How to create and update products with 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. For example, databases and contact managers often support CSV files.

While many Candid users choose to use a direct integration with their ecommerce store to upload their products, you also have the option to upload your products to Candid using a CSV. 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 has too many products to create them manually in Candid.

How to upload products with a CSV

There are two ways to create the CSV:

1. Export it from your current ecommerce store or wherever you have your products listed. Most ecommerce sites will have instructions on how to download a CSV export in their help center.
2. Use our template and add your products to the CSV from scratch. You can download the template here.

Tips for filling out the CSV:

If you have a product list from another platform you can use that info to copy and paste into our template. You will just need to make sure everything goes in the correct rows and columns on our CSV.

If you're building the CSV manually, please note: every row of the CSV is a product variant – there is no separate row for the product itself, so if you have a product with four variants (eg, 2 sizes and 2 colors), you'll need to enter 4 rows, like so:

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:

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

After the initial CVS import you will most likely at some point need to update your products in Candid. You can also use a CSV to update the same products you uploaded before. The process for updating product variants with a CSV is outlined below.

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.

The next step will be to modify the CSV that you just downloaded to include any needed updates to your existing products. Remember that you will need to follow the same formatting rules as before, since the CSV that you upload must match the Candid template exactly.

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!

Looking for help with a different kind of CSV? We have more information you can learn about in the links below:

• How to export orders to a CSV spreadsheet
• How to download reports from the orders page
• Product sales reporting tools