Product Information
Loadsheet & Edit Request Instructions

Last Revised February 2020 | Version 1. 2

Links To All Resources

Product Information Rules and Requirements

Global Category Tree Look-Up

Loadsheet Videos & Webinar Recordings

User Guides

Managing the Results File

Rejection Guide

Quick Start Guides

How Many Products Can I Create?

New Starters: start small with 5 to 10 products
Recommended: 50 to 100 products
Maximum: 1000 products

Basic Steps

Search your product category in the Global Category Tree Look-Up and download the loadsheet from your Seller Portal (see sheet name in the first column of the look-up)
Compile all product information according to our Rules and Requirement and fill in the loadsheet accordingly
Upload the saved file on Request New Catalogue page on your Seller Portal - it will form part of your Submission Queue

* Top tip - use the Need Help menu for frequently asked questions.

What happens next?

Our Catalogue Review Team will review your submission (typically 3 to 5 business days) - once complete you will receive an email notification
Download your Results File on the Submissions page to see products that were either accepted, rejected or matched to existing products in Takealot’s Catalogue
Refer to the Managing the Results File & Rejections Guide user guide for your next steps

Technical Requirements and Warnings for Loadsheets

Loadsheets are only compatible with Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and newer on Windows, and Microsoft Office Excel 2011 and newer on Mac

PLEASE NOTE: Mac products come standard with the Numbers application. This application does NOT contain the necessary macro and VBA programmes required. Always open loadsheets with the Microsoft Excel.

Always download your next loadsheet straight from the Seller Portal to ensure it is the latest version and that there is no residual data in it
Loadsheet submissions are limited to a maximum of 1000 rows per category specific loadsheet, and a minimum of 1
Cells will require you to either select from a dropdown list or to type in the value where no list is provided.
If a dropdown column does not have a value that you require, do not type it in - please contact Seller Support for assistance
Do not delete or “Unhide All” columns, except in cases elaborated on below i.e. when adding multiple values to an attribute e.g. the gender attribute, or connectivity type
Ensure that you click on Enable Macros and Enable Editing when opening a loadsheet, this will allow our validation and visual cues to assist you with filling in the loadsheet correctly

ALWAYS work from left to right for each product to ensure the visual cues are activated correctly. Each product’s information will be inserted in one row. Failure to work from left to right will result in missing information as the visual cues will not load correctly.
Some Loadsheets will not have the option to select a Product Or Variant. This is intended and means that the specific group of products does not have the variant option.
Once the Main and Lowest Category paths have been selected, visual cues will show you which cells to enter.
Never attempt to delete or move a column as this may corrupt the sheet.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!

Submit your first products via the Add a Listing page and use the Original Submission File as a template for the department of products.

Index

Technical Requirements and Warnings for Loadsheets

Which Instructions Do You Need To Follow?

What is A Variant?

HOW TO COMPLETE A LOADSHEET - STANDALONE PRODUCTS (WITHOUT VARIANTS)

Step 1: Find Your Loadsheet

Step 2: Download Your Loadsheet

Step 3: Open The Loadsheet Tab In The Excel File

[ OPTIONAL : Set The Product Type ]

[ OPTIONAL : Insert “Your Own SKU” ]

Step 4: Set The Main & Lowest Category

[ OPTIONAL : Insert Barcode ]

Step 5: Follow the Red-Brick Road

[ OPTIONAL : Insert Brand]

Step 6: Insert Image Links

Step 7: Scan The Loadsheet For Optional Columns You Want To Add

[Repeat]

Step 8: Save & Upload Your Loadsheet

Step 9: Track & Manage Your Results File

HOW TO COMPLETE A LOADSHEET - PRODUCTS WITH VARIANTS

Single Or Double Variant?

