Make Your Supplier's Catalog Look Like Your Own Storefront — A Supply Master Walk-Through

A SanMar product looks like a SanMar product. The title leads with "Sport-Tek ®" with a trademark and a period after the description. The vendor field says "SanMar." The categories are SanMar's internal taxonomy. The image fields are relative paths that need a base URL. The product description is spec-sheet text written for a wholesale buyer, not for your customer.

You don't want any of that on your storefront. You want the title to say "Sport-Tek JST63 Colorblock Raglan Anorak" with no symbols. You want the vendor to say your shop's name. You want categories that match how your customers shop. You want the side and back images on the product page. You want the wholesale-buyer description rewritten as something a Shopify shopper would actually read.

Match Fields — the screen where you decide which supplier info goes into which Shopify column — is the room where this happens. You write the rules once. Every product on every supplier sync after that follows them.

This article walks through the eight most common storefront recipes — vendor rename, title cleanup, compare-at-price for "save $X" badges, category tags, image URLs, spec PDFs as metafields, country of origin, and combined titles — in plain English, with one recipe at a time. By the end you'll know exactly how to make S&S, SanMar, and ACC look like your storefront on every sync.

Running example used throughout this article: Northcoast Outfitters, a regional decorator and reseller in Cleveland that runs S&S blanks (their largest supplier), SanMar polos (corporate gifts), and ACC dropship for premium tees. They want every product on their store to read as Northcoast first, supplier second.

Key Takeaways

• What this article shows — eight Match Fields recipes that turn a supplier's catalog into your storefront — vendor name, title cleanup, compare-at-price, tags, images, metafields, country-of-origin, combined titles — in plain English with example formulas.
• Who it's for — Shopify apparel-store owners who want their supplier-imported products to read as their brand, not the supplier's, without editing every product by hand.
• The fast answer — every recipe lives on Edit Supplier > Product Settings > Match Fields. You add a row, pick a source field, pick a destination, and (for anything more than a copy-paste) click Modify to write a one-line Liquid rule. Most stores need three to six recipes; the rest run on the supplier's defaults.
• What it doesn't do (yet) — picking which image becomes Shopify's featured image is set by the supplier's data, not by Supply Master, and variant-level data cannot map to product-level metafields; both have documented workarounds inside the article.
• Try it now — Install Supply Master free on the Shopify App Store (5.0★, top-rated for apparel-supplier integration in the U.S. and Canada).
• Want help? — Email support@comstack.com and a Comstack engineer will set up your Match Fields recipes with you.

Table of contents

• What "make it look like your store" actually means
• Where Match Fields lives in the app
• Recipe 1 — Rename the vendor to your shop
• Recipe 2 — Clean up a supplier's noisy titles
• Recipe 3 — Build a custom title from multiple fields
• Recipe 4 — Add the supplier's MSRP as a "compare at" price
• Recipe 5 — Tag products by category with your own prefix
• Recipe 6 — Build a full image URL from a relative supplier path
• Recipe 7 — Store spec PDFs and side images as metafields
• Recipe 8 — Send a clean 2-letter country of origin
• How real stores combine the recipes
• What it doesn't do (yet)
• FAQ
• Try it on your store

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What "make it look like your store" actually means

A supplier sends you data. You send Shopify products. In between is a translation layer:

Supplier data fields  →  [Match Fields rules]  →  Shopify product fields

The supplier sends a brandName, a title, a piecePrice, a colorSideImage, a categories list, a specs blob, a countryOfOrigin, and twenty other fields. Shopify wants Title, Vendor, Tags, Variant Price, Variant Compare At Price, Country of Origin, Metafield, and a few more. Match Fields is the desk where you decide which supplier field becomes which Shopify field — and, with a one-line rule, what to clean up or recompute on the way over.

Every supplier comes with a default Match Fields setup. For a small store running a single supplier, the defaults usually work. For a multi-supplier store that wants its catalog to look like one storefront, you'll edit a handful of rows so each supplier writes into Shopify the way your shop wants to see it.

Three things to know before the recipes:

• Source fields and destination fields are picked from dropdowns. No typing of source names. You pick from what your supplier exposes. For the full source-field list per supplier, see available supplier data fields.
• The Modify button opens a Liquid editor. Liquid is a templating language. Plain-English: it's a tiny rule like "take the wholesale price, multiply by 1.5, round to the nearest cent" or "remove the trademark symbol from the title." Each rule is one to a handful of lines.
• AI Assist writes the Liquid for you. The Modify editor has an AI Assist button. Type "remove the trademark symbol and put the brand at the front" and the AI suggests the Liquid. You review, preview against real supplier data, and save. If you'd rather copy a known-good recipe straight from this article, every recipe below has the formula in full.

