> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api/product-management/skus.md). # Product basics In the Digital River APIs, you can use [SKUs](#skus), [product details](#product-details), [SKU groups](#sku-groups) and [inventory items](#inventory-items) to identify and describe your goods and services. Whether you integrate with [Low-code checkouts](/digital-river-api/integration-options/low-code-checkouts.md) or [Direct Integrations](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts.md), these resources and objects allow you to define each of your product's [basic and compliance data](#basic-versus-compliance-product-data). Except for [SKU groups](#sku-groups) (as well as [inventory items](#inventory-items) used in the [distributed model](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/handling-digital-river-coordinated-fulfillments.md#distributed-model) of [Digital River coordinated fulfillments](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/handling-digital-river-coordinated-fulfillments.md)), you're responsible for managing the data contained in them. Additionally, with the exception of [product details](#product-details), their data is stored in Digital River's system. | | Resource or object? | Supported product data | Where the product data is stored | Who manages the product data | How you manage the data | When you reference the resource / pass the object | | --------------------------------------- | ------------------- | ---------------------- | -------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | [**SKUs**](#skus) | Resource | Basic and compliance | Digital River's system | You | [SKUs API](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/skus) | [`POST /checkouts`](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/checkouts#checkouts-1), [`POST /checkout-sessions`](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/drop-in-checkout-sessions#drop-in-checkout-sessions) | | [**Product details**](#product-details) | Object | Basic | Your system | You | System dependent |

POST /checkouts, POST /checkouts, POST /checkout-sessions, POST /shipping-quotes,
POST /shipping-labels

| | [**SKU groups**](#sku-groups) | Resource | Compliance | Digital River's system | Digital River | [SKU Groups API](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/sku-groups) |

POST /checkouts, POST /checkouts, POST /checkout-sessions, POST /shipping-quotes,
POST /shipping-labels

