- Bigcommerce Guide
Importing Products
What We'll Cover
- Required fields
- Importing
- Table of importable fields
Importing your products is the fastest way to create or update them in bulk. Whether you are making new products or updating your existing products, we recommend exporting your products using the Bulk Edit template to streamline the update process.
For information on creating options and option sets with a CSV file, see Importing Product Options.
Required Fields
The following fields are required when creating or updating your product.
- Product ID — If updating an existing product, this must be included; if creating a new product, it must be blank.
- Product Name — No two products can have the same name.
- Category — Must use the format Category1/Subcategory;Category2;
- Price
- Weight — Required for physical products.
Example Product Import CSV File
Right-click the following link to save the file to your computer.
- bulk-edit-product-import.csv
If your product category contains a / character, use \/ instead to avoid creating subcategories. For example, Sweaters/Hoodies should be formatted as Sweaters\/Hoodies.
Importing your products
Products can be imported following the steps listed in Importing Data. If you exported your file or are using the same column names listed below, you can check Bulk Edit Re-import, which selects the recommended settings and automatically configures the Match Import Fields step.
Matching Import Fields
If you do not use the Bulk Edit template column names, you will need to match your CSV's columns to their corresponding fields. Next to Match (field), select your CSV's corresponding column name from the drop-down. You do not need to match every column, but you must match the required columns.
Table of Importable Fields
Below is a table of all fields that are importable via the CSV. The field names are those used in the Bulk Edit Template. Fields in bold are required.
| Field | Column in Excel (Bulk Edit) | Description | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Item Type | A | Defines the item as a Product, SKU, or Rule | Product = product; SKU = SKU, Rule = rule |
| Product ID | B | The system-generated product identifier; cannot be created manually | Required for updates; must be blank for creating new products |
| Product Name | C | The name of your product; no two can be the same | |
| Product Type | D | Defines whether the item is physical or digital (downloadable) | P = physical; D = downloadable |
| Product Code/SKU | E | Stock-keeping unit number you use for inventory | Alphanumeric |
| Bin Picking Number | F | Identifies where in a warehouse the item is located | |
| Brand Name | G | The brand or manufacturer of a product | |
| Option Set | H | The option set if you are using product options | |
| Option Set Align | I | Determine whether the options are to the right or below the product image | Right = to the right; Below = below |
| Product Description | J | A description of your product | Can contain text or HTML |
| Price | K | Your product's base price | Numbers only; no units (e.g. 24.99) |
| Cost Price | L | The cost of the product for you (accounting purposes only) | Numbers only; no units |
| Retail Price | M | The retail price; if entered, it will appear next to your base or sale price | Numbers only; no units |
| Sale Price | N | The sale price; if entered, it will replace the base price | Numbers only; no units |
| Fixed Shipping Cost | O | The price to ship one unit of your product; if entered, this applies internationally overrides any other shipping settings | Numbers only; no units |
| Free Shipping | P | If applied, your product will ship internationally for free; if selected, overrides any other shipping settings | Y = free shipping enabled; N = not enabled |
| Product Warranty | Q | Product warranty information | Text or HTML |
| Product Weight | R | Product weight (physical only) | Numbers only; no units |
| Product Width | S | Your product's width for calculating shipping | Numbers only; no units |
| Product Height | T | Your product's height for calculating shipping | Numbers only; no units |
| Product Depth | U | Your product's depth for calculating shipping | Numbers only; no units |
| Allow Purchases? | V | Can the product be purchased from your store? | Y = the product can be purchased or pre-ordered; N = the product cannot be purchased or pre-ordered |
| Product Visible? | W | Should the product be visible in your store? | Y = yes; N = no |
| Product Availability | X | A brief description of how long it takes your product to ship | Text or HTML |
| Track Inventory | Y | Should inventory be tracked? If so, by option or by product? | None = do not track; by product = track by product; by option = track by SKU |
| Current Stock Level | Z | Number of units in stock (only applies if tracking inventory) | Numbers only |
| Low Stock Level | AA | Inventory level at which you are sent a notification to restock (only applies if tracking inventory) | Numbers only |
