diff --git a/src/Domain/Article/ArticleType.php b/src/Domain/Article/ArticleType.php
index 7907b04..bf3a1f7 100644
--- a/src/Domain/Article/ArticleType.php
+++ b/src/Domain/Article/ArticleType.php
@@ -25,10 +25,10 @@ class ArticleType
 
     /**
      * Maps eBay aspect name → Article field name (e.g. 'Marke' => 'manufacturer').
-     * @var array<string, string>
+     * @var array<string, string>|null
      */
     #[ORM\Column(type: 'json', nullable: true)]
-    private array $ebayAspectFieldMappings = [];
+    private ?array $ebayAspectFieldMappings = null;
 
     /** @var Collection<int, ArticleTypeAttribute> */
     #[ORM\OneToMany(targetEntity: ArticleTypeAttribute::class, mappedBy: 'articleType', cascade: ['persist', 'remove'], orphanRemoval: true)]
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ class ArticleType
     /** @return array<string, string> */
     public function getEbayAspectFieldMappings(): array
     {
-        return $this->ebayAspectFieldMappings;
+        return $this->ebayAspectFieldMappings ?? [];
     }
 
     /** @param array<string, string> $mappings */