The Bay: marketplace guide
About this guide
This is a ChannelEngine guide on the Toronto-based marketplace The Bay. Here you can find information on how to request a The Bay account, how to configure this channel on ChannelEngine, what the specific requirements are, and more.
Table of contents
Marketplace-specific requirements and exceptions
Commercial information
Founded | 2 May 1670 |
Headquarters | Toronto, Canada |
Area served (orders) | Canada |
Area served (shipments) | anywhere |
Number of monthly visits | circa 20 million |
Website | The Bay |
Setup cost | none |
Payment | twice/month |
Product categories | books, music, films, cameras auto/motorcycle parts, fashion, cooking, DIY/gardening, electronics, food, furniture/interior design, games/toys, household appliances, kids/babies, musical instruments, cosmetics, pets, shoes, bags, luggage, sports equipment, office supplies/professional equipment, telecommunications equipment, video games, refurbished |
Input language | English, French |
Input currency | CAD |
Content creation | yes |
Minimum number of SKUs | no |
Advertisement options | yes |
Profile on ChannelEngine | The Bay |
How to request an account
The Bay is curated to align with department store standards. To learn more about The Bay, check out the page The Bay Marketplace.
To start selling on The Bay, fill out the marketplace application form.
The following requirements apply:
- Goods and services tax (GST) registration number.
- Universal product codes (UPC) for products.
The Bay's team can assist merchants with sourcing these requirements, if needed, during the onboarding process.
Associated costs
The Bay does not charge a setup fee, but it does charge a monthly fee and a commission fee that varies according to the product category.
Marketplace features
Supported | Not supported |
Product offers | Repricing |
Product content | Marketplace fulfillment service |
Orders | Returns (channel) |
Cancelations | Sales channels |
Returns (merchant) | |
Shipments | |
Carrier mapping | |
Refurbished products | |
HTML formatting | |
Multiple stock locations | |
Bundles |
Settings and configuration
Setting up each marketplace on ChannelEngine follows the same flow, though not every marketplace includes the steps listed below.
- Go through the Setup.
- Create a Product selection.
- Complete the Categorization.
- Set up the Mappings: content, offers, and carriers.
- Configure the Pricing: rules and currency conversion.
- Finish the Activation.
- Check the Listed products overview.
Marketplace-specific requirements and exceptions
Setup
On ChannelEngine
The Bay 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.
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 upload the invoice to ChannelEngine via the Merchant API or via the web interface. To learn more, check out the article ChannelEngine: merchant invoices.
Categorization
Categorization on The Bay is straightforward, and all categories are listed in English.
Mappings
Content
All products (required)
- Brand - the product's brand. Make sure to spell it exactly like the brand owner spells it. E.g.: adidas, instead of Adidas.
- Color - the product's color, written with the first letter in uppercase. If the product has no color value, use 'no color'. E.g.: Black, White, etc.
- Color group - the product's color group, written with the first letter in uppercase. This attribute is used in search filters. E.g.: if your product's color is defined as tangerine, its group color is orange.
- Country of origin - the two-letter ISO 3166 code of the country where the product was manufactured. E.g.: MX, VN.
- Enable giftwrap - defines if the product can be giftwrapped. Currently the only option is 'false'.
- Enable HBC points - defines if buyers receive Hudson's Bay points for buying the product. Currently the only option is 'true'.
- Enable product reviews - defines if the product can be reviewed by buyers. Currently the only option is 'true'.
- Enable Quicklook - defines if the product can be previewed by potential buyers before they access the product detail page (PDP) itself. Currently the only option is 'true'.
- Enable wishlist - defines if the product can be added to potential buyers' wishlists. Currently the only option is 'true'.
- Name (English) - the product's name, written in English and in title case. The product's brand, color, or size cannot be included in the name, and the maximum number of characters allowed is 200. The target gender can be added as a prefix. E.g.: Women's Handmade Alpaca Socks.
-
Name (French) - the product's name, written in French and in title case. The product's brand, color, or size cannot be included in the name, and the maximum number of characters allowed is 200. The target gender can be added as a prefix. E.g.: Chaussettes En Alpaga Faites À La Main.
NB: it is not allowed to add special characters to the Name attributes (e.g.: ®).
- PDP template - the template for the PDP. Currently the only option is 'standard'.
- Product details (English) - the product's description, written in English. HTML formatting is supported, and the maximum number of characters allowed is 7,000.
- Product details (French) - the product's description, written in French. HTML formatting is supported, and the maximum number of characters allowed is 7,000.
-
Product image (main) - the product's main image. The following requirements apply:
- Background - white.
- Resolution - 300 dpi.
- File size - at least 1 MB.
- Dimensions - a minimum height 1,312 px and a minimum width of 984 px, with recommended dimensions of 2,000x2,000 px.
