Using a spreadsheet (CSV, XLSX or XLS) to format product data quickly, you can easily edit your existing product catalog in bulk.

Before you begin

Before you begin editing your product catalog spreadsheet, these things are important to know:

• Always save a backup copy of your CSV file before you start editing it.

• Always remove stock/inventory columns.

• Do not change or remove the ID column or IDs themselves. This is a number Retail POS generates as a unique ID for each product. Leave the field blank when you're creating new products.

• If you want to update your stock levels, make sure you either complete a stock order (to add stock) or an inventory count (to remove stock).

• Leaving the type or tag fields blank will overwrite any preexisting type or tag data you have in Retail POS.

• Leaving the tax rate fields blank will NOT update the tax rate to your store's default rate.

Updating SKUs through a CSV import will not automatically update the next SKU sequence number in Retail POS. If you make any changes to your SKUs using a CSV import we strongly recommend you check your current sequence number in Setup > General and update it if necessary to avoid any SKU duplication going forward.

Exporting and editing your product catalog

1. Navigate to Catalog > Products and click Export list... to export a complete list of your product catalog. If you only want to edit a portion of your product catalog use the filters to locate the products that require updating before exporting.
2. Make a copy of the exported file and save it as "product-export-backup" to ensure you have a backup copy in case a mistake is made.
3. Open the downloaded file in Excel, or use free spreadsheet software such as Open Office or Google Docs.
4. Delete all of the inventory columns (including their headers) when editing product CSV files. This is so any changes in your inventory levels due to sales you make while you are working on the CSV are not overwritten when you reimport the file.
5. Update the necessary fields. If you're not sure what should go in each field, refer to the Importing products in bulk guide.
6. Save the CSV file.

Importing the edited spreadsheet

Once you have finished editing the product export spreadsheet file, you can import it into your store.

The Retail POS spreadsheet checker will look for some of the most common import errors in your file before it imports into your store. It will check for any formatting issues or errors, such as column headings and mandatory fields, and let you know if any of these errors are present in your file.

1. Navigate to Catalog > Products.
2. Click Import.
3. Drag and drop your file, or click Choose a file to upload to search for and add the file.
4. If Retail POS detects no errors with your spreadsheet, click Continue with import on the confirmation screen.

   

5. If there are mapping errors with your spreadsheet, the mapping columns page will show before the file is uploaded. Here you can correct errors and change how some columns are mapped. This page is divided into Recommended for selling and Additional details tabs.

   

   Some of the columns in the Recommended for selling tab are required, and you will not be able to complete the import until these columns are matched. The columns in the Additional details tab are not required but can be included to suit your needs.

6. Required columns that aren’t matched show a red box and a warning message. Click the dropdown to search for and select the column name in your spreadsheet. You can’t complete the import until all required columns are mapped.

   

7. For optional information, the Import status column will show a green check if the column has been mapped successfully, or a grey x if Retail POS has not detected a match. Click the dropdown to change the mapping for any spreadsheet column.
8. To remove a column from the import, click the dropdown, then click the trash icon.

   

9. Once you’ve finished editing the column mapping, click Import matched fields.

   

10. If Retail POS detects formatting errors, they will be displayed on the next page. Refer to Fixing common import errors to troubleshoot and correct these errors before continuing.
11. If there are no other errors, click Continue with import.

    

The import can take a few minutes to hours depending on your catalog size. When the import is finished, you'll receive a notification (bell icon). Click the bell icon to view your notifications.

What's next?