Multi-locale management
This section provides information on managing multiple locales using the Akeneo App for Shopify.
What is Multi-locale?
Multi-locale enables you to synchronize your PIM catalog translations with your Shopify stores.
You can synchronize up to 20 secondary locales in addition to the main one.
Prerequisites
To ensure the proper functioning of the multi-locale, the following requirements must be met:
- PIM locale is enabled: You need to enable the locale on your Akeneo PIM. You can read the documentation on how to enable an Akeneo PIM locale here.
- Shopify language is activated: You need to activate the language on your Shopify store. Language can be published or unpublished. You can read the documentation on how to activate a language on Shopify here.
Add a new locale
Follow these steps to map a new locale:
- In your Akeneo App for Shopify, navigate to the Configuration page.
- In the Store configuration section, click on Edit secondary locales.
- In the Shopify language column, select the Shopify language into which you want to synchronize your translations.
- In the PIM locale column, select the PIM locale from which you want to synchronize your translations.
- Save your selection.
When mapping your Shopify languages, you’ll see an Across markets or Market (market name) tag. These refer to the level at which translations will be synchronized:
- Across markets: Translations will be pushed to the global store level.
- Market (market name): Translations will be pushed to a specific market.
How translations are updated
At each synchronization, the app keeps your Shopify translations aligned with your PIM values:
- If a secondary-locale value is emptied in the PIM, the app removes the corresponding translation in Shopify.
- If a secondary-locale value of a native field or a product option becomes identical to the main locale value, the app also removes the translation in Shopify.
In both cases, Shopify then displays the main locale value for that language.
For metafields, metaobject fields and media alt texts, a secondary-locale value that becomes identical to the main locale value is no longer sent, but the existing translation is not removed from Shopify. To remove it, delete the translation directly in Shopify.
Supported Shopify language types
| Language type | Supported? |
|---|---|
| Across markets | Yes |
| Adapted to markets | Yes |
List of compatible fields with multi-locale
Native fields
| Compatible fields | Across markets | Adapted to markets |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Yes | Yes |
| Description | Yes | Yes |
| Product type | Yes | Yes |
| Page title | Yes | Yes |
| Meta description | Yes | Yes |
| URL handle | Yes | Not supported by Shopify |
Metafields
| Compatible fields | Across markets | Adapted to markets |
|---|---|---|
| Simple select | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-select | Yes | Yes |
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Text area | Yes | Yes |
| Table | Yes | Yes |
| Identifier | No | No |
| Asset collections (media files of all types, url of images) | Yes | Yes |
| Reference entity single link | No | No |
| Reference entity multiple links | No | No |
Metaobject fields
| Compatible fields | Across markets | Adapted to markets |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Simple option | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple options | Yes | Yes |
| Asset collections (media files of all types, url of images) | No | No |
| Number | Yes | Yes |
Variation axes & product options
| Compatible fields | Across markets | Adapted to markets |
|---|---|---|
| Simple select | Yes | Yes |
| Reference entity single link | Yes | Yes |
Media alt-texts
| Compatible fields | Across markets | Adapted to markets |
|---|---|---|
| Alt-text | Yes | Not supported by Shopify |