Product Catalog — How iShopMaster Models Products
iShopMaster models products at two levels so that a phone model and each of its exact configurations are both first-class records. This keeps catalogs clean for browsing while still pricing and tracking every individual SKU and unit.
Item and Variant: two levels that map to how phones are sold
A mobile shop does not sell "an iPhone 15 Pro" — it sells a specific storage and colour at a specific price. iShopMaster separates the product family from the sellable SKU so both stay accurate.
- Item (product family)
- The template — e.g. “iPhone 15 Pro”. Holds the name, description, brand, category, images, warranty policy and tax.
- Variant (sellable SKU)
- The exact configuration — e.g. “iPhone 15 Pro 256GB Black” — with its own SKU, barcode, option values and price.
- Grouping
- Variants roll up to their parent Item, which is the natural group identifier for storefronts and product feeds.
Identifiers: SKU, barcode and IMEI/serial
Every product can be found and reconciled by more than one key, which matters for POS speed, stock-takes and fraud prevention.
- SKU
- A unique merchant code per sellable variant.
- Barcode
- Unique per item or variant; used at the till and for label printing.
- IMEI / Serial
- Tracked per physical unit for serialized products, and unique per branch so two locations can hold the same IMEI in transit.
Reference data that keeps catalogs consistent
Catalogs stay clean because options and brands are controlled vocabularies rather than free text.
- Brands
- Manufacturers linked to products and to the phone-model registry.
- Attributes
- A controlled set of option keys (e.g. storage, colour, RAM) with allowed values; a variant records its chosen pairs.
- Phone-model registry
- Device specs — storage/RAM options, display, battery, network type (4G/5G/LTE/Wi-Fi) — plus colours and release year.
Categories and built-in rules
Products belong to a fixed category set, and the system enforces rules that prevent common data errors.
- Categories
- Device, Accessory, Spare Part, Consumable, Tool, Network Device, Computer, Smart Home, Storage & Media, Office Equipment.
- Rules
- A Device must link a phone model; a product with variants cannot also carry a single item-level barcode; product names are unique; a product cannot be deleted while stock exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an Item and a Variant in iShopMaster?
An Item is the product family (e.g. iPhone 15 Pro). A Variant is a specific sellable SKU under it (e.g. iPhone 15 Pro 256GB Black) with its own SKU, barcode and price.
Can I track products by IMEI or serial number?
Yes. Serialized products are tracked as one record per physical unit keyed by IMEI/serial, unique per branch.
How are product options like storage and colour handled?
Options come from a controlled attribute vocabulary, and each variant records its chosen key/value pairs — keeping the catalog consistent and feed-ready.
Explore the rest of the system
- Inventory & IMEIPer-IMEI serialized units, batch stock, an event-sourced movement ledger, and branch-scoped availability.
- PricingDeterministic, currency-consistent pricing with batch-based precedence and multi-currency support.
- Repair & ServiceAn enforced, auditable repair lifecycle with job cards, role separation, quality tiers and margin protection.
- Warranty & ReturnsTwo-phase warranty policies with terms snapshotted onto each sold unit, plus returns and supplier RMA.
- ProcurementSuppliers, RFQs, purchase orders, goods receipts and returns — where stock cost and price are established.
- POS & AccountingPOS with a ledger-verified cash drawer, plus a real double-entry ledger and IFRS-style reporting.
- Security & Multi-TenantDatabase-per-tenant isolation, per-branch scoping, role-based access, quotas and a forensic audit trail.
- Integrations & APIA versioned REST API and an API-key marketplace with webhooks; catalog data maps to product feeds.