Products

Create and update BigCommerce products using Shift.

Check out our step-by-step guides for how to import & export.

Quick start

The best way to get started is to run an export and use the file as a guide to the format required.

However, you can also download the product template.

Import & export columns

Modifiers are not currently supported. Please get in touch to vote for this feature.

Basic columns

Fields	Description
ID	This is the unique identifier provided by BigCommerce for existing products. It's unique per BigCommerce store. This field is required to update existing products.
Name	The product's name. This must be unique.
Type	Whether the product is a physical item of stock or a digital download. Allowed values: `physical` `digital`
SKU	The Stock Keeping Unit code that identifies a product. This must be unique.
Description	The product description, which may include HTML.
Weight	The weight of the product. This is used when calculating shipping costs. The unit is defined in Physical and Dimensional Settings.
Width	The width of the product. This is used when calculating shipping costs. The unit is defined in Physical and Dimensional Settings.
Depth	The depth of the product. This is used when calculating shipping costs. The unit is defined in Physical and Dimensional Settings.
Height	The height of the product. This is used when calculating shipping costs. The unit is defined in Physical and Dimensional Settings.
Price	The price of the product. This might include or exclude tax, depending on your tax settings.
Cost Price	The cost price of the product. This is used for internal reporting only.
Retail Price	The recommended retail product of the product (MSRP). Displayed on the storefront.
Map Price	The minimum advertised price
Sale Price	When provided, this price will be used for calculating the product's price instead of the Price field.
Tax Class ID	The ID of the tax class applied to this product. Allowed Values: `0` - Default Tax Class, `1` - Non-Taxable Products, `2` - Shipping `3` - Gift Wrapping, `4` - Reduced Tax Class.
Product Tax Code	Case-sensitive code used for tax calculations such as with Avalara.
Brand ID	The ID of the brand.
Brand Name	The name of the brand to which the product is assigned. You can assign a product to a new brand by updating the Brand Name field, you do not need to use the Brand ID field.
Inventory Level	The number of items available to sell. This field is used when Inventory Tracking is set to Product. If using multi-location inventory, this field should be used for information only. To update stock levels, use the relevant multi-location inventory columns.
Inventory Warning Level	When the inventory level drops below the warning level, the store owner will be informed. This field is only used when Inventory Tracking is set to Product.
Inventory Tracking	Dictates how inventory is tracked on a product. Allowed values: `none` - Inventory is not tracked. `product` inventory is tracked at the product level, and `variant` inventory is tracked at the variant level.
Fixed Cost Shipping Price	Override the shipping price calculations and use this price for this product.
Is Free Shipping	When a product has free shipping, the shipping costs will be zero.
Is Visible	When a product is visible, it can be viewed on the storefront.
Is Featured	When a product is featured, it is shown in the Featured Products panel on the storefront.
Related Products	The related products. Provide a Pipe-separated list of BigCommerce product IDs. Allowed Values: `-1` Automatically show related products
Warranty	Warranty information displayed on the product page. This field supports HTML.
Bin Picking Number	The BIN picking number for this product.
Layout File	The layout template file in the Blueprint theme used to render the product page for this product. This field is not used for Stencil themes. For Stencil based themes, use the Custom Template associations.
UPC	The product UPC Code is used in some product feeds and marketplaces.
Search Keywords	A comma-separated list of words and phrases that can be used to help optimise the site search.
Availability Description	Availability text communicates to the customer how long it will normally take to this product. It is typically shown on the checkout page beneath the product title. Example value: `Usually ships in 24 hours`
Availability / Purchaseability	Determines whether this product is available for purchase, unavailable, or listed for preorder. Allowed values: `available` `disabled` `preorder`
Gift Wrapping Options Type	Which gift wrapping options are available on this product. Allowed values: `any` Allow any gift wrapping options, `none` - Don't allow gift wrapping on this product, `list` - Specify using the Gift Wrapping Options List field the specific list of gift wrapping options that should be available.
Gift Wrapping Options	A list of gift-wrapping option IDs. Applicable when Gift Wrapping Options Type is set to `list` .
Sort Order	The priority to give to this product when shown on category pages and in search results. Products with lower numbers are shown nearer the top of the page. This may be overriden on specific categories if Category Sort Order is set, e.g. with Category Merchandiser app.
Condition	The product condition. Allowed values: `New` `Used` `Refurbished`
Is Condition Shown	Should the product condition be visible on the storefront.
Order Quantity Minimum	The minimum quantity required to place an order for this product.
Order Quantity Maximum	The maximum quantity that can be purchased in a single order.
Page title	The meta title used for SEO.
Meta keywords	The meta keywords used for SEO
Meta description	The meta description used for SEO.
View count	[Deprecated] The number of times the product has been viewed
Preorder Release Date	When a product is marked as available for pre-order (see Availability / Purchasability), this is the date that the product is marked as to be released.
Preorder Message	Text to display on the storefront on pre-order products. You can use the placeholder `%%DATE%%` and it will be replaced with the Preorder Release Date.
Is Preorder Only	Preorder only products will automatically be marked as available upon the Preorder Release Date. Allowed values: `Yes` `No` `1` `0` `True` `False`
Is Price Hidden	Should the product's price be hidden from the storefront. This requires the product's Availability / Purchasability to be `disabled` . Allowed values: `Yes` `No` `1` `0` `True` `False`
Price Hidden Label	When the product's price is hidden, this label is shown instead of the price. This field also request the product's Availability / Purchasability to be `disabled` .
Custom URL	The URL of the product
Open Graph Type	The Open Graph type, defaults to `product` Allowed values: `product` `album` `book` `drink` `food` `game` `movie` `song` `tv_show`
Open Graph Title	The title to use for Open Graph. If none provided then the product name will be used.
Open Graph Description	The description to use for Open Graph. If none is provided, the Meta Description will be used instead.
Open Graph Use Meta Description	Determines if the meta description is used instead of the Open Graph Description.
Open Graph Use Product Name	Determines if the product name is used instead of the Open Graph Title.
Open Graph Use Image	Determines if the product image is used for Open Graph or whether no image is provided.
GTIN	Global Trade Item Number
MPN	Manufacturer Part Number
Reviews Rating Sum	The sum of all of the review ratings.
Reviews Count	The number of reviews of this product. Divide the Reviews Rating Sum by the Reviews Count to get the average review rating.
Total Sold	The total quantity of this product sold, all time.

