References Tab – Show All Product Linkages

In our current CMS, the References tab only shows which departments a product is listed in.
However, products can also be referenced in other ways — such as being linked as an alternative item or cross-sell item on other product pages.

The Problem

When a product is discontinued but kept in the database (for informational purposes), it may still be referenced on multiple live product pages as a cross-sell or alternative.

• There’s currently no central list of where that product is being referenced.

• This makes it time-consuming to find and update/remove these links.

• If not updated, discontinued products remain visible in cross-sell or alternative sections, which can confuse customers.

Proposed Solution

Expand the References tab so it not only shows department listings, but also:

• Referenced As Alternative: List all products that have this item set as an alternative.

• Referenced As Cross-Sell: List all products that have this item set as a cross-sell.

This would give a single view of every place a product appears across the catalogue — whether as a main listing, cross-sell, or alternative — making it easy to:

• Update references to point to in-stock items.

• Remove discontinued items from active product relationships.

• Maintain accurate product linking without needing to manually hunt through the database.

Benefits

• Time Savings: Quickly identify and update/remove all references in one place.

• Better Customer Experience: Avoid showing unavailable products as recommendations.

• Cleaner Data: Ensures discontinued items are only used for historical/technical reference, not active sales.