A common question we get is if Spark will automatically match vendors' products to Amazon ASINs.
The answer is yes, under certain conditions. We used to never automatically match to ASINs because it there is no way for Spark to know if this is the correct ASIN in Amazon. However, due to customer demand, we added a setting that can auto-match to an ASIN as long as there is only one ASIN.
🎥Watch our quick demo video to demonstrate this workflow:
Warning: Use the auto-match feature at your own risk; Amazon has a number of items in their catalog that are not correct and could cause you to have an order defect. Please weigh the risks versus the benefits of using this setting.
What setting controls this?
- In Spark Shipping click on sites
- In the left column click on Default Product Options
- Check Auto assign product ASIN to turn this on; it stays off unless it has been enabled for your site. Leave it unchecked if you do not wish to use this
- This will auto-match to an ASIN as long as there is only one ASIN in Amazon to match to
- If Spark Shipping already knows the ASIN for a product with the same UPC, that ASIN is reused without asking Amazon
- With this option on, pushing products can take longer because of Amazon API limits
Caveats:
- There must be a UPC associated with this item from the distributor; if not, Spark cannot retrieve a list of ASINs from Amazon; use the option to hide products with missing UPC in the Product Catalog
- Amazon must only have one ASIN listed and then Spark can auto-match; if Amazon has multiple ASINs, the customer must manually pick which ASIN to match to
- A UPC can return multiple ASINs that you could link to; there is no way for Spark to know which is the best one (i.e. An ASIN with a good BSR versus a duplicate with a bad BSR)
Tips when ASIN Matching:
- In Spark, before pushing items from the product catalog, you will want to make sure the vendor already has the UPC provided on this item; this is the only way for Spark to query Amazon to find a list of your possible ASIN matches
- In the vendor product catalog, click the checkbox to hide "Missing UPC" items, this way you only see items with UPCs
- Click "Add to catalog" and the product will be pushed to your "products" area where you can click into each item and make your ASIN matching decisions with the links provided
- If you pushed an item with no UPC to products then you will need to edit the item and provide the UPC so Spark can give you a list of possible ASINs
How do I know if ASINs were not successfully matched?
In each vendor go to the Products area
Any items that need your attention are listed under the Pushing Errors filter; click into the item to view the reason
The product page will show Please set an UPC first, No ASIN matches or Please select ASIN manually
In the example below, there are 2 possible matches for the ASINs; click the preview to pick the best item to link to; click the Set button to set the ASIN; this will then push the product to Amazon (products are only sent once they have an ASIN and a price)
🎥Watch our quick demo video to demonstrate this workflow: