Best 3 Options for Bulk Product Imports into Your Shopify Store

Introduction

Managing a vast product catalog is a significant challenge for any e-commerce business owner. For Shopify Plus merchants, efficiently importing large numbers of products is crucial to staying competitive and meeting customer demands. This article explores common issues faced during bulk product imports in Shopify and discusses the best solutions available to streamline the process.

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The Challenges of Bulk Product Imports

• Time-Consuming Manual Entry: Adding products individually is impractical for large inventories.
• Data Inconsistencies: Manual input increases the risk of errors and inconsistencies in product information and brand voice.
• Varied Data Formats: Suppliers may provide product data in formats like CSV, Excel, or PDF, complicating the import process.
• SEO Considerations: Ensuring each product is optimized for search engines adds complexity.
• High-Quality Images: Sourcing and uploading images for each product can be labor-intensive.

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Available Solutions for Bulk Product Import

1. Shopify’s Native Import Tool In Detail

Shopify offers a built-in CSV import feature that allows you to upload products in bulk directly into your store.

Features:

• CSV File Support: Import products using a CSV file that follows Shopify’s specific format.
• Basic Import Functionality: Suitable for straightforward imports without advanced features.

Pros:

• Cost-Effective: Free to use with your Shopify plan.
• Simple to Use: Ideal for small catalogs with minimal complexity.

Cons:

• Limited Functionality: Only supports CSV files in a specific format; requires precise formatting.
• No PDF or Excel Support: Cannot import data from Excel or PDF files provided by suppliers.
• Manual Data Preparation Required: You need to manually prepare the CSV file with all product data.
• Lacks Advanced Features: No automatic SEO optimization, image sourcing, or pricing adjustments.

Best For: Small businesses with basic import needs and a manageable number of products.

2. Matrixify (formerly Excelify) In Detail

Matrixify is a powerful third-party app that enables you to import and export data in bulk to and from your Shopify store. It offers extensive data manipulation capabilities, allowing you to manage large amounts of data efficiently.

Features:

• Comprehensive Import/Export: Supports CSV and Excel file formats.
• Data Manipulation: Prepare and edit data in spreadsheets for precise control before importing.
• Bulk Data Management: Import and export products, collections, customers, orders, discounts, and more.
• Scheduling: Set up automated, scheduled imports and exports to keep your data up-to-date.
• Data Transformation: Map and transform your data to match Shopify’s format during the import process.
• Error Reporting: Provides detailed error logs to help troubleshoot any issues during import/export.

Pros:

• Versatile File Support: Handles multiple file formats, including Excel, which can be more user-friendly and flexible than CSV.
• Powerful Data Manipulation: Ideal for users who need detailed control over their data, allowing for complex updates and changes.
• Automation Capabilities: Supports scheduled tasks and can automate repetitive processes.
• Good Documentation and Support: Offers extensive guides, tutorials, and responsive customer support to help utilize advanced features.

Cons:

• Learning Curve: Advanced features may take time to master, especially for users unfamiliar with data manipulation in spreadsheets.
• No Automatic Data Fetching from External Sources: Does not automatically fetch product information like descriptions or images from external databases; you need to provide the data yourself.
• No PDF Support: Cannot import data directly from PDF files; data must be in CSV or Excel format.
• Data Preparation Required: Requires you to have your product data prepared and formatted correctly before importing.

Best For: Merchants who need a powerful and flexible tool with detailed control over their data—perfect for those managing their own brands or requiring precise data edits and updates. Ideal for users comfortable with spreadsheet manipulation who want to perform complex import/export tasks.

3. Apport In Detail

Apport is a specialized solution that automates the entire product import process by fetching information for known brands, making it ideal for multi-brand stores.

Features:

• Automated Bulk Import: Imports large numbers of products in bulk using supplier-provided CSV or PDF files.
• Automatic Data Fetching: Fetches product information automatically for known brands without manual input.
• Image Sourcing: Automatically sources high-quality images for known brands.
• Pricing Information: Provides basic pricing information for specific products in your chosen region.
• SEO Optimization: Fetches SEO-optimized product details and metadata.
• Multi-Language Support: Populates product information in any language and tone.
• PDF File Support: Unique in its ability to import data from PDF files.

Pros:

• Time-Saving Automation: Eliminates manual data entry, saving you hours of work.
• Ideal for Multi-Brand Stores: Perfect for stores importing products from known brands in bulk.
• Comprehensive Data Retrieval: Fetches product details, images, and pricing information automatically.
• Regular Updates: Simplifies the process of regularly importing new products.
• Reduces Errors: Automated data fetching minimizes the risk of inconsistencies and typos.

Cons:

• Specialized for Known Brands: May not be suitable for merchants selling their own unique products or lesser-known brands.
• Less Control Over Data Manipulation: Limited manual editing compared to tools like Matrixify.

Best For: Merchants importing a large number of products in bulk who want to automatically populate product information for known brands—ideal for multi-brand stores starting up or regularly adding new products.

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Comparing the Three Options In Detail

Functionality Overview

• Shopify’s Native Tool:
  • Import Capability: Basic CSV import following Shopify’s format.
  • Best For: Small catalogs with straightforward import needs.
  • Limitations: Manual data preparation, lacks advanced features, no PDF or Excel support.
• Matrixify:
  • Import Capability: Imports and exports products with extensive data manipulation options.
  • Best For: Users needing detailed control over data fields; ideal for own brands requiring precise data edits.
  • Limitations: Requires data preparation, does not fetch data automatically, no PDF support.
• Apport:
  • Import Capability: Automates product imports and fetches data automatically for known brands.
  • Best For: Multi-brand stores needing to import multiple products from known brands in bulk.
  • Limitations: Specialized for known brands, less suitable for unique or own-brand products.

Automation vs. Manual Input

• Shopify’s Native Tool: Requires manual data preparation in a specific CSV format.
• Matrixify: Offers powerful data manipulation but requires you to supply and format the data.
• Apport: Fully automates data fetching, including images and pricing, for known brands without manual input.

File Format Support

• Shopify’s Native Tool: Supports CSV files in a specific format.
• Matrixify: Supports CSV and Excel files.
• Apport: Supports CSV and PDF files, uniquely handling PDF supplier files.

SEO Optimization and Image Sourcing

• Shopify’s Native Tool: Lacks automatic SEO optimization; images must be manually uploaded.
• Matrixify: Requires manual setup for SEO fields; images need to be manually linked or uploaded.
• Apport: Automatically fetches SEO-optimized product details and sources high-quality images for known brands.

Use Cases

• Shopify’s Native Tool: Best for small businesses with basic import needs and limited product catalogs.
• Matrixify: Suitable for merchants who need detailed control over product data and are comfortable working with spreadsheets—ideal for own brands requiring precise data edits.
• Apport: Perfect for merchants importing known brand products in bulk who want to save time by automating data population—ideal for multi-brand stores.

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Conclusion

Importing a large number of products into your Shopify Plus store doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By choosing the right tool based on your business needs, you can streamline the process and focus on growth.

• Choose Shopify’s Native Import Tool if you have a small catalog and basic import needs. It’s simple and cost-effective but limited in functionality.
• Opt for Matrixify if you require a powerful tool with extensive options and are prepared to prepare and format your data—ideal for managing your own brands with precise data control.
• Select Apport if you need to import products in bulk and want to automatically fetch product information, images, and pricing for known brands—perfect for multi-brand stores looking to save time and regularly update their catalogs.

By selecting the solution that aligns with your specific requirements, you can reduce manual workload, minimize errors, and concentrate on scaling your business.