Commonality is the default set of attribute mappings for everything you sell on a channel integration (for example Target+, Walmart, or a Mirakl marketplace like Macy's or Lowe's). Think of it as the blueprint every category template for that channel starts from.
Set up Commonality first, before you build category-specific Posting Templates. Any attribute you map here is automatically used by every category template for that channel, so you only map it once instead of repeating the same mapping in every category. A category template can still map an attribute itself — that explicit mapping always wins over Commonality for that one category.
Prefer to watch? Setting Up Commonality walks through this on Vimeo (note: the recording may show an older version of the navigation). For the full library, see How to watch Acenda video tutorials, also available under HELP > Help & Resources > Video Guides.
Before you start: Commonality lives inside a channel integration, so connect and set up the sales channel first. See How to connect a sales channel to Acenda if you haven't done that yet.
Step 1: Open Commonality
In the sidebar, under CHANNELS, click Integrations.
Click Edit next to the channel you want to configure.
Click the Commonality tab.
Note: The Commonality tab (along with Generic Templates and Posting Templates) only shows up for channels that use Acenda's attribute-template system — attribute-driven marketplaces such as Target+. If your channel integration doesn't use posting templates, you won't see a Commonality tab at all, and that's expected.
Step 2: Add attribute sets
Existing Commonalities lists every attribute that already has a mapping — either a global default for the whole channel, or a mapping specific to this subscription (shown by its Global / Subscription chip). The usage count on each row tells you how many places on the channel actually reference that attribute.
To map an attribute that isn't set up yet:
Find the Create New Commonality section above the list.
Open the Select Commonality to Create dropdown. It lists the attributes this channel can use that don't have a mapping yet — these are individual attributes, not category templates.
Choose the one you want to map. A dialog opens for it.
Pick a mapping type and value (see Mapping Options below), then click Create.
Use the search box and the Only show with usage switch above the list to cut through a long Commonality list and find a specific attribute faster.
Step 3: Fix flagged rows
An existing row gets a red/pink highlight when it's mapped as a Property pointing at a custom field that no longer exists in your catalog — usually because the field was renamed or deleted after the mapping was created.
Click the Fix Missing Fields button above the list (it only appears when something needs attention, and turns red when a required attribute is affected).
Review the Required Fields and Optional Fields lists in the dialog. Required ones are pre-selected.
Click Create Fields to have Acenda create the missing custom fields automatically, or close the dialog and edit the row yourself to point it at a different, existing field instead.
This screen only flags a Property mapping that's already broken. If a required attribute has never been mapped here at all, it stays in the Create New Commonality dropdown — Commonality won't warn you about it directly. You'll typically find out it's still missing from a required-field error on individual items under CHANNELS > Item Issues (or Item Issues (AI)), which is a good place to check periodically while you're still filling Commonality out.
Mapping Options
Each attribute can be mapped one of three ways:
Option | Description | Best use case |
String | A fixed text value sent for every product on this channel. | Constants, such as setting Brand to always be YOUR BRAND NAME. |
Property | Maps the attribute to one of your Acenda product fields. | Most common. Use it whenever the data already exists on the product (description, dimensions, and so on). |
Twig | A small formula that builds the value from other fields. | Advanced. Combining fields, conditional logic, or unit conversions. |
If the field you need doesn't exist yet, click Add Field next to the Property picker — it creates a new product custom field on the spot (the same kind of field as CATALOG > Custom Fields; see How to create custom fields).
Tip: A Property mapped to a field that's blank on a given product sends nothing for that attribute — the channel keeps whatever value it already has. Not sure what values an attribute will accept? See How to find the allowed values for a marketplace field
Step 4: Save and check
Commonality saves one row at a time — expand the row you edited and click its own Save button. There's no single "save everything" action on this tab.
If a category's Posting Template maps that same attribute itself, the category-level mapping wins — it replaces the inherited Commonality value for that category only. (Category Posting Templates save from the bar fixed to the bottom of their own editor, not from here.)
Give it a little time to show up on the channel: for example, Acenda usually sends Target item updates within an hour of a change, while logistics/shipping settings run on a separate schedule roughly every 48 hours. Also double-check the affected items are mapped with a Full listing action — only Full and Zero listing actions are sent to the channel at all; see How to map products to channels and set listing actions.
Troubleshooting & FAQ
I don't see a Commonality tab: That channel integration doesn't use Acenda's posting-template system, so there's nothing to configure here — this is expected, not a bug.
A row still shows red/pink after I fixed it: Make sure you clicked Save on that specific row, and that the Property now points at a field that actually exists — use Fix Missing Fields or Add Field to create it if needed.
I mapped it, but the value isn't showing on the channel: Check that the mapped Property isn't blank on the product (a blank Property sends nothing), that the item has a Full listing action, and give it until the channel's next update cycle.
A category template isn't picking up a Commonality change I made earlier: That category template is probably mapping the same attribute itself, which overrides Commonality for that category. Update the mapping on the category's own Posting Template instead, or remove it there so the category goes back to inheriting Commonality.
The channel rejects a value I mapped: Many attributes only accept specific pre-set values. See How to find the allowed values for a marketplace field
Tip: Need to check or fix a mapping across a lot of existing items at once, rather than product by product? Use the Super Template export from the same channel's Posting Templates tab (Edit a category template > Template Export tab). See How to generate and import a Super Template.
Related articles
Still stuck? Contact Acenda Support and tell us the channel and the attribute involved.
Keywords
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