SKU Patterns

Malovex generates a SKU for every product it exports. A SKU pattern is a small template that decides what those SKUs look like, so they match the identifier format your storefront expects.

You set a default pattern for your whole account under Settings → General Settings, and can override it per store under Sales Channels → My Stores.

Tokens

A pattern is any text you like with tokens in curly braces. Each token is replaced with a value from the product when the SKU is generated:

Token	Replaced with
{supplier_sku}	The supplier’s own SKU for the product.
{ean}	The product’s primary EAN.
{product_id}	Malovex’s internal product ID.
{manufacturer}	The manufacturer name.
{seq}	A running number, zero-padded to 5 digits (e.g. 00001).
{seq:N}	The running number padded to a custom width — {seq:6} gives 000001.
{year}	The 4-digit year the SKU was assigned (e.g. 2026).
{year2}	The 2-digit year (e.g. 26).
{month}	The month, zero-padded (01–12).

Text between tokens is kept as-is, so you can build patterns like:

• {supplier_sku} → ABC-123
• MX-{seq:6} → MX-000042
• {manufacturer}-{ean} → Manufacturer1-4000000000001
• {year2}{month}-{seq} → 2607-00042

The default pattern, used when neither the store nor your account defines one, is {supplier_sku}.

Patterns must be unique

A pattern must include at least one token that varies per product — {seq}, {ean}, {product_id}, or {supplier_sku}. Without one, every product would collapse to the same SKU.

If you try to save a pattern like MX- (no varying token) or PROD (plain text), Malovex rejects it with:

Pattern must include {seq}, {ean}, {product_id} or {supplier_sku} so each product gets a unique SKU.

A blank pattern is allowed — it inherits the account default, which is itself unique.

Account default and per-store override

There are two places to set a pattern:

• Account default — set under Settings → General Settings. It applies to every store that doesn’t have its own pattern.
• Per-store override — set on an individual store under Sales Channels → My Stores. A store’s pattern takes precedence over the account default. Leave it blank to inherit the account default.

So the resolution order for any store is: store pattern → account default → {supplier_sku}.

Changing a pattern only affects new products

This is the most important rule to understand.

Caution

Existing SKUs never change. Once a product has been assigned a SKU, that SKU is pinned for good. Changing a pattern only affects products added afterwards.

This is deliberate: your storefront, order history, and any connected platform rely on SKUs staying stable. A pattern change that silently rewrote thousands of live SKUs would break those integrations.

Because of this stickiness:

• New products get a SKU built from the pattern that is current when they’re first exported.
• Date tokens ({year}, {year2}, {month}) are frozen to the date the SKU was assigned — they don’t drift when catalogs rebuild across a month or year boundary.
• The running number {seq} is a stable per-account counter, so each new product gets the next number.

When you save a new pattern, Malovex confirms this behavior:

New products will use the updated SKU pattern; existing SKUs keep their current value.

Setting your patterns

1. Set your account default under Settings → General Settings, in the SKU section. This is the pattern most stores will use.

   

2. If a particular store needs a different format, open it under Sales Channels → My Stores and set its SKU pattern field. Leave it blank to inherit the account default.

3. Save. Malovex assigns SKUs to any products that don’t have one yet, using the resolved pattern. Existing SKUs are left untouched.

Tip

Plan your pattern before you export products for the first time. Because existing SKUs are immutable, the cleanest time to choose a format is up front.