Understanding Product Attributes

Modified on Wed, May 20 at 1:35 PM

What Are Product Attributes?

Product attributes are the individual data fields that describe a product in Global Product Access. They define the characteristics, specifications, and metadata that make a product discoverable, compliant, and publishable to retailers, marketplaces, and other downstream partners.

Every product in your catalog is built from a combination of attributes. Some are core fields like product name, SKU, and price. Others are specific to a category or required by a particular retailer, such as NRF color codes for apparel or country of origin labeling.

Attributes serve three roles in the platform:

Describe the product so buyers have the information they need to make purchasing decisions.
Enable compliance with retailer and marketplace requirements before data is published.
Support real-time synchronization so updates to an attribute propagate automatically to all connected subscribers.

System Attributes vs. Custom Attributes

Global Product Access includes two types of attributes: system attributes and custom attributes. Understanding the difference helps you build complete, accurate catalogs without unnecessary duplication.

System Attributes

System attributes are predefined by Global Product Access and aligned to GS1 standards and industry best practices. They cover the most commonly required product data across retail, wholesale, and marketplace channels.

Key characteristics:

Defined and maintained at the platform level by Loren Data.
Mapped to recognized industry and GS1 standards where applicable.
Available to all publishers without any configuration.
Cannot be renamed or deleted.
Some are marked mandatory at the system level and will always be required regardless of catalog settings.

Examples of system attributes include Product Name, SKU, UPC, GTIN, EAN, Description, Unit Price, Wholesale Price, Country of Origin, and NRF Color and Size codes.

Custom Attributes

Custom attributes are created by you as the company admin when a product characteristic is not covered by the existing system attribute library. They extend the platform to support your specific product data needs.

Key characteristics:

Created and managed at the company or catalog level.
Can be named and configured to match your internal terminology.
Support text, boolean, numeric, and other field types depending on the data being captured.
Can be marked mandatory within your catalog settings.
Visible only within your account unless shared with subscribers through your catalog.

Note

If a system attribute exists for the data you need to capture, use it. System attributes benefit from built-in validation, GS1 alignment, and retailer compliance rules. Only create a custom attribute when no system attribute covers the field.

How to Add Attributes as a Company Admin

Company admins manage attributes from the Products section in the left navigation. From there, select Attributes to view the full attribute library available to your account.

Adding a System Attribute to Your Catalog

System attributes are available to add at any time. Use this option when you want to include a GS1-aligned or platform-standard field in your product records.

In the left navigation, go to Products and select Attributes.
Click the Add from System button in the top-right corner.
Browse or search the system attribute library. Use the filter to narrow by name or type.
Select the attribute or attributes you want to add and confirm.
The selected attributes will appear in your attribute list and become available on all product records.

Tip

Use the filter bar on the Attributes screen to quickly find attributes by name. If you are looking for a specific field such as an NRF size or color code, search by the attribute name as it appears in the system library.

Creating a Custom Attribute

Use this option when the data field you need does not exist in the system library.

In the left navigation, go to Products and select Attributes.
Click the Add Attribute button in the top-right corner.
Enter a name for the attribute. Use a clear, descriptive label that reflects how the field will be used.
Select the attribute type: Text, Boolean, Number, or other supported types.
Optionally enter a default value if most products share a common value for this field.
Mark the attribute as Mandatory if it must be populated before a product can be published.
Save the attribute. It will now appear in your attribute list and be available on all product records in your account.

Making an Attribute Mandatory

Mandatory attributes are enforced by the compliance engine before product data is shared. If a required field is empty, the product will not pass validation and cannot be included in an active catalog subscription.

Mandatory status can be set at two levels:

System level: Set by Loren Data for attributes required across all accounts. These cannot be overridden.
Catalog level: Set by your account admin within your catalog compliance rules. Use this to enforce retailer-specific requirements such as Macy's NRF codes or Shopbop product fields.

Important

Compliance rules for specific retailers are built and managed by Loren Data at the system level. Contact your GPA representative to request a compliance rule set for a retailer or marketplace you are publishing to.

Core Attribute Reference

The following table covers the most commonly used attributes across retail and wholesale channels. These are available as system attributes in every account.