For the deep walk-through with screenshots, see mapping supplier fields to Shopify and the full Liquid reference in customizing fields with Liquid formulas.

Where Match Fields lives in the app

Same path on every supplier:

1. Suppliers in the Supply Master sidebar.
2. Click the supplier name — for example S&S Activewear, SanMar US, or ACC.
3. Click Edit Supplier.
4. Click Product Settings, then the Match Fields section.

Three buttons at the top of the section matter:

• Add Field — adds a new mapping row.
• Restore Default Fields — resets the supplier's defaults if you ever want a clean slate (any custom modifiers you added are removed).
• AI+ Default Mappings — loads enriched defaults if you have AI+ enabled, including SEO-clean titles, descriptions, categorization, and handles. Covered in detail in Turn Bland Supplier Data into Store-ready Descriptions with AI+.

Each mapping row has a source field on the left, a destination field on the right, and a Modify button in the middle for adding a Liquid rule. Some default rows are marked not editable — those are required for Supply Master to function and stay locked.

When you change a mapping, the change takes effect on the next sync. Existing products are updated according to your Update Settings (the Edit Supplier > Automatic Sync dial that decides which fields refresh on existing products). For the four Update Settings options, see Smart Merchandising.

Now the recipes.

Recipe 1 — Rename the vendor to your shop

The merchant outcome. Your customer sees Northcoast Outfitters as the vendor on every product page, not S&S Activewear or SanMar. The vendor field powers Shopify's vendor filter, vendor-based collections, and reports — making your store look like your brand instead of a reseller catalog.

Where. Match Fields row for the Vendor destination.

The formula. No formula. Click Modify on the Vendor row and replace the source-field reference with a literal string:

Northcoast Outfitters

Save the supplier. Every product synced from this supplier now lands with Vendor = Northcoast Outfitters. Existing products refresh per your Update Settings (set to All Fields Except Images or All Fields with Images for the rename to apply on existing products).

When to use it. Decorators, multi-supplier stores, and any reseller who wants the storefront to read as their own brand. A pure dropshipper might keep the supplier's brand if their customers shop by brand (e.g., they want the Bella+Canvas vendor name preserved); a decorator usually overrides.

Recipe 2 — Clean up a supplier's noisy titles

The merchant outcome. A SanMar title like Sport-Tek ® Colorblock Raglan Anorak. JST63 becomes Sport-Tek JST63 Colorblock Raglan Anorak — readable, search-friendly, no trademark symbols, style number where your customer expects it.

Where. Match Fields row for the Title destination on SanMar.

The formula. Click Modify on the Title row:

{{ mill }} {{ styleNumber }} {{ title | remove: mill | remove: styleNumber | remove: "®" | remove: "™" | remove: "." | replace: "  ", " " | strip }}

What this does in plain English: leads with the brand (mill) and the style number (styleNumber), then takes SanMar's title, strips out the brand and style number (so they don't repeat), strips the registered-trademark and trademark symbols, strips the trailing period, collapses any double spaces, and trims leading/trailing whitespace.

Click Preview to see the result against a real SanMar product before saving.

When to use it. SanMar specifically; the formula is documented in their field-mapping FAQ. Other suppliers have cleaner titles by default. If you find a supplier that needs similar cleanup, ask AI Assist in the Modify editor to write a version for you.

Recipe 3 — Build a custom title from multiple fields

The merchant outcome. Sometimes a supplier's title alone is not what you want on the storefront. You want a custom format that combines brand, style, and title in your shop's house format — for example, Bella+Canvas | 3001 Unisex Jersey Short-Sleeve Tee.

Where. Match Fields row for the Title destination.

The formula. Click Modify on the Title row:

{{ brandName }} | {{ styleNumber }} {{ title }}

Or with a different separator and an uppercase brand for visual punch:

{{ brandName | upcase }} - {{ styleName }}

Mix and match per your house style. Use Preview to verify.

When to use it. Multi-supplier stores that want a single, consistent title format across S&S, SanMar, and Cap America so the storefront reads as one brand instead of three.

Recipe 4 — Add the supplier's MSRP as a "compare at" price

The merchant outcome. Your storefront shows a $24.99 price next to a struck-through $34.99, and Shopify automatically displays the savings badge. The struck-through price is the supplier's MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price); the live price is your discounted shop price.

