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Using the Import Feature: How to Import Product Data into Acenda

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Written by Sam E.
Updated over 2 weeks ago

Acenda Import Guide: Products & Channel Mappings

This guide walks you through the two-phase process of bulk-importing products into Acenda and mapping them to your marketplace channels (e.g., Amazon, Target, Walmart).

Prerequisite: Before beginning, ensure you have created your Marketplace Posting Templates. If you haven't done this yet, please refer to our [Building a Posting Template] article.

Phase 1: Importing the Product Catalog

The first step is getting your core product data into the Acenda ecosystem.

Step 1: Generate your CSV Template

To ensure your formatting matches Acenda’s requirements, we recommend using an export of your current catalog as a template.

  1. Navigate to Data Management > Import/Export in the sidebar.

  2. Click the Export tab.

  3. Click + New Export, select Catalog as the Model, and click Export.

    • Note: We recommend manually creating at least one product in Acenda first so your export contains the correct attribute headers.

  4. Download the file via the cloud icon.

  5. Open the file and delete all rows below the headers to create your blank template.

Step 2: Prepare Your Data

Fill in your product data according to these formatting rules:

  • Clean the Spreadsheet: Delete the first 5 system columns: id, created_at, created_by, updated_at, and updated_by.

  • Define Hierarchy (Group column):

    • Enter product for Parent items.

    • Enter variant for Child items.

  • Link Variants: In the group_skus.0 column, enter the Parent SKU for every row marked as a "variant."

  • UPC Formatting: Excel often converts long numbers to scientific notation (e.g., 1.23E+11). To fix this: Highlight the column > Right Click > Format Cells > Select Number > Set Decimal places to 0.

  • Images: * The first two image columns are for Main and Swatch images.

    • Additional images use the format: images.default.x.alternate.url (where x is the image number).

    • Pro Tip: Acenda makes importing from Dropbox and Google Drive simple. Simply provide the shared image URLs from these sources, and Acenda will automatically optimize the import for you.

  • Measurements: Only the .value column is required (e.g., fields.depth.value). If using the .unit column, use lowercase (e.g., in).

  • Options (Parent Products Only): Use options.0 for Color and options.1 for Size.

  • Save Format: You must save your file as CSV UTF-8.

Step 3: Upload and Map

  1. Go to Import/Export > Import tab and click + New Import.

  2. Select Catalog as the Import Type and upload your CSV.

  3. Map Fields: Match your file headers to Acenda fields. Check the box to the left of the attribute to enable it.

    • Tip: Check "Save custom import profile" to reuse this mapping for future uploads.

  4. Update Settings:

    • New SKUs only: Leave all checkboxes unchecked.

    • Update Existing & Add New: Check "Overwrite any records that have the same ID."

    • Update Existing only: Check "Only update existing records."

  5. Click Start Import.

Phase 2: Channel Item Mapping

Now that your products are in the system, you must "map" them to tell Acenda which products belong on which marketplace and which Posting Template to use.

Step 1: Generate the Mapping Template

  1. Go to Import/Export > Export tab.

  2. Click + New Export, select Channel Item Mapping, and click Export.

  3. Download the file and delete the first 5 system columns and the product_id column.

Step 2: Input Mapping Data

You will need to gather specific IDs from your admin panel to fill out this file:

  • product_sku: The SKU of the product you imported in Phase 1.

  • subscription_id: Found under Organization > Integrations. It is the ID number to the left of the sales channel name.

  • posting_template_id: Found under Organization > Integrations > [Select Channel] > Posting Templates. It is the ID number to the left of the template name.

  • listing_action: Use one of the following:

    • FULL: Sends all content to the marketplace.

    • ZERO: Sends content but sets inventory to 0.

    • UNLIST: Removes the SKU from the marketplace.

Note: To map one SKU to multiple marketplaces, create multiple rows for that SKU—one for each Subscription ID.

Step 3: Upload Mapping

  1. Save your file as CSV UTF-8.

  2. Go to Import/Export > Import and click + New Import.

  3. Select Channel Item Mapping as the Import Type and upload your file.

  4. Match the headers (we recommend saving this "Channel Mapping" profile for future use).

  5. Select "Overwrite any records that have the same ID" to ensure existing mappings are updated.

  6. Click Start Import.

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