Article mapping guide

Providing complete product data ensures your items look great on product detail pages (PDP) and gives customers a clear shopping experience.

Before onboarding your articles, please gather the following information:

• General mandatory details: Required for all articles across every category

• Category-specific details: Mandatory attributes depending on the article type 

• Recommended details: Optional attributes that improve PDP visibility and customer engagement

You must provide these general attributes regardless of category:

• General model information: Age group, article name, brand, silhouette, gender, size chart

• General style information: Main colour, supplier colour, supplier SKU, season

• General article information: Current price, currency, EAN, partner SKU, size, images following the Zalando image guidelines.

To ensure correct colour representation, your main colour and supplier colour must follow these guidelines:

• Supplier colour: The colour name you use. It can include non-colour phrases (e.g. 'peruvian summer', 'deep depths', 'ice blue').

  • Use lowercase letters only (e.g. 'blue', not 'BLUE').

  • Do not use numbers or special characters (e.g. &%2123). Forward slashes and hyphens are allowed (e.g. "white/blue").

  • Do not use precious metal terms like "gold", 'platinum' or 'silver' unless combined with '-toned' or '-coloured' (e.g. 'gold-coloured').

• Main colour: Used for customer shop filters. It must match the actual article colour as closely as possible.

  • Select 'multicoloured' only if the article has at least three distinct colours (black and white do not count toward the three).

  • For sets and multipacks, only one colour can be specified, but this does not have to refer to the first or front article

If your article features a licensed character (e.g. Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Pokémon, Friends, NASA, band tees), you must state this in the article description or name. You must also provide proof of appropriate licensing or we will reject the article.

• Polyurethane and polyethylene: These are coating materials, not carrier materials. You can use 100% polyurethane or polyethylene as filling or coating, but not as an outer fabric or lining unless specified as a coating. Some categories are not liable to the TKVO (Textilkennzeichnungsverordnung / Textile Labelling Ordinance) under EU Commission directive No 1007/2011, but even in these cases, the carrier material should be stated.

Please follow these rules:

^*If you don't know the textile carrier material, 100% polyurethane or polyethylene is allowed as the outer fabric or lining only when selected as a coating.

• Mohair: You can only onboard mohair articles if your brand holds a valid Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) certification. Submit your Testing Institute and Certification Number with your attributes.

• Other material: Use this option only if we don't offer the specific material in the drop-down menu. For textiles, "other material" cannot exceed 15% of the composition. If it exceeds 15%, detail it in the Description field  (e.g. Other material: 16% Silicon).

• Mandatory: Next to the general mandatory information, there are specific mandatory attributes that must be completed by partners for articles belonging to the respective outline.

• Mandatory if applicable:

  • What does ‘mandatory if applicable’ mean? If an article is made of different materials, then each of the materials must be specified. The material composition must be specified in %.

  • For example: If a jacket has a lining, then its attributes must be specified in addition to the outer fabric material, even if it is made of the same material.

• Optional: In addition there are several optional attributes per outline, which should be filled in if possible.

This summary table includes the product categories Textiles, Shoes, Accessories, Jewellery, Beauty, Electronics, Toys.

Further information about the Category Sports are available here.

• Describes the main outermost layer of an article

• Material composition must be specified in %

• Without this material specification, a textile article will not go online

• If an article contains any non-textile parts of animal origin (e.g. feathers, downs, leather, mother-of-pearls/pearls, horn), then you must mark the corresponding attribute with Yes.

• Information about the part of animal origin must be specified in the Description field (e.g. cow leather patch)

• All articles can be onboarded with only one size, textile articles included. Additional provided sizes must be consecutive.

  • e.g. M, L  or 36, 38 

• Following steps are mandatory for all kids articles with cords and/or drawstrings:

  • Cords and drawstrings information must be in accordance with the EU Commission directive 14682 for drawstrings and cords on children’s clothing

  • Is the cord fixed: please answer yes or no; use the Description field for this information

  • If yes, please provide their length in centimeters

• Collar, neckline, pockets, details, UV-protection, technology, sleeve length, fastening, description, pattern, sustainability (characteristics), care instructions, measurements, occasion, assortment type

• Football club, extras, technology, waistband, sleeve cuffs, collar, fastening, pockets

For further details please refer to:

• Material mapping guidelines for textiles

• EU Commission directive No 1007/2011 on textile fibre names and related labelling and marking of the fibre composition of textile products

Parts of animal origin

• Please refer to our ethical standards when mapping parts of animal origin.

• If an article contains any non-textile parts of animal origin (e.g. feathers, downs, leather, mother-of-pearls/pearls, horn), then it must be stated in the corresponding attribute with Yes.