Where. Two rows on Match Fields. One for Variant Price, one for Variant Compare At Price.

The formulas.

For Variant Price (your selling price — Northcoast's 50% markup over wholesale, rounded to .99):

{{ variant.piecePrice | times: 1.5 | round: 2 }}

For Variant Compare At Price (the supplier's MSRP, written as-is):

{{ variant.msrp }}

Some suppliers expose MSRP under a different name. S&S calls it salePrice for the customer-facing price; check available supplier data fields for the exact source-field name on each supplier.

Add a fallback so the compare-at-price stays empty when the supplier doesn't have an MSRP for that SKU (Shopify won't show the badge with an empty value):

{{ variant.msrp | default: "" }}

When to use it. Resellers and dropshippers who want the "compare and save" badge on every product page. Decorators usually skip — their selling price is the decorated price, not a discount over MSRP.

Recipe 5 — Tag products by category with your own prefix

The merchant outcome. Every imported product carries tags like nco_t-shirt, nco_polo, nco_fleece so your team can filter by Northcoast's own taxonomy in Shopify admin and build automated collections (nco_t-shirt → "T-Shirts" collection, etc.). The prefix keeps Northcoast tags clearly separated from any other tagging system.

Where. Match Fields row mapping categories (or categoryNames depending on the supplier) to the Tags destination.

The formula. Click Modify on the row:

{% for category in categories_names %}nco_{{ category | downcase | replace: " ", "-" }},{% endfor %}

What this does: for each category the supplier returns on the product, prepend nco_, lowercase the name, replace spaces with hyphens, and join with commas — Shopify's tag format. Output looks like nco_t-shirts,nco_short-sleeve,nco_unisex,.

You can map multiple sources to Tags — for example, also map brandName to Tags so brand becomes a tag too. Each source adds to the tag list.

When to use it. Stores that build collections automatically by tag. Streetwear shops grouping by category. Corporate-merch shops grouping by program. Skip if your storefront uses Shopify collections grouped manually.

Recipe 6 — Build a full image URL from a relative supplier path

The merchant outcome. S&S sends a relative path like Images/Color/B0640blackm.jpg for the side and back product images. By itself this is not a usable URL. You need to prepend the S&S base URL so it becomes https://www.ssactivewear.com/Images/Color/B0640blackm.jpg and can be used on your storefront — or stored as a metafield for theme display.

Where. A Match Fields row mapping variant.colorSideImage (or any image field) to either an image destination or a variant.metafields destination.

The formula. Click Modify:

https://www.ssactivewear.com/{{ variant.colorSideImage }}

Repeat for variant.colorBackImage, variant.colorOnModelFrontImage, variant.colorOnModelSideImage, etc. Map each to its own metafield key (Recipe 7 covers the metafield setup).

When to use it. Any store that wants to display side, back, or on-model images on the product page. Default product images are imported automatically; this recipe is for the additional images that need a URL prefix.

Recipe 7 — Store spec PDFs and side images as metafields

The merchant outcome. Your product page can show a "Spec Sheet" download button (the supplier's spec PDF) and a small image gallery with side, back, and on-model views — beyond the default Shopify product photo. The data lives as metafields on the product or variant; the theme displays it.

Where. Match Fields rows mapping the supplier's data fields to the Metafield destination (for product-level data) or variant.metafields destination (for variant-level data like per-color images).

The setup for a SanMar spec PDF (product-level).

1. Add Field. Pick the SanMar specPdfUrl source (or whatever the field is named for the supplier — see available supplier data fields).
2. Pick Metafield as the destination.
3. Enter custom.spec_pdf as the namespace and key.
4. No Modify needed if the source is already a full URL. If it's a relative path, click Modify and prepend the base URL like Recipe 6.
5. Save the supplier.

The setup for a per-color side image (variant-level).

1. Add Field. Pick variant.colorSideImage.
2. Pick variant.metafields as the destination.
3. Enter custom.side_image as the namespace and key.
4. Click Modify and use the URL-prefix formula from Recipe 6.
5. Save the supplier.

A few things worth knowing about metafields.

