Understanding Your Data Flow
June 26, 2026
Summary
The two ways product data moves through Flxpoint - how to choose the right one for your business, what each flow looks like step by step, and best practices before you begin.
The three stages every product passes through
Source Inventory
Raw data from suppliers
Raw data from suppliers
⇄
Product Catalog
Merged & enriched
Merged & enriched
⇄
Channel Listings
Channel-specific versions
Channel-specific versions
The direction data flows between these stages defines your Flxpoint flow. You build your setup in one of two directions depending on whether your operations start from suppliers or from your existing sales channel.
The two flows at a glance
Left → Right
Supplier-first
Source Inventory → Catalog → Listings
Start with
- Supplier / warehouse product feeds
- No existing channel catalog required
You build
- Import supplier inventory
- Merge into product catalog
- Create and publish channel listings
Best for
- New businesses without an existing channel
- Migrating to a new platform
- Supplier data as the source of truth
Right → Left
Channel-first
Listings → Catalog → Source Inventory
Start with
- Existing live listings on a channel
- Custom or enriched product data already in place
You build
- Import channel listings into Flxpoint
- Merge into product catalog automatically
- Assign products to fulfillment sources
Best for
- Businesses with an existing sales channel
- Faster onboarding and first test order
- Migrating from another inventory system
Key differences
| Aspect | Left → Right | Right → Left |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Supplier / warehouse inventory data | Existing channel listings |
| Data ownership | Supplier-driven - supplier data shapes the catalog | Channel-driven - your existing listings are the starting record |
| Setup complexity | Higher - more steps, more structured | Lower - faster to get to a first test order |
| Speed to launch | Slower - build catalog from scratch | Faster - catalog auto-builds from import |
| Requires identifiers? | Yes - UPC, MPN, or GTIN needed for multi-source merging | No - listings import directly without identifier matching |
| Product data quality | High - you control enrichment before publishing | Inherits whatever is on the channel at import time |
Left → Right flow - 10-step process
01
Integrate your sources and sales channelsConnect supplier feeds and channel accounts in Flxpoint.
02
Run Get Inventory to import source dataPull all active inventory from connected suppliers into Source Inventory.
03
Validate imported source inventoryConfirm quantities, costs, and identifiers look correct before building.
04
Select inventory to add to your Product CatalogChoose which source SKUs should become catalog products.
05
Build products using your preferred builder and mapping settingsMulti-source items with matching UPCs/MPNs are merged into single catalog records.
06
Validate and customise product data in the catalogEnrich titles, descriptions, images, and pricing rules before publishing.
07
Create channel-specific listingsBuild one listing per channel per product, customised to each platform's requirements.
08
Complete channel-specific listing customisationsOverride fields, adjust prices, and meet each channel's attribute requirements.
09
Publish new listings or link to existing onesEither push new products to the channel or sync Flxpoint to items already listed there.
10
Sync ongoing pricing, quantity, and content updatesSync Listings keeps price/quantity current; Publish Listings pushes content changes.
Right → Left flow - 3-phase lifecycle
1
Import products from your sales channelRun Import Listings - products come into Channel Listings and Product Catalog simultaneously. Supported channels: Amazon, BigCommerce, Magento, Shopify, WooCommerce.
2
Products auto-merge in the Product CatalogFlxpoint automatically creates a catalog record for each imported listing. No manual build step required.
3
Assign products to fulfillment sourcesLink catalog products to source inventory (suppliers or warehouses) so orders can be routed for fulfillment.
Choosing the right flow for your situation
Choose Left → Right if…
- You're a new business without an established channel
- You're migrating to a new sales platform from scratch
- You want supplier data to be your source of truth
- Data quality and scalability are top priorities
- Your supplier data includes UPC, MPN, or GTIN identifiers
- You only want to import a subset of your full catalog
Choose Right → Left if…
- You already have live listings on a channel
- You use custom or heavily enriched product data
- You want a faster path to your first test order
- Product data management isn't an early priority
- You're migrating from Inventory Source or another system
- You want to validate routing before committing to a full build
Best practices before you begin
Decide data ownership upfrontWill supplier data or your existing channel data drive your catalog? This determines your flow direction - change it later and you'll need to rebuild.
Ensure consistent identifiersFor Left → Right, UPCs, SKUs, or MPNs must be consistent across supplier feeds for multi-source merging to work correctly.
Test with a small product set firstRun 10–20 products through the full flow before scaling. Validate that routing, pricing, and sync behave as expected at small scale.
Use automation for ongoing syncManually triggered updates don't scale. Set up Sync Listings and Get Inventory integrations to run on a schedule from day one.
FAQs
Can I use both flows at the same time?
Not for the same products - each product follows one lifecycle path. However, you can use Left → Right for one category of products (e.g. new supplier items) and Right → Left for another (e.g. existing channel inventory) within the same Flxpoint account, as long as you manage them as separate product sets.
What if my supplier data doesn't have UPCs or MPNs?
The Left → Right flow uses identifiers to merge inventory from multiple suppliers into a single catalog product. Without identifiers, each source item stays separate and won't de-duplicate automatically. In this case, Right → Left is usually a better starting point - you can build the catalog from your channel data and manually assign sources later.
Which flow is faster to set up?
Right → Left - importing existing channel listings is faster than building a catalog from supplier data. Most clients using Right → Left can get to a first test order in significantly less time. Left → Right offers better data quality and long-term scalability but requires more upfront effort.