Catalogs organize and manage sellable items within the Wix eCommerce platform. These catalog items move through the purchase flow when customers add them to carts and proceed to checkout. The platform supports multiple approaches to catalog management, from built-in solutions to external integrations, each suited to different business requirements and technical constraints.
This section covers:
- Catalog and custom items: Compare item types, understand when to use catalog items versus custom items, and learn about implementation patterns.
- Catalog service plugin: Integrate external catalog systems with the Wix eCommerce platform for dynamic item management and real-time updates.
- Inventory service plugin: Implement unified inventory management across different business verticals and catalog providers.
Choose the approach that best fits your technical requirements and business model:
- Built-in catalogs: Wix business solutions like Stores, Bookings, and Restaurants provide preconfigured catalog functionality. Use those when existing solutions meet your needs.
- External catalog integration: Connect external item repositories through the Catalog and Inventory service plugins for real-time synchronization, custom business logic, and item variant handling. Implement if you are developing a business solution that relies on real-time updates for item details, availability, and pricing.
- Direct item processing: Handle items directly in eCommerce flows without maintaining a persistent catalog. Use for 1-off, non-physical, or unlimited items for which you don't need inventory tracking, real-time dynamic item updates, or catalog-based management.