A product isn’t matching

For why lines go unmatched in general, see Why PO Autopilot couldn’t match a product. This is what to do about a specific one.

1. Read the code on the order against your catalogue

Open the source document and compare the item code with the SKU on the variant you expect.

If they are not identical — even by a hyphen or a leading zero — no identifier match is possible, and that is the whole explanation.

2. Decide which kind of mismatch it is

The buyer uses their own code. Nothing to fix in Shopify. Choose the product and set Remember this match? to This buyer only. Solved permanently for that buyer. If they sent you a list of their codes, you can map the rest in advance from Mappings rather than waiting for each to come up.

The code should match but does not. Check the variant in Shopify. A trailing space in a SKU, a code kept in a tag or the description rather than the SKU or barcode field, or a variant that was archived will all prevent a match.

The code was garbled by a scan. If you have mapped it before, PO Autopilot applies the mapping and asks you to confirm rather than asking you to choose. If you are being asked to choose, you have not mapped it yet — do so now, which also covers the garbled form.

3. Check for duplicates

If two variants share the SKU or barcode, the line resolves to neither and you are asked every time.

Search that SKU in Shopify. If two variants come back, that is the cause — and fixing it in Shopify fixes every future order at once.

4. If you mapped it and it is still asking

Go to Mappings and find it — under Company-specific mappings if it was saved for one buyer, or under Global mappings if it applies to everyone. Check three things:

• The unit. A mapping made for CASE does not apply to an order in EA. This is deliberate. You need one mapping per unit.
• The buyer. Mappings belong to a company location. A mapping made for one location does not resolve for another location of the same company.
• The variant. If the mapped variant has since been archived or had its SKU changed, the mapping will not be used. Remove it and map the replacement.

5. If the product is not in Shopify

Nothing is invented. Create the product in Shopify, then reload the order — it becomes matchable immediately.

Reducing this over time

The first order from a buyer will ask about several lines. Take the mapping option every time and the second order from them usually asks about none.

If you are still answering the same questions after several orders, something is preventing the mappings from being used — most often the unit, or a second company location you did not realise the orders were arriving for.