1.0 Overview

In the competitive world of online shopping, it's crucial to offer customers unique and personalized experiences. With Bitsila, we give you the tools to do just that. This guide is like your personalized map to unlock the potential of customization, so you can create a one-of-a-kind shopping experience that meets your customers' needs.

Today's shoppers want products that match their own style and preferences. Customization isn't just a fancy extra anymore; it's something your customers expect. When people can make a product fit their likes and needs, they're more likely to buy it.

This guide is here to make it easy for you. It will help you understand how to add custom touches to your products on various ONDC Buyer platforms through your Bitsila account. You'll learn how to create new customizations for each product, set up options for customers to choose from, and even make nested customizations that let your customers make choices that really matter to them.

1.1 What is the customization and why it's needed?

Customization

Customization in the context of e-commerce is providing your customers with the ability to personalize and modify the products they purchase on the buyer platform. 

Customizations enable customers to modify some aspects of the product to suit their tastes and preferences. For example, if someone is ordering a pizza from a Restaurant, they can choose how their crust must be made, what toppings should be added to it, and what size the pizza should be. 

The customers are enabled to choose from a set of available options provided by the restaurant.

In this example, factors like Crust, Size, and Toppings fall under the Customizations.

Customization Options

Customization options are nothing but the choices you provide to your customers, from which they can choose what to add to the product they are ordering.

Following the example of pizza mentioned before, under each customization like Crust, Size, and Toppings, there would be multiple options.

Crust has Hand-tossed and Thin Crust, Size can be Regular, Medium, and Large, Toppings can be Grilled mushrooms, tomato, etc. All these fall under the Customization options.

Nested Customizations

If you provide Customization within the Customization options, then they are called Nested Customizations.

For a Pizza, the basic customization is the Crust with options like Hand-tossed and Thin Crust. For both of these options, the next step of customization is the sizes, which means both of these crust types are available in different sizes let’s say Regular, Medium, and Large 

So, a customer can order a Hand-tossed Regular Pizza with the Nested Customization.

Following this example, let’s go through the process of Creating these customizations, adding these options, and Creating these customization

First, let’s take a look at what these customizations look like at your end product. Let’s take a pizza product called Veg Extravagant Pizza for example. For a pizza, there could be multiple customizations.

The crust, size, toppings etc. This will allow customers to choose how they want their pizza. 

Here is an example on how a pizza customization works on a Buyer app.

The above animation shows the three levels of Customization. The basic and first customization is the Crust which is followed by the nested customization of Size and finally another nested customization of toppings.

Let’s break down that example and the format of customization can be represented in the following tabular form

To offer this form of customization, you need to create three different customizations named Crust, Size and Toppings.

The Crust Customization should have two options - New Hand Tossed and 100 % Wheat Thin Crust and customers can only choose one of them.

The Size Customization should have three options - Regular, Medium, and Large. However, as you can see the 100% Wheat Thin Crust only has regular and medium options. So, it shouldn’t be available in Large. Customers can only choose one of the sizes.

The Toppings Customization should have three options - Grilled Mushrooms, Fresh Tomato, and Pepper Barbeque Chicken. Customers can choose up to two toppings.

Now, let’s go through the process of creating these customizations, adding them to the items of the catalog, Editing the customization options, activating and deactivating the customizations, etc.

2.0 Creating and Managing Customizations

2.1 Creating a Customization

The process starts with you creating the customization in the Bitsila system which could be added to the items that are already listed in your catalog. 

To follow the example, let’s create the Crust Customization First

1. Navigate to the Products Module on the left-side panel

2. Click on the Customizations Option

You can now see the Customizations Screen where you can access the list of all the existing customizations. Whenever you create a customization, it will appear in this list.

3. On the top-right corner of this screen, click on Create New Button

You will see a customization details panel with two entry fields namely Group and Name

The Group field is a dropdown and if you click on it, you will be able to see the list of different existing groups.

There are five options in the list namely Weight, Size, Quantity, Base, and Other

If your Customization fits with any of the first four group options, you can select it directly, in which case you don’t need to add the Name for the group. Here is some more information on these groups to understand their usage.

Weight

Weight Group is used when you are offering a customization based on the weight of the product.

Example: Cake for a Bakery Store, Vegetables for a Grocery Store, etc.

Size

Size as the name implies is used when an item can be customized in various sizes like Regular, Medium and large.

Example: Soft drinks, Pizza, etc

Quantity

Quantity Group is used when the customization is based on the number of pieces in an item.

Example: Chicken Nuggets- 10 Pcs, 16 Pcs, 24 Pcs, etc

Base

Base is used when the base component of the item can be customized.

Example: Pizza Crust

Other

Other is the group that you use when your customization does not fit any of the other groups. 

Example: Toppings for a Pizza

Now for the example we are following, the Veg Extravaganza Pizza, we are going to create the first Customization. The Crust.

4. Select the Group from the Dropdown

For this example, it is Base since Crust is the base of the Pizza

5. Add Options for the Customization

Click on the Add Options Button below the Details Panel

Now you can start adding Options for this Customization

You need to fill out the fields for each option. 

Option Name is what is displayed under the Customization in the buyer platform. So, give the appropriate option name.

Option Type gives a dropdown through which you can choose if the item is Veg, Non-Veg, Egg or something else.

 This is only applicable for food products and even in them, you need not use the type option for all types of customization.

For example, if you are using Size or Weight Options for the group, then the type becomes irrelevant. In that case, you can choose the other option.

Price is what is displayed in the buyer platform as the price of this option. You can add the price in that field.

You can leave the Item Name and Status Empty if you want to.

The Item name is added if the Customization option you are offering is a separate smaller item or an extra item that you are adding to the Original item.

Status by default is active. Unless you want to create an option that you do not want to use at the moment and only for future purposes, you can select Inactive.

After you are done with One option, you can Add more by clicking on Add Options Button

For the current example, the Options are New-Hand Tossed and 100% Wheat Thin Crust.

That is how your options are added.

6. After you finished adding you to Customization Options, Click on Create Button

You can now see the Customization Details Screen of the Customization you created.

If you go back to the Customizations section in the Products Module, you can see the new Customization you created appeared on the List

Similarly, for the second customization of this example, the size of the pizza, Select Size from the dropdown and add the options: Regular, Medium, and Large.

And for the third customization of this example, the Toppings of the pizza, you need to choose the Other Option. Because the toppings cannot be categorized under size, weight, quantity, or base.

After Selecting the Other Option from the dropdown, add a Name. This is the name under which the Customization options that you give are displayed. Choose an appropriate name.

For the current example, the name is Toppings.

Add the options for the Toppings: Grilled Mushrooms, Fresh Tomato, and Pepper Barbeque Chicken.

As you can see the three toppings can also be considered separate items themselves, so you can add them as an Item Name as well.

Now, you have all these customization options already created. You can see the three of them listed on your Customizations Screen

With these three customizations, we used three of the five options.

The usage of Weight and Quantity are similar.

If you are a Baker and are adding a customization for cakes based on Weight, the flow will be like this.

The quantity group can be used for an item that has a certain number of pieces in it. Like Chicken Nuggets and it is configured this way.

Note: For a Customization, you need to add at least one option. Otherwise, the system will not accept it and it will show an error message like this.

That concludes the Creation of a customization.

2.2 Linking Customization Group to an Item

Once the Customization is created with all the options, it is ready to be added to an item. To add the customization to the item, here is the following process.

1. Navigate to the Products Module on the left-side Panel.

2. Click on Items

Now you can see the list of all the items in your catalog

3. Click on the Item that you want to add the Customizations to

In this case, it is the Veg Extravaganza Pizza

4. Navigate to the Customizations Section under the Overview Tab

That is where you can see the Customizations once you add them to the item.

5. Click on Add Customization Button

Now you will see the Create New Pop-up screen under which you can access the Details Panel with empty fields.

6. Enter the Details in Empty fields under Details Panel

Customization Name is the dropdown where you will see all the Customizations  enter the name of the Customization that you created or you can navigate through the list to do it.

In this current example, it will be Base

You can choose this name from the dropdown of the field or you can type it in.

Once you finish adding the Customization Name, you can move on to the Customization Options.

Here you can see the dropdown list of all the options available under that Customization.

You can add only one option or you can add all of them, based on the product that you are adding it to.

For this example, we are using both the options

Add the Minimum and Maximum Quantities in their respective fields. 

For the Crust, which is the Base, the Minimum quantity and Maximum quantity are equal to 1, because the customers have to choose one base, and they cannot add more than one.

After you enter all the details, Click on Add in the top right corner of the screen.

Now the Customization is added to the Item and you can see it under the Customizations Section.

Click on the Arrow on the left side of the Name and you can see the Options under that Customization

That means, your Customization is added along with all the options.

After the Customization is added, you can now Edit the Customization Option directly from here.

2.3 Editing the Customization Options

1. Click on the three dots beside the option that you want to Edit and Click on Edit

You can see the Pop-up screen 

2. Edit the Details of the Customization Option.

The Name field is self-explanatory.

In the Type field, you choose the type of the option from three choices.

Item variant is used when you are using a variant of an Item as the customization option. 

Stock Variant is used when it comes to Customization based on the weight or size of the item. In that case, you can just add the price as a percentage of the size of the customization.

If neither is the case, then it will go to the Other Variant.

In the Price Type Section, you can choose Percent or Fixed.

For Fixed, you can directly enter the Price and for Percent, you can enter the percentage of the price.

In case of Percent type, the final price will be calculated based on the percentage you added.

Value is where you add the actual price or the percentage based on the Price type you selected.

Status should be active if you want this option to be visible in the buyer app. If you want the option to be not visible, then choose Inactive

You can also add the prices for other channels like POS, B2B, B2C Online etc.

3. Once you make all the necessary Edits, click on Update.

You can see the Changes reflected in the Customizations Section of Item

2.4 Managing the Nested Customizations

Once you finished adding the Customizations, you can add customizations to the existing Customization Options.

In the context of the current example, in the Crust customization, we have two options. 

Now if you want to you can offer customizations for each of these Options, it is called nested customization.

To add a nested customization, go through the following steps

1. Click on the three dots beside the option that you want to add the nested customization for and click on Add Customization

Once again, you will be redirected to the familiar Add Customization Pop-up screen.

2. Enter the details of the Customization and Click on the Create Customization Button

The details for the next level of customization for the Base Customization options is the Size, which will be added as a nested customization. 

Once you add the Size Customization under both of the crusts, you can see them in the Customization section.

In the same way, add the next level customization, the toppings for the Size options.

For the toppings, the user does not need to add it if they don’t want to. They can add a maximum of 2 toppings

Now, the three levels of customization are added as Nested Customizations.

2.5 Changing Active Status of the Customization

Based on the availability, you can change the status of the Customization, Customization Option, or even the Nested Customization.

By default, they are going to be in Active Status.

If they are unavailable, you can change the status to Inactive

Here is how you can do it.

Click on the three dots of the the option or customization that you want to change the status of and in the list pick Activate or Deactivate based on your requirement.

3.0 Conclusion

With this guide, we have covered creating a customization creation, adding customization options, adding customization to an item, editing the customization options, adding nested customizations, and activating & deactivating the customization options.

Our team is here to support you every step of the way. If you encounter any challenges or have questions, don't hesitate to reach out for assistance. We're committed to helping you succeed in creating a truly unique and unforgettable shopping experience for your customers.

4.0 FAQs

Q1: What is the importance of customization in today's e-commerce landscape?

A1: Customization is crucial in the modern e-commerce landscape as it allows businesses to offer unique and personalized experiences to their customers. It helps create emotional connections, drive customer loyalty, and increase sales.

Q2: How do you create customizations for products in Bitsila?

A2: To create customizations in Bitsila, you can follow the steps outlined in the guide, which involve navigating to the Products Module, clicking on Customizations, and then using the "Create New" button to add customizations to your products.

Q3: What are the steps to create a new customization within the Bitsila system?

A3: The steps to create a new customization in Bitsila involve selecting a group and name for the customization, adding options for the customization, and then saving it.

Q4: What are the options available when creating a new customization, and how are they categorized?

A4: You can choose a group for the customization from existing options or select "Other" if none fit. Then, you specify the name of the customization category. Options are categorized by name, type, and price.

Q5: How can you add customization options to a newly created customization?

A5: After creating a customization, you can add options by clicking on the "Add Options" button and filling out the required fields for each option, such as Option Name, Option Type, and Price.

Q6: What are some considerations when adding options, such as Option Name, Option Type, and Price?

A6: Option Name is what appears to customers on the buyer platform, Option Type helps categorize the option, and Price is the cost displayed in the buyer app. You can also specify Item Name and Status based on your needs.

Q7: How do you add a customization to a specific product in Bitsila?

A7: To add a customization to a specific product, go to the Products Module, select the item you want to customize, navigate to the Customizations section, and click on "Add Customization." Then, enter the customization name and options.

Q8: What is the process for adding a customization to an item, and what are the minimum and maximum amounts?

A8: To add a customization to an item, you enter the customization name and specify the minimum and maximum amounts based on the product's requirements. For example, for a pizza, the minimum could be 1 topping, and the maximum could be 8.

Q9: How can you edit customization options after they have been added to an item?

A9: To edit customization options, click on the three dots next to the option you want to edit and select "Edit." You can then modify the option's details, including the name, type, price, and status.

Q10: What are nested customizations, and how can they be added to existing customization options?

A10: Nested customizations allow you to add customizations within existing customization options. To add nested customizations, click on the three dots next to the option and select "Add Customization." Follow the same process as creating a regular customization.

Q11: How can you change the active status of a customization, customization option, or nested customization in Bitsila?

A11: You can change the active status of a customization, option, or nested customization by clicking on the three dots next to the item and selecting "Activate" or "Deactivate" based on your requirement.

Q12: What is the purpose of this guide, and how can the Bitsila team assist you in implementing customizations for your e-commerce platform?

A12: The purpose of this guide is to help you understand how to create, manage, and implement customizations for your e-commerce products. The Bitsila team is available to provide support and assistance if you encounter challenges or have questions during the process of implementing customizations. They are committed to helping you create a unique shopping experience for your customers.