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WHY IS MY ARTICLE OFFLINE?
If one of your articles is not appearing in a channel’s shop, it is typically due to a simple activation or data configuration issue within TB.One. Activation errors are one of the most common reasons for articles being offline. This guide provides a step-by-step process to identify and resolve the most frequent causes to get your article online.
1. Is the article correctly activated?
The most common cause for an article being offline is that it hasn’t been properly activated for export.
Activation in TB.One is a two-step process:
- General activation: With this activation you signal that the article is generally ready for export and that you’ve provided all the necessary data, prices, etc.
- Channel-specific activation: With this activation you signal that you want to export the article to a specific channel. This allows you to steer on which channels articles are sold.
If one of these activations is missing, the article is not exported to the target channel.
To check the article’s activation status:
- Step 1: Confirm General Activation.
- Go to “Articles > Article list”.
- Find your article and click on the article number to view the article details.
- In the “Article activation” section, select “Yes”. This confirms that you have completed the article creation process and that the article is ready for export.
- Step 2: Confirm Channel-Specific Activation.
- Directly below you can see the “Channel-specific article activation” section.
- Select the specific channel where the article is missing
- Select any other required channels (if there is a “Main channel” for your marketplace, select it in addition to the country channel).
- Save your settings.
Quick Check: In the Article list (“Articles > Article list”), you can quickly verify the activation status:
- The “Article status” column should display a green checkmark, indicating general activation is complete.
- Hover the cursor over the “Channel activation” column to see a list of all channels for which the article is active. If a channel’s icon is displayed in colour, the article was exported to that channel. A greyed-out icon means that the article is active but has not been exported (yet). This may be due to faulty article data blocking the export.
2. Does the article have available stock and a valid price?
Most channels will not list an article that has zero available stock or is missing a price. The stock figure sent to a channel can differ from your total stock in TB.One due to reservations and channel-specific settings.
To check the channel-specific stock and price:
- Check Stock:
- Open the Article list (“Articles > Article list”).
- Find your article and hover your cursor over the “Stock” column.
- A pop-up window will show the stock available for each channel. This value is the total stock reduced by reserved articles, the export ratio, and any stock reduction settings configured for the channel. If the number is zero, this may block the export, depending on the channel in question.
- Check Price:
- Open the article’s detail view and go to the “Article data” tab (usually the menu opens on this tab).
- In the “Price data” section, ensure that a valid Retail Price (RP) has been entered in the price list that is currently active for the channel. Channels like Amazon and Zalando have mandatory price fields. Please check those requirements on the respective channel sheets.
3. Are there any export errors blocking the article?
Even if an article is active, has stock and a price, data quality errors will block the export. These errors can include missing mandatory attributes, incorrect value mapping, or faulty categorisation. The Article Error Hub is the primary tool for identifying and resolving these issues.
To check for export errors:
- Go to “Articles > Article error hub”.
- Use the filters to search for the affected article using its article number or look up its parent product via the product number.
- Any entries that appear in the table may block the export. Resolve these errors. Click “See Details” for more information.
4. Have you checked the channel’s own error feedback?
Occasionally, an article is successfully exported from TB.One but is subsequently rejected by the channel for reasons specific to its system, such as image quality or policy violations.
To check for channel-side rejections:
- Navigate to the channel’s feedback messages within TB.One by going to (“Channels > [Channel name] > Article Status”). Review the latest reports for any rejections related to your article. If the channel does not have an Article Status menu, follow the instructions under B instead.
- Log in directly to the channel’s own backend portal (such as Amazon Seller Central or Zalando’s zDirect). These platforms often provide more detailed error reports and explain why a product may have been rejected after being sent from TB.One.
If you have completed all these steps and your article is still offline, please contact the Support Team. Include the article number, channel name, and a brief summary of the steps you have already taken.