• Variant data only goes to variant metafields. Variant-level source fields (anything that starts with variant.) cannot be mapped to product metafields, because each variant may have a different value. If you need the data at the product level, use a Shopify automation app to copy from a chosen variant after import.
• Shopify creates the metafield definition automatically the first time Supply Master writes a value for a new namespace/key. You don't have to pre-create the definition in Shopify admin.
• Shopify caps definitions at 250 per resource type (product and variant each have their own 250 limit). Most stores never come close.
• The custom namespace is Shopify's recommended default. Unless you have a strong reason, use custom.something_descriptive for the key.
• Display on the storefront is a theme job, not Supply Master's job. Once the metafield is populated, you (or your theme designer) drop a Custom Liquid section into the theme to render it. See displaying supplier data on your Shopify theme for the theme-side code.

For the full metafield walk-through, see using metafields with Supply Master.

Recipe 8 — Send a clean 2-letter country of origin

The merchant outcome. Shopify's Country of Origin field accepts the standard 2-letter ISO country code (CN, NI, US, MX). Some suppliers send extra characters in the same field — like CN/NI or CN with trailing whitespace. Shopify rejects anything that isn't exactly 2 letters. The recipe sends only the first 2 characters so the field always populates correctly.

Where. Match Fields row mapping variant.countryOfOrigin to the destination variant.inventoryItem.countryCodeOfOrigin.

The formula. Click Modify:

{{ variant.countryOfOrigin | slice: 0, 2 }}

Save the supplier. Country of origin populates per variant on the next sync.

When to use it. Customs disclosure (required for U.S. and Canadian retail), country-of-origin product filters, theme badges ("Made in USA"), and B2B compliance reporting. Most apparel suppliers expose this; check available supplier data fields for the exact source-field name on yours.

How real stores combine the recipes

Match Fields recipes are usually stacked. Three real configurations across the running example.

Multi-supplier decorator: Northcoast Outfitters

For each of S&S, SanMar, and ACC, Northcoast applies:

• Recipe 1 — Vendor → Northcoast Outfitters. Storefront reads as one brand.
• Recipe 4 — Compare-at-price from MSRP. "Save $X" badge across the catalog.
• Recipe 5 — Tag composition with nco_ prefix. Auto-collections by category.
• Recipe 8 — Country of origin clean. Customs disclosure on every product.

For SanMar specifically:

• Recipe 2 — SanMar title cleanup. Sport-Tek ® goes away.
• Recipe 7 — specPdfUrl to custom.spec_pdf. Spec sheet download button on the product page.

For S&S specifically:

• Recipe 6 — Full URL on side/back images.
• Recipe 7 — Side and back images to custom.side_image and custom.back_image. Theme displays a small image gallery.

For ACC specifically:

• The defaults work. ACC's titles are clean; their image fields are full URLs already; they don't expose a per-product spec PDF.

Pure dropshipper: Coastline Apparel Co.

A pure reseller running entirely on S&S who wants the catalog to look like a clean Shopify store with discount badges:

• Recipe 4 — Compare-at-price from MSRP. Discount badges on every product.
• Recipe 5 — Tag composition with ca_ prefix. Auto-collections by category.
• Recipe 6 + 7 — Side and back images to metafields. Image gallery on the product page.
• Recipe 8 — Country of origin clean.

Coastline keeps the S&S vendor name (their customers search by brand). Recipes 1, 2, and 3 are not used.

Healthcare uniform retailer: BluePine Scrubs

A single-supplier store on SanMar US who wants the storefront to read as their pharmacy-grade clinical brand:

• Recipe 1 — Vendor → BluePine Scrubs.
• Recipe 2 — SanMar title cleanup.
• Recipe 4 — Compare-at-price from MSRP.
• Recipe 7 — SanMar's productSpecsHtml to custom.specs. The product page shows a "Specifications" expandable section with fabric weight, country, and care instructions for the procurement officer reviewing the order.
• Recipe 8 — Country of origin clean.

BluePine skips Recipe 5 (they use Shopify collections, not tag-driven collections) and Recipe 6 (SanMar already sends full image URLs).

What it doesn't do (yet)

Three honest limits worth knowing as you validate.

• Cannot pick which image becomes Shopify's featured image. Supply Master imports all images the supplier exposes. The order Shopify shows them in is set by the supplier's data, not by Supply Master. If you need a specific image to be the default product image, the workaround is to manually set it in Shopify admin per product (or use a Shopify image-management app on top).
• Variant data cannot map to product metafields. A variant-level source field (anything starting with variant.) goes only to variant-level destinations, including variant.metafields. The reason is plain — variants can have different values, and a single product metafield can't hold all of them. The workaround for "I want the variant value at the product level" is to use a Shopify automation app to copy a chosen variant's metafield to the product after import.
• A modifier-set value can be overwritten by a manual edit if Update Settings allows. If you edit a product title in Shopify admin and your Update Settings is All Fields with Images or All Fields Except Images, the next sync re-runs the Match Fields rule and overwrites your manual edit. The fix is to set Update Settings to Only Variant Fields (preserves product-level edits) or Only Inventory (preserves everything except stock count). For the four Update Settings options, see the bottom of the Smart Merchandising article.

