Spreadsheet Import

Spreadsheet Import allows you to upload products using a CSV or Excel file. This is ideal when you have existing product data or need to process products from image URLs.

Import Types

Image URL Import

Upload a spreadsheet with image URLs:

merchi.ai downloads images from URLs
Processes them to generate content
Creates products with your provided data

Scrape Import

Upload a spreadsheet with product page URLs:

merchi.ai visits each page
Extracts images and existing content
Generates enhanced descriptions

Preparing Your Spreadsheet

File Formats

Supported formats:

CSV (.csv)
Excel (.xls, .xlsx)

Required Columns

For Image URL Import, each row must have a product_id and at least one of:

Column	Description
`product_id`	Unique product identifier
`image_url`	URL to a product image (JPEG, PNG, WebP, etc.)
`file_url`	URL to a product image or PDF document — type is auto-detected from the file extension

image_url and file_url can both be present on the same row.

Multiple Images or Files Per Row

You can include up to 10 additional image or file URLs on a single row using numbered columns:

Column	Description
`image_url_1` … `image_url_10`	Additional image URLs for the same product
`file_url_1` … `file_url_10`	Additional image or PDF URLs for the same product

This means a single row can carry up to 11 images and 11 files. You no longer need to duplicate rows to add multiple images to a product.

Example:

product_id,image_url,image_url_1,image_url_2,file_url
SKU-001,https://example.com/sku001-front.jpg,https://example.com/sku001-back.jpg,https://example.com/sku001-detail.jpg,https://example.com/docs/sku001.pdf
SKU-002,https://example.com/sku002-main.jpg,https://example.com/sku002-alt.jpg,,

For Scrape Import:

Column	Description
`product_id`	Unique product identifier
`url`	Product page URL to scrape

Optional Columns

You can include any additional columns that would help generate better content. Here are some examples:

Column	Description
`category`	Product category/taxonomy
`brand`	Brand name
`title`	Existing title (can be enhanced)
`description`	Existing description
`price`	Product price
`sku`	Alternative product identifier

Feel free to add any other columns with information that would be useful for content generation—the more context you provide, the better the output will be.

Import Process

Step 1: Select Import Type

Go to Add Products
Choose Product Spreadsheet or Scrape Spreadsheet

Step 2: Upload File

Click to browse or drag and drop
Select your CSV or Excel file
Wait for file to be parsed

Step 3: Map Columns

The importer will show detected columns:

Verify column mappings
Map required fields (product_id and image_url, file_url, or url)
Map any additional fields you want to use

Step 4: Select Model

Choose the AI model for processing:

Select from available models
Different models may produce different results

Step 5: Start Import

Review your settings
Click Start Import
Wait for processing to complete

File URL Requirements

For Image URL Import, URLs in image_url or file_url must be:

Publicly accessible (no authentication required)
Direct links to the file (not a webpage)

Supported image formats: JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, AVIF, TIFF, BMP, SVG

Supported document formats: PDF

Example URLs:

https://example.com/images/product-001.jpg
https://cdn.mystore.com/products/SKU123/main.png
https://example.com/datasheets/SKU123-spec.pdf

Using PDFs

If file_url points to a PDF, merchi.ai will:

Send the full PDF content to the AI for generating titles, descriptions, and attributes
Create a thumbnail from the first page of the PDF
Store the PDF in the product’s document library

You can include both an image and a PDF on the same row:

product_id,image_url,file_url,category
SKU-001,https://example.com/img/sku001.jpg,https://example.com/docs/sku001.pdf,Plumbing
SKU-002,,https://example.com/docs/sku002.pdf,Electrical

Column Mapping

Automatic Detection

The importer attempts to detect columns:

Recognizes common column names
Suggests appropriate mappings
Shows preview of data

Manual Mapping

For unrecognized columns:

Select the target field from dropdown
Verify sample data looks correct
Skip columns you don’t need

Multiple Images

There are two ways to import multiple images per product.

Option 1 — Numbered columns (recommended): Put all images for a product on a single row using image_url, image_url_1, image_url_2, etc.

product_id,image_url,image_url_1,image_url_2
SKU-001,https://example.com/sku001-front.jpg,https://example.com/sku001-back.jpg,https://example.com/sku001-detail.jpg
SKU-002,https://example.com/sku002-main.jpg,,

Option 2 — Duplicate rows: Use separate rows with the same product_id and a different image_url on each row. All rows with the same product_id are grouped into a single product.

product_id,image_url
SKU-001,https://example.com/sku001-front.jpg
SKU-001,https://example.com/sku001-back.jpg
SKU-001,https://example.com/sku001-detail.jpg
SKU-002,https://example.com/sku002-main.jpg

Both approaches can be mixed in the same spreadsheet.

Best Practices

Data Quality

Ensure URLs are valid and accessible
Use consistent product IDs
Clean up data before import
Remove duplicates

Image Quality

Use high-resolution image URLs
Verify images are publicly accessible
Test a few URLs before bulk import

Start Small

Test with 5-10 products first
Verify results meet expectations
Then import larger batches

Troubleshooting

Images or PDFs Not Downloading

Verify URLs are publicly accessible (try opening in an incognito browser)
Check for authentication requirements
Ensure URLs aren’t behind a login or firewall
Confirm the URL is a direct file link, not a webpage

Mapping Issues

Check column headers for typos
Verify data format in cells
Try renaming columns to match expected names

Import Failures

Check spreadsheet for errors
Verify all required columns present
Look for special characters in data

Out of Credits

Credits are checked before processing begins
If you see a “credits exhausted” message, upgrade your plan or wait for your credits to refresh
Each product row consumes 1 credit during processing
Check your remaining credits in the sidebar

After Import

Once import completes:

Go to All Products View
Filter to see new products
Review generated content
Approve or edit as needed