Channels
Channels are the foundation of Commerce Kitty. Every order, every product listing, and every plugin is tied to a channel. Get this concept right and the rest of the app makes sense.
What a channel is
A channel represents a place where you sell. That place can be a marketplace like Etsy or Amazon, a hosted store like Shopify, a point of sale system, or anything else that creates orders.
Channels are not the same thing as plugins. A plugin is the connection. A channel is the operational grouping. One channel can have multiple plugins attached to it, and one plugin can be assigned to multiple channels (with some exceptions, like importing orders).
Think of a channel as a "selling context." Everything that happens within that context, including orders, inventory routing, and currency, is grouped together.
When to use one channel vs many
Most sellers only need one channel. If you sell on Shopify, Etsy, and Amazon and they all share the same inventory and currency, one channel is fine. Attach all three plugins to it and let Commerce Kitty handle the rest.
You should create additional channels when:
- You sell in multiple currencies (US store + UK store)
- You want to keep inventory pools completely separate
- You operate distinct brands that should not share data
- You need different fulfillment routing for different sales contexts
Fields
Name
A label for your own reference. Something like "Main Store" or "US Operations" works well. The name is shown in dropdowns and reports throughout the app.
Code
A unique identifier for the channel, used internally and in API requests. Once set, the code should not be changed because other parts of the system reference it.
Hostname
The domain associated with this channel. For most sellers, this is informational and can be set to your main store URL.
Base Currency
The currency in which orders for this channel are recorded. All financial reporting for the channel rolls up to this currency.
Default Locale
The primary language used for product names, descriptions, and other localized content within this channel. You can support additional locales as well.
Locales
The full list of languages supported by this channel. Add every locale you want to publish content in. Each locale can have its own translations for products and other content.
Currencies
Additional currencies the channel accepts beyond the base currency. Useful if you sell internationally from one channel and want to display prices in local currencies.
Enabled
A simple toggle to turn the channel on or off. A disabled channel does not accept new orders and its plugins stop syncing. Useful when you need to pause activity without deleting anything.
Plugins on a channel
After you create a channel, the next step is to attach one or more plugins. Each plugin handles a specific connection: Shopify, Etsy, Amazon, eBay, ShipStation, Printful, and so on. The plugin does the talking. The channel decides which inventory and orders the plugin works with.
If a plugin is set to import orders, it can only be assigned to one channel at a time. This prevents the same order from being created twice.