- File format - PNG, JPEG, or GIF.
- Images must be sharp and have a good contrast when zoomed in at 200%.
- Seller SKU - the product's Merchant product number.
- Size - the product's size, according to the North American standard. If the product has no size value, use 'one size'.
- Size refinement - see Size.
- Swatch HEX value - the product's hexadecimal color code, without the pound sign (#). If the product has no size value, use 'FFFFFF'. E.g.: 000000 (i.e.: black).
- UPC - the product's unique identifier.
- Variant group code - enables variations of the parent product.
All products (optional)
- Dangerous goods - specifies if a product is regulated as a dangerous good or if it contains hazardous material.
- Mirakl product status - the product's availability. The options are 'active' or 'discontinued'.
-
Product image 2-7 - the product's additional images. The following requirements apply:
- Resolution - 300 dpi.
- File size - at least 1 MB.
- Dimensions - a minimum height 1,312 px and a minimum width of 984 px, with recommended dimensions of 2,000x2,000 px.
- File format - PNG, JPEG, or GIF.
- Images must be sharp and have a good contrast when zoomed in at 200%.
-
REF-responsible - the product's sustainability credential. The options are:
- Canadian - the product has a Canadian designer or was made in Canada.
- Planet conscious - the product is organic, reused, reusable, upcycled, or somewhat recycled.
- Pre-loved - the product is second-hand.
- Refurbished - the product is refurbished.
- Responsibly sourced - the product uses sustainable farming, for instance.
- Vintage - the product was made between 20 and 100 years ago.
Offer
All products (required)
The only mandatory offer mapping is Price, which is your desired sale price.
All products (optional)
- Duties - the product’s duties value, if applicable. If you add duties, the value you enter in the Price attribute should be inclusive of duties. All products must be delivery-duty paid (DDP), so buyers are not charged duties for their purchases.
The following offer attributes are common to some Mirakl-based marketplaces:
- 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 all Mirakl-based marketplaces:
- 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.
- 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 use of logistic class codes, they can be found below.
Code | Label | Description |
s | small | Small items. Less than 2 lbs., and dimension less than 3 feet (LxWxH). |
m | medium | Medium items. Between 2 and 10 lbs., and dimension less than 6 feet (LxWxH). |
l | large | Large items. Between 10 and 30 lbs., and dimensions less than 12 feet (LxWxH). |
o1 | oversize | Oversized items. over 30 lbs., or dimension more than 12 feet (LxWxH). |
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 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 The Bay. However, you can map your carrier to a specific list of carriers maintained by The Bay. This allows for working tracking codes in the back-end, as well as for the buyer. If your default carrier is missing, contact The Bay.
Note that if you select Unknown as the carrier, you still need to provide a working tracking code.
Pricing
The Bay requires the prices to be submitted in CAD. If you do not have pricing attributes in CAD, you need to set a currency conversion.
Note that pricing on The Bay should be competitive with the pricing on other marketplaces where you sell.
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 use the Channel status filter (e.g.: products that ChannelEngine has failed to exported, such as those with an empty GTIN or that do not exist on the marketplace yet, are shown as Invalid) or the Validation and feedback tab to see all known errors for specific products.
Alternatively, you can access the marketplace's back-end and download the error report generated by Mirakl. To do so:
- Log in to the Mirakl back-end and go to Catalog, Product imports.
- Identify the latest report and click the See details button by it.
- Download the CSV file Non-integrated products report.
FAQs
How often does each task run on Mirakl-based marketplaces?
Tasks run according to the following schedule on Mirakl-based marketplaces:
Task | Frequency |
Export product data to marketplace | every 60 minutes |
Export product offers to marketplace | every 15 minutes |
Import product offers from marketplace | every 15 minutes |
Import orders from marketplace | every 15 minutes |
Export order shipments to marketplace | every 15 minutes |
Export returns to marketplace | every 30 minutes |
Can I map attributes on ChannelEngine and in the Mirakl back-end?
No. Mapping attributes in the Mirakl marketplace back-end interferes with ChannelEngine's content export. Therefore, it is recommended to stick to categorizing and mapping content only on ChannelEngine.
Why am I not receiving feedback on my content and/or offer exports?
Chances are you are receiving the feedback. However, different types of error report can take a couple of hours or several days to be generated:
- Offer feedback
- Error reports are mostly generated automatically, and are imported quickly.
- Content feedback
- Transformation error report - this is automatically generated, and usually imported within a maximum of one day.
- Conventional error report - this requires a manual review by the Mirakl-based marketplace, and not all do so. It can take several days for this report to be imported.
Note that the previous feedback report is not removed from ChannelEngine until both the latest transformation and conventional reports have been fully processed by ChannelEngine – or no new reports have been generated because there are no errors to report.
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