PRACTICAL IMPORT NOTES

Shopify CSV template: a safe starting point

Choose a Shopify CSV template, map supplier data and check a small draft import before committing your full catalogue.

1. Start with the right example

Use Shopify’s current sample product CSV or export one representative product from your own store. A supplier’s spreadsheet is source data, not automatically an import template. Keep a clean copy of both files and work in a third copy. Store-specific fields, markets and inventory settings need separate attention; do not assume a short example covers every configuration.

2. Build a mapping sheet before copying rows

Write down each supplier heading, what it means, the target field and a representative value. For an everyday tee, item_code 00124 is an identifier; retail_price 29.00 is a monetary amount; parent_id TEE groups related variants. Ask the supplier to clarify a field before you move values into it. Never choose a price column just because it is the first numeric column.

3. Protect identifiers and prices

Import identifier columns into your spreadsheet as text. Reopen your saved file through an import dialog and check that 00124 has not become 124. Record whether prices are retail, wholesale or cost, and confirm the intended currency. RowReady requires complete SKU and selling-price data for its service, even where a platform may permit a blank value.

4. Keep the first test deliberately small

Use one simple product and one product with several variants as your test set. Include every variant of the chosen product so the test covers grouping. Set the product status to draft and review channel publication settings. Avoid updating existing products during this exercise. A small test is easier to compare, undo and explain than a catalogue-wide mistake.

5. Check the imported result against the source

Compare the number of products and variants, every SKU, each selling price, the option labels and the image assigned to each variant. Open the draft product in the store admin rather than relying only on an import-success message. Keep a short record of any adjustment and repeat the test after changing the mapping.

6. When a template is not enough

Stop if the source has missing identifiers, conflicting prices, ambiguous parent products or embedded images that need extracting. A template cannot resolve those decisions. The free RowReady checker can help spot basic structural issues; the paid service, when open, is scoped separately before payment. It does not manage existing-product updates or inventory synchronisation.

Check the current Shopify product CSV documentation for the full supported format.

Continue with your import

Reviewed 5 October 2026. By RowReady, an independent catalogue preparation service.