A bed-frame page can show a furnished bedroom, list several cartons and still leave the buyer unsure whether the slats or mattress come with it. For catalog teams, the fix is to record what the specific offer includes, then carry that answer into the title, product details, images and channel content. Separate packaging alone does not tell you whether an item is included in the price.
Key takeaways
Tie included items and sold-separately notices to the exact offer, rather than inferring them from a room photo or product family.
Keep purchase contents separate from packaging. An included component may arrive in its own package.
Check the title, included-items section and channel image against the same reviewed contents list.
Start with what this offer actually includes
An offer is the exact item or configuration sold for the listed price. Start there, then ask which components that purchase contains.
A supplier column called Accessories can describe several different relationships. It might list parts included with the furniture, items the buyer needs to purchase separately, or optional extras. Copying that column into an Includes field changes its meaning unless someone has checked which relationship applies.
IKEA's US MALM pages show why the offer matters. The white Full bed-frame offer, article 699.316.03, excludes the slatted bed base and mattress. Its SKORVA support beam is included in the price but packaged separately. The white Full offer with LURÖY, article 890.697.79, includes the slatted base, also in separate packaging, while the mattress remains excluded. A family-level statement such as Slats included would misdescribe the first offer. MALM frame only offer; MALM with LURÖY offer
| Component | MALM 699.316.03 | MALM with LURÖY 890.697.79 |
|---|---|---|
| Center support beam | Included in price; separate package | Included in price; separate package |
| Slatted bed base | Sold separately | Included in price; separate package |
| Mattress | Sold separately | Sold separately |
Those contents apply to the two linked US offers, not every MALM bed. Record the exact offer identifier and selected configuration beside the contents list. A similar title or shared photograph is not enough to transfer an inclusion claim from one offer to another.
Separate inclusion from packaging and required parts
A component can be included and packaged separately. It can also be required for use but sold separately. Record both what the offer contains and what else the buyer needs, rather than trying to answer both questions with one yes or no field.
For each relevant component, keep its name, whether it is included in the offer, and the evidence for that decision. Add a packaging note when the source says it arrives in another package. If the manufacturer identifies an additional purchase as required, preserve that instruction separately from optional recommendations. Do not label every excluded item optional.
An inclusion status can be Included, Sold separately or Unconfirmed. These are suggested catalog labels, not a universal channel standard. Use Unconfirmed when the available evidence does not settle the question. Missing information should not become either an inclusion promise or a claim that the item is excluded.
Suppose a supplier sheet lists a dining table and four chairs under one set identifier, while a separate table-only offer uses the same room photograph. The set's contents belong to the set offer. The table-only record needs its own contents decision; the chairs in the photograph cannot supply it. If a packing sheet lists five cartons, that count still does not establish five pieces of furniture.
For carton sizes and counts, keep a separate packing reference, as described in the furniture dimensions guide. The included-items section should tell customers what they receive without making them interpret warehouse packaging. Furniture product and package dimensions
Make the offer clear where buyers make decisions
Once the contents are confirmed, write a short included-items section from that record. Put an exclusion that could affect the purchase beside the relevant product information, rather than relying on a general disclaimer elsewhere on the site. For a bed-frame offer without slats, naming the missing slatted base is more useful than saying Accessories not included.
Check any title words that change the apparent purchase: with, set, complete and included. Use them only when the reviewed offer supports them. A title that says Bed frame with slatted base needs a contents list that includes that base. If the title and supplier source disagree, resolve the offer before generating more copy from either one.
Keep required purchases separate from recommendations. A section labeled Complete your room can contain optional decor, but it should not be the only place a buyer learns about a required component sold separately. Follow the exact manufacturer's instructions for the selected product rather than writing a generic rule for all furniture in the category.