Step 1: Find Your Loadsheet

Step 2: Download Your Loadsheet

Step 3: Open The Loadsheet Tab In The Excel File

Step 4: Create Your PARENT Row

Step 4.1: Select The Product Type “Product With Variants”

[ OPTIONAL : Insert Brand]

[ NOT ALLOWED FOR THIS ROW: Barcode ]

[ OPTIONAL : Insert Barcode ]

Step 6 : Insert the image links

Step 7 : Repeat

Step 8: Save & Upload Your Loadsheet

Step 9: Track & Manage Your Results File

THE RESULTS FILE - WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

New Seller? Here’s What You Need To Do

Decide on Your Stock Model

GLOSSARY

Which Instructions Do You Need To Follow?

There are 2 sets of instructions:

Completing a Loadsheet For Products Without Variants
Completing a Loadsheet For Products With Variants

If you are unsure about which you require, please refer to the section below first.

What is A Variant?

Variants on Takealot.com

Variants on the Seller Portal

A Product with Variants is an item available in a range or variety. For a product to qualify as variants, they may only differ in 1 specific “theme” e.g. colour or size. All other product qualities need to be shared.

In the example above, the variant theme is based on colour. The model, capacity and brand are all shared qualities that do not change with each size.

Each product category has a different set of available variant themes. These can be found within the specific loadsheet you are using. All columns that end in “for Variant” represent an option. You can have up to 2 variant themes per product line.

Please Note:

Colour is considered to be a variant where used as theme but can be captured as an attribute for standalones as well
All columns will turn white after selecting the first variant. Proceed to select the second variant option by reviewing the column names.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON VARIANTS

DO NOT create a variant for a single product.
Create the FULL COLOUR or SIZE CURVE of all variants you intend to stock in future.

HOW TO COMPLETE A LOADSHEET - STANDALONE PRODUCTS (WITHOUT VARIANTS)

Step 1: Find Your Loadsheet

Find the relevant loadsheet for your products using the Global Category Tree Look-Up.

Step 2: Download Your Loadsheet

Download the loadsheet on the Catalogue Loadsheets page of your Seller Portal (all sheets are available at the bottom of the page).

Step 3: Open The Loadsheet Tab In The Excel File

The Loadsheet Tab can be found along the bottom of the Excel file.

[ OPTIONAL : Set The Product Type ]

In some loadsheets you will find the option to select the Product Type: Product with Variants, Variants or Product without Variants. For stand-alone products you may leave this column blank OR you may set the Product Type to “Product without Variants”.

[ OPTIONAL : Insert “Your Own SKU” ]

You have the option to provide a “stock keeping unit” (SKU) for the product. This will appear in your Seller Portal for your own use to track and manage your Offers. These may consist of letters and numbers. If you do not have an SKU, you may leave this blank and we will create a placeholder SKU on your behalf.

NOTE: IGNORE THE COLUMN “PRODUCT SKU FOR VARIANT”. THIS IS A REQUIRED COLUMN FOR LINKING OF VARIANT LINES ONLY.

Step 4: Set The Main & Lowest Category

Select the Main Category. The selection of the Main Category will allow you to set the Lowest Category Node from the dropdown. Once both have been selected, a set of visual cues will appear indicating which attribute columns are required.

[ OPTIONAL : Insert Barcode ]

Product barcodes are required for all branded products and are highly recommended where you have the information available. If your products do not have barcodes, you may leave the column blank.

Step 5: Follow the Red-Brick Road

Once the Main and Lowest Category nodes have been selected, the loadsheet will highlight all required cells in red. Complete all of these cells by selecting from the dropdowns. Wherever you find that there is no dropdown, you are required to type information into the cell. Remember: all of the required information must comply with the Product Information Rules and Requirements which contains great guides on how to optimise your information per department. Guidelines below are generic.

Title e.g. Brand name (if applicable) + Product name + Model name or number + Colour + Unit size / Quantity
Subtitle: Model Number or Brand Name
Key Selling Features: Features + Specifications

FORMATTING TIPS

Double click on a cell before pasting. This will prevent your information from pasting into many cells.

Once you have pasted the information, you can create paragraphs by using the keystroke Alt+Enter.

