Templates

Templates control how Shopfront's AI writes your listings. Each template defines the tone, format, and style for a specific marketplace — so your eBay listings sound professional while your Depop listings stay casual.

What's in a Template

Tone & Style — The overall tone (e.g., "professional and trustworthy" or "casual and friendly")
Seller Persona — Domain context for the AI (e.g., "experienced vintage clothing specialist")
Title — An example title format and guidelines for writing titles
Description — An example description. eBay and Shopify descriptions can use HTML; the other channels use plain text
Additional Instructions — Freeform guidance like "always mention flaws" or "include measurements"

Template Variables

Your title and description examples can include variables — placeholders like {{brand}} that each listing fills in with its own values. The AI writes the listing around the placeholder and Shopfront substitutes the real data afterwards, so the value comes from your product rather than the AI's imagination.

This matters most for details that must be reported exactly rather than written creatively — a SKU read off a label, or measurements read from a tape measure in your photos.

Syntax

{{brand}}           Nike — or "Unbranded" when the brand is unknown
{{brand|Designer}}  Nike — or "Designer" when the brand is unknown
{{brand|}}          Nike — or nothing at all when the brand is unknown

Every variable has a default that's used when the product has no value for it. Add | inside the braces to choose your own default, or | followed by nothing to leave the gap empty.

Variable names are lowercase and case-sensitive — {{sku}} works, {{SKU}} does not. Anything Shopfront doesn't recognise is left exactly as you typed it, so {{colourway}} reaches your listing as the literal text {{colourway}}. The template editor flags unrecognised variables as you type.

Spaces inside the braces are fine — {{ brand }} behaves the same as {{brand}}.

Available Variables

Filled from saved product fields when available.

Variable	Contains	Default
`{{title}}`	Product title	`Product`
`{{description}}`	Full product description	empty
`{{brand}}`	Brand name	`Unbranded`
`{{condition}}`	Condition, e.g. `New with Tags`, `Excellent`	`Pre-owned`
`{{origin}}`	Country of manufacture	empty
`{{source}}`	Where the item came from, e.g. retail, thrift, vintage	empty
`{{gender}}`	`Men`, `Women`, `Unisex` or `Kids`	empty

Filled from saved identifier fields when available.

Variable	Contains	Default
`{{sku}}`	SKU read from a label or price sticker	empty
`{{mpn}}`	Manufacturer Part Number	empty
`{{gtin}}`	Barcode number	empty

{{sku}} inserts the saved SKU. With no value, its default is empty.

Filled in for clothing and accessories, where the matched category defines them.

Variable	Contains	Default
`{{size}}`	Size, e.g. `M`, `UK 9`	`One Size`
`{{colour}}`	Primary colour	empty
`{{material}}`	Fabric or material	empty
`{{pattern}}`	Pattern, e.g. solid, striped	empty
`{{neckline}}`	Neckline style — tops only	empty
`{{sleeve}}`	Sleeve length or type — tops only	empty
`{{measurements}}`	Auto-detected measurements in centimetres	empty

{{measurements}} renders as a single line of Label: value pairs in a consistent order — Pit to pit: 52 cm, Waist: 40 cm, Length: 71 cm.

Variable	Contains	Default
`{{category}}`	Product category path	empty

A field without a saved value falls back to its default. Give them a fallback that reads well for your categories, or leave them out of templates you use for non-clothing.

Starter Templates

Shopfront includes seven starter templates: one for the base listing and one each for eBay, Depop, Grailed, Shopify, Facebook Marketplace and Vestiaire Collective. Each one lists the item's facts on their own lines and leaves out shipping, returns and offers. A channel's starter appears in Settings → Marketplaces → Templates until that channel has a template of its own.

Clean & Factual

Plaintext, accurate and structured — no hype or filler
The base listing every marketplace channel derives from
200-character title limit
Uses {{measurements}} so detected tape readings land in the listing
Ideal as your starting point if you sell across several channels

Professional & Detailed

HTML-formatted descriptions with structured sections
Thorough, trustworthy tone
80-character title limit — use the terms buyers search
Uses {{measurements}} so detected tape readings land in the listing
Ideal for buyers searching by specifics

Casual & Friendly

Short plaintext descriptions, facts on their own lines
Friendly, plain tone — no emojis or sales lines
50-character title limit
Uses {{measurements}} so detected tape readings land in the listing
Ideal for trend-driven and vintage items

Streetwear Expert

Plaintext with detailed measurements, via {{measurements}}
Authentication and condition focus
Brand-forward titles, 50-character title limit
Ideal for streetwear, designer, and archive pieces

Product Showcase

HTML-formatted, professional and search-friendly
Clean product descriptions for your own storefront
255-character title limit
Uses {{measurements}} so detected tape readings land in the listing
Ideal for building your brand presence

Local & Friendly

Plaintext description format
Leads with the practical details: condition, size and measurements
100-character title limit
Uses {{measurements}} so detected tape readings land in the listing
Ideal for local, mobile-first buyers

Luxury & Authenticated

Plaintext, catalogue-style — provenance first
Lists authentication signals when visible: date codes, made-in
20-character title limit, Vestiaire's cap for its short model-name title
Uses {{measurements}} so detected tape readings land in the listing
A starter configuration for luxury item descriptions

Start from a starter template and customise it, or create your own from scratch.

How do I choose which template a channel uses?

Each template belongs to one channel. When you create listings, the upload settings show a Base template, which shapes the draft and every channel without its own template, and the template selected for each channel. Change any of them before you generate.

In Settings → Marketplaces → Templates, choose Set as active from a template's menu to make it the selected template for its channel. A template you create from a starter becomes the selected one if its channel doesn't have one yet. The menu also has Edit, Duplicate and Disable.

To make a template its channel's default, turn on Set as default template for this channel when you edit it. If no template is selected for a channel, Shopfront uses the channel's default template, or otherwise its most recently edited enabled template.

Templates are applied when Shopfront generates titles, descriptions and attributes. Review and edit each listing before publishing.