Smart Merchandiser — Automatic Product Sorting

What this solution does

The Smart Merchandiser module provides automated sorting management for products in the 1C-Bitrix catalog. It mass-updates the standard SORT field for infoblock elements based on defined rules such as price, warehouse stock levels, properties, sections, and other attributes.

The module operates within the administrative panel and requires no modifications to site templates or components, including catalog.section. Since it utilizes the standard sorting mechanism, it is compatible with any templates and ready-made online stores on the 1C-Bitrix platform.

Examples of rule configurations:

1. Products priced above 50,000 RUB are assigned a SORT value of 15 and displayed at the beginning of category lists. Products priced between 10,000 and 50,000 RUB receive a SORT value of 20 and appear below them. Products with no stock on selected warehouses are excluded from active sorting and displayed at the end of the list.

2. Products with a detailed image field populated are ranked higher than cards without images.

3. Products currently unavailable on a specified warehouse are automatically moved to the end of the list without closing the product page.

The Smart Merchandiser module provides automatic product sorting in the catalog, including the ability to place promotional items at the beginning of the list.

Key capabilities:

Sorting by price and warehouse stock levels, accounting for infoblock properties and standard product fields.

Binding rules to specific catalog sections.

Advanced selection conditions using AND/OR logic.

Configuration of SORT value ranges and fixed values.

Handling of products that do not match any rule.

Flexible execution modes: manual, scheduled, via cron (primary mode), or via the Bitrix agent (backup mode).

Test run mode that previews changes without modifying data.

Detailed execution logs showing timestamps, number of updated products, and errors.

Key advantages:

Flexible composite rules allow combining price, stock, properties, and sections using AND/OR logic.

High-speed mass updates: sorting for tens of thousands of products is completed in seconds without performance degradation.

Minimal server load.

Dual automatic execution mechanism: cron serves as the primary method, with the Bitrix agent acting as a backup if cron is unavailable.

Safe test mode allows previewing how many products will match a rule before applying changes.

The module is designed for owners, content managers, and marketers of medium to large online stores built on the 1C-Bitrix platform. It provides automatic product sorting in catalogs with extensive assortments where stock availability and the priority of specific product groups are critical. The tool is useful for environments with frequent price updates, inventory management, and promotional campaigns. It supports operations across multiple warehouses and suppliers, automatically processing data from price lists.

The solution maintains a logical display order of products within store sections. Priority is given to items currently in stock and promotional offers. Products with the lowest prices or those temporarily out of stock are displayed lower in the list. The module allows flexible configuration of sorting rules for different catalog sections.

Configuration capabilities:

- Elevating products from the mid-price range.

- Prioritizing items available at selected warehouses.

- Boosting product cards with photos and completed specifications while demoting non-moving stock.

- Quickly promoting specific product groups during promotional periods.

Technical requirements:

CMS: 1C-Bitrix: Site Management

Recommended CMS version: 26.250.x and above

PHP: 8.1 and above

Recommended PHP version: 8.3

The module works with MySQL databases compatible with 1C-Bitrix. Basic functionality requires the main and iblock modules. Support for online store features additionally requires the catalog module. The solution does not require connecting or paying for external services; all logic runs directly on the site server. For scheduled automated operation, configuring cron is recommended; if this is not possible, the module uses the built-in Bitrix agent.

When needed, General iT can implement “Smart Merchandiser — Automatic Product Sorting”, configure the module and verify it against the current website setup.