First things first! Icepim has been renamed to Icecat PIM. We are delighted to introduce our latest features and enhancements in this new release, along with some explanations. You can access the full log in the Release Logs section of your Icecat PIM.
New features and improvements
Added creation/enhancement of content on the product level with AI (ChatGPT).
Adding AI to Icecat PIM offers added value for product content management. Our users now can have control over customizing Icecat data to meet their needs. Also, the ability to create data in PIM based on basic product identifiers, such as product MPN, brand, and category. Thanks to Icecat PIM’s integration with ChatGPT, it is now possible for each product text description. For existing descriptions, you will have the option to enhance them with AI, allowing the content to be rewritten and/or improved. For fields without content, users now have the functionality to create new content.
Thanks to the introduction of the AI feature in Icecat PIM, product descriptions can now stand out in Google rankings, contributing to better SEO. Creating new content for products that are not enriched by Icecat or created manually is just a click away.
Added AI connection settings to Administrator settings (hidden for the user).
As part of your Icecat PIM subscription, you will have AI connection included without additional cost with the newest 2.4.4 version! While you can currently use the Icecat Commerce account at no extra charge, you also have the option to use your own ChatGPT account if you have a subscription with them. Simply generate an API key at platform.openai.com and send it to us; we will promptly handle the change.
Note: Icecat Commerce cannot be held responsible for the generated content. Always review the generated content to avoid inaccuracies or misleading information.
Added Enrich with AI for all fields to product edit.
If you have an empty product without any Icecat content at all, using the Icecat PIM AI feature to generate content for all fields at once would be beneficial. Please note that enriching all fields simultaneously may take from several seconds to a minute.
Added Support portal
We are happy to introduce the Support Portal, where you can find answers to the most common questions about using your Icecat PIM. Both new and existing customers will gain access to the Portal during project onboarding or on your request. There, you can find useful information, including the most recently updated Icecat PIM manual. Which is continuously updated with any changes or new information. While we are still populating the Portal with questions and answers, you can already find many answers without needing to contact our Support team.
Added CSV Content import for fields product descriptions, bullet points, and images.
We are glad to introduce a new Content import type. Now you can upload more content to your Icecat PIM! If you prefer not to use Icecat data, or if you want to upload your custom data in bulk using the new content import. You can upload up to 15 image URLs per product through this import. This allows images to be downloaded using the URLs. This feature also supports importing bullet points with different delimiter options, as well as all product text descriptions. With additional lock settings, you can decide whether to overwrite or retain the existing locked content in PIM. Furthermore, you can lock your custom content after importing it into PIM to prevent it from being overwritten by Icecat updates.
Added applying warehouse selector on product warehouse price+shipping cost
Continuing to enhance our shipping cost functionality, Icecat PIM can now select the purchase price taking shipping costs into account. Since some suppliers add a markup on shipping costs, the actual purchase price includes both the product purchase price and the shipping cost. This may result in a higher total cost. This new functionality ensures that you, as a reseller, always benefit from the lowest purchase price. You can find this feature in the Warehouse edit tab.
Added new Report: Change of product status.
If you use product statuses in Icecat PIM, you know that your exports depend on the product statuses you select. If you import product statuses by import, or/and when you manually change the product statuses in PIM to online, offline, approval, etc., the products change their status. To track these changes, you can now access the product status changes report in Icecat PIM. This report allows you to see which products have changed their status, when the changes occurred, and assess how these changes will influence your exported assortment. You can download the report as well. This feature is useful for controlling your assortment and optimizing your workflow within your team.
Added source of import on product warehouse level.
Now you can identify which import or user created a product warehouse using the “Created by” column.
Introduced improved Import/Export logs page
The new logs are organized by days and tasks hierarchically. Within each task, you can view the associated jobs. These logs retain crucial details such as timestamps and support log searching. They offer added value by presenting a structured display of all activities within Icecat PIM, including task overviews, statuses, and durations.
Built a module for the dashboard to display new transfer logs.
Since we have updated the Logs interface, the dashboard Logs will now also display information about the most recent tasks that have been completed in PIM.
Added Bulklock for “Manually enriched” in the product overview.
