Import Products: Bulk Upload Products and Variants

Learn how to bulk import products into Dash to Cart using Excel or CSV files, including product images, variants, prices, stock, tags, visibility and other product information.

Overview

The Import Products feature allows you to add multiple products to Dash to Cart at once instead of creating them individually.

It is particularly useful when:

  • Migrating from another ecommerce platform
  • Uploading a large catalogue
  • Adding multiple product variants
  • Launching a new store
  • Managing product data from spreadsheets

To access it:

  • Go to Products.
  • Click Import.

The import process is divided into four steps: Download → Upload → Review → Import

Download the Import Template

The first step is to download the Dash to Cart product import template.

You can choose:

  • Download Excel (.xlsx)
  • Download CSV

The Excel version includes instructions and a reference for each supported column.

Fill in the template with your product information before uploading it back into Dash to Cart.

One Row Per Variant

The import format uses one row per variant. If a product has multiple variants, each variant should have its own row while sharing the same product group identifier.

Add Product Images Before Importing

Dash to Cart recommends uploading product images before importing your spreadsheet.

You can do this by clicking:

Open Media Library

Once images are uploaded, reference their filenames in the images column of the import file. Public image URLs can also be used.

This makes it easier for Dash to Cart to match product records with the correct images during import.

Import File Limits

The import guide shown in Dash to Cart supports:

  • Up to 1,000 products per file
    Up to 5,000 variant rows per file
    Up to 100 variants per product

This makes the import feature suitable for larger catalogues as well as smaller batch uploads.

Product Import Column Reference

The built-in guide provides the following supported columns.

product_group — Required

Groups variant rows into one product. Rows with the same product_group value belong to the same product.

name — Required

The product name.

For products with multiple variants, the first row of the group is used for the product-level name.

type — Optional

Defines the product type. Supported values include:

  • physical
  • digital

If not provided, the product defaults to physical.

description — Optional

Short plain-text description. The guide indicates a maximum of 256 characters.

description_html — Optional

Rich HTML product description. If this field is blank, Dash to Cart can use the regular description instead.

tags — Required

Comma-separated product tags.

The import guide supports:

  • 1 to 16 tags
  • Up to 64 characters per tag

Example:

shoes,running,men

hidden — Optional

Controls product visibility. Use:

  • TRUE
  • FALSE

The default is FALSE.

featured — Optional

Use TRUE if the product should be featured.

variant_options — Optional

Defines the variant option names and values. The guide uses a format such as:

Name=Value;Name=Value

If left blank, the product uses a single default variant.

sku — Optional

The Stock Keeping Unit for the variant. The guide shows a maximum of 128 characters.

price — Required

The normal selling price. Enter the amount as a plain number without a currency symbol.

Example:

19.99

Dash to Cart automatically uses the store's configured currency.

discounted_price — Optional

The sale or discounted price. It must be lower than the normal price.

stock — Optional

The available stock quantity. Enter a whole number.

The guide indicates a default value of 1 when not provided.

unavailable — Optional

Use TRUE to hide a specific variant from sale.

unit — Optional

Describes the selling unit. Examples may include:

  • piece
  • pair

weight — Optional

Numeric weight of the item.

mass_unit — Optional

The unit used for weight. Examples shown include:

  • g
  • kg

This is recommended for products that require shipping.

length — Optional

Numeric product length.

width — Optional

Numeric product width.

height — Optional

Numeric product height.

dimension_unit — Optional

Unit used for dimensions. Examples shown include:

  • cm
  • m

images — Required

Product image references. You can use:

  • Media Library filenames
  • Public image URLs

Multiple images can be pipe-separated using |.At least one image is required for the product.

Upload the Completed File

After completing the template:

  • Click Next.
  • Select Choose File.
  • Upload your completed spreadsheet.

Accepted formats are:

  • .csv
  • .xlsx

Dash to Cart then reads and validates the file.

Review the Import

After the file has been processed, the Review stage displays a summary. You can see:

  • Number of products ready to import
  • Number of variants
  • Number of products requiring attention

Each product can be expanded to review its details.

The review screen may show:

  • Product name
  • Images
  • Product type
  • Featured status
  • Validation status
  • Description
  • Tags
  • Variants
  • SKU
  • Price
  • Sale price
  • Stock

This gives you a chance to identify issues before products are created.

Understanding Validation Status

Products that pass validation display a Valid status. Products with problems display errors and are counted under Need attention.

Only products that pass validation should be imported.

Import Errors

Dash to Cart identifies problems during the review stage. If an image URL cannot be accessed, the product may require attention before it can be imported.

You can correct the source file and upload it again.

Unknown Columns

If your spreadsheet contains a column that Dash to Cart does not recognise, the system may ignore it and display a warning. For example:

Unknown column "variant_name" was ignored.

This means the remaining supported columns can still be processed, but the unknown field will not be imported.

Use the built-in column reference to make sure your spreadsheet follows the supported structure.

Download an Error Report

When validation issues occur, Dash to Cart may provide a Download error report option. Use this to review errors in your import file and correct them before trying again.

Upload a Different File

If the uploaded spreadsheet contains problems or you selected the wrong file, click:

Upload a different file

You can then upload a corrected version.

Select Products to Import

The Review stage allows you to select which valid products should be imported.

This means you do not necessarily have to import every valid product in the uploaded file.

Review the selected products before proceeding.

Import the Products

When everything is ready:

  • Review the products.
  • Make sure the correct products are selected.
  • Click Import [number] products.

Dash to Cart then begins creating the products. A progress screen shows the import status.

Import Runs in the Background

During the import process, the interface indicates that you can close the tab while the import continues running.

The progress screen displays how many products have been:

  • Created
  • Failed

Import Complete

When the process finishes, Dash to Cart displays:

Import complete

The page shows the number of products successfully created and any failures.

From here, you can choose:

  • Undo import
  • Import Another
  • View Products

Undo an Import

Dash to Cart allows a completed import to be undone. The import guide indicates that an import can be undone within 24 hours.

This is useful if:

  • The wrong spreadsheet was uploaded
  • Product data was incorrect
  • Products were imported by mistake
  • You want to correct the file and start again

Use Undo import from the completed import screen.

Import Another Product File

Click Import Another to begin another import. This is useful when dividing a large catalogue across multiple spreadsheets.

View Imported Products

Click View Products after the import completes.

The imported products will appear in the main Products list. Imported products can then be managed just like products created manually.

You can:

  • Edit them
  • Change visibility
  • Feature them
  • Manage variants
  • Update stock
  • Add related products
  • Delete them
  • Visit their product pages

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What file formats can I import?
    Dash to Cart accepts .xlsx and .csv files.

  • How many products can I import at once?
    The import guide supports up to 1,000 products and 5,000 variant rows per file.

  • How many variants can one product have?
    The guide supports up to 100 variants per product.

  • Should I upload my images before importing products?
    Yes. Uploading them to the Media Library first makes it easier to reference them by filename in the import spreadsheet.

  • Can I use image URLs instead?
    Yes. Publicly accessible image URLs can also be used.

  • What happens if an image URL is broken?
    Dash to Cart flags the product during the Review stage so you can fix the issue before importing.

  • Can I import discounted prices?
    Yes. Use the discounted_price column. The discounted price must be lower than the normal price.

  • Can I import featured products?
    Yes. Use the featured column and set it to TRUE.

  • Can I import hidden products?
    Yes. Use the hidden column.

  • Can I import digital products?
    Yes. Set the type field to digital.

  • Can I undo a bulk import?
    Yes. According to the built-in guide, imports can be undone within 24 hours.