Onboard your articles: quick guide

Getting your products (we call them articles) live on Zalando is straightforward when you follow a clear path. Providing complete data from the beginning when onboarding your articles reduces your Time to Article Creation (TTAC) KPI, impacts your sales performance and improves the customer journey. This guide walks you through categorising articles, submitting data, uploading media and tracking your status.

You’ll learn how to:

• Check product eligibility and guidelines.

• Provide mandatory article details (attributes).

• Set up compliant size charts.

• Upload high-quality images and videos.

• Review article status and fix rejections.

Before starting article onboarding, make sure you have:

• An active zDirect account with relevant permissions.

• Clear article information, including materials, sizing and high-resolution images.

• Access to the Zalando Platform Rules and attribute requirements.

Before selling an article, confirm where it fits in the Zalando catalogue and how to name it correctly.

• Confirm eligibility: Check section 4.1 of the Platform Rules and the excluded assortment overview to ensure we can onboard your articles.

• Categorise your article: Use the Article assortment category examples guide to find your assortment category (e.g. Women's textile, Beauty or Sports equipment).

• Select the season: Follow the Seasonal timeline and season switch guide to assign the correct season. This will impact when you must discount articles during sales.  

• Name your article: Once you have a category, use the Article naming guidelines to create a title. This will be visible to your customers on Zalando. 

Read more in our Sustainability communications policy:

• Sustainability communications policy and guidelines

Next, you need to tell us and your customers what your article is made of and its specific features. We call these attributes.

• Map materials: Review the Material mapping guide to define your article materials. 

• Check mandatory attributes: Check what attributes are mandatory for all articles, and specific to your particular product category. 

• Review the Zalando attribute requirements table: This shows you which details are mandatory or optional for your specific article. A belt, for example, needs different data than a jacket.

• Stay up to date: Check attribute requirements regularly to see which have been changed or deactivated.

Your clothing and shoes need clear, consecutive size runs so customers find the right fit.

• Review size rules: Read Size requirements and rejection codes to learn standard rules. For example, adult clothing needs at least three consecutive sizes, while shoes need five.

• Manage size charts: Log into zDirect and open the Size chart management tool. Search our database for an existing standard chart, or request a brand-specific chart by uploading proof of your size conversions.

We require high-quality images with specific poses and backgrounds. You must also assign an outline (also known as an article type, or formerly as a silhouette) so our system recognises the shape of your article.

• Follow the technical guidelines: Read the Zalando image guidelines to learn requirements for packshots and model views across categories.

• Choose an outline: Use the Introduction to silhouette guides to select the correct outline for your article.

• Apply category styling: Use our specific guides for Apparel, Shoes, Accessories, or Sports to ensure your cropping and lighting are correct.

• Remain consistent: Always follow the best practice image guidelines.

Image guides for all assortment categories, as well as video and content guides can be found here.

Soundless videos help customers view your articles in motion.

• Prepare video files: Follow the guidelines in Upload videos to your articles.

• Submit video URL: Provide a direct URL to an MP4 file and a preview image via your API or XML feed.

Once you’ve submitted your data and media, your article enters our review process. Its status updates to LIVE, REJECTED or BLOCKED.

• Track article progress: Check your Article listing in zDirect to monitor status changes to IN_REVIEW, BLOCKED, LIVE or REJECTED, and where you can help.

• Fix rejections: If an article is rejected, check Correcting rejected articles in the Article listing for guidance, or look up the specific code in the list of Article status codes definitions. It acts as a dictionary to help you fix errors. For example, code ACSREJ_141 means your packshot background isn't pure white.

Once your data and images meet all requirements, your articles move from IN_REVIEW to LIVE. They become visible to millions of customers across your selected Zalando markets.

If you are progressing through your onboarding process, please reach out to your Onboarding manager directly.

If you have already completed your onboarding, please contact Partner Care via the support form. Select topic: Article onboarding, and request type: General article onboarding questions.