[ OPTIONAL : Insert Brand]

If the product is not branded, leave this column blank.
If the product is branded, select a brand from the dropdown list OR copy and paste the cell from the Brand Look-Up table.
If you are unable to find the brand in the dropdown or Brand Look-up table, type the brand name into the cell. The brand will be created and we will ask for a logo with the successful results file.

DO NOT fill in the columns where you find “(variant)” within the column title - these are for variants only.
Click here if your product has more than one of the dropdown options available.
If you cannot find a value you need to use in the relevant cell’s dropdown, use the nearest alternative or contact Seller Support.

Step 6: Insert Image Links

Even though the image columns are not highlighted in red, all products must have images as prescribed by the Product Information Rules and Requirements document.

Paste the direct image links for each of your images into the columns provided. Please note that the image link must start with either http:// or https://

Click here for help with images links.

Step 7: Scan The Loadsheet For Optional Columns You Want To Add

Some additional fields are available on a PRODUCT WITHOUT VARIANT line. These are the white cells which you can populate if the information is relevant to your product. Add optional information such as Gender and Colour. For more information on adding colour click here. For more information on Gender, click here.

[Repeat]

Repeat the above steps for each product you wish to create within the department loadsheet. You can fill in up to 1000 single products (rows).

Step 8: Save & Upload Your Loadsheet

Save your loadsheet on your computer and upload it via the Seller Portal Request New Catalogue page.

Step 9: Track & Manage Your Results File

Your submission will be reviewed to ensure all required information has been provided according to our quality standards. You will be notified via email once this complete. Download the Results File and continue with the feedback provided.

HOW TO COMPLETE A LOADSHEET - PRODUCTS WITH VARIANTS

PLEASE NOTE : 2 PRODUCT MINIMUM FOR VARIANTS

DO NOT create a variant for a single product. These will be rejected.
Create the FULL COLOUR or SIZE CURVE of the variants you intend to stock in future.

This applies even if there is only stock of a single variant at this time.

To illustrate the example of a variant, we will make use of a Product with a single Variation. The product in this example is a white T-shirt and its variation is sizes. Products may have up to 2 variant relationships e.g. size and colour.

Single Or Double Variant?

Products may be available in single or double variants. An example of a single variant, is a product that is sold in different colours.

An example of a double variant is a product that is sold in different colours and sizes:

You are able to create variants with double variants in some loadsheets. It is important that you ensure the variant relationships are logical and non-contradictory.

To create a double variant, you will need to see whether or not the department loadsheet contains more than a single applicable variant that can share a logical relationship. To create these variants, select and populate each row with the necessary variant information for each option.

Please Note:

Colour is considered to be a variant where used.
All columns will turn white after selecting the first variant. Proceed to select the second variant option by reviewing the column names.

Step 1: Find Your Loadsheet

Find the relevant loadsheet for your products using the Global Category Tree Look-Up. T-shirts are in the Fashion Category and will require the Fashion Loadsheet.

Step 2: Download Your Loadsheet

All loadsheets can be found in the Seller Portal on the Catalogue page. Scroll to the bottom to find all available sheets.

Step 3: Open The Loadsheet Tab In The Excel File

The Loadsheet Tab can be found along the bottom of the Excel file.

Step 4: Create Your PARENT Row

The first part to creating a variant, is creating the shell product or “parent” under which all variants or “children” will live. All generic information will be shared in this row for all variants. Insert information from left to right.

Step 4.1: Select The Product Type “Product With Variants”

The “parent” will have the Product Type “Product with Variants”. This will activate the first set of visual cues.

Insert the generic Parent SKU in the “Your Own SKU” column. This SKU will not appear in your Seller Portal but will be used to link all variants to each other. You may insert any combination of numbers and/or letters.

Step 4.2 : Select The Main and Lowest Category Nodes

Select the Main and Lowest Category Node from the drop-down list.

This will activate the visual cues. These can be found when scrolling right and may be far apart. You need not complete these yet.