Building upon the “manually enriched” functionality introduced in the previous release, which as a result allows products to be included in the post (content) filter for export. You can now perform this action in bulk for multiple products directly from the product overview.
Added No warehouses export option in XML Standard.
Added bulk lock and bulk delete for Multilingual, Searchable, and Visible for attributes list.
Utilizing Icecat attributes can be beneficial for any customer. However, considering the performance impact on environments where they are exported, such as Magento, Shopify, etc., many customers prefer to limit the attributes they send. To enhance usability, we have introduced bulk actions in the attributes list menu.
Added a setting “Display Non-Visible attributes: Show/Hide” in Administrator settings.
Adding to the development above, for improved user experience (UX), we aim to limit the number of attributes displayed in the product edit view. There will only be those that can be exported to your environment. This feature will enable you to focus solely on the attributes that are relevant for export, streamlining the editing process.
Removed old logs from Import Prices History.
Due to the high volume of price change records, the previously introduced Import Prices History experienced delays when loading the page. To address this issue, we have implemented a solution where old logs are automatically removed after 14 days.
Changed Icepim logo to Icecat PIM logo.
As part of our company’s rebranding and renaming process, we have started updating and changing certain logos on our website and in our software. While the official announcement is pending, you can already observe changes, including the transition to the name Icecat PIM and the updated logos being used.
Added Bullet Points in Magento export.
Added Duplication of text to other language fields: product status, state, definitions, fields, and filters.
If you use multiple languages in Icecat PIM, previously, you had to fill in all instances mentioned above for the field to be saved. Now, you only need to fill in the first instance, and it will automatically populate in all other languages unless you specify a custom name.
Implemented product deletion safety feature in the CSV export process.
Implemented product deletion safety feature in XML Standard Export process.
Already implemented for some of our connectors, we are now introducing the same safety feature for CSV and XML exports. This enhancement is necessary because suppliers may occasionally send empty files, remove a large number of products from their feeds, or incorrectly mark products with 0 stock by mistake. As we regularly fetch product feeds, these issues are typically fixed in subsequent imports by suppliers. To prevent any impact on your exported assortment to your environment, the export process will stop if such errors occur, and a corresponding log message will be displayed in Logs. Usually, these errors resolve themselves with the next export, requiring no action on your part.
Re-purposed Restock filter in Product overview.
We added a stock filter instead of a restock filter. You can also search product stock within a custom range, such as from 10 to 100.
Enabled copying of imports.
Save time when creating a new import! You can now copy all the settings and file mappings using the copy import functionality.
Added functionality in product overview to overwrite/not overwrite product’s locks during manual enrichment.
As users modify or create their own content while using enrichment with Icecat, they now have the option at the product level to choose Icecat enrichment behavior. By respecting the applied locks, they can keep their locked data from being overwritten. Also they can choose to disregard the locks and overwrite all data with the newly loaded Icecat data.
Changed the logic of the “Check number of products” setting in Icecat Connect settings.
This setting aims to protect customers from empty files that may mistakenly be delivered by suppliers. Occasionally, suppliers may send empty files or mistakenly remove a large number of products from their product feeds. Since we regularly fetch product feeds, these errors are usually corrected with subsequent imports by suppliers.
Previously, this setting compared the next import’s product count with the previous import’s product count. If the next import had at least 30% of the previous import’s assortment, the import proceeded and wasn’t stopped.
In this version, we introduce two settings to enhance its functionality. The first setting allows users to toggle it On or Off, accommodating drastic changes in the assortment count during import setup without stopping imports. The second setting lets users specify the threshold for the number of products removed from the import. The calculator logic will be changed so that if more than N% of products are removed compared to the previous import, the import will be stopped. The default value will still be 30%, but the calculation logic is different.
To Sum Up
This marks the end of the main new functionalities and improvements in the 2.4.4 Icecat PIM (formerly Icepim) version. Please note that all Icecat PIM customers will be updated to the newest version 2.4.4 between July 22 and August 15, 2024. If you need more information on the current release improvements, features, and fixes, please refer to the Release logs in your Icecat PIM. Also, please take into account that this is the final release of the old interface of Icecat PIM. The next release, version 3.0, will unveil a refreshed interface for you to explore and enjoy.
Icecat NV is a global publisher and syndicator of product content for online and offline channels.