Moving online platforms can be the most time consuming task for businesses of all sizes, each item needs to be added correctly to ensure a seamless transition for you and your customers.
The quickest way to import a large number of items into Square is to import them using a CSV, which we will cover in todays blog.
If you are looking to add individual products, check out this tutorial
[Watch] Learn how to import products in Square
Breakdown the import CSV
In this tutorial, we used Google Sheets to complete the CSV form for import. When inputting your item info ensure that the correct information is added to the right column, here is a breakdown of the headers and what goes in them.
Export File Field | Descriptions |
Token | Your Square Dashboard will automatically populate this token. If you are importing a new item, leave this field blank, if you are editing items do not change the token. |
Item Name | Can include numbers, letters or symbols. Maximum 128 characters. |
Description | Can include numbers, letters or symbols. Maximum 1024 characters. |
Category | Can include numbers, letters or symbols. Maximum 128 characters. |
SKU | Each variation should be assigned a unique SKU. |
Variation Name | Can include numbers, letters or symbols. Maximum 128 characters. |
Unit and Precision | Unit type and precision (decimal places). |
Price | Numeric. Must be $0.00 or greater (a fixed price needs to be a positive number). You can also leave blank or write in “Variable” to indicate a variable price. |
Option Name | Can include numbers, letters or symbols. Maximum 128 characters. |
Option Value | Can include numbers, letters or symbols. Maximum 128 characters. |
Reference Handle | A unique value used to reference variations within the import/export file. Specifically, this field is used to associate stock by variations with their sell by variations during inventory import. |
Enabled [Your Location Name] | Yes or No. This will set your item as visible in individual locations. If you only have one location and see this column, make sure all items are set to Yes. |
Current Quantity [Your Location Name] | Numeric. If you are using Inventory Management this is the current quantity of this item defined as in stock. Changes to this field are ignored on import. |
New Quantity [Your Location Name] | Numeric. If you are using Inventory Management, enter your current stock count here. This count will replace any existing stock count. You can also write in “No” to disable stock tracking for this item variation. |
Stock Alert Enabled [Your Location Name] | If you are using Inventory Management, you can set Yes or No to turn on items for inventory alerts. |
Stock Alert Count [Your Location Name] | Numeric. If you are using Inventory Management, and have alerts enabled, this is the quantity at which you will be alerted. |
Price [Your Location Name] | Numeric. |
Tax [Your Tax Name] | If you have created a tax, set to Yes or No to apply that to the item. |
[Breakdown] How to import items into Square
Step #1 - Login to your Square Dashboard
Step #2 - In the main menu, click "Items & Orders"
Step #3- In the "Items & Orders" sub-menu, click "items"
Step #4- Once the item library opens, click "Actions"
Step #5- Then click "import library", this opens the import type settings
Step #6- Click "Modify Item Library" to add/update items without wiping your current items
Step #7- Next, Click "Download your item library". This gives you a formatted excel sheet that you can import into Google Sheets
Step #8- Once the Export catalog opens, click "Export to Excel" and Export
Step #9- With your products added to the excel sheet, you will need to upload the new CSV
Step #10- Next in the import inventory screen, make sure each attribute matches the column on the right . Click "Confirm"
If formatted correctly, you will get a successful import message
