Purpose of the material register in product information

Materials are a centralized, language-specific nomenclature from which a maximum of four materials are selected for a product. The product's material composition can be supplemented with percentages, and the system generates a language-specific material text from the selections.

The material register ensures that, for example, Puuvilla and Cotton belong to the same material record. The product's Materials field is not a free text field in the current editor, but the selection is made from the register.

Why use a materials register?

The Materials register unifies recurring material names across products and languages. Choosing from a ready-made nomenclature speeds up product maintenance and reduces case differences, synonyms, and typos.

The material text generated for the product is transmitted to the product data and the product feeds that use it. However, the register alone will not improve sales or reduce returns: the benefits depend on the quality of the nomenclature, the right product choices, and how the online store and external channels display the material information.

What does the Materials register contain?

The Materials register is located in the Products area. The list shows columns ID and Name , and each row opens its own material information page.

The material details page has one Name field for each data language. For example, the same material may have the Finnish name Puuvilla and the English name Cotton . A name is needed for all data languages in use so that the material can be selected for the product and saved for all product languages.

The list is paginated, displays 50 rows by default, and allows you to change the page size. If the register is empty, the view prompts you to create the first material.

Create a new material

A new material is created from the Materials list with the names of each data language.

1. Open Products > Materials .
2. Select New Material .
3. Enter a Name for each data language.
4. Select Save Material .

The name of an individual material can be up to 60 characters. Use the name for the material, not the entire composition statement: for example, create separate materials Puuvilla and Pellava , and specify the percentages with the product.

After creation, the new record opens on the material's own information page, where you can check the names by data language.

Edit material names

Material names are edited on the material's information page by data language.

1. Open the material from the list.
2. Select a language.
3. Change the Name field.
4. Move away from the field and the change will be saved automatically.

The name change affects subsequent product selections in the register. The material text previously created for the product is saved in the language-specific product information, so changing the name of the register does not itself rewrite the texts of all existing products. Open and save the products separately if their material text also needs to be updated.

Choose materials for the product

The product's Materials are selected from the register in connection with the product descriptions.

1. Open the product and its description tab.
2. Find the Materials section.
3. Select Add material and select a material from the list.
4. If necessary, enter a Percentage (%) between 0 and 100.
5. Add other materials, up to four total.
6. Exit the edited field to save the product changes.

The same material cannot be selected twice for a product. The percentage is material-specific and optional; the backend accepts each proportion separately between 0 and 100, but does not check that the sum of all proportions is 100. Check the composition as a whole yourself.

Example: Cotton and linen

The cotton–linen composition is built from two rows of the material register.

1. Create the material names Puuvilla and Cotton .
2. Create another material named Pellava and Linen .
3. Select Cotton for the product and enter 60 as the proportion.
4. Select Linen for the product and enter 40 as the proportion.

When saving, the backend generates the Finnish value 60% Puuvilla, 40% Pellava and the English value 60% Cotton, 40% Linen . If the percentage is left blank, only the material name will be included in the value. The generated language-specific text may not exceed 254 characters.

Remove material from the register

The material will be removed after separate confirmation on the material's details page.

1. Open the material to be removed.
2. Select Delete Material .
3. Check the material name in the confirmation.
4. Confirm deletion.

Deleting removes the material from the nomenclature, but does not clear the language-specific material texts already saved for the products. However, the old product value no longer matches the register, in which case the product editor may display the error Current material value does not match the material register . Replace the material with products before deleting the register row.

Registry size limit in the product editor

The product editor loads a maximum of 250 registry values for material selection. If the registry contains more values, the editor blocks material editing and displays a message that the entire registry cannot be used.

Therefore, avoid storing synonyms, case variations, and entire compositional sentences as separate materials. Merge the nomenclature before the number approaches the limit.

The limit applies to the product material selector, not to browsing the Materials register. This means that the register can still open even if the product selector cannot be fully formed.

How materials are transmitted to the online store and feeds

The materials are transmitted to the online store's product information as language-specific text generated for the product. The text is also transmitted as a material field to Google, Facebook, TradeDoubler, Locally and general product feeds, when the feed in question is used.

The material register itself is not visible to the customer. The active e-commerce theme must separately display the material field of the product information, so check the customer view with the correct product and language. The channel receiving the feed may also apply its own content requirements.

Good to know

The materials serve as a nomenclature and building blocks of composition, not as a free text bank.

• The material has a mandatory name for each data language.
• The name can be up to 60 characters long.
• You can choose up to four different materials for the product.
• The proportion is voluntary and can be 0–100.
• The total sum of the shares is not validated as 100 percent.
• The language-specific value generated for a product can be a maximum of 254 characters.
• Changing the registry name does not automatically update old product texts.
• A registry deletion may leave a value for the product that the editor no longer recognizes.
• More than 250 registry values prevent material selection from being edited in the product editor.