Mapping categories to a marketplace

Each marketplace has its own category tree. A mapping connects one of your categories to a category on the marketplace.

Screen: Advanced → Category mapping. Access is protected by the Integrations permission, not Products.

Step by step: create one mapping

1. Go to Advanced → Category mapping.
2. Choose a channel in the Marketplace filter. Until you do, the screen says Select a marketplace to see category mappings and the table is empty.
3. Narrow the list with the Catalog and Mapping status filters (All / Mapped / Unmapped). Unmapped is the quickest way to see what needs work.
4. Click Add mapping at the top right. You can also click + in the row for an unmapped category; the catalog category field is then filled automatically.
5. In Add mapping, fill in Marketplace \* and Catalog category \*.
6. In Marketplace category \*, enter at least three characters. Search starts only then and runs on the server. The helper below says Enter at least 3 characters to search categories. Select only a leaf category; categories with subcategories are disabled in the list, and the field reminds you: Select a leaf category only (no subcategories).
7. Leave Default mapping for this category checked if this mapping should win when there are several mappings for the same category. It is checked by default.
8. Add Notes if needed.
9. Click Add. Mapping added confirms success; on failure, you will see Could not save mapping.

Edit an existing mapping with the edit icon (the Edit mapping window has a Save button; the marketplace and catalog category are locked). Delete it with the trash icon, then confirm in Confirm deletion with Delete.

Faster: from the category editor

1. Go to Catalog → Categories and click a category.
2. Open the Marketplace tab. Each channel has a row: mapped rows show the marketplace category; unmapped ones say Unmapped.
3. Click Map or Change category if one is already mapped. The Assign marketplace category window opens.
4. The window searches for your category name and shows up to three best matches. Click one or enter another phrase in Marketplace category. If the name returns no results, it says Nothing matches “…” — enter another phrase.
5. Click Assign.

Change category replaces that channel’s default mapping. To set several marketplace categories for one channel, use the Category mapping screen, reached with the arrow at the end of the row.

If the channel’s categories have not been downloaded yet, the window downloads them automatically (Allegro may take a few minutes).

An Allegro website category that is missing from the list

Allegro sometimes displays “categories” on its website that are only parameter filters. For example: Home and Garden > Furnishings > Textiles > Kitchen and Dining Textiles > Tablecloths. Listings are created in Kitchen and Dining Textiles; “Tablecloths” is a value of the required Type: tablecloth parameter. This category does not exist in Allegro’s API, so it is not in the list. Map the parent category and set the parameter.

No mapping, no listing

A product whose categories have no mapping for a channel is skipped during listing creation, with an error that the category mapping is missing.

This is one of the first things to check when listing “doesn’t work” for part of the assortment.

Default mapping

You can mark a mapping as default for a category–channel pair. If there are several mappings for the same category, the default is selected; if none is default, any active mapping may be used.

With multiple categories, the lowest number wins

This behavior is the most surprising:

If a product has multiple categories, the system chooses the one with the lowest internal number—not the category marked primary.

Despite its name, the primary category does not determine which category the product is listed under (A product’s primary category).

Practical takeaway: if the product must appear in a particular marketplace category, do not rely on the primary marker. Check whether its other categories have mappings; if necessary, limit the assignments or ensure that all mappings lead to the right place.

Where marketplace categories come from

Some channels let you download their category catalog; others require manual entry (Connected marketplaces and what each one cannot do).

One detail: there is no download button on the mapping screen. Download channel categories with Synchronize in the listing wizard, at the category selection step. Its tooltip says Download the latest category list from the marketplace. The mapping screen can search only categories that have already been downloaded.

Search and selection in the wizard

• Search categories... supports inflections: bluza finds “Bluzy” and kurtka finds “Kurtki.” With several words, order does not matter: bluza męska finds “Fashion > … > Men’s clothing > Hoodies.” Each word must appear in the name or path.
• Results show only leaf categories—the ones where the marketplace accepts listings. The path below a name shows where the category is in the tree.
• In the tree, clicking a category with subcategories expands it instead of selecting it. The mapping screen works the same way: a listing must use a leaf category.

Order for a new channel

This is the plan for all the work, not the procedure for one mapping; that is above.

1. Organize your categories (Category tree).
2. Download or enter marketplace categories.
3. Map them and mark default mappings.
4. Check on a few products which category was actually used.
5. Only then create listings in bulk.

People often skip step four and come back to it after listing a thousand products in the wrong category.