An alias lets one item carry a different SKU on a specific sales channel or fulfillment connection. Your item keeps its Acenda SKU everywhere else, and Acenda uses the alias whenever it talks to that one connection.

Aliases are the safe way to handle SKUs that don't match: a marketplace listing created under an old SKU, a 3PL that uses its own item codes, or a catalog you've renamed in Acenda while the live listings keep their original SKUs.

Good to know: Each alias belongs to one connection, and each item can have one alias per connection. If an item needs a different SKU on two channels, add an alias for each channel.

When to use an alias

The marketplace listing uses a different SKU. For example, the channel has ABC-123 and your Acenda item is 123.
You want to change a SKU in Acenda without touching live listings. Changing the SKU on a live listing can break orders and inventory updates. See Can I Change SKU Values for My Marketplace Listings?.
Your fulfillment provider or 3PL knows the item by its own code. Add the alias on that fulfillment connection so orders reach them with the code they expect.
Orders arrive for SKUs that "do not exist in our system". If the item is already in Acenda under another SKU, an alias connects the two. See Orders Need Attention: SKUs that do not exist.

Add an alias to one item

In the sidebar, under CATALOG, click Items.
Search for the item by SKU, name or ID, then click the eye icon on its row to open it.
Click the Aliases tab.
Click Add new alias.
In Subscription, choose the sales channel or fulfillment connection the alias is for. The list only shows connections that don't have an alias for this item yet.
Enter the external SKU in the SKU field.
Click Add. The alias appears in the list on the Aliases tab.

Only the SKU field is used. The form also shows UPC, EAN, GTIN, MPN and ISBN boxes, but Acenda's connections only use the SKU alias today. Leave the other boxes empty and keep barcodes on the item itself.

Tip: To change or remove an alias, click its row on the Aliases tab. Edit the SKU and click Update, or click Delete to remove it.

Add or update aliases in bulk

To work with many items at once, use the SKU Presentation import and export. For the general steps, see Using the Import Feature and Using the Export Feature.

Export your current aliases. Under DATA TRANSFERS, click Exports, then + New Export. Choose SKU Presentation as the Model, click Export, and download the file when it's ready.
Check the columns. The file has one row per item:
- product_id and product_sku: the item's Acenda ID and SKU. You only need one of them to identify the item.
- subscription_ID.sku: the alias for that connection, where ID is the connection's subscription ID (for example subscription_25.sku). The file also has .upc, .ean, .gtin, .mpn and .isbn columns for each connection. You can leave these empty.
Fill in your aliases. Add a row for each item and enter its alias under the right connection's .sku column. To find a connection's subscription ID, go to CHANNELS > Integrations. The ID is shown to the left of the connection.
Save the file as .xlsx or .csv. Older .xls files aren't accepted. If you're working in an .xlsm file, save it as .xlsx first.
Import it. Under DATA TRANSFERS, click Imports, then + New Import. Choose Sku Presentation as the Import Type, upload your file, check the column mapping, and click Start Import.

Important: A blank cell in a subscription_ID.sku column deletes that item's existing alias for that connection. To leave a connection's aliases unchanged, remove its columns from the file instead of leaving them empty.

Tip: The export only includes items that already have at least one alias. If you're adding your first aliases, the file may be empty. Build your own with a product_sku column and one subscription_ID.sku column for each connection.

How aliases affect orders and listings

Outgoing updates use the alias. When Acenda sends listing, inventory or order details to that connection, it sends the alias instead of your Acenda SKU.
Incoming orders are matched by the alias. When an order arrives from that channel, Acenda first looks for an item with that alias on that connection.
Once an item has an alias on a channel, its Acenda SKU no longer matches orders from that channel. If the channel still sends the original SKU, the order line won't match. Make sure the alias is exactly what the channel sends.
Other connections aren't affected. Channels without an alias for the item keep using its Acenda SKU.
Recent orders fix themselves. When you add the missing alias or item, Acenda automatically re-checks pending and partially routed orders from the last 7 days. This usually happens within about 20 minutes, and almost always within 40. For an order older than 7 days, open the order and click Retry to re-check it right away.

Troubleshooting

"Orders Need Attention: There are currently X orders for skus that do not exist in our system": An order came in with a SKU that doesn't match any item or alias. Open the order to see the SKU the channel sent. Then add an alias to the matching item, or create the item if it's new.
An order shows "An order was placed for a sku that does not exist in our system": The warning lists the SKU on each affected line. Add that exact SKU as an alias on the item, under the channel the order came from.
"There are no available subscriptions." on the Aliases tab: The item already has an alias on every connection. Click an existing alias to edit it instead.
"This field is required!": Choose a connection in Subscription before clicking Add.
Orders stopped matching right after you added an alias: The channel is still sending the original SKU. Correct the alias so it matches exactly, including dashes, spaces and letter case, or delete it.
Two items have the same alias on one connection: Acenda can match orders and updates to the wrong item. Give each item its own alias on each connection.
Aliases you didn't touch disappeared after an import: The file had blank cells in that connection's .sku column. Re-import with the correct values, and next time remove columns you don't want to change.
The import rejects your file: Use .xlsx or .csv, keep at least one subscription_ID.sku column, and don't rename the column headers.

Still stuck? Contact Acenda Support and tell us the item SKU, the alias, and the channel or connection involved.

Keywords

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Understanding Aliases: Connecting External IDs with Acenda for Seamless Marketplace Integration