INNO: marketplace guide

About this guide

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

Table of contents

Commercial information

How to request an account

Associated costs

Channel features

Settings and configuration

Channel-specific requirements and exceptions

• Setup
• Categorization
• Mappings
• Listed products

Additional information

• Discount setup
• Deleting discounts

FAQs

Commercial information

Founded	2021 (its parent company, Galeria INNO, was founded in 1897)
Founder	François Vaxelaire (Galeria INNO)
Headquarters	Brussels, Belgium
Area served (orders)	Belgium, The Netherlands
Website	INNO
Setup cost	none
Commission	based on the product category (15-20%)
Other costs	EUR 39.99/month
Payment	every 1st, 11th and 21st of the month
Product categories	clothing, jewelry, accessories, home and garden, luggage, health and beauty, and more
Input language	Dutch and French
Input currency	EUR
Content creation	yes
Minimum number of SKUs	50*
Profile on ChannelEngine	INNO

* This criterion can be waived for certain product niches.

How to request an account

If you are interested in selling your products on INNO, contact your customer success manager at ChannelEngine via email. INNO, Galeria INNO's marketplace, opened in March 2021, focusing on the following categories:

At launch (mid-March 2021)

• Clothes for men, women, and children
• Accessories
• Handbags
• Textiles (home)
• Household
• Sunglasses
• Watches
• Jewelry
• Luggage and travel accessories

Post-launch

• Shoes for men, women, and children
• Beauty and fragrances
• Health and personal care
• Toys and games

INNO is a curated marketplace, that is, its administrators screen interested sellers before allowing them to publish their catalogs. By screening sellers, INNO wants to set a high level of quality. The screening process includes the following steps:

1. Know your customer (KYC) process via Stripe, their payment service provider, based on either business information or documentation provided by potential sellers to Stripe. You can find an overview of the details required by Stripe on Required verification information.
2. If the KYC check goes well, the prospect receives an email with a link to create their online store on INNO. This link is valid for 48 hours, and will give the seller direct access to the account creation page on the Mirakl platform.

Associated costs

INNO charges a fixed monthly fee of EUR 39.99, as well as a category-based commission on every sale. This percentage varies per category, though on average it is 15%.

Channel features

INNO uses the Mirakl framework, which is also used by other marketplaces such as Carrefour, Darty, Blokker, etc. Therefore, many mapping attributes and options may seem familiar if you have already used other Mirakl channels.

Settings and configuration

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

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.

Channel-specific requirements and exceptions

Setup

On ChannelEngine

INNO 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.

Your Mirakl seller name for INNO is only required if you want to use ChannelEngine's repricing feature.

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 only needed on INNO if you want to create new products or update existing product information. The categorization is straightforward, and it uses attribute names in English.

Mappings

Content

INNO enforces strict content guidelines, therefore it is important to make sure that your products meet these guidelines before you follow the setup process.

All products (required)

• Brand - refers to the brand or manufacturer of the product, and it is placed above the product name on the product listing page (PLP) and product detail page (PDP). You can select the brand name from the value list. If your brand does not appear on the list or if its design and/or spelling are incorrect, please contact INNO via email. Adjustments made in your back-end will not be reflected in the front-end.
• Collection - the product's collection, according to INNO's list of codes. E.g.: SS23, NOS (never out of stock), non-seasonal, etc.
• Color - the product's color.
• EAN - the product's unique identifier.
• Name [language] - this is the product title, and should describe your product as precisely and unambiguously as possible. Note that the Name must also follow certain guidelines:
  • It cannot contain the brand name. As the brand appears above the name, including it would make the brand appear twice.
  • It is a mandatory field in both Dutch and French.
  • Its maximum length is 56 characters (including spaces). However, it is recommended to limit it to 28 characters (including spaces) so it appears fully on all pages. If longer, the name will be cut at the 28th character – with the remaining characters not appearing on the listing page, for instance.
  • It must have the following structure, in which the marketing name is optional: Name = (marketing name) + category + product attribute.
• Product image 1 - a number of requirements apply to product images on INNO:
  • Minimum resolution - 1,050x1,200 px.
  • Maximum resolution - 3,000x3,000 px.
  • Recommended dimensions (to optimize the zoom functionality, and offer a qualitative customer experience) - 1,400x1,600 px.
  • Recommended aspect ratio - 7/8. This ratio is very important to ensure qualitative display on every page of the marketplace.
  • Maximum file size - 6 MB.
  • Supported image formats: GIF, JP2, JPG, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and TIF.
  • Main image: front view and fully visible (worn on a mannequin, in case of apparel).
  • Sets (or packs) - make sure to provide at least one image of the sets in which all articles are shown.
  • No watermarks, logos, or text components on the image.
  • Only the product itself may be shown. Do not include any assets in your images such as furniture or decorative items, as this can confuse customers.
  • Use a white, beige, or light gray background on all your images. Situational or ambient backgrounds are now allowed.
  • Do not include images in black and white.
  • The license of the images must be present.
  • Do not show any models under 18 for underwear and beachwear products.
• Shop SKU - this is your internal, unique product number or code. The maximum field length is 20 characters.

