Zalando: why are my products not exported?

About this article

This article describes some of the most common issues preventing products from being exported to or accepted by Zalando, and how to solve them.

Introduction

Zalando has a long list of content-related requirements that must be met, before products are successfully created and listed on its marketplace. For more on this, check out the Zalando: checklist article.

If the product data does not meet the necessary requirements, it can be blocked by ChannelEngine or by Zalando. If the product does not pass the ChannelEngine validation, it does not get pushed to Zalando – and it does not become visible on zDirect. If the product data is exported, but rejected by Zalando, Zalando's validation feedback should be visible on zDirect and on ChannelEngine.

On ChannelEngine, all validation feedback can be found in the Listed products section, under the Validation and feedback tab.

Incorrect product relationships

When it comes to relationships between products, Zalando requires a simples (child) - config (parent) - model (grandparent) structure.

For example:

A structure like the one of the example, also applies to products that would normally be considered standalone, such as one-size items like handbags and earrings.

On ChannelEngine

If this structure is not available within ChannelEngine, products are either not exported to or rejected by Zalando. Therefore, it is mandatory that all products you want to sell on Zalando have a child-parent-grandparent structure on ChannelEngine.

E.g.:

More information on how to set up these parent-child relationships on ChannelEngine can be found in the article ChannelEngine: parent-child relationships.

If there is no correct child-parent-grandparent structure, the Status visible under the Validation and feedback tab remains stuck on 'NONE', and the action under the Export from ChannelEngine column remains on 'CREATE'.

Other common issues

The feedback provided can be difficult to interpret at times. Below you can find more information on common issues:

Internal Server Error: Internal Server Error.

The Zalando server that ChannelEngine exported data to has returned a server error, which prevents ChannelEngine from creating or updating the product. Contact Zalando's support to check why this error was returned.

Field/description value is wrong. Expected: Object, Actual: Undefined.

The product has no description. This can be resolved by adding a description to the product, be it via your product information system, product feed, or by setting an override in the content mappings on ChannelEngine.

Validation failed. Please see product with Id [NUMBER].

This type of feedback refers to a different product, normally the affected product's parent or grandparent. To find this product, follow these steps:

1. Go to Products, Products, select a product to open a product page.
   
2. Copy the product ID and replace the number (i.e.: the ID) at the end of the product URL on ChannelEngine and press Enter. In the example below, the value you need to replace with the ID copied from the feedback is 3.
   
3. Copy the Merchant product number/SKU of this product.
4. Search for the Merchant product number under the Validation and feedback tab. It should show one or more columns with validation errors in it for this product.

According to Zalando, the structure of this product is wrong. Please see children's product messages.

This error is displayed on the grandparent level of the affected product.

To troubleshoot it, carefully verify if the product data you provided follows Zalando's specifications and if all required attributes are mapped. If everything is correct, contact Zalando. They can inform you of how to restructure the products on the ChannelEngine side to match the products Zalando already has in their database.