Product catalogue checklist: prepare your products before building a store

Before uploading your catalogue, prepare one complete product record. It is easier to correct a missing measurement, unclear option or incorrect price once than to repeat the same mistake across every listing.

This checklist works as a preparation document for an existing Instagram seller, handmade business or small shop. It is not a required import format for oBizee or any other platform. Check the destination tool's accepted fields before importing data.

1. Give every product a clear identity

Write a name that helps a customer recognise the item. Include distinguishing details where useful, but avoid stuffing the title with unrelated search phrases.

“Floral crochet keychain — yellow” is easier to distinguish from another item than “New beautiful design 3”. An internal code can sit beside the customer-facing name; it does not have to become the title.

Keep a stable identifier for the product and each sellable variant. Do not rely only on row position or a photo filename, which may change when you organise the catalogue.

2. State exactly what the buyer receives

Write the quantity, contents, material and dimensions you can substantiate. If the photograph shows styling props or several products, clarify what is included in the price.

For a set, list its components. For a personalised item, identify the information needed from the buyer. If a colour, finish or handmade detail varies, describe that honestly.

Do not add claims such as hypoallergenic, food-safe, waterproof or suitable for children without appropriate evidence. A product description is not a place to guess a material's properties.

3. Separate options from instructions

A size or colour can identify a distinct stock item. A gift message is usually an instruction. Treating both as interchangeable text fields can make fulfilment confusing.

For each option, record:

• The option name the customer sees.
• The valid choices or combinations.
• Whether it changes price, stock, image or preparation time.
• Any information the buyer must supply.

Do not list combinations you cannot sell. Test how the destination store handles a missing selection and an unavailable combination. An attractive selector is not proof that the order contains the correct variant.

4. Check the selling price and quantities

Record the current price for the item or variant. If you show a comparison price or discount, keep evidence for the comparison and check that the amount selected in the bag matches the offer shown.

Keep stock quantities separate from minimum order quantity, pack size and made-to-order capacity. “One pack of six” should not accidentally become six single items at the pack price.

If you sell through several channels, decide which stock record is authoritative and who updates it. Do not assume two tools synchronise unless the connection has been verified.

5. Match images to the actual product

Choose a main image that makes the product identifiable, then add useful detail views. Check that the photos belong to the listed item and selected colour.

Record where each image came from and whether you have permission to publish it. A supplier sending a photograph is not always evidence that they can license every element of it.

Remove visible customer details, shipping labels or unrelated personal information. Write descriptive alternative text for meaningful product images; do not use it as a list of repeated keywords.

Preview the image crop on a phone. Keep an original master copy separately so later optimisation does not force you to work from an already degraded image.

6. Prepare fulfilment facts

Write whether the item is ready to ship or made to order. Separate preparation time from delivery estimates. Record the information your shipping workflow actually needs, such as packed weight and dimensions, rather than guessing from the unwrapped product.

Identify restrictions, fragile handling or personalisation checks that affect the order. Explain customer-facing conditions clearly, without claiming a carrier service or guaranteed arrival you have not verified.

Check that the customer can find the applicable delivery and return information before ordering. Product preparation does not replace review of your business policies.

7. Organise the catalogue around useful choices

Group products so a shopper can find a relevant selection. For a small catalogue, a few understandable groups are better than many nearly empty categories.

Use the same terminology across product names, categories and social links. If a category image shows one of its products, make sure the image represents the category and you have permission to use it.

Do not assume your store supports every filter you can imagine. Prepare useful attributes, then check which are actually available to shoppers in the chosen storefront.

Copy this preparation record

Use one record per product, with a separate row for each stock-managed variant where needed.

Keep customer names, phone numbers and order details out of this product worksheet. It is a catalogue record, not a customer database.

Test one listing before importing everything

Create a sample in a safe preview or agreed test workflow. Inspect the product page, option selection, bag, total and merchant-facing order details. Check an unavailable option as well as a normal purchase path.

When the sample works, add the rest in manageable batches and compare the resulting counts and values. Import completion alone does not prove every photo, variant or price is correct.

Your final check is simple: can someone unfamiliar with your catalogue identify the item, select the right option, understand the cost and conditions, and leave you clear fulfilment instructions?

If you are evaluating oBizee, bring a sample catalogue for setup guidance. If you are transferring an existing store, ask for a migration assessment before changing its public links. Keep your current store's data and recovery plan until the transfer has been checked.