Step 4.3 : Follow The Red Brick Road- Insert The Generic Standard Information

All generic and shared information can now be inserted into Title and Key Selling Featurs. This information will appear on takealot.com. Keep in mind that a customer will land on the shared description and title. These will not change as they select their size.

FORMATTING TIPS

Double click on a cell before pasting. This will prevent your information from pasting into many cells.

Once you have pasted the information, you can create paragraphs by using the keystroke Alt+Enter.

Step 4.4: Follow The Red Brick Road - Select The Product Attributes

Complete the row by filling in the red cells. As these are completed, the cells will turn white.

[ OPTIONAL : Insert Brand]

If the product is not branded, leave this column blank.
If the product is branded, select a brand from the dropdown list OR copy and paste the cell from the Brand Look-Up table.
If you are unable to find the brand in the dropdown or Brand Look-up table, type the brand name into the cell.

[ NOT ALLOWED FOR THIS ROW: Barcode ]

Product barcodes cannot be loaded on the “parent” level because it is a shell. See below in the next part, how to add barcodes to your variants.

Step 5: Create Your Variants

The second part to creating a variant, is creating the individual variants or “children” and linking these to the “parent’. All variant specific information will be entered per row where required, left to right.

Step 5.1 : Select the “Variant” Product Type

Once you have selected the Product Type to “Variant”, you will see the visual cues highlight the required cells in red. This set of cues is different to the Parent. This is because all generic information has already been provided and only Variant information is required.

Step 5.2 : Link Your Variant To The Product

In the column titled “Product SKU for Variant”, copy and paste the Parent SKU. This now links the Variant or “child” to the Product or “parent”. The cells will turn light green if done correctly and will activate the second set of visual cues.

[OPTIONAL: Give The Variant Its Own SKU]

In the column titled “Your Own SKU”, insert a unique SKU (stock keeping unit). If entered this will populate on your Seller Portal, for your reference when managing orders and stock levels. If left blank, we will replace it with the Marketplace Barcode.

NO title is required for your variants. Our system will combine the generic title of the parent to the variant attribute selected to automatically create the variant title on your Seller Portal

[ OPTIONAL : Insert Barcode ]

Product barcodes are required for all branded products and are highly recommended where you have the information available. Paste the barcode for each variant in to the relevant cell.

If your products do not have barcodes, you may leave the column blank.

Step 5.3 : Select the Variant Attributes

The second set of visual cues will highlight ALL available variant attributes. Once a variant column has been filled in, all the columns will turn white.

You are able to select up to 2 variant attributes. See below for more information.

NOT ALL VARIANTS WILL RELATE TO YOUR PRODUCT. SELECT THE VARIANT OPTION THAT REPRESENTS YOUR PRODUCTS.

Once you have selected the relevant variant attribute, the rest of the variant options will turn white. You can still select up to 1 additional variant attribute.

Step 6 : Insert the image links

This depends on the type of variation that exists. i.e. if your variation is size, provide image links on

Variant Themes without a visual difference e.g. size only require 1 image on the first variant line.
Variant Themes with a visual difference e.g. colour, requires an image on each variant line that shows the colour of the variant.

Please note that the image link must start with either http:// or https:// - click here for help on images.

Step 7 : Repeat

Repeat the above steps for each product you wish to list within the department loadsheet. You can fill in up to 1000 single products (rows).

Step 8: Save & Upload Your Loadsheet

Save your loadsheet on your computer and upload it via the Seller Portal Request New Catalogue page.

See an example of a complete set of variants below:

Step 9: Track & Manage Your Results File

THE RESULTS FILE - WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

You can access the User Guide to the results file here or follow the summary below.