All products (optional)

• Excluded from loyalty program - indicates if the product should be excluded from INNO's loyalty program (yes) or not (no).
• Long description [language] - the product's description, detailing the product as much as possible. The following guidelines apply:
  • The description should be optimized for search engines (i.e.: SEO practices).
  • It is a mandatory field in both Dutch and French.
  • It cannot contain any advertising for other products or references (i.e.: links) to other sources of information.
  • It should be unique, to avoid duplicate content within your own website.
  • Its maximum length is 5,000 characters (including spaces).
• Mood - the product's style or suggested occasion. Select a value from the dropdown menu. E.g.: back to school, carnaval, Halloween, minimalist, etc.
• Other color - the product's additional color, if applicable.
• Prioritize variant on PLP - the product variant that should be highlighted on the product page. The options are yes and no.
• Product depth - unit - the unit of measurement relevant to the product's depth. E.g.: cm.
• Product depth - value - the product's depth. Only the numeric value is needed, but it must match with the unit mapped under Product depth - unit.
• Product diameter - unit - the unit of measurement relevant to the product's diameter. E.g.: cm.
• Product diameter - value - the product's diameter. Only the numeric value is needed, but it must match with the unit mapped under Product height - diameter.
• Product height - unit - the unit of measurement relevant to the product's height. E.g.: cm.
• Product height - value - the product's height. Only the numeric value is needed, but it must match with the unit mapped under Product height - unit.
• Product image 2-5 URL - the product's additional images. See Product image 1 URL for the list of requirements.
• Product length - unit - the unit of measurement relevant to the product's length. E.g.: cm.
• Product length - value - the product's length. Only the numeric value is needed, but it must match with the unit mapped under Product length - unit.
• Product variant image_1 URL - the product variant's image.
• Product weight - unit - the unit of measurement relevant to the product's weight. E.g.: kg.
• Product weight - value - the product's weight. Only the numeric value is needed, but it must match with the unit mapped under Product weight - unit.
• Product width - unit - the unit of measurement relevant to the product's width. E.g.: cm.
• Product width - value - the product's width. Only the numeric value is needed, but it must match with the unit mapped under Product width - unit.
• Seasonal - the product's season, if applicable. Select a value from the dropdown menu. E.g.: Easter, Mother's Day, etc.
• Series - the product's series, if applicable. E.g.: limited edition.
• Short description [language] - the product's short description.
• Size - this attribute is mandatory for apparel, swimwear, underwear, and shoes. Input is via a value list, from which you can select the sizes for your product.
• Sub-brands - the product's sub-brands, if applicable. Select a value from the dropdown menu.
• Variant group code - enables group variations of the same product. E.g.: a t-shirt in different colors and/or different sizes.

Offer

The only mandatory offer mapping is Price. This is your desired sale price, after (re)price rules are applied.

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.
• Minimum quantity alert - map this attribute to receive a notification from ChannelEngine 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. Below you can find the codes used by this marketplace:

Code	Label	Description
STANDARD	Standard package	Package < 30 kg, longest side < 1,5 m, belt circumference < 3 m.
LARGE	Large package	Package > 30 kg or longest side > 1,5 m or belt circumference > 3 m.
FRAGILE	Fragile package	Specific package for fragile products (glassware, tableware, mirrors, etc.)
INIT	Additional logistic class	For any package with special pricing which does not fit with the other categories.

Working with discounts

• Do not leave the Discount end date attribute unmapped. If you want to set a permanent discount, use a date in the far future instead. Otherwise the offer is not exported, and errors are shown under 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 INNO. However, you can map your carrier to a specific list of carriers maintained by INNO. 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 INNO.

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.

Additional information

Discount setup

To learn how to set up discounts on INNO, refer to the Mirakl-based channels: configuring discount prices article.

Deleting discounts

There are two approaches to deleting discounts from INNO: the first involves deleting data from an Excel file (XLS) with the offers, and the second removes the discounted offers from your product selection. Both are described below, along with what you should keep in mind when choosing one of the approaches.

Deleting via Excel file method

On ChannelEngine

1. On the INNO channel, go to Mappings, Offer mappings.
2. Under the Optional settings, locate the Discount price field. Set this attribute to Not mapped.

On INNO

1. Log into your Mirakl account.
2. Go to My inventory.
3. Go to the Offer list.
4. Under the + Add an offer button, click the export icon (indicated as a notepad file with an arrow pointing right). This generates an XLS file containing all your current offers.
5. Open the XLS and delete everything below the Discount price column.
6. Go to My inventory, Import from file.
7. Import the adjusted file to your Mirakl account.
   
   Important: deleting data from XLS files must be done carefully.

Deleting via product selection method

On ChannelEngine

1. Go to Mappings on your INNO channel.
2. Go to the Offer mappings tab.
3. Under the Optional settings, locate the Discount price field.
4. Set this attribute to Not mapped.
5. Go to the Product selection tab and delete whatever discounted products you need to delete from the offer.
6. Check if the deleted products have indeed been deleted from your store on INNO.
7. Return to the Product selection tab on ChannelEngine and add the deleted products again.
   NB: products deleted from the offer could be offline for hours. For more information, reach out to your INNO contact person.

FAQs

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

By default, Mirakl-based channels 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