Import products via CSV

You can easily import your products from a CSV file into Shoporama. In this article you can read how to do it and how it works.

The difference between CSV and JSON imports

Shoporama has two types of imports. CSV are products that come from a comma-separated file (but in practice usually semicolon-separated). JSON is another format where you can only import a file you have previously exported from Shoporama. The rest of this article is all about CSV import.

What can you use CSV import for?

CSV import is an easy way to create or edit many products in Shoporama. It is typically used when you move your shop to Shoporama. You can then export the products from your old shop and import them into Shoporama. It can also be used if you want to update your products.

How should the CSV file be formatted?

A CSV file is quite simple. For Shoporama to read it, it needs to be in a format like this:

own_id;price;name 334455;48.00;Brown t-shirt 667788;170;Black t-shirt

What you see above is the simplest format. The first line indicates which fields are involved (here SKU, price, and name). You can also make the file like this:

product;price;name 334455;48.00;Brown t-shirt 667788;170;Black t-shirt

Shoporama also recognizes Danish column names. Price, Stock status, Delivery time, Category, Brand, Supplier, and Description work directly. The auto-match is also case and space independent, so "Price", "price", " price ", and "PRICE" give the same result. If a field doesn't auto-match, you can always select it manually in the import wizard dropdown.

How do I import images?

To import images, you need to enter the URL of the image. Note that it must be an absolute URL that our server can access. It must be preceded by https://www.ditdomæne.dk. You can't just enter /images/product533.jpg - then our server won't know where to look for the image. The image must also not be behind a password.

You can see an example of an import that also contains images here:

own_id;price;name;image 334455;48.00;Brown t-shirt;http://minshop.dk/img/brun-tshirt.jpg 667788;170;Black t-shirt;http://minshop.dk/img/sort-tshirt.jpg

How to import product profile attributes?

If you have created a profile where you need to specify, for example, material and where it was produced, you can specify the product profile attributes as parameters in a URL. It will look like this if you have two profile attributes called "material" and "madein" respectively:

material=cotton&madein=denmark material=polyester&madein=portugal

If we were to reuse our example above, the file would look like this:

own_id;price;name;attributes 334455;48.00;Brown t-shirt;material=cotton&madein=denmark 667788;170;Black t-shirt;material=polyester&madein=portugal

By the way, this is the same way you specify extra fields and staircase discounts (in URL format).

How do you import products in a practical way?

1. Click on "Products".
2. Click on "Import / Export".
3. Select the type of import. You need to select CSV import (bottom left). It says "Import products".
4. Scroll down to the bottom and click the "Select file" button under "Upload CSV file". Select the file on your computer.
5. Before uploading, select the separator (whether your values are separated by commas, semicolons, or something else). You can also specify whether your fields are surrounded by "" or something else, and what encoding the file is in. Leave it on "auto" if in doubt, and Shoporama will try to detect it.
6. Click on "Upload".
7. Map the individual values to the fields they should have in Shoporama. If you have entered the first line of names we recognize (see the list below), we will have selected them for you.
8. Once all fields have been selected, you need to choose which product profile the products should be created with and how many lines you want to import. By default, all lines are imported. You also have the option to specify whether prices are incl. 25% VAT or not.
9. Click on "Import". After a few minutes, your products will be in Shoporama. Please note, however, that if the server needs to fetch images from another server, it may take several minutes.

Which fields can the import recognize?

Below is a list of the fields Shoporama recognizes:

Fields with 1/0 values

Some fields expect 1 or 0 (or empty cell). Here is what the values mean:

Note that online and offline are two sides of the same coin. You only need one of the fields in your CSV. Choose the one that best suits how your data is stored.

Fields with free text

• related_products and similar_products: list of product IDs separated by commas
• category and main_category: multiple categories separated by |, hierarchy indicated by > (e.g. Clothing > T-shirts)
• image: multiple images separated by |
• extra_fields, attributes, and discount: URL format (e.g. material=cotton&madein=denmark)

Frequently asked questions

What value should be in the online and offline fields for the product to be visible?

In the online field, 1 for visible and 0 (or blank) for hidden. In the offline field it's the other way around. 1 means hidden and 0 (or empty) means visible. You only need to use one of the two fields.

Do I need to use English column names?

No, both Danish and English names work. Shoporama recognizes "Price" and "price", "Stock status" and "stock", "Delivery time" and "delivery_time", etc. Upper and lower case letters and excess spaces make no difference either.

Why doesn't my column name match automatically?

If Shoporama doesn't recognize a column, it's because the name doesn't exist in the list. You can always manually select the field in the import wizard dropdown, or rename the column in your CSV to one of the supported names and upload again.

Can I import without including all fields?

Yes, you can. You only need the fields you want to update. However, you must have one unique field (SKU, ProductId, or URL) so Shoporama knows which existing product to update. Otherwise, new products will be created.

What happens to products that are not in the CSV?

They are not touched. The import only updates the products that are in the file. If you want to remove products, you can add the remove column and put 1 on the lines you want to delete.

What file type should I upload?

CSV - a plain text file with comma- or semicolon-separated fields. You can export it from Excel, Numbers, Google Sheets, or your current store system. Shoporama automatically detects separator, encapsulation, and encoding if you leave the fields on "auto".

Do I need to make a backup before importing?

It's a good idea if you are updating many products at once. You can export a JSON file with your current products under "Import / Export" and use it if something goes wrong.