Managing Product Identifiers

Product identifiers are codes used to uniquely identify products across different platforms. Common standards include UPC, EAN, GTIN, and ASIN. Product identifiers differ from a SKU or item number, which identify products only within a single system, and from unit identifiers, such as serial numbers and lot numbers, which identify individual inventory units of a product.

Add product identifiers to your Goflow products to enable barcode scanning in transactions, improving efficiency and reducing manual errors.

Managing Identifiers on a Single Product

Manage product identifiers directly on the product page. Follow these steps:

1. From the left sidebar, go to Catalog › Products, and open the product.
2. Click the Identifiers tab.
3. Click the pencil icon to edit.
4. To add an identifier, click the plus (+) icon.
5. Select the identifier type, or click New Type to create a new one.
6. Enter the identifier code.
7. (Optional). Select a unit of measure.
8. Click Save to apply your changes.

You can edit existing identifiers the same way. To delete an identifier, click the bin icon, and Save.

Managing Identifier Types

Identifier types represent the various standards used to identify products across different contexts. Your Goflow account includes the following types by default: EAN, ISBN, MPN, and UPC. You can add additional types as needed, such as GTIN, ASIN, or TCIN.

To maintain consistency and prevent spelling variations, identifier types are centrally managed under Memorized Lists › Product Identifier Types. This ensures a standardized set of types that can be selected and filtered across your catalog. Visit the Memorized List page to view, add, or delete identifier types as needed.

Deleting an identifier type removes it from future selections and filters, but does not delete existing identifiers on products.

Applying Identifiers to Units of Measure

Units of measure define how a product is packaged or sold, for example, as a single item, a multi-pack, or a master case. Each unit of measure can have its own product identifier. When a barcode is scanned during a transaction, Goflow automatically detects the corresponding unit and applies the correct quantity and packaging details.

If no unit of measure is specified, the identifier is associated with the Each unit by default.

Managing Identifiers in Bulk

Use a CSV file to update product identifiers for multiple products in bulk. Follow these steps:

1. From the left sidebar, go to Catalog › Products.
2. At the top of the page, click Import › Import Product Identifiers.
3. Choose whether to Add, Replace, or Remove identifiers.
4. Follow the general guidance for file uploads.

Adding New Identifiers

Use this action to add new identifiers to products without affecting existing ones. For example, add GTINs to products that already have UPCs.

If your products have only one identifier and no special units of measure, you can use Import Products to manage identifiers in bulk.

You can include new identifier types, but the unit of measure must already exist on the product before import.

To add multiple identifiers for the same product, create a separate row for each one. Include the Item Number, Type, and optionally, the Unit of Measure. This sample file adds both a UPC and an ASIN to the same product, and also assigns a unique UPC to the unit of measure of dozen.

For unit of measure, enter either its abbreviation (for example, DZ) or its quantity (for example, 12).

Replacing Identifiers

Use this action to replace existing identifiers with new ones. For example, if the current UPCs are incorrect, this option removes the existing UPCs and replaces them with the correct values. Likewise, if an identifier is linked to the wrong unit of measure, use this option to update the unit of measure association.

The Replace action operates only on the specified identifier type. For example, you can choose to replace a product’s UPCs without affecting its GTINs or ASINs.

This sample file updates the UPC code for the identifier associated with Each, and also corrects the unit of measure association for the ASIN to DZ.

Replacing identifiers may result in permanent data loss. This action cannot be undone. It is strongly recommended that you export your identifiers first to create a backup before proceeding with either the Replace or Remove action.

Removing Identifiers

Use this action to delete identifiers from products. For example, you might remove outdated GTINs that are no longer needed.

You can selectively target which identifiers to remove by specifying the type and identifier in your upload file. Blank fields act as wildcards. The more information you include, the narrower the deletion scope will be. The sample file below illustrates how each combination affects which identifiers are deleted.

Exporting Product Identifiers

To export product identifiers, follow these steps:

1. From the left sidebar, go to Catalog › Products.
2. Filter or select the products you want to export.
3. In the upper-right corner, click Export › Export Product Identifiers.

The export file will include all identifiers associated with the selected products, including their type and unit of measure.