Categories columns

Products can be assigned to multiple categories by providing multiple category columns, e.g Category 1, Category 2, etc.

Fields Description

Category {number}

To assign a product to a category, the category must already exist in BigCommerce. This can be achieved manually in the admin, or via Category Import using Shift.

The full category path (including parent category names) should be provided to assign a product to a category. For example:

Bathroom > Baths > Bath Taps

Custom Field Columns

Fields

Description

Custom Field {custom field name}

Product custom fields can be imported & exported. The column name should match the custom field name.

There is a 255-character limit. Multiple custom fields with the same name can exist, but they must have different values. Custom field names are case-sensitive.

Images columns

When there are multiple product images, the fields for each will have a numeric suffix, e.g. 1, 2, 3, etc.

Fields	Description
Image 1 ID	The unique ID for this image. 🔒 This field is read-only.
Image 1 File	The URL of the image. The image should first be uploaded to BigCommerce's WebDAV. For details on the URL format for files in WebDAV, see Importing images.
Image 1 Is Thumbnail	Should this image be used as the product's thumbnail
Image 1 Sort Order	The order in which the image is shown in the product gallery on the product detail page. Higher numbers are shown earlier in the gallery.
Image 1 Description	The alt text used for the image - helpful for SEO and accessibility, e.g. screen readers.
Image 1 URL Zoom	This is the URL for the image that's used to power the zoom on the product page. 🔒 This field is read-only.
Image 1 URL Standard	This is the URL for the standard image - the one that's used for product page images. 🔒 This field is read-only.
Image 1 URL Thumbnail	This is the URL for the thumbnail version of the image. It's used on the category page. 🔒 This field is read-only.
Image 1 URL Tiny	This is the URL for the smallest version of the image. It's used for the thumbnails in the product gallery on the product page. 🔒 This field is read-only.
Image 1 Date Modified	The last time the image was updated. 🔒 This field is read-only.

Video columns

When there are multiple videos, the fields for each will have a numeric suffix, e.g. 1, 2, 3, etc.

Fields	Description
Video 1 ID 1	The unique ID for this image. 🔒 This field is read-only.
Video 1 Title	The title of the video
Video 1 Description	The description of the video
Video 1 Sort Order	Used to order the videos on the storefront. Videos with higher numbers are shown earlier.
Video 1 Type	The type of video Allowed values: `youtube`
Video 1 YouTube ID	The YouTube identifier for the video.
Video 1 Length	The length of the video.

Variants columns

Variant columns are also numbered so that all columns related to a single variant can be identified.

Many of these fields will inherit their values from the base product if not set, e.g. price, weight, etc.

Fields	Description
Variant 1 ID	The unique identifier for the variant. It is created by BigCommerce. 🔒 This field is read-only.
Variant 1 SKU	The Stock Keeping Unit for this specific item of stock.
Variant 1 Price	The price of this variant.
Variant 1 Cost Price	The cost price of the variant.
Variant 1 Retail Price	The retail price of the variant.
Variant 1 Sale Price	The sale price of the variant.
Variant 1 Map Price	The Minimum Advertised Price for the variant.
Variant 1 Calculated Price	This is the price that will be used for this variant. It considers the product and variant's price and sale price. 🔒 This field is read-only.
Variant 1 Bin Picking Number	The BIN picking number for the variant
Variant 1 Calculated Weight	The weight to be used for this variant. It considers the product weight if no weight is set on the variant.
Variant 1 Depth	The depth of the variant. The unit is defined in Physical and Dimensional Settings.
Variant 1 Fixed Cost Shipping Price	Set a specific shipping price for this variant.
Variant 1 GTIN	The Global Trade Item Number for the variant
Variant 1 Height	The height of the variant. The unit is defined in Physical and Dimensional Settings.
Variant 1 Image URL	The URL of the image for this variant. Displayed on the storefront when this variant's options are seleced. ❌ Variant images cannot be imported due to an open BigCommerce issue.
Variant 1 Inventory Level	The available stock for this variant. This is used when the product's Inventory Tracking is set to `variant` . The inventory level only returns to the stock available on the default location.
Variant 1 Inventory Warning Level	When the available stock for a variant is at the warning level, or lower, it is considered low stock.
Variant 1 Is Free Shipping	Should this variant have free shipping?
Variant 1 MPN	The Manufacturer Part Number for the variant.
Variant 1 Purchasing Disabled	When enabled, this variant will not be available to purchasable on the storefront.
Variant 1 Purchasing Disabled Message	The message to show on the storefront when this variant is set to Purchasing Disabled.
Variant 1 SKU ID	🔒 This field is read-only.
Variant 1 UPC	The UPC code used in feeds for this variant
Variant 1 Weight	The weight of the variant. The unit is defined in Physical and Dimensional Settings.
Variant 1 Width	The width of the variant. The unit is defined in Physical and Dimensional Settings.

