Skip to content
Stone & Water

Shopware product approval workflow: review first, then go live

A Shopware product approval workflow makes sure that new or revised products only go into the shop once an authorised person has checked them. The PIM brings this process straight into the Shopware admin, with a status per product, bulk approval and proof of who approved what and when.

Key facts
  • Statuses Draft, In progress, In review, Needs revision, Approved for every product.
  • Approval is allowed for the listed approvers and the PIM superadmins; there is no separate Shopware permission for it.
  • Submitting and rejecting deactivate the product, only approval switches it active.
  • Status changes are recorded with user and time in the change history.

Product approval in standard Shopware

In standard Shopware a product is either active or inactive; there is no intermediate step. Anyone with editing rights can also switch a product online immediately. For small teams that may be enough. But as soon as temps, agencies or an import create new products, control is missing: a typo in the price, a missing image or a wrong text is live before anyone notices. Those who want to review make do with spreadsheet lists or agreements by email, and in the end nothing is traceable.

The Shopware approval workflow in the PIM

You switch the workflow on in the config matrix in the Approval tab with "Enable approval workflow". From then on a product becomes active through approval. Only approvers can toggle the active switch in the detail view, and only for approved products.

The statuses at a glance

  • Draft: products without an approval entry.
  • In progress: set by editors themselves so the team sees that someone is working on the product.
  • In review: the product has been submitted and is deactivated in the process.
  • Needs revision: the product was rejected with an optional reason and deactivated as well.
  • Approved: the product is active in the shop immediately. An approval can be revoked; the product then falls back to draft and is deactivated.

Who may approve

Approving and rejecting is allowed for the users whose user names are listed under "Approvers" in the Approval tab, one per line or comma-separated, and for all PIM superadmins. There is no separate Shopware role or ACL permission for approval; control works exclusively through this name list and the superadmin list. Fill in both lists explicitly. If no superadmin list is maintained, the PIM treats every user as a superadmin.

Making the status visible

In the detail view a status badge shows the current state with the matching buttons and, after a rejection, the reason. In the product list a coloured indicator marks every product, and a dedicated filter shows, for example, everything still awaiting approval. The Approval tab contains statistics with the number of entries, distribution by status and the oldest entry.

Approving many products at once

Approvers find the "Approval" action in bulk edit in the master data tab with approve, send back for revision (optionally with a reason) and reset. It appears while the workflow is active. Statuses are written in batches with one request per 200 products, so even large batches stay fast.

Log and retention

Submit, approve, reject with reason, revoke approval and "In progress" are recorded with user name and timestamp in the product's change history. In addition, approval logging stores the entries in a dedicated table. Optionally the PIM cleans them up automatically after 30, 60, 90 or 180 days, 1 or 2 years; cleaned products fall back to draft. Manually you delete drafts, older entries or all approval entries; this cannot be undone.

Step by step: setting up the approval workflow

  1. Define superadmins: enter the users who manage the PIM in the PIM Super Admin tab.
  2. Enter approvers: add the reviewers' user names under "Approvers" in the Approval tab.
  3. Enable the workflow: switch on "Enable approval workflow" and set the log retention.
  4. Maintain and submit: editors set "In progress", maintain the product and submit it for review.
  5. Review: reviewers filter the product list by the status "In review" and open the products.
  6. Decide: approving switches the product active, "Needs revision" sends it back with a reason. Large quantities are approved via bulk edit.

Use cases

  • After a mass import: hundreds of new products from a supplier CSV only go online once someone has seen them.
  • Agency maintains texts: external copywriters submit, the shop manager approves.
  • Season start: the new collection is prepared, submitted and approved in one go via bulk edit on the key date.
  • Proof on request: the change history shows who approved or rejected a product and when.

Frequently asked questions

How do I enable the approval workflow?

In the config matrix in the Approval tab with "Enable approval workflow". After that, products are switched active through approval.

Is there a separate permission for approval?

No. Approval is allowed for the user names listed under "Approvers" and for all PIM superadmins. There is no separate Shopware role or ACL permission for it.

What happens to the product when it is submitted?

It is deactivated. Rejecting and revoking an approval deactivate the product as well. Only approval switches it active.

Can I approve many products at once?

Yes. In bulk edit, master data tab, there is the "Approval" action with approve, send back for revision and reset, visible to approvers while the workflow is active.

How do I find products awaiting approval?

Via the status filter in the product list. The statistics in the Approval tab also show the distribution by status and the oldest entry.

Read more

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.

View pricing