Once your submission has been reviewed, you will receive an email notification. You can then navigate to the Seller Portal to download your Results File. In this file, there are 3 tabs:

Rejected: products that did not pass our System and/or Quality Review. Use the feedback provided to correct the information and re-submit with a new loadsheet.
New Products Created: All of the products in this tab have been added to your Inventory (Manage Inventory) and are ready to be activated with Offer Information.
Existing Products Added: this tab contains all products that matched an existing product in the takealot.com database based on the BARCODE. The information you have submitted HAS NOT BEEN REVIEWED. Instead, the existing information in Takealot’s Catalogue database has been provided for you to review.

GLOSSARY

Term	Definition
Loadsheet	A Microsoft Excel document that is used to capture comprehensive product information in a structured way. This sheet is used as an upload sheet to the Takealot catalogue system to automatically create new catalogue on both takealot.com and in the Seller Portal. The Loadsheet contains the following tabs: Instructions & Overview, Category Tree Look-up, Example, Brand Look-up and Loadsheet.
Global Category Tree Look-Up	A reference sheet containing 3 columns indicating the relationship between the main and lowest category nodes of ALL products and the available departement loadsheets to be used.
Category Tree Look-up	A reference sheet showing all the available Main and Lowest Category paths for the specific loadsheet.
Brand Look-up	A reference sheet found inside the Loadsheet containing all the existing brands on takealot.com that can be listed against.
Example Tab	A prepopulated “loadsheet” demonstrating the use of information columns to list products (with and without variants).
Loadsheet Tab	The upload sheet containing all information columns to be completed to create new products.
Required Column	An information column, highlighted in red, which is required to create a new product. Required columns are revealed once the Main and Lowest Category paths are selected.
Optional Column	An information column, not highlighted or white, indicating that a column is either optional or not required.
Hidden Column	An information column, hidden and optional for use by clicking on the + sign above other columns.
Product	The product is the title, description, images and common attributes of an item that a customer is interested in buying.
Product Without Variants	A Product Type that is not required to set. When set, it indicates that the product will stand alone, with variants.
Product With Variants	A Product Type that is required to set to create variant lines. This product type is used to create the parent line for all variants and will not exist as an individual item.
Variant	A Product Type that is required to create variants that differ from each other by one or more attributes. Variants (“children”) must be linked to the a Product with Variants (“parent”) row with the SKU columns to be created.
"Parent"	See Product With Variants
"Child"	See Variant
Direct Image Link	A direct access URL that users can enter to get to a specific image on the internet.
System Validation	A validation done by the takealot.com catalogue service in which the submitted loadsheet is tested to include all required information in the correct format.
Quality Review	A quality assessment performed by a takealot.com Catalogue agent to ensure all submitted information meet our quality standards.
Results File	An Excel file containing the results of a loadsheet which has undergone both System Validation and Quality Review.
Corrective Reason	A constructive instruction provided within a Results File for each rejection code provided.
Offer	An offer of a variant (or product, if there is no variant) is the price and availability (leadtime days and stock) from a merchant (seller/supplier) that offers that variant. An offer can be identified with an Offer ID.
Takealot’s Catalogue	A collective term for all the Products and Variants that exist in the Takealot.com database
SKU	"Stock Keeping Unit". A unique alpha-numeric identfier used by Sellers to identify Products and Variants.
Product Label	A product label is the unique offer identifier Marketplace provides to Sellers, in barcode format. It is used to track stock movements through takealot.com’s supply chain.
Lead Time	The number of working days from the date an order is placed for a product, that the Seller will take to deliver to either distribution centre.
Stock-on-hand	The number of units of a product available to be sold on lead time, on takealot.com.
Price	The Offer or Sales Price of the item on takealot.com. i.e. the amount the end customer will pay for that item.
RRP	The Recommended Retail Price of a specific product. This amount must be larger than or equal to the “Price”. The difference between these 2 prices shows as a discount on takealot.com where it is larger than 11%

WAS THIS HELPFUL?

If you have any suggestions on how we can provide you with better learning material, please let us know with the form here.

If you have read the instructions above, and you still have
questions, please feel free to reach out to Seller Support
for more information via Help > Contact Seller Support
with the issue type: Loadsheet

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