Product Importer
- 04 May 2023
- 9 Minutes to read
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Product Importer
- Updated on 04 May 2023
- 9 Minutes to read
- Print
- DarkLight
- PDF
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If you want to update existing products, use the Product Exporter to export them with their details and settings. The Advanced sheet format is the best for exporting and importing to edit products as it contains the most information and settings for your products. Edit the details and use the product importer to upload them. **The Product Importer will wipe any product information left blank in the excel sheet on existing products.**
The Product Importer tool will allow you to import multiple products into your admin panel. The import tools can also be used with the Product Exporter to make mass updates to existing product details.
Importing Products
If you want to update existing products, use the Product Exporter to export them with their details and settings. The Advanced sheet format is the best for exporting and importing to edit products as it contains the most information and settings for your products.
The importer tool will review products based on SKU and either create a new product if the SKU does not exist or update the existing Product that matches the SKU.
1. Go to Settings > Import/Export > Product Importer in the Admin Panel.
2. If you are importing products for the first time and do not yet have an excel sheet filled out in one of the two required import formats, select either Download Regular Sample File or Download Advanced Sample File.
If you want to update existing products, use the Product Exporter to export them with their details and settings. The Advanced sheet format is the best for exporting and importing to edit products as it contains the most information and settings for your products.
3. Complete the sample sheet following the formatting guidance found in the Regular vs. Advanced Sheet Formats Documentation. When complete, ensure your file is saved to s spot you can easily find on your computer and close the sheet (not just minimized).
If you fill out the sample sheet or edit a product export sheet to update existing products, be aware that all fields overwrite the existing content or set on the Product. It is best to use the Product Exporter (Advanced Format) when updating products to avoid wiping out settings on an existing product.
4. Click Browse to locate the import sheet you have saved on your computer.
5. Select the Format that the sheet uses. See the Regular vs. Advanced Sheet Formats Documentation for more details.
6. Click Import.
A progress bar will let you know the status of your import.
Regular vs. Advanced Sheet Formats
There are two product import/export sheets available: Regular & Advanced.
- Regular Format: This sheet includes the essential information you need to create products in WineDirect and assign them to your website. If you are starting and don't have much knowledge and are not setting up products on POS, this might work best for you.
- Advanced Format: This sheet format contains more settings than the regular sheet and allows you to assign products to your website and POS. Suppose you are updating existing products in WineDirect. In that case, you will want to use the Advanced sheet when exporting and importing your products to ensure you do not overwrite settings already set on the Product.
Regular Sample File
This sheet format includes the essential information you need to create products in WineDirect and assign them to your website. If you are starting and don't have much knowledge and are not setting up products on POS, this might work best for you.
Below is the list of definitions found in the Regular Sample File:
| ProductTitle | The name of the Product. |
|---|---|
| ProductType | The name of the product type assigned to the Product.
|
| Brand | The brand name was given to the Product. |
| DepartmentCode | The department codes the Product is assigned to. |
| SubDepartmentCode | If a subdepartment is available, the code for a specific subdepartment the Product is assigned to. |
| Teaser | The teaser was added to the Product. |
| Description | The full description has been added to the Product. |
| Photo | The file name of the photo for the Product. The name must exactly match the file name that has been uploaded to your assets.
|
| SKU | The SKU gave to the Product. |
| UnitDescription | The description of the Product.
|
| Weight | The weight of the Product. |
| Price | The price of the Product. |
| Vineyard Designation | The name of the producing vineyard is added to the Product. |
| BottleSizeInML | The bottle size chosen for the Product is in milliliters. This value must be numeric.
|
| Vintage | The vintage is the single specified year (e.g., 2018) added to the details of the Product. You can optionally specify that wine is non-vintage using the following designations (not case-sensitive):
|
| Region | The region of the Product. |
| Appellation | The appellation of the Product. |
| WineType | The type of wine.
|
| Varietal | The varietal of the Product. |
| BottlesInACase | How many bottles make a case for this Product. |
| WSRating | The Wine Spectator rating. |
| RPRating | The Robert Parker rating. |
| WERating | The Wine Enthusiast rating. |
| HarvestDate | The date of the harvest for the Product. |
| Sugar | The sugar level of the Product. |
| Acid | The acid level of the Product. |
| PH | The pH level of the Product. |
| Aging | The age of the Product. |
| Fermentation | The fermentation details for the Product. |
| BottlingDate | The bottling date of the Product. |
| ResidualSugar | The residual sugar level of the Product. |
| Tannin | The tannin amount for the Product. |
| AlcoholPercentage | The percentage of alcohol content in the Product. |
| tasting notes | Tasting notes can be entered here. |
| Ratings | Any additional ratings for the Product? |
| Awards | Any applicable awards can be added here for the Product. |
| VineyardNotes | Any additional notes for the vineyard? |
| production notes | Any other production notes? |
| WinemakerNotes | The notes for the Product from the winemaker. |
| food pairing | Any food pairing notes? |
| OtherNotes | Any additional miscellaneous notes. |
Advanced Sample File
This sheet format contains more settings than the regular sheet and allows you to assign products to your website and POS. Suppose you are updating existing products in WineDirect. In that case, you will want to use the Advanced sheet when exporting and importing your products to ensure you do not overwrite settings already set on the Product.
