Entering a thousand products by hand takes weeks. A bulk import from Excel/CSV fills an OpenCart catalogue in hours: names, descriptions, prices, specifications, categories and photos all loaded in batches.
What can be imported
- products with descriptions and specifications;
- prices, promotions, stock quantities;
- categories and their assignments;
- images (by URL or from an archive);
- SEO fields and SEF URLs.
Import versus update
It matters to distinguish initial population from regular updating. For price and stock updates products are identified by article number / SKU, so a repeat import updates existing items instead of creating duplicates.
The usual difficulties
- file encoding (UTF-8) and CSV delimiters;
- mapping columns to OpenCart fields;
- specifications and options with variants;
- large volumes — imported in batches so the server does not fall over.
How the work runs
- your file and the catalogue structure analysed;
- import template prepared and fields mapped;
- a test import on a copy, with the result checked;
- the full import, plus regular updating configured.
Common questions
Can you work from a 1C or supplier price list?
Yes, with the file prepared and normalised to the OpenCart format.
Will photos load too?
Yes, by URL or from an archive you provide.
How often should prices update?
Automatic updates can be scheduled.
Need the catalogue filled or refreshed quickly? I will set up a bulk import for your price list.
