Syncing a custom catalog feed

Hi @zoecccp!

From what I gather, it seems your intuition is correct in that it could very well be a mapping issue. Categories, the field you’re trying to map to, is one of the optional fields listed in the developer guide here:

• Optional Fields - Custom Catalogs

Mappable properties/fields are essentially bits of information about your products that correspond to pre-built features in Klaviyo. To that end, there are a few considerations to keep in mind when designing your feed for mapping:

• The only way to filter your feed in Klaviyo is by category names (which you are attempting to do). If there is something you want to filter your feed by, make sure to include it as a category.
• Make sure the first item in your feed contains all available fields (in case some of your items do not). The mapping step of the catalog sync draws on the fields from the first item in the feed, so it is important that all fields are present in order to map successfully.
  • For example, if some of the items in your feed contain eight fields, but some items only contain six of those fields, the first item in the feed should contain all eight fields.

Therefore, if the first item in your feed doesn’t contain the Category field, you won’t have access to it for any of the items during filtering.

Additionally, if you did not map every field in the original mapping of the feed when it was first set up, then it is expected that these fields will not get synced over. In other words - if the very first mapping of the feed did include the optional categories field, then you won’t have access to it now. To resolve this, follow these steps:

1. Delete your feed source
   • This only severs the connection between the feed and the catalog - it won't delete the contents of the catalog

2. Re-add the source
3. When you map your fields, ensure the previously missing ones are also mapped in this step
4. Finish the feed setup

I understand that custom catalogs can be tricky, so if you’re looking for more personalized, step-by-step development help, you can always reach out to one of our wonderful Official Partners.

Thanks for using the Community!

- Brian