The Product ID in Zedonk is generated from the Style, Fabric and Colour fields and is unique across your system. Zedonk does not have a dedicated SKU field.
There are Product ID (UID) generators that will generate random numbers for you, and you can certainly use these if you want to. Type 'free SKU generator' into a search engine, and you’ll get plenty of options to choose from.
One thing to note is that the Product ID in Zedonk should not include the sizing information as the same Product ID is used for all sizes.
Let's review each field that makes the Product ID to understand the required information.
STYLE (Max 50 Characters)
Regarding the Style code, we recommend creating a style code that means something to you. Here are some ideas to get you thinking of ways to create meaningful style codes.
Segment the digits to refer to different things. For instance, the first 3 digits could be a category (200 for men’s ties) and the last 3 digits could be a unique identifier (001 for the black silk tie). The black silk tie would then have a UID number of 200001. A red silk tie might have the number 200013.
Add letters to mean specific things. Maybe you create shoes for men, women, girls, and boys. Your UID numbers could begin with M, W, G, and B. Let’s say you have a category of scarves. Your category number is 45. You sell different coloured scarves, and each colour gets its own letter combination. A purple and white scarf could have a UID of 45-PUWH.
For more complicated inventories, try using an 8-digit UID, segmenting 4 pairs of numbers to mean different things. The segments can identify different departments, item types, genders, styles, seasons, colours, sizes, fabrics, variations, or whatever way you differentiate your products. Your UID might look like this: TS201577. The TS stands for one thing, 20 means something else, 15 is a code for another thing, and 77 might be a unique identifier.
Some additional tips:
Avoid using letters that look like numbers, unless you know you won’t confuse them. It’s easy to mistake zeros for the letter O. Number one and lowercase L is another look-alike you have to watch out for.
Go for a shorter number rather than a longer one. UID numbers are meant to make your life easier, so keep them as simple as you can.
When you create a formula that works well for you, be consistent. For example, if your purple and white scarf is 45-PUWH, don’t call your black and white scarf BLWH-45.
Avoid using zeros at the beginning of the UID. Some software (like Microsoft Excel) will automatically edit out zeroes at the beginning of numbers.
Make your numbers unique to your business. Some people are tempted to use a manufacturer number that came from the fabric. This is actually more confusing. Keep your UID numbers different from any other numbers you work with.
FABRIC (Max 20 Characters)
Include the fabric code of the product here. Some of our clients include the main fabric here, others decide to go more detailed. If you choose the more detailed approach, use codes for your fabrics, for example, CO for cotton, NY for nylon, WO for wool etc. For a full list of codes, you can refer to: https://www.ifabric.com/pages/fabric-abbreviations
COLOUR (Max 30 Characters)
Specify the colour variant of the Product. Similar to the fabric code, you can either use the full name (ISLAND BLUE, FLORENTINE BLUE, BLUE) or a code (BK for black, BL for BLUE) or a combination of colours (BLACK/BLUE, BK/BL).
We hope this sparks some ideas and helps you define your Product IDs in Zedonk!