Attribute	Type	Required	Description
Product Name (Consumer-Facing)	Text	Required	Consumer-facing product title used in listings, search, and catalog outputs. Max 150 characters.
Product Description	Text	Required	Full product description providing meaningful detail for buyers and retailers.
SKU (Internal Identifier)	Text	Conditional	Unique internal identifier assigned by the supplier. At least one of SKU, UPC, EAN, or GTIN must be provided. Required if no other identifier is present.
UPC (12-Digit Barcode)	Text	Conditional	12-digit Universal Product Code. At least one of SKU, UPC, EAN, or GTIN must be provided. Required when used as the primary sellable barcode.
EAN (13-Digit Barcode)	Text	Conditional	13-digit European Article Number. At least one of SKU, UPC, EAN, or GTIN must be provided. Required when used as the primary sellable barcode internationally.
GTIN (Global Trade Item Number)	Text	Conditional	Global Trade Item Number (8, 12, 13, or 14 digits). At least one of SKU, UPC, EAN, or GTIN must be provided. Required if capturing a global trade key directly.
Style Number (Manufacturer Reference)	Text	Optional	Supplier-defined identifier grouping related products such as different sizes or colors under one parent style.
Selling Price (Per Unit)	Currency	Conditional	Sell-side price per unit. Required if the item is sold directly to customers.
Net Cost (Wholesale)	Currency	Conditional	Buy-side cost used for procurement and margin analysis. Required in wholesale workflows.
List Price (MSRP)	Currency	Optional	Manufacturer suggested retail price used as a benchmark for pricing comparisons.
Product Image (Primary)	URL	Conditional	Primary product image. Required for channels that mandate a hero image.
Product Category (Global)	Text	Required	Top-level category classification based on a standardized taxonomy.
Advertised Origin	Text	Mandatory	Country of origin labeling as required by FTC and Consumer Packaging regulations.
GS1 Standard Color	Text	Conditional	3-digit NRF/GS1 color code. Required for apparel catalog submissions to retailers such as Macy's.
GS1 Standard Size	Text	Conditional	5-digit NRF/GS1 size code. Required for apparel catalog submissions to retailers such as Macy's.

Industry Recommendations and Best Practices

Populate required attributes before publishing

Products with missing mandatory attributes will not pass the compliance engine and cannot be shared with subscribers. Complete required fields first, then add optional and conditional attributes as your data becomes available.

GTINs are optional to start

Global Product Access does not require a GTIN to publish. You can onboard a product using a SKU and basic details. GTINs can be added later if a specific retailer or marketplace requires them. This allows you to start building your catalog immediately without waiting for GTIN assignment.

Use system attributes before creating custom ones

The GPA system attribute library contains hundreds of GS1-aligned fields covering most common product data needs across apparel, home goods, food, electronics, and other categories. Search the system library before creating a custom attribute to avoid duplicating fields that already exist and benefit from built-in validation.

Plan for retailer-specific compliance early

Different retailers enforce different mandatory field sets. Macy's, for example, requires NRF color and size codes in specific formats. Shopbop and Zappos have their own attribute requirements. Work with your GPA representative to identify the compliance rules for your target retailers so you can populate those fields from the start rather than retroactively updating your catalog.

Use tags to manage dynamic catalog membership

Attributes work alongside catalog tags to automate product membership. By tagging products with retailer-specific or category-specific keywords, you can build catalogs that update automatically when new products are added with matching tags. This reduces manual catalog management as your product line grows.

Use consistent naming for custom attributes

If you create custom attributes, establish a naming convention and document it. Custom attributes are specific to your account. Clear, descriptive names help your team understand field purpose and prevent duplicate attributes being created over time.

Key selling point

Catalog growth does not trigger additional fees. You can add unlimited products and attributes at no extra cost. Pricing in Global Product Access is based on active subscriber connections, not item count or attribute volume. Build your catalog completely from the start.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add an attribute to just one catalog and not others?

Attributes in GPA are defined at the account level and are available across all products. However, mandatory requirements can be set at the catalog level, so a field can be required for one catalog (such as a retailer-specific feed) while remaining optional in others.

What happens if I publish a product with missing attributes?

Products that are missing mandatory attributes will not pass compliance validation. The platform provides pre-publication feedback so you can identify and correct incomplete fields before data is shared with a subscriber.

Can I import attributes from a CSV?

No. The CSV importer in Global Product Access is used for importing products, not attributes. Attributes must be added manually by a company admin through the Attributes screen, either by selecting from the system library or by creating a custom attribute.

Who can create and manage custom attributes?

Company admins have full access to create, edit, and manage custom attributes. Standard users can populate attribute values on individual products but typically cannot modify the attribute structure itself. Role access is managed in the Users section of your account settings.

Can a subscriber see my custom attributes?

Yes. When a subscriber receives your catalog feed, all attribute values associated with published products are included, including custom attributes. If you use custom attribute names that differ from a subscriber's expected field names, attribute aliasing can map your terminology to theirs automatically.