCI assortment)	OCI assortment - no shipping costs, for participants CE D FDS

 

Working with discounts

• To set up a discount, you must map the Discount price, Discount start date, and Discount end date attributes. If you want to set a permanent discount, map the Discount end date attribute with a date in the far future instead of leaving it unmapped. Otherwise the offer is not exported, and errors are shown on the Validation and feedback tab.
• If your discounted price is not lower than the base price, it is not exported.
• If you do not want to set a bulk discount, leave the Discount quantity threshold attribute unmapped – otherwise the export is broken.
• If you do want to set a bulk discount, the Discount quantity threshold must be set to a value higher than 1. E.g.: a value of 2 indicates that two or more of the product must be purchased at the same time for the buyer to benefit from the discount.

Carrier

Carrier mapping is not required on Conrad. However, you can map your carrier to a specific list of carriers maintained by Conrad. This allows for working track-and-trace links in the back-end, as well as for the buyer. If your default carrier is missing, please contact Conrad.

Listed products

If you have problems with products not appearing on Mirakl-based marketplaces – especially if you are trying to create products – check the Listed products page for more information.

You can either filter on Channel status (select Invalid to show all products that ChannelEngine has not exported, such as products with an empty GTIN or that currently do not exist on the marketplace) or use the Validation and feedback tab to see all known errors for specific products.

For detailed status reports, go to the Mirakl back-end. Their reports contain specific errors if a product or product offer cannot be created. To find them, go to My inventory, Import from file, Track offer imports/Track product imports. By hovering over the 'i' under the Status section, you can see how many products in the file were processed correctly and how many had errors, etc.

If there are errors, the last column shows a downloadable file in which they are listed. The same goes for the product file import, but this can contain multiple files because processing goes through several systems. There is also a manual check of your submitted content, which, once approved, goes to staging as well. Note that you need to map as much as possible to prevent products from not being created.

FAQs

How do I know what optional attributes should be mapped?

In the ConradB2B Mirakl portal, select  My inventory > Import from file. In the panel on the right-hand side, select either the CSV or XLSX template. Select a file template to download, and then select the requirement level of attributes. Finally, select the categories. The resulting file shows you an overview of the required, recommended, and optional attributes for the selected product category.

I have created new products on Conrad, but they are not yet visible. What happened?

Conrad is quite strict when it comes to the quality of product information, a manual content is performed. Therefore, it can take some time before new content is accepted and offers are created.

What does reverse-charging VAT mean?

Reverse charge is a mechanism where the recipient of the goods is liable to pay VAT, instead of the supplier. Make sure to consult your accountant or finance department to find out if reverse charging applies to your business.

How should I set up my product title?

The product title is a clear description of the product, with all relevant and distinguishing features. The product title is also very relevant to find the product through the internal search engine. Product titles should be set up in the following way: item name, brand, Merchant product number, type, and any other product features (sorted by importance). It is recommended to compare your product with existing products in the same category, and apply the same style.

Try to avoid content duplication and the use of unnecessary capital letters, which leads to downgrades. Enter MPNs and types according to industry practices. To include features in the product title, spaces are used as separators.

E.g.: Apple iPhone 8 Refurbished (sehr gut) 64 GB 4.7 Zoll (11.9 cm) iOS 11 12 Megapixel Red.

How often does each task run on Mirakl-based marketplaces?

By default, Mirakl-based marketplaces follow the schedule below:

Task	Frequency
Export product data to channel	every 60 minutes
Export product offers to channel	every 15 minutes
Import product offers from channel	every 15 minutes
Import orders from channel	every 15 minutes
Export order shipments to channel	every 15 minutes
Export returns to channel	every 30 minutes

Can I simultaneously set up mapping on ChannelEngine and in the Mirakl back-end?

Configuring mapping in the Mirakl marketplace back-end interferes with ChannelEngine's content export. For accurate product content export, stick to categorizing and mapping your products’ content on ChannelEngine only.