> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pureclarity.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Enabling the Brand Feed

> How to configure and enable the brand feed in Magento 2.x using category-based brand management

The PureClarity Magento extension handles brand feeds through a category-based approach, allowing you to organize brands as a category hierarchy with dedicated brand pages and product associations.

## Setting Up Brand Categories

### Create Brand Structure

1. **Create a parent category** for all brands (e.g., "Brands")
2. **Add subcategories** for each individual brand under the parent
3. **Configure visibility** - categories can be hidden from menus but must remain **enabled**
4. **Add products** to their respective brand categories

<img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/pureclarity/images/magento/brand-categories-structure.webp" alt="Example brand category structure showing Brands parent with Aspire child category" />

<Note>
  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.
</Note>

### 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

<Warning>
  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.
</Warning>

## Configuring the Brand Feed

### Enable Brand Feed in Configuration

1. Navigate to **Stores > Configuration > PureClarity**
2. Go to the **Data/Feed Indexing** section
3. Select your brand parent category from the **"Brand Parent Category"** dropdown

<img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/pureclarity/images/magento/brand-feed-configuration.webp" alt="Brand feed configuration options showing 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

<Tip>
  The category hierarchy approach allows for flexible brand management and easy addition of new brands through standard Magento category creation.
</Tip>

## 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)

**Product Associations:**

* 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:

1. Navigate to **PureClarity Dashboard** in Magento admin
2. Click **"Run Feeds Manually"**
3. Select **Brand Feed** from the options
4. Click **"Run feeds now"**

<Info>
  Manual feeds are useful when you've made significant changes to your brand structure or added new brands and want immediate synchronization.
</Info>

## 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

<Warning>
  Products assigned to multiple brand categories may cause confusion in recommendations. Use clear brand assignment rules.
</Warning>

## 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

**Missing brand images:**

* Upload images to brand categories
* Verify image file formats (JPG, PNG, WebP)
* Clear Magento cache after image updates

**Incomplete brand data:**

* Check category descriptions are populated
* Verify product assignments
* Review brand feed status in dashboard

For feed status monitoring, see [Feed Status Guide](/integrations/magento/magento-2/feed-status).

For general feed scheduling, see [When Data Feeds Run](/integrations/magento/magento-2/when-feeds-run).

## Related Resources

* [Types of Data Feeds](/integrations/magento/magento-2/types-of-feed)
* [Category Attributes](/integrations/magento/magento-2/category-attributes)
* [Feed Troubleshooting](/integrations/magento/magento-2/feeds-failing-errors)