Variant options columns

A variant will have one or more options. These are the selections that are made on a product page that identify the variant to add to cart.

Fields	Description
Variant 1 Option 1 Name	The name of the first option on the first variant, e.g. Colour, Size.
Variant 1 Option 1 Value	The value of the first option on the first variant, e.g. Red, Small.

Bulk Pricing Rules columns

When there are multiple bulk pricing rules, the fields for each will have a numeric suffix, e.g. 1, 2, 3, etc.

Fields	Description
Bulk Pricing Rule 1 ID	The unique identifier for the bulk pricing rule. 🔒 This field is read-only.
Bulk Pricing Rule 1 Type	The type of price adjustment that is made. Allowed values: `price` - The adjustment amount per product `percent` - The adjustment as a percentage of the original price `fixed` - The adjusted absolute price of the product.
Bulk Pricing Rule 1 Quantity Minimum	The minimum quantity required to trigger this rule. For `fixed` rules, the minimum Quantity Minimum is 2.
Bulk Pricing Rule 1 Quantity Maximum	The maximum quantity allowed for this rule to apply.
Bulk Pricing Rule 1 Amount	The adjustment amount, either a fixed amount or a percentage.

Multi-location Inventory columns

Including multi-location inventory will add a significant number of columns as there will be an inventory record for every variant for every location.

Fields	Description
Location 1 SKU	The specific SKU that these inventory items belong to 🔑 This field is required when importing inventory levels.
Location 1 Product ID	The specific product ID that these inventory items belong to
Location 1 Variant ID	The specific variant ID that these inventory items belong to.
Location 1 ID 1	The ID of the first location
Location 1 Code 1	The code of the first location
Location 1 Available to Sell 1	The inventory available to sell at this location.
Location 1 Bin Picking Number 1	The BIN picking number for this inventory item at this location
Location 1 Is In Stock 1	Whether this inventory item is in stock at this location
Location 1 Enabled 1	Whether this location is enabled
Location 1 Name 1	The name of this location
Location 1 Safety Stock 1	The amount of safety stock reserved for this product/variant at this location
Location 1 Total Inventory Onhand 1	The total amount of stock for this product/variant at this location. 🔑 This field is required when importing inventory levels.
Location 1 Warning Level 1	Once the product/variant stock level reaches this level at this location, a notification will be sent.

Customs Information columns

One or more Customs Info HS Codes columns are required in order to set a HS Code per region.

Fields	Description
Customs Info Country of Origin	The country of manufacture, production, or growth in ISO 3166-1 2 letter country code format. Example values: `US` `GB` `CN`
Customs Info Commodity Description	A description that customs can use to identify & verify the package.
Customs Info International Shipping	Has this product been shipped internationally? Allowed values: `Yes` `No` `1` `0` `True` `False`
Customs Info HS Codes - {2 letter country code}	The HS codes can be provided in multiple columns with the country code as a suffix, e.g. "Customs Info HS Codes - CN" for the China HS Code. Use multiple columns to define HS codes for each region Example values: `501000` `508313`

Metafield columns

Fields Description

{namespace}.{key}

You can create and update product metafields by adding a column named after the metafield namespace and metafield key separated by a . . If the metafield already exists for the product, it will be updated, otherwise, it will be created.

The metafield namespace and key each must be fewer than 65 characters

Metafield values can be up to 65,535 characters long. An empty string or a string with only whitespace is not a valid metafield value.

All metafields will be created with write and storefront access permissions so they can be queried via the storefront GraphQL API.

As we don't know the names of metafields in advance, you can only select all metafields when exporting.

Template Association Columns

A product can be assigned to one template per channel and so multiple associations can be defined.

Fields	Description
Template 1 Channel ID	The ID of channel where you want to override the template used for this product.
Template 1 File Name	The file name of the Stencil custom template to use.

Export filters

You can filter product exports by:

Brands
Categories
Purchasability
Condition
Date updated
Visibility

As you reduce the number of items in your export, or change what data should be included, the estimate of the number of records and duration of the export will be updated.