Stock levels

Customers favour buying from suppliers who display up-to-date item availability, especially if the same item is offered by multiple suppliers. In this article we’ll explain how to provide your stock levels to Unite.

This is how customers see stock levels on the product detail page:

Because item availability changes with sales and deliveries, it’s important to keep stock levels up to date – ideally through regular, automated updates.

Note: Stock levels are an additional item detail and can’t be included in your catalogue upload.

General information

Stock levels can be displayed for Spotmarket catalogues, BusinessShops, and Exclusive Catalogues. Two options are available for providing stock levels to Unite

CSV file: a file containing your stock levels is uploaded to Unite via SFTP.
Real-time query: Unite retrieves stock levels directly from your system on request.

Note: For real-time queries, you’ll also need to upload a CSV file containing your stock levels.

Choose the update frequency and transfer method

We recommend updating stock levels at least once per day. Shorter intervals, down to every 30 minutes, are also possible.

For Spotmarket catalogues and BusinessShops

Please agree the update frequency and transfer method with your Unite account manager.

For Exclusive Catalogues

Speak with your customer to agree on the update frequency and transfer method.

Note: If you’d like to use a different method to provide stock levels, please contact your Unite account manager. If you don’t have an account manager, you can email us at support@unite.eu.

Providing stock levels via CSV

Stock levels are transferred via SFTP as a CSV file and then processed automatically.

Stock level file structure

Each file must contain exactly two columns: the item number and the corresponding stock level.

Example

Notes

The header (SUPPLIER_AID;QUANTITY) in the first row is optional.

Use CRLF (\r\n) for line breaks.

Separator: semicolon

The item number in the SUPPLIER_AID column must match the item number in your catalogue, otherwise the stock update won’t work.
Only positive whole numbers are supported in the QUANTITY column. Avoid thousand separators.

File naming

To ensure your file is processed automatically, use the following naming convention and include your catalogue ID:

availability-data-catalog-Katalog-ID.csv

Example: availability-data-catalog-92XYZ.csv

Upload of the stock level file to Unite

Upload your CSV file via SFTP to the corresponding catalogue directory with your catalogue ID:

catalog/Katalog-ID

Example: catalog/92XYZ

Note: Unite provided your catalogue ID during onboarding. Please follow the naming convention exactly – otherwise we can’t process your CSV file.

Activating stock level updates

To activate stock level updates, please contact your Unite account manager or email support@unite.eu.

Providing stock levels via real-time query

You can also show real-time stock levels for your catalogue items on the product detail page. To set this up, provide us with a link (URL) that allows Unite to submit an item number and receive the current stock level in response.

Note: Unite requests the stock level only for the item currently being viewed. The stock level shown is based on the data returned by your web server. As the supplier, you’re responsible for your server’s availability.

Technical requirements

Unite requests the current stock level for each item number directly from your system:

HTTP or HTTPS protocol
The link must include a placeholder for the item number, for example: http://www.example.com/de/stock/unite.asp?ArtNr={item number}
- {item number} – this placeholder will be replaced with the item number

Your system must return a positive whole number (including zero):

The value must be in the first line.
Unite uses the returned value as the item’s stock level.

Text values such as ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘Availability is...’ can’t be processed.

Important: For real-time queries, you’ll also need to upload a CSV file containing your stock levels. See the section ‘Providing stock levels via CSV file’ .

Activating real-time queries

If you’d like to activate real-time queries, please contact your Unite account manager or email support@unite.eu.