How to upload your products using a CSV
What is a CSV?
A CSV file is a plain text file that contains a list of data in a spreadsheet format. These files are often used for exchanging data between different applications.
A CSV can be used to upload your products directly to your Candid account. In this situation, a CSV can be used as a type of file that holds all of your product data from your ecommerce site. This is an option for people currently using ecommerce sites that we don't directly integrate with, or for anyone who prefers to manage their wholesale products directly in Candid.
Step 1 - Create a CSV list of your products
Download our CSV template and add your products to the template. You can download the template here.
Tips for filling out the CSV template:
If you have a product export from another platform you can use that export to copy and paste your product data into our template. You will need to make sure your product data goes in the correct rows and columns in our template.
Please note that every row of the CSV template is a product variant – there is no separate row for the product itself, so if you have a product with four variants (for example 2 sizes and 2 colors), you'll need to enter 4 rows, like so:
Important - please read!
In order for the download to work, your CSV must match the template that Candid uses exactly, otherwise our system will not recognize the CSV and the upload will not be successful.
CSVs that are not formatted exactly like the template that Candid uses will not be able to be uploaded. This means that we also cannot use exports from other platforms to upload your products since they will not be formatted with the correct rows and columns.
Step 2 - Upload the CSV to your products page
Head to the Products page in your Candid account. In the top right corner of the page, click on the Upload Product CSV text underneath the arrow button:
On the next screen that opens, click on Create New Products:
Step 3 - Set up your catalog
After your products are uploaded from the CSV, you can use your Products page to edit them directly. You can learn more about how to create product catalogs here: How to publish products to your wholesale catalog
How to update existing products with a CSV
Step 1 - Download a CSV of your Candid products
Head to the Products page in your account. In the top right corner of the page, click on the Upload Product CSV text underneath the arrow button:
On the next screen, select Update Products:
On the next screen, click on the Download Your Items text. This is will automatically download a CSV of all of your Candid products to your computer.
Step 2 - Update the CSV you just downloaded
The next step will be to add your new product information to the CSV that you just downloaded. Make sure that you are only adding new product information and do not delete any rows or columns from the CSV download. You will need to follow the same formatting rules as before and make sure that the CSV that you upload matches the Candid template exactly. If you make modifications to the formatting of the CSV the upload will be rejected by our system and we won't be able to update your products.
Step 3 - Upload the updated CSV to Candid
To upload your product update, come back to the Update Products area again. Click into the Add CSV File box and select the updated CSV file from your computer:
Then click the Upload button:
Then click the Confirm button:
After you upload the new CSV, your products in Candid should update almost immediately but if you don't see them change right away give it a minute or two and then refresh your browser. If you run into any issues or have questions please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team!