If any of these matter to your workflow, mention them when you email support@comstack.com — Comstack tracks roadmap requests against the install base and prioritizes the ones that real shops are asking for.

FAQ

Can I use AI Assist to write the Liquid for me?

Yes. Click Modify on any field, then click the AI Assist button in the editor. Type what you want in plain English (for example, "remove the trademark symbol from the title and put the brand at the front") and the AI suggests Liquid code. You preview against real supplier data, edit if needed, and save. AI Assist is documented in using AI tools for filters and formulas.

Will my Match Fields changes affect existing Shopify products?

Yes, on the next sync, governed by your Update Settings. If you set the recipe and run a manual sync, the existing catalog refreshes per your update rule. If Update Settings is set to Only Inventory, your Match Fields changes apply only to new products from then on, not to existing ones. To force a one-time full refresh of existing products, temporarily switch Update Settings to All Fields Except Images, run a sync, then switch back.

Can I run different recipes on the same supplier for different brands?

Not directly inside one supplier connection — Match Fields recipes apply to the entire supplier feed. The workaround is two supplier connections in the same install (e.g., "S&S — Bella+Canvas" and "S&S — Comfort Colors"), each with its own filter and its own Match Fields. The supplier API and credentials are reused; only the rules differ.

How is this different from AI+?

Match Fields is the rule editor — you decide which supplier field maps to which Shopify field, and you write a one-line Liquid rule for any cleanup or transformation. AI+ is an optional add-on that generates new content — SEO titles, real product descriptions, categorization — using AI rather than pulling it from the supplier. You can use both at the same time. Match Fields handles the supplier-to-Shopify plumbing; AI+ handles the storefront copy. For the AI+ deep-dive, see Turn Bland Supplier Data into Store-ready Descriptions with AI+. For per-supplier brand-voice patterns (streetwear voice on S&S, clinical voice on healthcare suppliers, corporate-merch voice on Cap America), see the Stage 4 playbook Make Every Supplier's Catalog Read Like Your Brand.

What if my recipe produces unexpected results?

Click Preview in the Modify editor before saving — it runs your formula against real supplier sample data and shows you the output. If something's off, the most common issues are: using a product-level field name where a variant-level prefix is required (variant fields need the variant. prefix); typos in the source field name; or a Liquid syntax error (a missing }} or a stray space). The preview catches all three.

Can I store image URLs as metafields and import them as Shopify product images?

Yes — they're independent mappings. Default mappings already import the primary image. If you also want side and back images on the storefront, map them to variant.metafields with the URL-prefix formula (Recipe 6 + Recipe 7) and render them with a Custom Liquid theme section. The two paths don't conflict.

How do I revert if I break something?

Click Restore Default Fields at the top of the Match Fields section. This resets all rows to the supplier's default configuration. Any custom modifiers you added are removed. After restoring, re-add only the recipes you want.

Can the Comstack team write the Match Fields recipes for me?

Yes. Email support@comstack.com. Send the description of how you want the storefront to look — vendor name, title format, compare-at-price source, image setup — and a Comstack engineer will configure Match Fields for each supplier and walk you through the result. Most setup calls take 30 to 60 minutes per supplier.

What does it cost?

Free trial. Plans scale with variant count and update volume; Match Fields and the Liquid editor are included on every plan. AI Assist usage is included with the standard subscription. Exact pricing on the App Store listing.

Try it on your store

Match Fields is the difference between a supplier-import dump and a curated storefront. Eight recipes cover most of what stores need. The Liquid editor and AI Assist cover everything else.

1. Install Supply Master free on the Shopify App Store — 5.0★, top-rated for apparel-supplier integration in the U.S. and Canada.
2. Or email support@comstack.com — a Comstack engineer will set up Match Fields on your suppliers with you, in one call.

Comstack has been building integrations for apparel and promo suppliers since 2012. If you can describe how you want your storefront to read, the recipes that get you there are an hour away.

Pick the recipe. Save the supplier. The catalog reads as your store on the next sync.