Merchandising associations between products and items

The formerly called item references are associations between items due to marketing reasons (cross-selling, up-selling, successor item) or to provide additional information on more technical relations like accessories, spare parts.

These types of references are applicable to products as well. Therefore the term "item references" is no longer sufficient. Simply adding an additional term "product references" will not match the fact that also relations between products and items (or the other direction) are possible.Let's talk about the more general term "merchandising associations" in future which includes all relations of products and items and between products and items except the product item relationship where the product and its variants (items) are linked. This type of relationship will be called "product item relationship" or "product item reference" (never meaning a merchandising association).

Merchandising associations between the different object types

Does it make sense to allow all these associations between...

  • Product » Product

  • Product » Item

  • Item » Item

  • Item » Product

Yes, it makes sense, see the following samples:

Product » Product

Two products; e. g. a trouser, a jacket; both typically available in several sizes and maybe additionally in different colors do have merchandising associations like cross-selling, up-selling and/or accessory to each other (in this case bi-directional).

Product » Item

The product, an engine of a certain construction, available in several power variants references its spare parts which might be independent of the engine power. So the product references specific items (being stand alone or a certain variant of another product).

Item » Item

Two products, a screw and a female screw are typically available in different diameters. The screw of a certain diameter references the female screw of the same diameter as accessory.

Item » Product

A unique item; e. g. a cooking knife (might be a standalone item or a certain variant); references a cutting board which is available in different colors (so it's a product having variants).

Some rules on merchandising associations…

  • Each product may have merchandising associations to several other products and/or items.

  • Each item may have merchandising associations to several other products and/or items.

  • These references may exist beneath an additionally existing product item relationship in the meaning of being a variant of the product.

  • A product may not have merchandising associations to its items related by a product item relationship.

  • Items of a product (the variants of the product) may not have merchandising associations between each other.

Further information