Online sellers love Shopify—and for good reason. With over 2 million Shopify merchants, this ecommerce platform is loaded with features that make it easy for brands and retailers to showcase their products online.
While the platform is relatively easy to use and set up, the task of uploading and updating your store’s products isn’t the easiest of tasks (especially if you have a decent amount of inventory). If you’re working with hundreds (or even thousands) of products, you’re not going to want to manually add in or update each of those products—unless you like to suffer. 👀
One way to save yourself time is by importing your products in bulk with a CSV (Comma-Separated Values) file. While it still isn’t the fastest process to update your Shopify store, it will save you loads of time compared to manually uploading each and every product. To help you get this set up, we’ll walk through how you can import your products in Shopify with a CSV file.
The first thing you’ll want to do is get your CSV file set up. You can download Shopify’s sample CSV file to get started. This file has a few product examples with all the different Shopify fields (or categories) that you can use to create your own Shopify CSV. From here, you’ll need to go in and fill in your product information. Just remember there are only two required fields: Handle and Title. The rest of the fields you can use to fit your product information needs, but make sure to use the right column name to avoid any issues or errors when uploading your products.
While only the Handle and Title are required to
This list doesn't cover every potential option, but it does cover the basics of what you'll want to include. For more information, make sure to check out Shopify's help center article that explains the different column options.
Note: It’s really important to get this right because if your information isn’t accurate, you’ll have issues uploading, or worse, you’ll have incorrect information on your store.
With your CSV file now prepared, importing becomes a breeze:
That's it! Shopify will now ingest the data, listing each product in the order they appear in your CSV. Depending on the sheer volume, it might take a bit, so perhaps grab a coffee.
In the digital realm, challenges are part and parcel of the journey. If there's a hiccup with your CSV file, Shopify will flag it, typically with an error message. Some typical errors include:
Always address these issues promptly. Tweaking your CSV and re-uploading will get things back on track.
If you're managing products across multiple sales channels, using our Shopify PIM integration can make the process even easier. Plytix PIM integrates seamlessly with Shopify and helps centralize your product information, which will help ensure your data stays consistent, accurate, and easy to update across all platforms. On top of that, it will also save you time and reduce errors when managing your store's inventory.
After importing, it's a good idea to review your product listings. Ensure images load correctly, descriptions appear as intended, and there are no discrepancies in pricing. This post-import audit ensures a smooth shopping experience for your customers. Additionally, optimizing product descriptions for SEO, integrating reviews, and tagging products appropriately can elevate the user experience.
The CSV import method is a game-changer for ecommerce professionals. It's efficient, reduces errors, and lets you populate vast inventories in record time. As you blend marketing with IT on Shopify, mastering the CSV approach means you have more bandwidth to engage with customers, strategize, and grow your online footprint. In the vast ocean of ecommerce, every efficiency counts.