Below is the list of definitions for the columns found in the Advanced Product Importer Sample File:
| ProductTitle | The name of the Product. |
|---|---|
| POSTitle | The name of the Product is to be shown on the POS. |
| SKU | The SKU gave to the Product. |
| Price | The price of the Product. |
| SalePrice | The price of the Product when it is on sale. |
| CostOfGoods | The cost of goods associated with the Product. |
| ProductType | The name of the product type assigned to the Product.
|
| Brand | The brand name was given to the Product. |
| DepartmentCode | The department codes the Product is assigned to. |
| SubDepartmentCode | If a subdepartment is available, the code for a specific subdepartment the Product is assigned to. |
| isActive | Allows the user to declare whether the Product is active or not.
|
| isDisplayOnWebsite | Allows the user to declare if the Product is to be displayed on the website. The format is:
|
| ActionMessage | Any action message for the Product. |
| Teaser | The teaser was added to the Product. |
| Description | The full description has been added to the Product. |
| Category | The website category (website page) the Product is assigned to The category name in the spreadsheet must match the website Category (Page) you created. Website categories (Pages) must be created before import. For more information, see the POS Categories Documentation. |
| POSCategory | The POS Category (section on the POS)to which the Product is assigned. The category name in the spreadsheet must exactly match the POS Category that you have created. POS Categories must be created before import. For more information, see the POS Categories Documentation. |
| Photo | The file name of the photo for the Product. The name must exactly match the file name that has been uploaded to your assets.
|
| UnitDescription | The description of the Product.
|
| nontaxable | Allows the user to declare if the Product is taxable or not.
|
| isByPassComplianceAndFulfillment | Allows the user to declare whether the Product is to bypass compliance/fulfillment.
|
| isNoShippingCharge | Allows the user to declare whether the Product has a shipping charge.
|
| isNoPromosApplicable | Allows the user to declare if the Product is applicable for promotions. The format is 1 (no promos can be applied) or 0 (promos apply). |
| Weight | The weight of the Product. |
| Price2 ...to... Price11 | These columns allow the user to define any additional price level prices for the Product. |
| Supplier | The supplier of the Product. |
| ReOrderSKU | Customers may use the SKU if they wish to re-order the Product. |
| ShippingStrategy | The shipping strategy assigned to the Product. Please ensure that the strategy names match 1:1 with the strategies set up in your Shipping Rates tables. |
| Vineyard Designation | The name of the producing vineyard is added to the Product. |
| BottleSizeInML | The bottle size chosen for the Product is in milliliters. This value must be numeric.
|
| Vintage | The vintage added to the details of the Product. |
| Region | The region of the Product. |
| Appellation | The appellation of the product. |
| WineType | The type of wine.
|
| Varietal | The varietal of the Product. |
| BottlesInACase | How many bottles make a case for this Product? |
| WSRating | The Wine Spectator rating. |
| RPRating | The Robert Parker rating. |
| WERating | The Wine Enthusiast rating. |
| HarvestDate | The date of the harvest for the Product. |
| Sugar | The sugar level of the Product. |
| Acid | The acid level of the Product. |
| PH | The pH level of the Product. |
| Aging | The age of the Product. |
| Fermentation | The fermentation details for the Product. |
| BottlingDate | The bottling date of the Product. |
| ResidualSugar | The residual sugar level of the Product. |
| Tannin | The tannin amount for the Product. |
| AlcoholPercentage | The percentage of alcohol content in the Product. |
| tasting notes | Tasting notes can be entered here. |
| Ratings | Any additional ratings for the Product? |
| Awards | Any applicable awards can be added here for the Product. |
| VineyardNotes | Any additional notes for the vineyard? |
| production notes | Any other production notes? |
| WinemakerNotes | The notes for the Product from the winemaker. |
| food pairing | Any food pairing notes? |
| OtherNotes | Any additional miscellaneous notes. |
| UsesInventory | Allows the user to determine whether the Product is using WineDirect's Inventory tool.
|
Product Importer FAQs
What does "Spreadsheet in an incorrect format" mean?
Your spreadsheet cannot be imported because one or more of the column headers do not match the sample sheet. It is best to download either the Regular or Advanced Sample Sheet and make sure that all columns are present, spelled correctly, and contain the correct spelling and capitalization.
Common issues are that a column has been deleted from the sample sheet that you are trying to import or the name of the column does not match the required format (example: pproduct title instead of ProductTitle [missing capitalization and includes a space between words]).
Can I assign products to my website or POS with the importer?
Yes. Products can be assigned to your website categories (pages) using either the Regular or Advanced import sheets.
POS categories can only be assigned using the Advanced import sheet.
You can only assign a product to one category per import. If you would like to add a product to multiple website pages or POS categories, you will need to upload more than one spreadsheet - in this case, all you need to change between each different spreadsheet is the Categories or POSCategories column(s).
If a Category or POS Category does not exist prior to import it will not be created.
Can I update existing products using the importer?
Yes. The importer will look to see if a product already exists that matches the SKU listed in your spreadsheet. If a match is found the importer will update the product with all of the information in in the spreadsheet. In no match is found a new SKU and product will be created.
You should use the Product Exporter (Advanced Format) to first export your products, edit the details in the exported sheet, and import the edited sheet.
When updating existing products, be aware that all fields overwrite the existing content or setting on the product. Even if a field is left blank it will set adjust the setting to it's default option and in the case of text, clear the text. It is best to user the Product Exporter (Advanced Format) when updating products to avoid wiping out settings or content on an existing product.
Before importing my products, do I have to set up all wine settings, like Wine Types, Appellations, Regions, Bottle Sizes, etc.?
No. Product information such as: Wine Types, Appellations, Regions, Bottle Sizes, etc. Are automatically created based on the data within your spreadsheet when you import it. These can be edited manually afterwards as well (for spelling mistakes, etc.) under the Store > Products section of the admin panel.
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