Best practices for labelling migrated products in your new system

Moving product data from NCR Retail Online into Magento, WooCommerce or another ecommerce platform is more than a technical export and import. Product names, stock codes, variants, descriptions, images, prices and tax settings all need to arrive in a form that staff can manage and customers can understand. Learn more about The Pros And Cons Of Headless Commerce As A Replacement For Ncr Retail Online.html.

A clear labelling process gives migrated products a reliable identity in the new system. It also reduces duplicate listings, improves search results, protects reporting accuracy and makes the transition easier for Australian retailers operating across online shops, physical stores, marketplaces and point-of-sale systems.

Define a consistent product identity

Start by deciding which fields will identify a product permanently. A stock-keeping unit, or SKU, should usually be unique, stable and easy for staff to recognise. Avoid using a product name as the primary identifier because names can change, while the underlying item remains the same.

Keep the original NCR product code in a dedicated legacy reference field where possible. This helps customer service teams trace old orders, assists staff during stocktake and gives developers a way to investigate mismatched records. The new SKU can follow a cleaner format, but the old identifier should not disappear without a documented reason.

Create a naming convention before importing data. For example, a sports jacket might use a product title such as “Men’s Waterproof Jacket – Navy”, with size and colour stored as variations. This is clearer than placing every attribute into one long title and makes catalogue maintenance more predictable.

Separate product names from attributes

A migrated product label should communicate what the item is without becoming overloaded with technical details. Use the title for the customer-facing identity, then place colour, size, material, fit and other specifications in structured attributes.

This distinction matters for Australian catalogues with many product variations. A retailer selling workwear in Melbourne, for example, may need separate fields for garment size, hi-vis classification, fabric weight and gender fit. Structured data makes it easier to filter products and prevents near-identical titles from competing in search results.

Review variations carefully after migration. “Black”, “Blk” and “Jet Black” may describe the same colour but create unnecessary filters and inconsistent reports. Establish approved values for common attributes, then map old values to the approved terms before or during import.

Preserve useful legacy information

Not every old label should be carried forward exactly. Legacy descriptions may contain outdated promotions, discontinued delivery claims, old phone numbers or references to NCR Retail Online itself. Retain useful operational information, but remove content that could confuse customers or staff.

A sensible approach is to divide migrated information into three groups: customer-facing content, internal reference data and information that should be archived. Customer-facing labels include product titles, descriptions and variation names. Internal data may include former category codes, supplier references and warehouse notes. Archived material can remain in an export file or secure business record rather than cluttering the new catalogue.

Before retiring the former platform, export a complete product snapshot with identifiers, timestamps and source fields. If a customer in Brisbane queries an order placed before the transition, staff should be able to connect the old receipt or invoice to the new product record without guessing which item was involved.

Make labels useful for search and navigation

Search-friendly labels should reflect the words Australian customers actually use. Consider regional spelling, familiar product terms and the language used by your sales team. “Runners”, “sneakers” and “trainers” can describe similar footwear, but the preferred term may differ by audience and category.

Use searchable attributes rather than forcing every synonym into the product title. A product can have a concise name while its search keywords, metadata and description include relevant alternatives. This supports internal search without making category pages look repetitive or difficult to scan.

Keep category labels distinct from product labels. “Men’s sportswear” is a useful category, while “Men’s Lightweight Running Shorts – Black” is a product name. Linking migrated products to clean category paths also helps preserve navigation and reduces the chance that imported items become orphaned listings. A curated sportswear range illustrates how a focused category can group related products without replacing their individual identities.

Handle pricing and tax labels carefully

Product labels should never be responsible for storing tax logic. Avoid adding “inc GST” or “ex GST” inconsistently to titles and descriptions. Instead, configure tax display rules in the ecommerce platform and use a consistent presentation across product pages, carts, invoices and checkout.

Australian retailers need particular care because displayed prices generally include GST for consumers, while trade customers may expect tax-exclusive pricing or tax invoices. Confirm whether the new system is calculating GST, importing tax-inclusive prices or applying tax through a connected accounting and point-of-sale workflow. A useful WooCommerce tax guide can help former users review the relevant configuration.

Check rounding and regional shipping rules with test orders. Compare the migrated product price, discount, GST amount and final total against known transactions from the old system. Test common Australian cases such as metro delivery in Sydney, a remote-area order to the Northern Territory and a click-and-collect purchase where shipping is not charged.

Validate labels across connected channels

A product label can appear in many places after migration: the storefront, point of sale, warehouse scanner, email receipt, marketplace feed and accounting export. A title that looks acceptable online may be too long for a receipt or may exceed a marketplace character limit.

Build a validation checklist covering the full customer and staff journey. Search for an item by its new SKU, old SKU, name and barcode. Open the product on a mobile device, add each variation to the cart, process a refund and check how the product appears in an order record. Confirm that images, stock quantities and labels remain aligned.

Pay special attention to barcode and variation relationships. One parent product may have several child records, each with its own barcode and inventory quantity. If those relationships are flattened during import, a sale of a size 10 shoe could reduce stock for every size or create a misleading “in stock” message.

Govern changes after the migration

Labelling quality will decline if anyone can rename products or create attributes without guidance. Establish ownership for the catalogue and document who approves new categories, attribute values, SKU formats and supplier imports.

Use a short product data policy that covers capitalisation, punctuation, units of measure, abbreviations, colour names and discontinued items. Australian conventions should be reflected consistently, including metric measurements, Australian English spelling and prices in Australian dollars. Staff in Adelaide, Perth or regional Queensland should see the same naming standards even when local teams use different informal terms.

Schedule regular duplicate checks and catalogue audits. Review recently added products, products with missing images, items with zero stock and records that have not sold since migration. Keep a change log for important edits so that a mistaken bulk update can be reversed without restoring the entire catalogue.

A successful migration leaves customers with familiar products and staff with dependable records, even when the underlying platform has changed. Clear identifiers, structured attributes, preserved legacy references and tested tax presentation create a catalogue that can support daily retail operations.

The most important principle is simple: label each product once, deliberately and consistently, while keeping historical identifiers available for traceability. A clean product record becomes the link between ecommerce search, Australian checkout requirements, inventory control and every future system connected to the business.