At Awardco, we champion simple solutions, and our integration with Amazon Business is a key enabler. While the open Amazon feed often serves as the ideal redemption solution, we recognize that building custom item catalogs is sometimes necessary. This article explains how to create these catalogs and incorporate options such as Amazon items, gift cards, custom items your organization fulfills, and additional items Awardco handles.
Creating a New Catalog
To begin:
Log into your account.
On the homepage, select the Admin button at the bottom of the left navigation menu.
From the left navigation menu, click “Marketplace” and then "Catalogs."
On the Catalogs page, you’ll see all active and archived catalogs.
To create a new one, click "Add Catalog."
On the "Edit Catalog: New Catalog" page, you'll have a few different tabs where you’ll need to enter a few details:
General Tab
Name (Required): This is the catalog's name, which will appear in the "Spend Points" dropdown menu and as the title on the catalog's display page.
Country (Required): Select the country where this catalog will be available. If you need a catalog accessible in multiple countries, contact your Awardco Client Success Manager. They can copy and duplicate catalogs, streamlining the process.
Email Notification: If items in this catalog require internal fulfillment by your organization (e.g., for a company store or custom gift card catalog), you might need email notifications for each order. Enter the appropriate email address in this field to receive these notifications. For items fulfilled by vendors other than Awardco, refer to the "Uploaded Items" section below for more details. While this field is technically required, you can leave it blank if no email notification is needed.
Master Catalog: Our platform offers an extensive list of preloaded catalogs that you can implement. Select a preloaded catalog from the dropdown menu to instantly make all its items available.
Catalog Banner Image: Upload a custom image or choose one of our curated banners to display on the Spend Points Landing Page. NOTE: that the color block on the banner is currently not customizable and may change when new catalogs are added or removed.
Settings Tab
Award Network: This designates the award network the catalog will belong to. In most cases, this will be "Standard." As shown in the screenshot above, creating other award networks is possible. For more information on this topic, consult the Managing Award Networks support article or speak with your Awardco Client Success Manager.
Metadata: Use this section to precisely control user access. Only users with the specified metadata will be able to view the catalog. For instance, if your user file includes a "City" metadata column, you can create catalogs visible only to users in specific cities.
Price Override: Enabling this feature will override the prices of all items within the catalog with the amount you enter in this field.
Min Amount: Set the minimum allowable value for items in this catalog. This is particularly useful for catalogs containing Amazon items, as it helps manage fluctuations in item availability and pricing. The system will automatically remove items falling below this threshold, simplifying catalog maintenance.
Max Amount: Set the maximum allowable value for items in this catalog. Similar to the "Min Amount" field, this feature is beneficial for catalogs with Amazon items.
Description: You can add a description of your catalog here, which users will see on the Spend Points landing page.
Catalog Items Tab
Here you will see your items in the catalog. To add items to the catalog, click the "Add Items" button in the top right corner. This will take you to a pop-up window with a dropdown menu and a search bar. To add an item, first select the item source from the dropdown menu (Amazon, Swag, Gift Card, etc.). Next, search for items from that source, select the ones you want, and click "Add to Catalog."
Amazon Items
To add an Amazon item, select the appropriate Amazon option from the dropdown menu based on the desired country. Continuing with the example of a Japanese Amazon item catalog, we would select "Amazon - JP." This ensures that all search results are sourced from Amazon Japan. While adding items from Amazon US to a Japanese catalog is technically possible, your organization will be responsible for any associated international shipping fees. Therefore, it’s crucial to match the item's source to the catalog's designated country.
After selecting your source, search for items to add to the catalog. Use a variety of keywords, brands, and other descriptors to broaden your search and discover a diverse range of items. For example, instead of searching for "bike," try "road bike," "mountain bike," "beach cruiser," or "hybrid bike." The search results will display an image, the item's title, and its price. Use the navigation arrows at the top of the search results to view multiple pages. When you find an item you want to add, click "Add to Catalog."
NOTE: The Keyword Excluder feature in the Award Network sub-tab does not restrict catalogs.
Gift Cards
The gift cards displayed in your search results are specific to the country selected for the catalog. While Amazon items can be shipped internationally, gift cards cannot. Review the available gift card options for the country specified in the catalog settings and add the ones you wish to include.
Swag
You can add items from your Swag store to custom catalogs. If you're interested in this option, please refer to our Awardco Swag Store article. Add the specific swag items you'd like to be included.
Uploaded Items
Uploaded items are items that have been loaded into your platform manually. The Upload Branded/Custom Products article details the process for uploading these items. Please be aware that items uploaded through the "Upload Items" sub-tab will not be charged to your organization and are generally fulfilled by your organization. A common example includes products from company stores that your organization manages.
When configuring an uploaded item, you can easily set up variants (options like size and color) and track inventory for those variants. By enabling Inventory Tracking during item setup, the system automatically hides out-of-stock options from end-users, which prevents the frustration of ordering unfulfillable items.
External Items
External items are manually added to the system, and Awardco will charge your organization for these items. Corporate gifting items like anniversary plaques or certificates are common examples. Adding external items to your platform requires assistance from your Awardco Client Success Manager (CSM).
After adding all the desired items from various sources to your catalog, return to the "Catalog Items Tab." Here you can drag and drop items to arrange them in your preferred order.
NOTE: Remember to click "Save Changes" after making all the edits. Clicking “Save Changes” will take you back to the catalogs page to view all of the catalogs. Once a catalog is saved, you can edit its details at any time by clicking the catalog name or the three dots next to it on the Catalogs page to reopen the catalog settings.
Removing Items From a Catalog
To remove items from a catalog, click the catalog's name, go to the “Catalog Items” tab, click the three dots by the item, then click "Remove From Catalog."
If you have any questions, please contact Awardco Admin Support.