# Create Category & SKU Exception Lists

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Category exception lists (and SKU exception lists) can be used to pay partners different rates based on the category or the SKU associated with the action they drove.

**When would I use this feature?**

* **Lead Gen:** Category-based payouts may be implemented for lead generation campaigns that wish to vary payouts according to demographics. For example, your business may have a higher lead conversion rate for customers from the United States as compared to other countries. You could then decide to assign a higher category payout to leads for customers in the US.
* **Sales:** Let's say Product A has a larger profit margin than Product B, and you want to reward partners that drive actions for Product A. You could use an SKU-based exception list to detect for actions that include Product A and increase your payout.

The above are just a couple of the common use cases—there are a range of other ways this feature can be used as well.

#### Create a category exception list

{% hint style="success" %}
This feature is only accessible to specific impact.com editions or add-ons. [Contact us](https://app.impact.com/support/portal.ihtml?createTicket=true) to upgrade your account and get access.
{% endhint %}

1. From the top navigation bar, select ![](https://4048883401-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FwMLlMoFBtKJa8ptd3zaw%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-1183576591b45997efe4dc81a25024640591d02a%2F245137dc972a7a7f6165b59538fcdbac8fd5bd8fee4ba9f20c1a2982c5b58b57.svg?alt=media) **\[User profile] → Settings**.&#x20;
2. In the *Program* column, scroll to *Exception Lists* and select **Category**.
3. In the upper right corner, select **Add New Category List**.
4. Fill out the following information:

   |                          |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
   | ------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
   | **List Name**            | Add a name for this list—this will only appear internally to you and other account members; partners will not see it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
   | **Associate Event Type** | Select the event type(s) you want to associate with this exception list.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
   | **Match Expression**     | **\[Advanced & Optional]** Enables the system to match a part of the category value via specifying a regular expression with ONE grouping. The value represented by the grouping will be matched against the SKU value in this list. If you have a use case for regex but are unsure how to configure it, [contact support](https://app.impact.com/support/portal.ihtml?createTicket=true&). |
5. Select **Save and Add Items** to continue.
6. You can add **Categories** and optional **Display Values** using the fields in the UI, or you can **Upload a CSV or Excel file** with your categories.
7. Once you've added items or uploaded a file, select **Save** to complete the process. You'll now see your new category exception list on the *Category Lists* screen.

   <div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://4048883401-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FwMLlMoFBtKJa8ptd3zaw%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-c2a30613c02f7393fa67268010b6503f5685f913%2Ff5ccba3e9024db933936f37faccdb23a87ba2f03e1331b880f92ee85cecf19b9.png?alt=media" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

**Category exception list format**

Create a .CSV or .XLS/.XLSX file using the two column names below.

| Column        | Type   | Required | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| ------------- | ------ | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Category      | String | **Yes**  | The value that is included in tracking conversion data.                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Display Value | String | No       | Enter a display value if you want to show a different value in reporting. For example, if the Category value is some sort of computer generated value, then you might want to enter a display value to make it easier to understand in reporting. |

**For example:**

```programlisting
Category, Display Value
NEW PRODUCTS, Latest Releases
```

Typically payout rates are based on item categories; however, you can also set a payout rate for a specific item. You would need to create an item category for each item you want to have a specific payout. When you create template terms, you'll need to specify payout rates for each category list. All category names associated with a category list will have the same payout rate per the contract.

#### Create a SKU exception list

{% hint style="success" %}
This feature is only accessible to specific impact.com editions or add-ons. [Contact us](https://app.impact.com/support/portal.ihtml?createTicket=true) to upgrade your account and get access.
{% endhint %}

1. From the top navigation bar, select ![](https://4048883401-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FwMLlMoFBtKJa8ptd3zaw%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-1183576591b45997efe4dc81a25024640591d02a%2F245137dc972a7a7f6165b59538fcdbac8fd5bd8fee4ba9f20c1a2982c5b58b57.svg?alt=media) **\[User profile] → Settings**.&#x20;
2. In the *Program* column, scroll to *Exception Lists* and select **SKU**.
3. In the upper right corner, select **Add New SKU List**.
4. Fill out the following information:

   |                          |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
   | ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
   | **List Name**            | Add a name for this list—this will only appear internally to you and other account members; partners will not see it.                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
   | **Associate Event Type** | Select the event type(s) you want to associate with this exception list.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
   | **Match Expression**     | **\[Advanced & Optional]** Enables the system to match only on a part of the SKU value via specifying a regular expression with ONE grouping. The value represented by the grouping will be matched against the SKU value in this list. If you have a use case for regex but are unsure how to configure it, contact support. |
5. Select **Save and Add Items** to continue.
6. You can add a **SKU** and optional **Display Values** using the fields in the UI, or you can **Upload a CSV or Excel file** with your SKUs.
7. Once you've added items or uploaded a file, select **Save** to complete the process. You'll now see your new category exception list on the *SKU Lists* screen.

**SKU exception list format**

Create a .CSV or .XLS/.XLSX file using the column names below.

| Column            | Type   | Required                         | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| ----------------- | ------ | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| SKU               | String | Yes                              | The value that is included in tracking conversion data.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| Display Value     | String | No                               | Enter a display value if you want to show a different value in reporting. For example, if the Category value is some sort of computer-generated value, then you might want to enter a display value to make it easier to understand in reporting.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Active Start Date | Date   | No                               | Gives you the ability to schedule this item. This is an ISO 8601 format. Example format: 2038-01-19T12:00:00-07:00                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| Active End Date   | Date   | Only if *Start Date* is provided | <p>Gives you the ability to schedule this item. This is an ISO 8601 format. Example format: 2038-01-19T23:59:59-07:00</p><p>When setting end dates to SKUs, any SKUs that expire (passes the set end date) will not trigger any payouts stipulated in the contract. Be sure to remove expired SKUs to avoid payouts from not triggering as stipulated in your terms.</p><p><strong>Example</strong>: If you want to run a promotion for a limited time on selected SKUs, you can create a SKU exception list and schedule times for when the promotion is valid for on each related SKU. Then you can set a payout group to pay the different payouts on the various SKUs. If an order with a SKU on this list is tracked outside of the scheduled time, it will not trigger the promotional payout.</p> |
| Timezone          | String | No                               | Timezone is derived from the start date, but if you want to override it with a specific timezone, enter the full name here, e.g. "America/New\_York"                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |

**For example:**

```programlisting
SKU, Display Value, Active Start Date, Active End Date
12345ABC, Acme Bird Seed, 2038-01-19T12:00-07:00, 2038-01-20T23:00-07:00
```