• Information about the part of animal origin must be specified in the Description field (e.g. material: real pearls)

• You can't sell jewellery, bags or watches made of precious metals or containing gemstones in Czechia, Lithuania, Romania, the Netherlands and the UK.

• Additionally, you can’t sell jewellery made of precious metals combined with precious stones, semi-precious stones and synthetic precious stones Switzerland.

• For all accessories that consist of 80% or more textile, a material specification in % is mandatory

• If an accessory has a lining then its material must also be specified in %

• For Switzerland (CH): mandatory measurements in centimeters (height, length, width).

• Outer material composition is mandatory for all markets (no % needed)

• Outer fabric material specification in % is mandatory

• If the article has a lining, then this must also be specified in %

• The fastener must be visible in one of the images, available as information in the Description field or selected as an option in the attributes

• Please note: This field only needs to be filled out if your articles are sold on the German market. 

• Circumference in cm is mandatory for all non-elastic or one-size headgear

• CE label image is mandatory

• Mandatory measurements: armband width, case height, diameter

• CE label image is mandatory

• Filter/tint category and Filter/Lense Type mandatory for tinted glasses/sunglasses

• Mandatory measurements: arm length, bridge width, width

• For sleeping bags, the CE label image is mandatory

• Description, pattern, sustainability, care instructions, occasion, padding type, closure, frame style, UV protection

• Material components, e.g. back material, front material, bottom part material, middle part material

• Description, bead/stone type, fabrics, measurements, finish, closure

For further details about available material options for accessories and jewellery please visit here.

• Ingredients of the Article in INCI Format - International Nomenclature for Cosmetic Ingredients

• Description is for the general description of the product in text

• How to use is mandatory for all cosmetic products and has to be translated for each country channel

• Beauty Warnings are mandatory and have to be translated for each country channel

• Volume / Weight indication in ml/g

If a beauty article is made of textile (e.g. washcloths) then a material specification in % is mandatory.

• Coverage, skin type, hair type, sun protection, benefits, finish, consistency

• CE label image 

• Depending on the article, these product details are mandatory: power source, features, technical specifications, extras

• Material, cable length, suitable for (e.g. smartphone, tablet), frequency, weight, items that are included in the delivery, battery life/service life, diameter

• CE label image

• Age group

• Material specification

  • Material specification must not be in %

    • The Ethical Sourcing Standards (ESS) guidelines specify that Zalando may restrict or prohibit the sale of certain materials, production forms, and prints. These include any type of mohair, exotic or forbidden wood types, and parts from exotic and/or endangered animals. Additionally, animal parts such as leather, fur, and feathers must be byproducts of meat production

  • Use the Description field if the material is not available in the attribute (e.g. material: concrete)

• Measurements - at least height, width or circumference must be provided

• If any warnings are applicable, they must be entered in the Description field or as an attribute. The warning notes begin with the word Achtung in German or Warning in English and the respective warning. If no warnings apply, please input No warning notes in the Description field

• Further materials, further measurements, care instructions

Please note the following guidelines for indicating materials:

The CE label and the article must be visible and recognisable together in one image. Please find further information about CE label requirements here.

• All watches, e.g.

  • Smart watches

  • Pulse watches

• All electronic devices, e.g.

  • Headphones

  • Smart accessories

  • Activity tracker

  • Heart rate monitors

  • All articles with batteries

• All glasses, e.g.

  • Sunglasses

  • Glasses with UV protection

  • Ski goggles

  • Swimming goggles

  • Bicycle glasses

• Protective gear, e.g.

  • Protective helmets

  • Shin pad

  • UV protection

  • Goalkeeper/oven gloves

• Toys

• All items that have a toy added as a gimmick

  • The label must only be affixed to the toy itself

• All items with a battery-powered function, e.g. flashing shoes, flashing sweaters

• Non-electronic beauty articles

The following four material specifications must be provided for each shoe:

• If a shoe care product contains a warning, then the warning must be put into the Description field

• If a shoe care product contains instructions for use, these must be put into the Description field

• Description, pattern, sustainability, care instructions, occasion, padding type, measurements (e.g. heel height, platform height, etc.), fastener, upper detail, heel type, shoe tip, weather, qualities

• Membrane, midsole technology, cushioning, technology, outer sole technology, extras

For further details please refer to: Material mapping guidelines for shoes.

• Whether or not attributes are mandatory, depends on the respective category of the article

• For sports articles, the sports type should always be specified in the corresponding attribute field.

• Here you can find all available Sports types on Zalando. Please note that Zalando retains the right to tag only appropriate Sports brands defined by Zalando into the Sports categories.

• If an article contains any non-textile parts of animal origin (e.g. feathers, downs, leather, mother-of-pearls/pearls, horn), then it must be stated in the corresponding attribute with Yes

• Information about the part of animal origin must be specified in the Description field (e.g. cow leather patch)