| Category | AB | Categories and subcategories applied to product | Category1; Category2/Subcategory1;Category2/Subcategory2 |
| Product File - 1 | AC | The file name of your downloadable product (downloadable products only) | filename.pdf |
| Product File Description - 1 | AD | A description of your file | |
| Product File Max Downloads - 1 | AE | The maximum number of times a single customer can download their purchase | Numbers only |
| Product File Expires After - 1 | AF | The time period after which the download link will not work for your customer | # Days, # Weeks, # Months, # Years or Never |
| Product Image ID - 1 | AG | The system-generated product image ID | |
| Product Image File - 1 | AH | Image file name (if stored in WebDAV) or full URL | imagename.jpg or fullurl.com/imagename.jpg |
| Product Image Description - 1 | AI | A description of the image | |
| Product Image Is Thumbnail - 1 | AJ | If there is more than one image for the product, specify one to be the thumbnail | Y = is thumbnail (one only); N = not thumbnail |
| Product Image Sort - 1 | AK | If there is more than one image for the product, specify which order they should appear in (lower numbers appear earlier) | Whole numbers only; can use negatives |
| Search Keywords | variable | Keywords for your store's search | Keywords separated by commas |
| Page Title | variable | Your product's page title; will default to the product name if left blank | |
| Meta Keywords | variable | Meta keywords; if left blank will default to those entered in the Website Settings | Keywords separated by commas |
| Meta Description | variable | Meta description; if left blank will default to what's entered in the Website Settings | |
| MYOB Asset Acct | variable | Settings if using MYOB | |
| MYOB Income Acct | variable | Settings if using MYOB | |
| MYOB Expense Acct | variable | Settings if using MYOB | |
| Product Condition | variable | Product condition for Google Shopping | New; Used; Refurbished |
| Show Product Condition? | variable | Show the product condition on your product page? | Y = show on product page; N = don't show on product page |
| Event Date Required? | variable | Is a date required for purchase? | N = no event date; Start Date = limit start date; End Date = limit end date; Date Range = limit start and end dates |
| Event Date Name | variable | Name of event date | |
| Event Date Is Limited? | variable | Limit the event date? (Limits are inclusive) | Y = yes; N = no |
| Event Date Start Date | variable | Earliest date available (inclusive) | MON DD, YYYY |
| Event Date End Date | variable | Latest date available (inclusive) | MON DD, YYYY |
| Sort Order | variable | The order in which a product appears on a category page relative to other products; default is 0 | Whole numbers only; can use negatives |
| Product Tax Class | variable | The tax class applied to a product | |
| Avalara Product Tax Code | variable | Only used if you've linked your Avalara Premium account | |
| Product UPC/EAN | variable | Product's UPC or GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) | |
| Stop Processing Rules | variable | For Rules, stop processing all rules placed below that rule | Y = stop processing rules; N = don't stop processing rules |
| Product URL | variable | The relative path of your product's URL on your store; if left blank it will default to the product name | /new-relative-url/ |
| Redirect Old URL? | variable | If you change the product URL, you can select whether or not to create a 301 Redirect | Y = create a 301; N = don't create a 301 |
| GPS Global Trade Item Number | variable | The UPC/EAN for the product; required for Google Shopping if not a custom product | |
| GPS Manufacturer Part Number | variable | The Manufacturer Part Number; required for Google Shopping if not a custom product | |
| GPS Gender | variable | The intended gender for the product; required for some Google Shopping categories | |
| GPS Age Group | variable | The intended age group for the product; required for some Google Shopping categories | |
| GPS Color | variable | The color of the product; required for some Google Shopping categories | |
| GPS Size | variable | The size of the product; required for some Google Shopping categories | |
| GPS Material | variable | The material of the product; required for some Google Shopping categories | |
| GPS Pattern | variable | The pattern of the product; required for some Google Shopping categories | |
| GPS Item Group ID | variable | A system-generated value for Google Shopping; leave blank if creating products | |
| GPS Category | variable | The Bigcommerce category (which is mapped to the Google Shopping category you want to list to) | Category1/Subcategory |
| GPS Enabled | variable | Should the product be exported to Google Shopping? | Y = enabled; N = not enabled |
| GPS Custom Item | Must be entered manually | Is the item custom-made (i.e. no UPC, MPN, or GTIN)? | 1 = custom item; 0 = non-custom |