Shopify & DecoNetwork Integration Part 4: DN Product Mapping Guide

When Shopify products are fulfilled through DecoNetwork, each Shopify product must be mapped to a corresponding blank product in DecoNetwork. This mapping ensures that incoming Shopify orders are correctly matched with the appropriate production item, including the correct color and size variants.

During the mapping process, you assign each Shopify variant to a matching blank product variant in DecoNetwork. This allows DecoNetwork to correctly interpret order details received from Shopify and route the order into production with the correct garment, color, and size.

Prerequisites

Why product & design mapping matters

• Accurate fulfillment: Ensures the Shopify product/variant matches the correct DN blank and size/color.
• Right-first-time decoration: Maps the intended design, area, process, and sizing so jobs move straight to production.
• Fewer exceptions: Minimizes manual fixes caused by unmapped products or missing designs.
• Catalog consistency: Keeps DN aligned with what’s sold in Shopify, reducing customer confusion.
• Speed & scalability: Streamlines onboarding new products and reduces back-and-forth between teams.

Step 1: Download products from Shopify

The ability to download and manage products directly with the Shopify Order Fulfillment App enables you to keep your product catalog in your DN store up-to-date with the connected Shopify store.

1. Log into your DecoNetwork website.

2. Browse to Admin > Websites.

   

   Click on the Manage button beside the store you want to configure.

   

3. Select FulFill Shopify Orders from the Store menu.

   

   The Fulfill Shopify Orders page is loaded in the work area.

   

   

   Click the image to enlarge.

4. Click on the Download Products button.

   Once downloaded, products from your Shopify store will be listed in the Products tab of the Fulfill Shopify Orders page.

   

   

   Go to the Fulfill Shopify Orders page and use Download Products to pull the latest items.

   Click the image to enlarge.

Step 2: Find unmapped products

Effectively managing products requires filtering them by status to prioritize those that need attention.

1. Navigate to the Fulfill Shopify Orders → Products.

2. Click on the Status field located at the top of the product list to show available status filters.

   

   Use the Status field to filter products.

   • Eligible: Products that meet all the criteria for integration or processing but have not yet been selected or mapped. These products are ready for the next steps in your workflow, such as mapping or assigning designs.
   • Selected: Products that have been chosen for mapping or further action. They are in the queue to be worked on, meaning that you or your team have marked them for processing.
   • Blank Product Mapped: Products that have been mapped to a blank product but lack designs. This status indicates that the basic blank product mapping is complete, but the product still needs design mapping.
   • Blank Product Needs Mapping: Products that have not yet been mapped to any blank product. These products are awaiting the initial mapping process, which involves associating them with the appropriate blank products in your product catalog.
   • Design Needs Mapping: Products that have been mapped but still require a design to be assigned. This status indicates that while the product has been mapped to a blank product in your catalog, the design element is missing and needs to be assigned.
   • Fully Mapped: Products that have been thoroughly mapped to a both design and a blank product. This means that each product has a designated design and is associated with a specific blank product variant. Consequently, all necessary details for both the customization and production processes are in place, ensuring that the product is ready for order fulfillment.
   • Error: Products that encountered issues during the mapping process or integration. These errors could be due to data inconsistencies, missing information, or other problems that need to be resolved before the product can proceed.
   • Ineligible: Products that do not meet the criteria for mapping or integration, either due to missing critical information, unsupported formats, or other reasons. These products are excluded from the current mapping process and may require adjustments or re-evaluation.

   Reset the filter by selecting “All”.

3. Look for unmapped products.

   Tip: Use the Status, filter "Blank Product Needs Mapping", to quickly list all unmapped items. Color indicators help you see what’s already mapped.

   

   The color indicators in the Status column help you identify unmapped blank products and designs at a glance. Unmapped items are highlighted in yellow and mapped items are highlighted in green.

   

   Unmapped blank products/designs are highlighted in yellow. These are the products that require mapping.

   

   Mapped blank products/designs are highlighted in green.

Step 3: Map products (blank products & variants)

1. Click on the Match Product command for the product you want to map.

   

   The Match Product popup for the product appears.

   

2. Click on the Select Blank Product box.

   

   The Select Product popup appears.

   

3. Search or browse to find the DN blank product that corresponds to the Shopify product.

4. Select the appropriate blank product.

   Choose the blank product that most closely matches the product being sold in Shopify. This ensures accurate size and color matching when orders arrive.

   Once selected, a new panel displays the blank product’s available variants alongside the Shopify product’s variants.

   The system attempts to automatically match each Shopify variant (a unique size and color combination) to the corresponding variant of the blank product. If all variants are match, this will be indicated in the status shown below the matched product image (e.g., "24 of 24 variants matched").

   

   Use Match Product to link Shopify items to DN blanks and confirm variant alignment.

   This means:

   • Each Shopify product variant (e.g., “Light Pink – XS”) is paired with the same blank product variant if one exists.
   • You’ll see a grid of colors and sizes from the Shopify product on the left and matching blank product options on the right.
   • If the blank product has corresponding color/size variants, they will be auto‑matched.
   • If a match is unavailable, you can manually select the correct blank variant from the color row or dropdown next to the size. This ensures the correct blank item is linked for production or fulfillment.

