Klevu’s Multi-Store Merchandising (MSM) allows you to centrally manage category merchandising strategies across multiple stores by creating Clusters. Clusters help ensure consistent merchandising rules across stores that share the same categories, products, attributes, and attribute values while allowing store-specific overrides when needed.
In this article, we will guide you on how to create and manage clusters and answer common questions related to cluster management.
- This feature is available on our Smart Category Merchandising - Personalized or above plan.
- All stores within a cluster must share the same Product IDs.
Step 1: Create a Cluster
Log in to Klevu Merchant Center, from the left menu, and navigate to Smart Category Merchandising → Multi-Store Merchandising.
- Click on the Create Cluster button.
- Enter a Cluster Name. This is for internal use only.
- Select a Primary Store. When you merchandise categories, product data of your primary store will be used to create rules or pin/exclude products.
- Linked Stores: Choose all the other stores that will share the merchandising within the cluster.
Please note that a store can only be part of one cluster to share merchandising rules. - Click Save & Next to continue to the mapping process.
Step 2: Automatic Product Data Mapping Process
Once a cluster is created, Klevu will automatically map categories, attributes, and attribute values between all stores of the clusters using the primary store’s product/category data. Currency conversion will also be managed automatically. 
Please note:
- The mapping process may take some time depending on the size of your product data. You can close this screen and continue with other tasks. An email notification will be sent once the mapping process is complete for further steps.
- Klevu will create mappings for the following catalog data:
Categories (e.g. Men → Hommes)
Product Attributes (e.g. Colour → Couleur)
Product Attributes Values (e.g. Red → Rouge)
Currency (e.g. 1 USD → 0.96 EUR) - Once mapping process is complete, if there is any missing data or unmapped data, it will be indicated with an Attention Required badge. Mapping for these files will require manual mapping.
- Click on Manage for the individual file that requires your attention. You will need to review each mapping row to ensure the correct values are mapped against the primary store’s data.
You can see the total number of missing values from the top right, which will allow you to filter and fix any unmapped data.
- Once the mapping is verified, you can proceed to Cluster Merchandising.
Step 3: Activating & Merchandising Cluster
Once the mapping process is completed, verified, and missing values are updated, you can start merchandising the cluster.
Simply click on Merchandise to start using Cluster Visual Merchandising.
You can also preview the merchandising strategy before enabling the cluster. When everything looks good, you can enable cluster.
Steps to Enable Cluster:
- Navigate to Cluster Listing → Manage Cluster Screen.
- Click Verify & Enable.
- Once enabled, merchandising rules will start taking effect on all linked stores within 20 minutes.
Step 4: Managing Clusters
You can create multiple clusters (e.g. US Region, EU Region, APAC Region with their respective stores) as you wish to merchandise them.
You can view, manage & merchandise your clusters from the Multi-Store Merchandising list screen (Smart Category Merchandising → Multi-Store Merchandising). Key details of each cluster are available on this page.
Please refer to the sections below to understand the different functions on a Cluster listing page.
4a: Cluster Mapping Status
Each cluster will display a mapping status. Find details of each status below:
- Queued → Mapping is in queue.
- Processing → Product Mapping is in progress.
- Attention Required → Mapping is complete, but some mappings are missing.
- Verification Pending → Mapping is complete with no missing data, but verification is required.
- Completed → Mapping is up to date.
4b: Cluster Actions
From the Cluster listing page, by selecting three dots you can:
- Enable/Disable Cluster → Temporarily stop applying cluster rules. When you disable cluster, individual single-store rules will start to apply on respective linked stores.
- Delete Cluster → Remove all cluster-level rules and revert stores to start applying single-store merchandising rules.
- Re-apply Rules → Update cluster merchandising rules, with updated mapping values. This is particularly useful when you sync new product data (categories, attributes, attribute-values) and it needs to be applied to existing cluster rules.
4c: Managing Cluster
From the Cluster Details Page, you can:
- Add or Remove Stores → Updating stores will trigger product mapping for new additions. Store, if removed from the cluster, will start applying single-store merchandising rules.
- Manage Mapping → View mapping status, verify generated mapping, and manually update (missing) values if required.
- Map New Product Data → Start automated mapping for newly synced product & category data.
FAQs
No, a store part of an existing cluster cannot be used in another cluster.
Once a Primary Store is set, it cannot be changed. If you need a different Primary Store, please delete the existing cluster and create a new one with your new primary store. It may be advisable to export your current rules if you need to import them in the new cluster.
From Cluster Detail Screen, select Map New Product Data. This will initiate automated mapping of any new categories, attributes, or attribute values. You can verify and update the values as required by choosing the Manage option.
If a category, attribute, or attribute value is unavailable in a linked store, it cannot be mapped or merchandised at the cluster level. However, the cluster can still be enabled, and you can manage merchandising for the available mapped data.
Yes, you can update the cluster name, add or remove stores, and modify mappings.
- Adding a store will start product mapping for the newly added store. Please note that you WILL NEED to manually verify the cluster again, before cluster merchandising rules are applied on the new store.
- Store, if removed from the cluster, will start applying single-store merchandising rules.
Yes, you can review and update auto generated mappings as you wish. Any manual changes you make will take priority and will NOT be overwritten by future mappings.
No, updating a mapped value does not automatically update existing merchandising rules. To apply the changes, you need to re-apply rules by selecting the "Re-Apply Rules" option from the Mapping Screen or the three-dot menu on the Cluster List Page.