PIM for electrical and plumbing wholesale on Shopware

A PIM for electrical and plumbing wholesale on Shopware has to take over large supplier catalogues cleanly and then keep prices, tiers and texts under control. PIM for Shopware reads DATANORM 4.0 and 5.0 directly in the admin, matches supplier lists by EAN or manufacturer number and maintains tier prices per price rule.

Key points

Read DATANORM 4.0 and 5.0 directly in the Shopware admin, by upload or from a URL.
Match Excel and CSV lists by product number, EAN/GTIN or manufacturer number, with validation before anything is written.
Tier prices per price rule in percent, plus minimum and maximum purchase and purchase steps for many products.
Protect maintained product texts from being overwritten by connected systems.

Typical data problems in electrical and plumbing trade

In electrical and plumbing wholesale, product data rarely comes from a single source. Every manufacturer delivers its own catalogue, often in DATANORM format, sometimes as an Excel list with its own column names. Shopware does not know DATANORM. The usual route therefore runs through a converter, then Excel and finally into the shop as CSV. Each of these intermediate steps is a source of errors.

On top of that come the specifics of the trade:

Many products, similar names: cables, fittings and installation material often differ only in size or version. Only the product number, EAN or manufacturer number is unique.
Short catalogue texts: short texts from supplier files are often too brief for the storefront and need rework.
Quantities and prices: trade customers buy in quantities. Tier prices, minimum purchases and purchase steps are everyday business and must be right after every price round.
Interfaces: ERP and supplier data write to the shop regularly and tend to overwrite texts that were reworked in the shop.

PIM for electrical and plumbing wholesale: the right features in Shopware

Read DATANORM directly

The PIM import recognises DATANORM files by content and extension, including volume extensions such as .001. Versions 4.0 and 5.0 are read with their respective field layout. Besides the article records, the import takes over long texts and price records. You upload the file or fetch it from an address via "Import from URL". It then runs through the same column mapping and validation as any CSV file.

Match supplier lists

For Excel and CSV lists you choose the key under "Match products by": product number, EAN/GTIN, manufacturer number or product ID. With supplier data, the manufacturer number is often the more reliable key. The mode "Update only" leaves new rows out, "Create new only" guarantees that existing products stay untouched. You save mapping, delimiter and mode as an import profile for the next delivery.

Tier prices, quantities and units

You maintain tier prices per price rule with a discount in percent. The PIM calculates the price from the base price and creates the row from quantity 1 automatically. For whole ranges, "Define tiers" in bulk edit sets the tiers of a price rule. In the same tab you set minimum and maximum purchase and the purchase step, in the Shipping tab the pack unit, content quantity and reference unit. Tier prices are not CSV columns; they are created in the PIM, not in the import.

Data quality and text protection

Custom filters on EAN/GTIN, manufacturer number or "description is empty" show gaps after the import. The PIM dashboard lists duplicate EANs among the top problems. If an ERP writes to the texts via a Shopware integration, the external system guard restores the maintained state of name, description and meta texts per language.

Typical process: take over a manufacturer catalogue

Load the file: open the CSV window in the PIM product list and select the DATANORM file or the manufacturer's Excel list.
Choose the key: set the product matching, for example by product number or manufacturer number, and the import mode.
Check the columns: review the detected fields and skip columns that should not go into the shop.
Validate: the validation counts new, updated and skipped rows and lists warnings.
Import: start the import, with strict mode for critical files. The change log records the run.
Follow up: filter the new products, set tiers with "Define tiers" and minimum quantities in bulk edit.

How tiers are created for a whole range is shown in the bulk edit video:

Video · 1:41 min.Bulk editSee the feature in action, with on-screen explanations.Watch video →

Frequently asked questions

Which DATANORM versions does the PIM read?

DATANORM 4.0 and 5.0. The version is detected from the file, and volume extensions such as .001 are also read as DATANORM.

Can I match supplier data by manufacturer number?

Yes. During import you choose product number, EAN/GTIN, manufacturer number or product ID under "Match products by".

Do tier prices come from the import?

No. Tier prices are not CSV columns. You maintain them in the detail view or set them for many products in bulk edit with "Define tiers".

Can minimum purchase and purchase steps be set in bulk?

Yes. Bulk edit sets minimum and maximum purchase (0 means unlimited) and the purchase step for all selected products.

What if an import writes wrong values?

In the "Change log" tab of the CSV window, "Undo last import" resets the most recently imported changes. In addition, each import creates a snapshot unless this is switched off.

Try PIM for Shopware

All licence models and terms are listed on the pricing page. Want to know up front whether the PIM fits your shop and your processes? Get in touch via the contact form - we answer personally.

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