| | [**Inventory items**](#inventory-items) | Resource | Basic and compliance | Digital River's system | You/Digital River | [Inventory Items API](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/inventory-items) | [`POST /fulfillment-orders`](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/fulfillment-orders#fulfillment-orders-1) | ## SKUs In the Digital River APIs, SKUs are one option for identifying and defining your goods and services. This resource holds data on the most important characteristics of a product. SKUs aren’t meant to be universal. Instead, they should be unique to your business. You [manage SKUs](/digital-river-api/product-management/creating-and-updating-skus.md), and their data is stored in Digital River's system. Depending on how you send product data in [create checkout](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/creating-checkouts/describing-the-items.md#sending-product-data) or [create checkout-session](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/drop-in-checkout-sessions#drop-in-checkout-sessions) requests, your SKUs might only contain [basic product data](#basic-versus-compliance-product-data). Alternatively, they can contain both [basic and compliance data](#basic-versus-compliance-product-data). If you reference this resource in checkouts or [checkout-sessions](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/drop-in-checkout-sessions), you'll need to use the [SKUs API](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/skus) to define and create a SKU for every [digital and physical product](#how-products-are-classified-as-physical-or-digital) in your catalog. For more details, refer to: * The [Managing SKUs](/digital-river-api/product-management/creating-and-updating-skus.md) page * The [Sending product data in checkouts](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/creating-checkouts/describing-the-items.md#sending-product-data) section on the [Describing line items](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/creating-checkouts/describing-the-items.md) page * The [Product data](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/drop-in-checkout-sessions/checkout-sessions-basics#product-data) section on the [Checkout-sessions basics](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/drop-in-checkout-sessions/checkout-sessions-basics) page. ## Product details You can use `productDetails` to identify and define your goods and services. This object holds data on the most important characteristics of a product. You manage `productDetails` and its data is stored in your system. A `productDetails` object can only be used to pass [basic product data](#basic-versus-compliance-product-data). Its [compliance data](#basic-versus-compliance-product-data) is stored in a referenced [SKU group](/digital-river-api/product-management/setting-up-sku-groups.md). In other words, each `items[]` in a [create checkout](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/checkouts#checkouts-1) or [create checkout-session](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/drop-in-checkout-sessions#drop-in-checkout-sessions) request must include `productDetails` and nested within that object should be a `skuGroupId`. For more details, refer to: * The [Using product details](/digital-river-api/product-management/using-product-details.md) page * The [Grouping SKUs](/digital-river-api/product-management/setting-up-sku-groups.md) page * The [Sending product data in checkouts](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/creating-checkouts/describing-the-items.md#sending-product-data) section on the [Describing line items](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/creating-checkouts/describing-the-items.md) page * The [Product data](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/drop-in-checkout-sessions/checkout-sessions-basics#product-data) section on the [Checkout-sessions basics](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/drop-in-checkout-sessions/checkout-sessions-basics) page. ## SKU groups A [SKU group](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/sku-groups) represents a collection of products with similar compliance requirements. This resource is only used to store [compliance data](#basic-versus-compliance-product-data). Digital River manages your SKU groups, and their data is stored in Digital River's system. If you use SKU groups, you must reference the resource when sending product data in [create checkout](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/creating-checkouts/describing-the-items.md#sending-product-data) or [create checkout-session](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/drop-in-checkout-sessions#drop-in-checkout-sessions) requests, and the reference must either be in the [SKU](#skus) or in [`productDetails`](#product-details). For more details, refer to: * The [Grouping SKUs](/digital-river-api/product-management/setting-up-sku-groups.md) page * The [sending product data in checkouts](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/creating-checkouts/describing-the-items.md#sending-product-data) section on the [Describing line items](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/creating-checkouts/describing-the-items.md) page * The [Product data](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/drop-in-checkout-sessions/checkout-sessions-basics#product-data) section on the [Checkout-sessions basics](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/drop-in-checkout-sessions/checkout-sessions-basics) page. ## Inventory items The [inventory item](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/inventory-items) resource identifies and defines physical products stored in a warehouse. You only use inventory items in [Digital River coordinated fulfillments](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/handling-digital-river-coordinated-fulfillments.md). The data for an inventory item is saved in Digital River's system, and you can access it using the [Inventory Items API](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/inventory-items). How you [interact with inventory items](/digital-river-api/product-management/managing-inventory.md) and how you ensure that data contained in the [shared attributes](/digital-river-api/product-management/common-attributes.md#shared-attributes) of [SKU-inventory item pairs](/digital-river-api/product-management/common-attributes.md) remains synchronized, depends on whether you're using the [distributed model](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/handling-digital-river-coordinated-fulfillments.md#distributed-model) or the [orchestrated model](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/handling-digital-river-coordinated-fulfillments.md#orchestrated-model). For more details, refer to: * The [Managing inventory items](/digital-river-api/product-management/managing-inventory.md) page * The [SKU-inventory item pairs](/digital-river-api/product-management/common-attributes.md) page ## Basic versus compliance product data In the Digital River APIs, there exist two broad categories of product data: basic and compliance. The following table lists the specific data in each category: {% hint style="info" %} Additional compliance data beyond what is listed here may be stored in the SKU group to which a product belongs. {% endhint %} | Basic product data | Compliance product data | | --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | | Name and description | Export control classification number | | Image and URL | Harmonized system code | | Weight and weight unit | Tax code | | Country of origin | Dangerous goods classifications | | Part number and manufacturer identifier | Signature requirements | ## How products are classified as physical or digital Digital River classifies a product as physical or digital based on its designated tax code. This code plays a role in determining a [checkout's](https://www.digitalriver.com/docs/digital-river-api-reference/#tag/Checkouts) [address requirements](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/creating-checkouts/providing-address-information.md#address-requirements-and-validations), its assigned [selling entity](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/creating-checkouts/selling-entities.md), and whether the [landed cost feature](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/creating-checkouts/landed-costs.md) is triggered. Who assigns a product's tax code depends on whether or not you're using SKU groups. ### Using SKU groups If you (1) associate a [SKU group](#sku-groups) with each of your [SKUs](#skus) or (2) reference a [SKU group](#sku-groups) in [`productDetails`](#product-details), then Digital River sets the SKU group's tax code. As a result, you're not responsible for identifying, defining, or managing your products' tax codes. ### Not using SKU groups If you use [SKUs](#skus) without [SKU groups](#sku-groups), then you're responsible for defining and managing each of your SKUs' [`taxCode`](/digital-river-api/product-management/creating-and-updating-skus.md#tax-code)(s). ### How to identify a physical or digital SKU A [SKU's](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/skus) `physical` attribute allows you to determine whether the resource is classified as digital or physical without referencing our [supported tax code table](/digital-river-api/product-management/creating-and-updating-skus.md#supported-tax-codes). {% code title="SKU" %} ```javascript { "id": "db148281-a5a2-4349-baf2-5d9f76025e56", ... "physical": true } ``` {% endcode %}