Understanding Product Linking - Technical Deep Dive

Modified on Mon, 17 Nov at 3:04 PM

Product linking is one of the most important parts of the Orion integration. It determines whether stock and price updates can flow automatically from Epos Now to Wix.

This guide explains what “linking” really means, how Orion checks links, and what happens behind the scenes every time a product is synced.

What “Linking” Actually Means

Every product in Orion needs to be associated with the correct product in Wix. This association is stored as a small record in Orion’s database containing:

Wix product ID
Wix variant ID (if applicable)
The method used to link (barcode or SKU)
Timestamp of when it was linked

If a product is not linked, Orion will:

Update the product data internally
Not push stock or price updates to Wix
Report the product as “Not Linked” in the Product Viewer

How Orion Decides If a Product Is Linked

Orion keeps its own internal linkage table. Before every sync, Orion checks:

If a link record already exists for this product (fastest path)
If not, it will attempt to find the product in Wix using either:

Barcode
SKU (only checked if barcode doesn’t match)

Whichever method returns a valid match becomes the official link.

The Full Linking Flow (Exactly How Orion Works)

Step 1 — Orion Receives the Product Event

Epos sends an event containing the product ID. Orion loads the latest product data and prepares for a full sync.

Step 2 — Orion Checks for an Existing Link

If it finds one, great — stock and price can sync immediately.

If not, Orion begins the linking process.

Step 3 — Barcode Matching

Orion sends this to Wix:

{ "sku": <barcode> }

If Wix finds a product whose SKU equals the barcode exactly, Orion links them.

Step 4 — SKU Matching (Fallback)

If barcode fails, Orion then tries:

{ "sku": <epos SKU> }

If Wix returns a match, Orion links using SKU instead.

Step 5 — No Match Found

If neither barcode nor SKU match anything in Wix, the sync still completes — but no Wix updates can happen.

The product stays in a safe “Not Linked” state.

**What Happens After a Successful Link?**

Once linked, the product becomes fully synchronised. Orion will immediately:

Update stock on Wix
Update sale price + RR price on Wix
Store the link permanently

From that point on, every event skips linking and goes straight to updating.

Why a Product Might Not Link

There are only a few reasons:

Barcode mismatch or trailing spaces
Different SKU between systems
Wix product uses variants differently
EPOS product has no barcode or SKU at all
The item in Wix is archived or non-inventory

Orion never “guesses” — it must match exactly.

How to Fix Linking Issues

To resolve a link problem:

Check for spaces before/after barcode or SKU
Confirm the value in Epos exactly matches Wix
Remove special characters or hidden whitespace
Ensure the Wix item is an inventory product
Ensure variants use consistent SKU formatting

After correcting the data, click Sync Product or wait for the next Epos event.

See guide - Why my product isnt Linking?

**What Orion Does Not Do**

This is important — Orion does not:

Try partial or fuzzy matches
Search by product name
Automatically overwrite poor data

This avoids incorrect or dangerous matches.

Advanced Behaviour (For Power Users)

Linking is only attempted if the merchant’s Real-Time Link Check setting is enabled.
Linking is always attempted before stock/price sync.
Linking never blocks the sync — the rest of the process continues safely.
Linking decisions are logged in your Product Viewer history.

Key Takeaways

Orion requires exact barcode or SKU matches.
Linking happens automatically and safely.
If a product can’t link, nothing breaks — it simply waits.
Once linked, all future updates are near-instant.
You can fix linking issues by ensuring both systems (Epos Now and Wix) match exactly.

Need help?

If your product isn’t linking and you can’t figure out why, raise a ticket — we can check your logs instantly.

Click here to log a support ticket