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Category mapping tells ChannelUnity where products belong on marketplaces. It is separate from mapping product fields, which identifies values such as descriptions and prices. Check the intended shop, provider account and marketplace before changing either.

Map a category using the standard tree

ChannelUnity’s category-mapping guide describes this route:

1. Open Setup → Describe Categories in ChannelUnity.
2. Expand My Online Store and locate the complete path of the shop category.
3. Open that category and search for a suitable ChannelUnity category. Compare the full destination path before selecting it.
4. For the intended mapping, choose Save as Primary Choice. Reopen the category and check the saved choice.
5. Use Save as Secondary Choice only for an intended additional placement. Review the channel’s support and charges first.

The provider describes a grey cross as unmapped and an orange tick as having a mapping. It also describes parent mappings passing to children unless a child has its own selection. Inspect child choices before changing a broad parent.

Example: a mixed department

A shop department called “Gifts” might contain bags, mugs and notebooks. Choosing one bag-related destination for that whole department may be inappropriate for its other products. Work from the actual products and narrower category paths. A familiar category name alone does not establish that its entire contents belong in the destination.

If your account uses mapping rules

Rule-based mapping is an alternative that ChannelUnity must enable. If this is your account’s mode, review the attribute and conditions for each rule, its category and its position. The provider states that the first matching rule takes effect. Include products that should match and similar products that should be excluded in your checks. A secondary category is optional: some channels do not support it and others may charge for it.

If a shop category is missing

1. Confirm the exact shop and category path in Builder and ChannelUnity, and identify a product assigned to that category.
2. Check whether that product and association have reached ChannelUnity.
3. Use the provider’s missing-category checks. Its store-sync route is Setup → Online Stores; agree the intended sync scope before starting it.
4. Review progress to completion. The provider explains that an initial success message can mean connection succeeded and synchronisation started, rather than that all products have finished.

Keep the category path, product SKU, connection identity, time and exact progress/error message for support. Repeated exports or sync requests can obscure which request produced a result. ShopTill-e catalogue exports are separate actions; do not run them merely because a category is absent.

Preparing many mappings in a spreadsheet

ChannelUnity also documents a spreadsheet route. It uses a category-reference workbook and a separate store-mapping workbook. Keep originals, match the complete category paths and copy the intended category identifiers into the corresponding store rows. Review secondary choices separately. Before uploading, compare the file with the intended shop and mapping scope. Afterwards, inspect the resulting mappings; a confirmation alone does not verify every row or listing.

If a listing reaches the wrong category

Record the product SKU, shop category path, expected destination and actual marketplace result. Review the saved mapping, any inherited parent choice and, where relevant, the first matching rule. Then check the relevant listing’s current state before changing mappings or republishing a range. A category mapping does not by itself establish that a listing was accepted or published.

Connection preparation · Product attributes · Marketplace controls.