SKU Naming Convention for Marketplace Sellers
A simple SKU naming convention for Indian marketplace sellers: what Meesho and Amazon.in do with your codes, a pattern to copy, and mistakes to avoid.
By the CatalogNest team (AngGate Tech Solution) · Published · 5 min read
Key takeaways
- A SKU is a code you invent, so the marketplace will not fix a messy one for you.
- On Meesho your SKU ID appears in the inventory tab, orders tab, order labels and invoices.
- On Amazon.in the SKU can also name your image files, for example SKU.MAIN.jpg.
- Build each code from the same parts in the same order: category, shape, colour, size.
A good SKU naming convention gives every product variation one short code that you can read at a glance: category, then shape, then colour, then size, always in that order. You pick the code yourself, and it follows the product into order labels, invoices and image file names. Decide the pattern before your catalog grows, because renaming hundreds of codes later is slow and easy to get wrong.
What do marketplaces do with your SKU?
Marketplaces store your code and show it back to you, so it has to make sense to the person packing orders. Meesho's template describes the Seller SKU ID as a unique ID for each product variation, created by the seller, shown in the inventory tab, orders tab, order label and invoices. Amazon's template has a SKU column too, and suggests naming image files with the SKU followed by the view, such as 8845013515.MAIN.jpg.
| Marketplace | Field | What the template says |
|---|---|---|
| Meesho | SKU ID | Unique ID for each variation, created by the seller |
| Meesho | Product ID / Style ID | Same for all size variants, changes for each colour |
| Amazon.in | SKU | The SKU number assigned by you, the contributor |
| Amazon.in | Parent SKU | Links a child variation to its parent listing |
Which pattern should you copy?
We suggest four parts joined by hyphens, with a fixed short code for each value. Keep a small list of those codes in one sheet, so the same colour is always written the same way.
| Part | Example codes | Why it comes here |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CAN candle, HLD holder | Sorts your stock list by product family |
| Shape or type | PIL pillar, TEA tealight | Separates products inside the family |
| Colour | IVR ivory, RED red | Each colour is its own sellable item |
| Size or pack | 200G, P06 | Separates sizes and packs of the same item |
A 200 gram ivory pillar candle becomes CAN-PIL-IVR-200G. A pack of six red tealights becomes CAN-TEA-RED-P06. Anyone can read those on a packing slip without opening a spreadsheet.
What mistakes make SKUs hard to use?
- Spaces and symbols: these get awkward once a code is part of an image file name, so stick to letters, digits and hyphens.
- Reusing a code: a retired code that comes back on a new product mixes up old orders and new ones.
- Putting the price in the code: prices change, and the code should not.
- One code for all colours: Meesho treats each variation as its own row, so each one needs its own SKU ID.
- A different code on each marketplace: keep one code per item, so your stock count stays in one place.
Sources
- Meesho bulk upload template for Candle Holders (Home & Kitchen / Home Decor / Candle Holders, category 13324), Instructions, Validation and Return Reasons sheets
- Amazon.in product template for Candles and Candle Holders (CANDLE_CANDLE_HOLDER.xlsm), Instructions, Images and Data Definitions sheets, downloaded from Seller Central on 21 October 2026
Frequently asked questions
Is SKU ID compulsory on Meesho?
The Candle Holders template marks SKU ID as optional, but it is worth filling in, because Meesho shows it on your order labels and invoices.
How long should a SKU be?
No template we checked sets a length, so this is our advice: keep it short enough to read on a packing slip. Four short parts are usually enough.
Should each colour have its own SKU?
Yes. Meesho's template asks for a new row for each size and each colour, and the SKU ID is unique to each variation.