Choose images and bundle fields for the destination
A staged room photograph can help a buyer picture a product, but it is not a contents list. IKEA's MALM offer with LURÖY shows a dressed bed while explicitly excluding the mattress and bedlinens. The offer text tells the buyer which items come with the purchase. MALM with LURÖY offer
Google has its own image requirements. Its primary image guidance says not to include products that are not sold together with the main product. Check the image selected for that field against the actual offer; do not automatically reuse a room scene because it is suitable for an editorial page. Choose lifestyle imagery elsewhere according to the rules for that destination. Google primary image guidance
Google's is_bundle field is another separate decision. It applies when the merchant groups a main product with different complementary products and sells them together for one price. Google says not to submit it for manufacturer-defined bundles. Several components or cartons do not, on their own, establish that this field applies. Google bundle guidance
If your team creates a qualifying table-and-accessory offer, review the title, description and image for the whole bundle. Do not apply the flag to a manufacturer offer solely because its page lists multiple components. Keep ordinary component information in your catalog even when the channel's bundle field does not apply.
Test a change in contents before using the copy
Start the review with two similar offers that have different contents. Compare their source statements with the stored contents, proposed descriptions and selected channel images. The extra component should appear only where the offer includes it.
Then change the included component in a test copy of the record. Check whether the title and included-items section still describe the previous offer. Also test a missing statement: the review process should leave that inclusion unresolved until someone confirms it. These are checks for your team to run, not a claim that a catalog tool performs them automatically.
Save the source link or document version and the review date with the decision. When a supplier changes an offer, use that reference to find the affected copy. Review related variants too, without transferring the changed contents to every offer in the family. Furniture parent and variant attributes
Frequently asked questions
Does packaged separately mean sold separately?
No. Packaging and purchase inclusion describe different things. IKEA's US MALM offer with LURÖY, article 890.697.79, includes the slatted bed base in the price even though it is packaged separately. Keep the inclusion statement and packaging note in separate fields so one cannot overwrite the other. MALM with LURÖY offer
Should included items be stored at the product family level?
Only reuse a family-level statement when the evidence covers every offer receiving it. The US MALM offers 699.316.03 and 890.697.79 differ on whether the slatted base is included. Store the reviewed contents against the exact offer and configuration, and check any inherited copy before using it. MALM frame only offer; MALM with LURÖY offer
Can a product image prove that an accessory is included?
A room photograph alone does not establish what is sold. Use the source's explicit contents or exclusion statement. For Google's primary image field, also check that the selected image does not include products that are not sold with the main item. A photo chosen for inspiration may need a different treatment from a channel's main product image. Google primary image guidance
Is an item sold separately always optional?
No. A purchase can exclude something the manufacturer requires for use. Keep required-purchase instructions separate from optional recommendations, using the exact product's documentation. If the supplier only lists an accessory without explaining its role, ask for clarification rather than labeling it optional or included.
Should every furniture set use Google is_bundle?
No. Google's is_bundle attribute describes a merchant-created group of different products with a main product, sold together for one price. Google says not to submit the attribute for manufacturer-defined bundles. Confirm how the offer was created and what it contains before mapping the field; the word set or a count of cartons is insufficient. Google bundle guidance
What should a catalog team do when the contents are unclear?
Keep the claim unresolved and ask the supplier or the person responsible for the offer to confirm it. Record the wording you checked and the exact offer identifier. Do not turn a blank field into Included or Sold separately, and do not publish a stronger title while the supporting contents decision is still open.
How this gets done in Merchkit
Turning supplier notes into clear included-items copy can mean repeating the same decisions across many offers. Use a Merchkit demo to evaluate that workflow on a small furniture batch before applying it more broadly.
Bring the evidence into one place. Use the documented source workflow to attach the relevant supplier material to each product. Try two similar offers with different contents so reviewers can find the file that describes each purchase. How sources work
Reuse instructions for the same decisions. Explore custom attributes for included items, sold-separately notices and source wording. Define what each field should capture so the team can reuse the instructions across supplier files instead of rewriting the task each time. Creating custom attributes
Prepare a small batch of missing copy. Ask to see selected-product enrichment and its empty-attributes option on the sample. Check that the proposed copy describes each offer. Test updates to existing copy separately from filling empty fields before expanding the workflow. Running your first enrichment
Review the purchase being described. Inspect the generated values and their rationales alongside the supplier evidence. Your team should confirm inclusion, packaging and required-purchase wording before using the content on a product page or in a channel feed. Reviewing AI content
Bring a supplier contents list and two contrasting furniture offers to a Merchkit demo to explore a repeatable way to prepare and review the copy. Book a Merchkit demo
