Best Practices

These are the recommended ways to configure Channable Connect based on what we've seen work well across different store setups. We've included example configurations for common scenarios—basic setups, fashion stores, multi-channel sellers—so you can see how others are using the extension. There's also a list of common mistakes and how to avoid them.

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General Guidelines

Do's

✅ Map your EAN/GTIN attribute correctly—marketplaces require valid barcodes for product matching

✅ Use "Only Linked Simple Products" for configurable products so marketplaces get the actual variants

✅ Enable "Use Parent URL with Auto-Link" so customers land on the right variant

✅ Set an Order ID prefix (like "M-") to prevent conflicts with regular orders

✅ Enable product updates to keep stock and prices synchronized in near real-time

✅ Test your webhook with a test order before going live

✅ Use category or attribute filters to exclude products that shouldn't appear on marketplaces

Don'ts

❌ Don't export configurable parent products—marketplaces want purchasable items

❌ Don't skip the EAN mapping—products without barcodes have limited visibility

❌ Don't forget to set a shipping method fallback for order imports

❌ Don't enable logging in production unless you're actively debugging

❌ Don't use the same increment ID pattern as regular orders without a prefix

❌ Don't enable FBB/LVB settings if you're not using Fulfillment by Bol

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Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Basic Store with Simple Products

Use case: Small to medium store selling simple products (no variants) on bol.com or similar marketplaces.

Product Feed Configuration:

General:

• Enable: Yes
• Products per page: 250

Product Data:

• Name: name
• Description: description
• Brand: manufacturer
• EAN/GTIN: ean (or your barcode attribute)
• Image Source: All Images

Filter Options:

• Exclude Out of Stock: Yes (if you don't want to list unavailable items)

Order Configuration:

• Enable: Yes
• Default Shipping Method: Your preferred method
• Order ID Prefix: "M-"
• Create Invoice: Yes (marketplace already collected payment)
• Import Customers: No (keeps things simple)

Product Updates:

• Enable: Yes
• Cron: Every 15 minutes
• Products per run: 50

Result: Products sync to Channable with proper data, orders come into Magento automatically, and stock updates keep listings accurate.

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Scenario 2: Fashion Store with Configurable Products

Use case: Clothing or shoe store where products have size/color variants.

Product Feed Configuration:

Product Data:

• Size: size
• Color: color
• Brand: manufacturer or brand
• EAN/GTIN: ean

Product Types - Configurable:

• Use Configurable/Simple Products: Only Linked Simple Products
• Use Parent URL for Simples: Yes, with Auto-Link
• Use Parent Image for Simples: Only if Empty
• Use Parent Data for Simples: description (simples often don't have descriptions)
• Use Fallback only on Non-Visible Simples: Yes

Why this works:

• Marketplaces receive individual variants (Blue/Size M, Red/Size L, etc.)
• Each variant links to the configurable page with the right option pre-selected
• Variants without images fall back to the parent's images
• Description comes from the parent since simples rarely have their own

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Scenario 3: Multi-Marketplace Seller

Use case: Selling on multiple channels (bol.com, Amazon, Google Shopping) with different requirements.

Product Feed Configuration:

Advanced Options - Extra Fields:

• Add marketplace-specific attributes as extra fields
• Example: bullet_point_1, bullet_point_2 for Amazon
• Example: google_product_category for Google Shopping

Filter Options:

• Enable Advanced Filters: Yes
• Create filters to exclude products not suitable for certain channels
• Example: Exclude where marketplace_exclude equals "yes"

Multi-Store Setup:

Configure separate store views for each channel:

• Store View: "bol.com" → Specific product selection and pricing
• Store View: "Amazon" → Amazon-specific attributes and content
• Store View: "Google Shopping" → Google-optimized feed

Order Configuration:

Advanced Shipping Mapping:

• Map Amazon Prime to expedited shipping method
• Map bol.com standard to regular shipping method

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Scenario 4: High-Volume Store

Use case: Large catalog with frequent inventory changes.

Product Feed Configuration:

General:

• Products per page: 100-150 (lower than default to prevent timeouts)

Product Updates Configuration:

General:

• Products per run: 50 (balance between speed and server load)

Settings:

• Invalidation Modus: Observer (for real-time change detection)
• Cron: Every 5 minutes

Server Considerations:

• Ensure cron is running reliably
• Monitor server memory during feed generation
• Consider generating feeds during off-peak hours if possible

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Scenario 5: Store Using Fulfillment by Bol (FBB/LVB)

Use case: Using bol.com's fulfillment service where they handle storage and shipping.

Order Configuration:

Advanced:

• Accept FBB/LVB Orders: Yes
• Disregard Stock for FBB/LVB Orders: Yes (bol.com manages this inventory)
• Auto Ship FBB/LVB Orders: Yes
• Create Invoice for Order: Yes

Result: FBB orders import into Magento, automatically get invoiced and marked as shipped since bol.com handles fulfillment. Orders show as Complete immediately.

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Performance Optimization

Feed Generation

• Lower products per page if experiencing timeouts (try 100-150)
• Use category filters to reduce feed size if you have products that shouldn't be on marketplaces
• Schedule intensive operations (like static content deploy) outside of feed generation times

Product Updates

• Start with Observer mode for real-time updates
• Switch to Cron mode if observers cause performance issues
• Adjust cron frequency based on how often your stock changes

Order Import

• Enable logging only when debugging—it adds overhead
• Use alphanumeric Order ID to prevent issues with special characters

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Security Considerations

Webhook URLs

• Keep your webhook URLs private—they allow order creation in your store
• If a webhook URL is compromised, regenerate it by disabling and re-enabling the feature
• Consider IP whitelisting at the server level if your infrastructure supports it

API Access

• The feed URL contains a token—treat it as sensitive information
• Monitor for unusual activity in your Channable logs

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Common Mistakes

Mistake: Products not appearing in feed

Why it happens: Products filtered out by visibility, stock status, or category filters.

Correct approach:

1. Check product visibility (should be "Catalog" or "Catalog, Search")
2. Verify product is in stock (if stock filter is enabled)
3. Confirm product is in an included category (if category filter is enabled)
4. Run the self-test in the extension configuration

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Mistake: Configurable products showing instead of variants

Why it happens: Product type settings not configured to export simple products.

Correct approach: Set "Use Configurable/Simple Products" to "Only Linked Simple Products" in the Product Types section.

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Mistake: Orders failing to import with "duplicate increment ID" error

Why it happens: Channel order ID conflicts with existing Magento order numbers.

Correct approach: Set an Order ID prefix (like "M-" or "CH-") in the Order configuration.

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Mistake: Stock not updating on marketplace

Why it happens: Product updates cron not running or not enabled.

Correct approach:

1. Enable Product Updates
2. Enable the cron setting
3. Verify Magento cron is running (crontab -l should show Magento jobs)
4. Check logs for errors

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Mistake: Wrong prices in feed

Why it happens: Tax calculation settings don't match marketplace requirements.

Correct approach:

• For most European marketplaces: Use "Including Tax"
• If marketplace shows wrong prices: Try "Add Both Excl. and Incl. prices"
• Verify your Magento tax configuration is correct

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Mistake: Images not showing on marketplace

Why it happens: Image source set to "Base Image" only, or images marked as hidden.

Correct approach:

• Set Image Source to "All Images"
• Enable "Include Hidden Images" if you have marketplace-specific images
• Verify images are accessible (no authentication required)

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• All Help Articles - Complete documentation overview

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