Settings — System Configuration Guide

Audience: Admin, Product Manager

Prerequisites: Admin role; access to Settings

Status: General Availability

Configure global rules for products, inventory, SEO, quality control, notifications, and access. These settings apply platform-wide and ensure clean data, predictable publishing, and reliable alerts.

Why Settings Matter

• Data quality at scale: Enforce required fields, image limits, and SEO fields so every SKU meets your standards.
• Predictable publishing: Control default product status, approvals, and change reviews.
• Operational accuracy: Sync inventory correctly, prevent overselling, and trigger low-stock alerts.
• Proactive comms: Send the right notifications to the right people.

Sections Overview

Upload these screenshots to the article and place them under each section:settings-catalog.png (the tab with SKU, Default Status, Image settings, SEO, Life Cycle, Required Fields)settings-inventory.png (Enable inventory, negative inventory, low-stock threshold, price rounding)settings-notifications.png (Admin/Staff/Custom emails + notification types)

1) Catalog Settings

A. SKU Settings

• Enable Autogenerate SKU
  System creates SKUs automatically from your naming logic (e.g., title-based slug + counter).
  Use when: teams don’t have an external SKU authority and need unique, consistent IDs.
• Allow Custom SKU
  Let users override or enter SKUs manually.
  Tip: Keep both on for flexibility; use validation downstream to avoid duplicates.

B. Default Product Status

• Draft / Active / Archived
  Choose the status applied to new products.
  Recommended: Draft (prevents accidental publishing while records are incomplete).

C. Product Image Settings

• Image Required to Publish
  Blocks activation if image requirements aren’t met.
• Image Max Size (MB)
  Cap file size (e.g., 10–15 MB recommended; your UI shows 1024 MB as a max field—set a realistic value such as 10).
• Image Min Count / Max Count
  Enforce minimum and maximum number of images per product (e.g., min 1, max 10).
  Expected: Validation messages appear on save/publish if products are out of bounds.

D. SEO Settings

• Enable SEO Field
  Adds Page Title, Meta Description, and Keywords fields.
• Slug Auto Generate
  Automatically generates URL handles from product titles.
  Tip: Keep on for consistency; allow manual override for key products.

E. Product Life Cycle Settings

• Enable Auto-Validation
  Runs quality checks (required fields, images, etc.) when saving or publishing.
• Quality Score Threshold
  Minimum % or level (e.g., Low/Medium/High) required to pass validation.
• Minimum quality score required for product approval
  Gate the approval button unless the product meets the threshold.
• Enable Product Change Approval
  Sends edits to Pending Approval when enabled (see Approvals doc).
  Best for: larger teams or regulated catalogs.

F. Product Required Field (Checklist)

Tick the fields that must be present before publishing:

• Title, Description, Images, Price, Vendor, Tags, Collections, SKU, Barcode
  Expected: Save is allowed, but publish/activate is blocked if any required field is missing.

2) Inventory Settings

A. Stock Management

• Enable Inventory Tracking
  Turns on quantity tracking for products/variants; required for accurate availability and low-stock alerts.
• Allow Negative Inventory
  Lets stock go below zero (oversell).
  Recommendation: Keep OFF unless your business model needs backorders.
• Low Stock Threshold
  The quantity at which items are flagged as Low Stock (e.g., 10).
  Expected: Feeds dashboards/alerts; teams can prioritize replenishment.

B. Price Settings

• Price Rounding (Decimal Places)
  Control precision on price rounding (e.g., 2 for USD/EUR).

3) Notification Settings

A. Email Recipients

• Admin Email Address
  Primary address for system emails (e.g., admin@yourcompany.com).
• Staff Email Addresses
  Add internal teammates who should receive notifications.
• Custom Email Addresses
  Add external recipients (e.g., partner agency) when appropriate.

B. Notification Types

• Email Notifications (master switch)
  Global on/off for all email notifications below.
• Stock Notifications
  Alerts for low stock/out of stock events.
• Sync Failed Notifications
  Alerts when Shopify synchronization errors occur.
• Product Approved Notifications
  Sends emails when products require approval or have been approved.
• Weekly Report Notifications
  Summarized system activity report.

Tip: Start lean—Admin + 1–2 staff recipients, Stock + Sync Failed enabled. Add more as your processes mature.

4) Staff & Role (Where to Configure Access)

• Staff tab: Manage user profiles (invite/remove).
• Role tab: Assign permissions by role (Admin/Manager/Editor/Viewer or your custom roles).
• Full details: see “How to Manage User Roles & Permissions.”
  

Steps (Quick Setup)

1. Open: Settings → Catalog
2. • Turn Autogenerate SKU ON; allow Custom SKU if needed.
   • Set Default Product Status = Draft.
   • Enable Image Required to Publish; set Min 1 / Max 10; cap size (e.g., 10 MB).
   • Enable SEO fields + Slug Auto Generate.
   • Enable Auto-Validation; set Quality Score = Medium; tick Product Change Approval if you use reviews.
   • Tick required fields (Title, Images, Price, SKU, etc.).
2. Settings → Inventory
3. • Enable Inventory Tracking.
   • Keep Negative Inventory OFF (unless you backorder).
   • Set Low Stock Threshold = 10.
   • Set Price Rounding = 2 (or your local standard).
3. Settings → Notification
4. • Add Admin email; add key Staff and any Custom recipients.
   • Toggle Email Notifications ON.
   • Enable Stock, Sync Failed, Product Approved, and Weekly Reports as needed.
4. Settings → Staff / Role
5. • Invite users and assign roles per your policy (see Roles & Permissions guide).
     Expected: New/edited products follow your validation & approval rules; inventory & alerts function as configured.

Validate

• Create a test product and try to publish without required fields → publish should be blocked.
• Upload images that violate your limits → UI shows validation message.
• Reduce a product’s quantity below the Low Stock Threshold → recipient gets Stock Notification.
• Make a change when Product Change Approval is ON → product goes Pending Approval.
• Confirm price rounding displays as intended on product detail.

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

• Draft by default: Keeps incomplete SKUs from going live.
• Validate the essentials: Title, Image, Price, SKU should be required.
• Keep approvals light: 1-step approval avoids bottlenecks.
• Limit negative inventory: Only enable for intentional backorders with clear messaging.
• Tighten emails: Start with Admin + Ops; expand as needed to avoid inbox fatigue.
• Revisit quarterly: Adjust thresholds and required fields as your catalog matures.

Impact

• ✅ 100% rule-driven publishing (no accidental launches)
• 📦 Zero overselling with proper tracking and alerts
• 🔍 Cleaner SEO through enforced fields and slugs
• 📈 Faster onboarding thanks to auto-validation and required fields

Updated on: 04/11/2025