Creating Kits and Bundles in Acenda

In Acenda, a Kit is treated as a specific configuration of a variant within a product group. It is not a separate product type, but rather a "variant item" that points to multiple components.

The "Kit as Variant" Concept

Think of a kit like any other product attribute. Just as a "Large Blue Shirt" is a variant of a "Shirt" parent, a "3-Pack - Large Blue Shirts" or a "Shirt & Hat Bundle" is simply another variant under that same Parent SKU.

Grouping: All items (single units and bundles) are linked by the same group_sku.0.
Customer Experience: This allows shoppers to choose between a single unit and various bundle configurations on a single product page.

The Two-Step Import Process

To create kits via bulk import, you must follow this specific order of operations.

Step 1: Regular Catalog Import

First, you must import all individual components and the Kit SKU itself.

Setup: Components should be standard items with their own inventory.
Kit SKU: The Kit SKU must have the Group field set to kit.
Requirement: All SKUs must exist in the Acenda Admin before you can link them in Step 2.

Step 2: Kit Component Import

Once the SKUs are created, link the components to the kit by importing the Kit Component Template.

📂 Preferred File Formatting

For both steps, Microsoft Excel (XLS or XLSX) is the preferred file format to ensure data integrity. While CSV UTF-8 is allowed, we strongly recommend using Excel files.

Note on Quantity: The quantity field represents the number of units of a specific component required to fulfill one single kit.

Example: "Shirt & Hat" Bundle

kit_sku	sku (Component)	group_sku.0 (Parent)	quantity
SHIRT-HAT-COMBO-01	SHIRT-BLUE-LG	SHIRT-PARENT	1
SHIRT-HAT-COMBO-01	TRUCKER-HAT-01	SHIRT-PARENT	1

Dynamic Inventory Calculation

Do not manually assign inventory to Kit items. A kit’s stock is derived automatically from its components.

The Logic: Acenda calculates kit availability based on the component with the lowest relative stock (the "bottleneck").
Example: If you have 50 Shirts but only 5 Hats, your "Shirt & Hat Combo" will show an available inventory of 5.
Real-time Updates: As soon as a component sells—whether individually or as part of a different kit—the available count for all related kits is recalculated instantly.

Marketplace Compliance

To ensure your bundles are accepted by channels like Amazon, Walmart, or Target, follow these rules:

Unique GTINs: The Kit variant must have its own unique UPC/GTIN. Do not reuse a barcode from an individual component.
Unique Metadata: Ensure the Kit has images showing the full bundle contents and accurate shipping weights (the combined total of all components).
Mapping: Map the Kit SKU to your sales channels just like a normal variant. Acenda will handle the inventory feed automatically based on the component math.