How to Set Up Product Approvals

Audience

Admin, Product Manager, Approver

Prerequisites

Access to Settings → Workflows → Approvals

Status

General Availability

Overview

Product Approvals create a structured review process that ensures all catalog updates are verified before going live.
This workflow helps maintain data accuracy, brand compliance, and accountability when publishing products to Shopify or other channels.

💡 Why Product Approvals Matter

Approval workflows prevent incomplete or incorrect products from being published, ensuring catalog integrity and compliance. They enable:

• Controlled publishing and version tracking
• Role-based accountability for product data
• Improved team collaboration before activation
• Error reduction in live product listings
• Transparent approval history for audits

When activated, the Product Approval Workflow adds a Pending Approval step between Draft and Active states.

⚙️ How the Approval Workflow Works

Steps

1️⃣ Enable Approvals Workflow

Go to Settings → Workflows → Approvals and toggle Product Approval Workflow = ON.
Expected: The review process activates for all products moving from Draft to Active.

2️⃣ Define Approval Rules

Click Manage Rules and configure which product actions require approval.

Common rules include:

• All new products
• Pricing changes
• Media or attribute updates
• Bulk edits affecting more than N products

💡 Tip: Keep rules minimal at first to simplify adoption.
Expected: Approval triggers apply automatically based on rule conditions.

3️⃣ Assign Approvers

Define who can approve product changes. Assign by Role (e.g., Admin, Manager) or Individual User.
For complex workflows, set multi-level approvals (e.g., Product Manager → Director).
Expected: Approvers appear in the workflow configuration list.

📸 Screenshot 5 – assign-approvers.png
User role assignment screen for approval permissions.

4️⃣ Submit for Approval

When a product is ready, click Submit for Approval instead of directly activating it.
The product status changes to Pending Approval.
Expected: Product becomes read-only until a decision is made.

5️⃣ Review and Approve

Approvers receive notifications via email or in-app alerts.
They can Approve, Request Changes, or Reject the submission.

💡 Tip: Include notes when requesting changes to improve clarity for submitters.

Expected:

• Approved → Product status = Active
• Rejected → Product returns to Draft with reviewer comments

6️⃣ Track Approval History

Open the Activity Log or Approval Dashboard to review submission history.
You’ll see details like submitter, approver, timestamps, and action taken.
Expected: Every approval event is recorded with user details for audit tracking.

✅ Validate

After setup, submit a test product for approval and confirm that the workflow triggers correctly.
Check that the designated approver receives a notification and can review the product.
Approve the product and verify that it moves to Active status automatically.
Review the Approval History to confirm that all actions are logged.

🔧 Troubleshooting

🌟 Best Practices

• Keep approval chains short (1–2 levels) to avoid bottlenecks.
• Assign clear roles and backup approvers.
• Use comments to provide feedback when rejecting submissions.
• Review approval reports weekly for audit readiness.

📈 Impact

✅ 100% traceable product publishing process
🔍 Reduced catalog errors before activation
🤝 Improved collaboration between teams

🧾 Summary

Product Approvals introduce structured, role-based workflows that ensure all product updates are verified and approved before going live — maintaining catalog quality, brand compliance, and traceability across MerchPIM and Shopify.

Updated on: 03/11/2025