Skip to main content

​
Import Products in Bulk

If you have many products to add (more than a handful), importing from a spreadsheet is much faster than adding them one by one. You can add hundreds or even thousands of products in just a few clicks!

​
Import options

Alana supports several ways to import products:
OptionHowBest for
Spreadsheet (CSV/Excel)Upload a fileBulk import from your own data
URL importPaste a product URLScrape product data from a website
Platform connectorConnect Shopify/WooCommerceSync from an existing store
For URL import, see the URL Import guide.

​
Supported File Formats

We support two common spreadsheet formats:
  • CSV (Comma-Separated Values) — Plain text format, works with any spreadsheet app
  • Excel — .xlsx files (Excel 2007 and newer)
Both formats work equally well. Use whichever you’re more comfortable with!

​
Step 1: Download the Template

To make sure your spreadsheet has the right format, start by downloading our template:
  1. From your catalog view, click “Import Products”
  2. Click “Download Template”
  3. A spreadsheet file will download to your computer
Open the template in Excel, Google Sheets, or your favorite spreadsheet app. The template shows you exactly which columns you need and what data goes in each one.

​
Step 2: Fill in Your Product Data

Add your products to the template following these guidelines:

​
Required Columns

These columns MUST be filled in for every product:
  • Title: Product name (e.g., “Blue Cotton T-Shirt”)
  • Description: What the product is and key details
  • Image URL: A link to the main product image (must start with http:// or https://)

​
Optional Columns

These are helpful but not required:
  • SKU: Your internal product code
  • Price: Selling price (as a number, e.g., 29.99)
  • Additional Images: More image URLs, separated by commas
  • Color: Product color
  • Size: Product size
  • Material: What it’s made of
  • Weight: Product weight
  • Dimensions: Width x Height x Length

​
Tips for Your Spreadsheet

URLs for Images:
  • Make sure image URLs are correct and point to real files
  • Images must be publicly accessible (the system needs to be able to download them)
  • Common formats: JPG, PNG, WebP
  • If you don’t have image URLs yet, leave this blank — you can add images later
Consistent Data:
  • Use the same format for all similar data (e.g., all prices as numbers without currency symbols)
  • Use consistent terminology (e.g., always “Medium” not sometimes “Medium” and sometimes “M”)
  • Don’t leave cells completely empty if they contain important info
Examples: 
Title: "Wireless Bluetooth Headphones"
Description: "High-quality wireless headphones with 20-hour battery life and noise cancellation"
SKU: "WH-BT-001"
Price: "79.99"
Color: "Black"

​
Step 3: Upload Your File

Once your spreadsheet is ready:
  1. Go to your catalog and click “Import Products”
  2. Click “Choose File” or drag-and-drop your spreadsheet
  3. The system will start analyzing your file

​
Step 4: Map Your Columns

The system needs to know which column contains which data. You’ll see a screen showing your spreadsheet columns. For each column, select what data it represents:
  • Click on a column header
  • Choose the field it corresponds to (Title, Description, SKU, Price, Color, etc.)
  • If a column isn’t needed, select “Skip”
The system will try to guess the correct mapping based on your column names, but always verify it’s correct before proceeding.

​
Step 5: Review and Validate

The system will check your data for errors:
  • Required fields missing → Error (you must fix before uploading)
  • Invalid image URLs → Warning (product will import but without images)
  • Price formatting issues → Warning (prices might not display correctly)
  • Duplicate SKUs → Warning (might overwrite existing products)
Fix any errors before proceeding. Warnings are okay, but consider fixing them for best results.

​
Step 6: Confirm and Import

Review the final summary:
  • Number of products to be imported
  • Any warnings or issues
  • Your mapped columns
Click “Confirm Import” and your products will be added to your catalog! The import usually takes a few seconds to a few minutes depending on how many products you’re uploading. You’ll see a progress indicator.

​
Common Issues and How to Fix Them

​
”Required field missing”

Problem: A product is missing required data (Title, Description, or Image URL). Fix:
  • Add the missing data to your spreadsheet
  • Re-upload the file

​
”Invalid image URL”

Problem: The image link doesn’t work or isn’t in the right format. Fix:
  • Check that the URL is complete and correct
  • Make sure the image file actually exists at that location
  • Use URLs that start with http:// or https://
  • Consider uploading the image file separately and using that URL

​
”Duplicate SKU”

Problem: Two products have the same SKU, which could cause confusion. Fix:
  • Give each product a unique SKU
  • Check if the product already exists in your catalog (maybe you don’t need to import it again)

​
“Price format error”

Problem: Prices aren’t formatted correctly. Fix:
  • Use numbers only (e.g., 29.99 not $29.99)
  • Use a period (.) as the decimal separator, not a comma

​
”File too large”

Problem: Your spreadsheet has too many products to import at once. Fix:
  • Split your data into smaller files
  • Import them in batches (5,000 products per import is typical)

​
After Import — Pipeline processing

Once your products are imported, the Bronze pipeline runs automatically — products are stored with an idempotency key to prevent duplicate imports from the same source. You can then run:
  • Silver normalization — maps source fields to the Alana schema, detects duplicates, validates image URLs
  • Gold scoring — computes an optimization score (0–100) and returns a gaps list
Run these from the Catalog → Batch Actions menu or via the Pipeline API. See the Data Enrichment guide for a step-by-step walkthrough. Once your products are imported:
  • They appear in your catalog immediately
  • You can edit any product to add more details or images
  • Products are in draft status — they won’t be visible to customers until you publish your catalog
  • You can add more products by importing again, or add them manually

​
For Technical Users

For detailed information about import formats, API integration, and advanced options, see our Product Import Guide.

​
Need Help?

If you run into issues:
  1. Check the error message — it usually tells you what’s wrong
  2. Review the common issues above
  3. Make sure your file format matches our template
  4. Try importing a smaller batch to test
Last modified on March 18, 2026