   Completing this alignment accurately is critical because only matched variants will flow correctly into production. Unmatched sizes or colors may prevent orders from being fulfilled as intended.

5. Match any unmatched variants.

   For each unmatched Shopify variant, select the corresponding color and size.

   • If the Shopify color variant does not exist for the selected blank product, click Add Blank Product to open the Product Selector and select another similar product that has the same colors.

     

     Use Add Blank Product to find another product with the required colors.

   • If the Shopify size variant does not exist for the selected blank product, choose Not Supported from the size dropdown.

     

     Use Not Supported if a Shopify variant does not exist on the selected blank product

6. Repeat this process until every Shopify variant has an assigned value.

7. Verify that every Shopify variant has either:

   • a matching blank product variant, or
   • is marked Not Supported.

   Once all variants are matched to a blank product equivalent, the status below the match product image will update (e.g., “24 of 24 variants matched” if complete).

8. Click OK in the Match Product popup to save your mappings.

   The "Blank Product" status be highlighted in green once a blank product has been successfully mapped. If a design was uploaded for the product in Shopify before it was downloaded into the DecoNetwork store, the "Design" status will also be highlighted in green.

   

Step 4: Map designs (area, process, size & position)

If a design was attached to a Shopify product before download, DN will automatically recognize the design as mapped. However, if no design was uploaded, you will need to complete this step manually.

1. Confirm Product Mapping.

   Make sure the product is already mapped. If not, refer to the tutorial above on mapping products.

   

   Mapped products are marked with a green "Blank Product" status. Additionally, the product name appears instead of the "Match Product" command.

2. Click on the mapped product name to open the mapping options for a product.

   

   The Match Product popup appears.

   

3. Select the “Designs” tab to access the design matching options.

   
   • Area: Lets you choose where the design will be positioned; Body, Left Chest, or Right Chest.
   • Process: Lets you choose the default decoration process.
   • Design: Lets you to decide if the mapped product will include a design. If it does, you can then select the design to apply.
4. Set Area (e.g., Body, Left Chest, Right Chest) and default Process.

5. Click on the Design field and choose Select/Upload Design from the dropdown list.

   

6. Click on the Select Design command that appears.

   

   The Select Image popup loads.

   
7. Select an already uploaded design or click on the Upload Files button to search for the design on your device.

8. Click OK once you have uploaded and selected the design to be mapped.

   The design is placed on the product in the selected area.

   

9. Adjust position and size as needed.

   
10. Click OK.

11. Tick the checkboxes of all the products you want to fulfill.

    

Best-Practice Tips

• Standardize naming: Keep product names/options consistent across Shopify and DN to improve variant matching.
• Map in batches: Filter by Blank Product Needs Mapping and process groups of similar products.
• Choose appropriate blanks: Choose blank products that closely match the variants offered in Shopify.
• Review mappings: check mappings whenever you change the blank product used for fulfillment.
• Verify variants: Spot-check sizes/colors after mapping to avoid mis-decorations.
• Pre-attach designs in Shopify: Doing so can speed up DN recognition and reduce manual steps.
• Lock in defaults: Set sensible default Area and Process for each product type.
• Test the integration: Placing a small order from Shopify after completing product mappings to test the integration.

Troubleshooting

• “Error” status: Reopen Match Product and confirm the DN blank exists, is active, and variants align.
• Can’t find the DN blank: Ensure the blank product is enabled for the affiliate store and available for sale.
• Variant mismatch: Compare Shopify option names/values to DN size/color codes and adjust to match.
• The product cannot be marked as fully mapped: Ensure every Shopify variant has a selection in the mapping dropdown.
• Design won’t upload: Check file format/size; try uploading to the product’s design library first.
• Design not appearing after upload: Re-select it in the Designs tab and save again.
• Orders fail to generate correctly in DecoNetwork: Verify the Shopify product is fully mapped. Confirm color and size assignments match the intended blank product variants.

FAQs

• Do all Shopify variants need to be mapped? Yes. Every Shopify variant must have a mapping entry so DecoNetwork can interpret incoming orders correctly; designs should also be mapped where applicable.
• Can I bulk-map products? You can batch your workflow using status filters and repeat the mapping steps across selections; variant confirmation is still required.
• What if the blank product does not offer a Shopify size? Select Not Supported in the size dropdown. This indicates the variant does not exist on the blank product while allowing the mapping process
  to be completed.
• Can I change the blank product later? Yes. If you change the blank product used for fulfillment, you should review the variant mappings to ensure colors and sizes are still aligned.
• What happens if I later change the product in Shopify? Re-download products and re-verify mapping. New variants or option changes may require remapping in DN.
• Does DN remember my mapped design settings? Yes. Once saved, DN retains the selected design, area, process, and positioning for that product mapping.

Additional Resources

• Shopify & DN Integration Part 1: Shopify Setup Guide
• Shopify & DN Integration Part 2: Enabling Integration in DN
• Shopify & DN Integration Part 3: Establishing Connection in DN
• Shopify & DN Integration Part 4: DN Product Mapping Guide (this article)
• Workflow by Shopify Operator: Managing Orders for DN Fulfillment