Setting Up Brand Categories
Create Brand Structure
- Create a parent category for all brands (e.g., “Brands”)
- Add subcategories for each individual brand under the parent
- Configure visibility - categories can be hidden from menus but must remain enabled
- Add products to their respective brand categories
Brand categories can be hidden from navigation menus while remaining enabled for feed purposes. This keeps your main navigation clean while still organizing brand data.
Brand Category Requirements
Each brand category should include:- Name - The brand display name
- Image - Brand logo or representative image (required for full functionality)
- Products - All products belonging to that brand
- Enabled status - Must be enabled even if hidden from menu
Both brand name and image are required to activate brand recommender and search functionality in PureClarity. Without both elements, brand features may not work properly.
Configuring the Brand Feed
Enable Brand Feed in Configuration
- Navigate to Stores > Configuration > PureClarity
- Go to the Data/Feed Indexing section
- Select your brand parent category from the “Brand Parent Category” dropdown
This configuration tells PureClarity to treat all first-level children of the selected category as individual brands.
Brand Feed Behavior
Once configured:- All subcategories under the parent become brand entities
- Product associations are automatically mapped to brands
- Brand data is included in nightly feeds
- Manual feeds can include brand data on-demand
The category hierarchy approach allows for flexible brand management and easy addition of new brands through standard Magento category creation.
Brand Data Structure
What’s Included in Brand Feed
The brand feed sends the following data to PureClarity: Brand Information:- Brand name (from category name)
- Brand identifier (from category ID)
- Brand image (from category image)
- Brand description (from category description)
- Products assigned to each brand category
- Product-brand relationships for recommendations
- Brand-based filtering and search data
Feed Execution
Automatic Brand Feed Sending
Brand feeds are included in:- Nightly scheduled feeds (3:00 AM by default)
- Manual feed execution when brand feed is selected
- Real-time updates when brand categories or products change
Manual Brand Feed Execution
To manually send brand feed data:- Navigate to PureClarity Dashboard in Magento admin
- Click “Run Feeds Manually”
- Select Brand Feed from the options
- Click “Run feeds now”
Manual feeds are useful when you’ve made significant changes to your brand structure or added new brands and want immediate synchronization.
Brand Categories vs. Regular Categories
| Aspect | Brand Categories | Regular Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Brand organization | Product organization |
| Visibility | Can be hidden from menu | Usually visible |
| Structure | Flat (parent → brands) | Hierarchical (deep nesting) |
| Feed | Dedicated brand feed | Category feed |
| Requirements | Must have image | Image optional |
Best Practices
Category Organization
- Use clear naming - Brand names should match actual brand names
- Maintain consistency - Use consistent image sizes and formats
- Keep structure flat - Avoid sub-subcategories under brands
- Regular maintenance - Update brand images and descriptions regularly
Product Assignment
- Single brand assignment - Products should typically belong to one brand
- Complete coverage - Ensure all branded products are assigned
- Regular auditing - Check for unassigned branded products
Products assigned to multiple brand categories may cause confusion in recommendations. Use clear brand assignment rules.
Troubleshooting Brand Feeds
Common Issues
Brand feed not appearing:- Verify parent category is selected in configuration
- Ensure brand categories are enabled
- Check that products are assigned to brand categories
- Upload images to brand categories
- Verify image file formats (JPG, PNG, WebP)
- Clear Magento cache after image updates
- Check category descriptions are populated
- Verify product assignments
- Review brand feed status in dashboard