Recreating Product Custom Fields for Size Guides and Specs

NCR Retail Online was built around connected ecommerce operations, with product information working alongside inventory, orders and retail management data. Since the product was discontinued, retailers moving to Magento, WooCommerce or another platform need to recreate useful catalogue features rather than simply copy product descriptions.

Custom fields are especially valuable for apparel measurements, furniture dimensions, materials, care instructions and technical specifications. A well-designed replacement can give Australian shoppers clearer information, reduce avoidable returns and preserve the practical structure of an older NCR catalogue.

What The Old Product Page Was Doing

A product page often needs to communicate more than a name, price and photograph. A wine glass may require bowl capacity, height, diameter, material and dishwasher guidance, while jeans may need waist, rise, leg opening and available lengths. The old NCR category structure, including stemware examples, shows why products benefit from consistent descriptive attributes.

The important task is to separate reusable data from marketing copy. “Lightweight linen shirt” belongs in the description, whereas “100% linen”, “regular fit” and “cold machine wash” should be stored as structured values. Structured fields can then power filters, comparison blocks, search results, feeds and size-guide components.

A replacement should also account for the fact that NCR Retail Online pages may be treated as a reference rather than a source of current stock truth. Prices, availability, product identifiers and images need checking against the retailer’s present systems before they are imported.

Map Fields Before Choosing A Platform

Begin with a catalogue audit. Export a sample of products from each department and record the information customers actually use when deciding to buy. Group fields by product family instead of forcing every item into one universal template. Apparel, furniture, drinkware and electronics usually require different specifications.

A useful mapping sheet can contain the old label, the proposed field name, data type, unit, whether it is required and where it will appear. For example, “Capacity” might be a decimal number with a millilitre unit, while “Fit” could be a controlled list containing slim, regular and relaxed. This prevents inconsistent entries such as “500ml”, “500 ml” and “0.5 L” appearing as separate filter values.

Legacy categories can also reveal naming patterns worth preserving. An older men’s trouser range may distinguish jeans, chinos and formal trousers, but the new store should decide whether those terms belong in categories, product types, collections or attributes. Clear ownership of each piece of data makes future imports considerably safer.

Design A Flexible Attribute Model

Use a small core of universal fields, then add family-specific attributes. Universal fields might include brand, colour, material, country of origin, warranty period and care instructions. Apparel can add size system, fit, garment measurements and stretch, while homewares can use dimensions, capacity, finish and assembly requirements.

Choose field types carefully. Text is suitable for editorial notes, but measurements should use numeric values with a defined unit. A specification such as 75 centimetres wide should be stored as a number and displayed with a unit, rather than entered as free text. Boolean fields work well for “dishwasher safe” or “assembly required”, while controlled vocabularies keep colour and fit filters consistent.

Size information deserves its own model. A shirt may have an Australian size, an international size, chest measurements and a cut. A chair may have seat height, total height and maximum load. Keeping these values separate allows the same product to appear in a guide, a comparison table and a search filter without duplicating content.

Practical Field Groups And Checks

A concise field structure is easier for staff to maintain and easier for customers to scan. Suitable groups include:

• Product identity: SKU, barcode, brand, product type and collection
• Dimensions: height, width, depth, weight and capacity
• Materials and use: fabric, finish, care, compatibility and warranty
• Buying guidance: fit, size system, inclusions, exclusions and delivery notes

Validation rules should prevent common catalogue errors. Set minimum and maximum values for measurements, require a unit for every dimension, and restrict fields such as colour or fit to approved terms. For apparel, check that a size chart includes the same size labels shown in the variant selector.

A second review list can focus on the customer-facing result:

• The field has a plain-English label
• Values use Australian metric conventions
• Important specifications appear before long descriptions
• Mobile users can read the guide without excessive scrolling

Do not hide every attribute in a collapsible panel. Shoppers comparing a sofa, jacket or kitchen item need the details that affect purchase confidence to be immediately visible. Secondary technical information can sit in accordions, tabs or downloadable documents.

Build The Storefront Experience

The custom field is useful only when it appears in the right context. A size guide should sit beside the size selector, with a clear link from each relevant product. A technical specification table belongs near images and delivery information, while care instructions should be close to material details. Avoid presenting a long alphabetical list that makes key facts hard to find.

Australian shoppers commonly browse on mobile devices, compare delivery costs and consider whether an item will arrive in time for a local event or season. Responsive tables should collapse neatly, use readable labels and avoid horizontal scrolling where possible. Metric measurements should be prominent, and apparel guides should identify whether measurements refer to the body or the finished garment.

Location can influence the supporting content. Delivery notes may need to distinguish Sydney and Melbourne metro services from regional Western Australia or northern Queensland, while click-and-collect availability may vary by store. These details should be held in fulfilment or location fields, rather than mixed into the product’s permanent specifications.

Create Reliable Data Workflows

A product information management process should define who creates, approves and updates each attribute. Buying teams may own materials and dimensions, warehouse staff may maintain carton data, and customer service teams may flag confusing size advice. Assigning responsibility avoids a catalogue where every field looks complete but few values are trustworthy.

Imports from spreadsheets or the former NCR environment should pass through staging before publication. Match products using stable SKUs or barcodes, preserve variant relationships and identify duplicate handles or image references. Keep an audit copy of the original values so staff can investigate why a measurement or label changed.

For technical products, a field can store a link to a supporting resource instead of placing every instruction in the description. A retailer selling satellite equipment, for example, might include a carefully labelled satellite alignment guide in a resources field. Links should be checked regularly and opened in a suitable way on mobile devices.

Test Australian Shopping Scenarios

Testing should use real product families and realistic customer journeys. Check a dress with Australian and international sizes, a table with metric dimensions, and an item available for delivery to both a capital city and a remote postcode. Confirm that filters, search, product feeds and stock displays all use the same underlying values.

Legal and commercial details matter as well. Under the Australian Consumer Law, product claims must be accurate and businesses cannot rely on misleading descriptions to sell goods. Size guidance should not imply a guaranteed fit, and specifications should match the item supplied. Prices shown to consumers generally need to account for GST where applicable, with any delivery or service charges made clear.

Test seasonal and regional behaviour too. Australian summer and winter merchandising run opposite to the northern hemisphere, and a “winter weight” or “rainproof” attribute may need a local explanation. Check that product pages remain understandable during EOFY promotions, Christmas trading periods and sale events when temporary badges and altered delivery promises appear.

Protect The Content During Migration

Migration is a chance to improve the catalogue, but it should not erase useful history. Preserve product IDs, redirects, image alt text, metadata and internal search terms where they remain relevant. A broad department page such as an older home category structure can help identify missing product families, even if the new navigation is more focused.

Review every imported field for duplication and outdated wording. “Free delivery” may no longer apply, old warranty periods may have changed, and a discontinued colour should not remain in a live filter. Keep archived values in a separate record rather than publishing them as selectable options.

The strongest replacement for NCR’s product page custom fields is a maintainable system: clear attributes, controlled values, useful display rules and accountable ownership. The reader should remember that size guides and specifications work best when they are treated as structured product data, verified for Australian shoppers and presented exactly where a buying decision is made.