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Managing Listing Attributes in Bulk

Update listing attributes in bulk with a CSV upload rather than editing listing attributes one at a time. You can use the attribute export to download existing listing values, modify them in the CSV file, and then reupload the file to apply the updates in bulk.

Bulk attribute updates are supported for the following channels:

To import images in bulk, use the Improt Product Images upload, and map the images attriubte.

Synced listings cannot have their attributes updated directly. To update synced listing attributes in bulk, use the product import upload.

This upload is used to manage attributes on existing listings. To create new listings, see creating listings in bulk. Once the listings are created, even if they only include a SKU, you can use this upload to complete the remaining attributes.

Importing Listing Attributes

To import listing attributes, follow these steps:

  1. From the left sidebar, go to Listings › Listings.
  2. At the top of the page, click the Import icon and select Import Listing Attributes.
  3. Select the store.
  4. Select the attributes.
  5. Download a sample CSV.
  6. Enter the attribute values in the file.
  7. Select the import options.
  8. Download and review the feedback file.

Review the general CSV import guidelines for help with Excel files.

Selecting Listing Attributes

Listings include many attributes, but you normally do not need to update all of them at once. Download a template that includes only the headers for the attributes you want to update. Follow these steps:

  1. In the Import Listing Attributes modal, select the Template tab.
  2. Enter a listing category.
  3. Select the attributes you want to update.

Category attributes are divided into required and optional sections. Select only the attributes you want included in the template.

A required attribute does not mean it must appear in your file. It only means the attribute is required for the listing to pass validation. The listing may already contain a valid value, or you may update it later.

For attributes that support multiple values, set the number of headers to generate. Each value will appear in a separate column. For example, select to include 5 bullet features.

Downloading Template Files

After selecting the desired attributes, download the CSV files. Goflow provides two downloads:

The Attribute Details file is specific to each listing category. If you select multiple categories, a separate file will be generated for each category.

Entering Listing Attributes

Enter the listing attributes in the CSV file by following the guidance provided in the Attribute Details file.

In addition to the attributes you selected, the template includes two listing identifiers: SKU and Listing ID. You can use either identifier to match the listing.

For variation listings, include either the child SKU or the parent SKU, depending on the attributes being updated:

Not all channels support a separate parent SKU. For those channels, update parent attributes by including all child SKUs in the variation family in the same upload file.

Whether an attribute is treated as parent or child varies by channel and does not always match how it logically applies to a variation family. For example, Macy’s treats most attributes as parent-level, while Target treats only the category as a parent attribute.

Changing a parent attribute may render some existing child value invalid. For example, changing the category to Wireless could make the Plug Type attribute value invalid. Such updates may be rejected depending on the selected import validation option.

Selecting Import Options

In the Import Listing Attributes modal, select the Upload tab. Control how the import file is processed by answering three questions.

Ignore Empty Values

If your file includes empty values in some rows, it may mean you want to leave the existing value unchanged, or clear it entirely.

For example, every listing has a brand, so leaving the Brand column empty usually means the existing value should remain unchanged. In contrast, leaving Included Accessories empty may indicate that the product includes none and any existing accessories should be removed.

This question applies only to the headers included in the file. Headers not included will always remain unchanged.

If you choose to clear a required attribute, the update may be rejected if you select to validate.

Validate Attributes

If your file contains invalid values, or if attribute changes cause other attributes to become invalid, choose whether to apply the updates anyway and fix the issues later, or skip the invalid values during the import.

For example, if you change the Headphones Type from Wireless to Wired, the Bluetooth attribute in the file is rendered invalid. You may still choose to apply the update. The listing will move to Review where you can correct the listing and clear the Bluetooth value. Alternatively, you may prefer to skip the update entirely and be notified of the issue in the feedback download.

This question applies only to the headers included in the file. Headers not included are never validated. For example, if the Bluetooth header is not included, the update to Headphones Type will always pass and push the listing to Review.

Publish Drafts

If your file includes draft listings, and the attribute updates make those listings ready to publish, you can choose to publish them immediately with this upload or leave them as drafts and publish them later when you are ready.

If you choose to publish but the listings contain errors, the listings will move to Review.

Reviewing the Feedback Files

After uploading the import file, Goflow provides feedback files indicating whether the updates were applied or not. Two files are generated:

If one attribute causes an error, none of the other attributes for that listing will be updated.

Success does not mean the listing was published. It means the update was successfully applied. The update may very well move the listing to Review.

The following errors will cause a listing update to fail: