I have downloaded the product_template.csv file and want to create simple entries (no variables) for about 120 products that include a description, photo, and price. There are so many fields available on the template and I am wondering which fields I should use and how the information will be interpreted and used in my shopify store. Is there a map of the columns and where/how the information is used in shopify?
Hi there
You’re right, the product CSV template can look overwhelming at first, especially when you’re just adding simple products without variants.
If you’re creating basic products with a photo, description, and price, you can focus on just a few key fields from the product_template.csv. Here’s a simplified field map you can use:
Required or Most Useful Fields for Simple Products:
| CSV Column | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Handle | Unique ID for the product (all lowercase, no spaces—used in the product URL). |
| Title | Product name as it appears in your store. |
| Body (HTML) | Product description. You can include basic HTML or plain text. |
| Vendor | Your brand or business name. |
| Type | Product category (optional but useful for organization). |
| Tags | Keywords to help with filtering/search. Separate multiple tags with commas. |
| Published | Set to TRUE to make product live. |
| Option1 Name | Can be “Title” if you’re not using variants. |
| Option1 Value | Can also be “Default Title” for single products. |
| Variant SKU | Optional. Helps with inventory management. |
| Variant Price | The actual price of your product. |
| Image Src | Direct link to the product image (must be a publicly accessible URL). |
If you’re only adding simple, non-variable products, you can ignore most of the variant and metafields.
Pro tip: After uploading your CSV, double-check formatting—especially the Handle, Image Src, and Option1 fields. Shopify is strict on structure and anything off can cause upload issues.
If you’d like help formatting your CSV or even bulk uploading it correctly without errors, feel free to reach out—I help store owners set this up properly so everything displays just the way you want.
– EXperttechy
Shopify Store Setup | Product Uploads | CSV Formatting Expert
Read the friendly manual THOROUGHLY click the tables of contents everywhere .
Your business literally depends on it and can be the difference between success and failure.
https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/import-export/using-csv#csv-file-description