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How to prepare your spreadsheet product feed for automation

Format your CSV, XLSX, or Google Sheets data before syncing

Overview

To automate a catalog, prepare your product data as a CSV, XLSX or Google Sheets file with one product per row and one type of information per column, then import it on the Automation page. Flipsnack reads the columns and fills your catalog design with the data. Use Google Sheets if you update products often: a sync replaces re-uploading the file.

This article covers how to format the feed, import it and keep it in sync. It is part of Flipsnack Automation.

Check these before you build the feed.

Requirements

Create the product feed

  • Click Automation in the left menu.
  • Click Import feed. The Import product feeds window opens.
  • If you need a starting point, click Download templates. A ZIP file downloads with ready-to-use templates: a Simple Product feed and a Variant-Rich Product feed. You can also build the feed from a blank spreadsheet.

The Automation page in Flipsnack with the Import feed button highlighted above the list of imported data sets

The Import product feeds window in Flipsnack with the Download templates link highlighted

When you work in a spreadsheet:

  • List each product in its own row and give each type of information its own column, for example SKU, Name, Size, Color, Price.
  • Add as many columns as you need and name them as you like. Flipsnack shows the information exactly as you entered it, so check capitalization.
  • Add images as image links. Copy a reliable link from the Design Studio: Uploads, select the image, click the three dots, then Get share link. Learn how to host images in Flipsnack.
  • For links in the catalog, add a column of product links that lead customers to your online store.
  • Do not use double quotation marks in the data. Use two apostrophes instead, because quotation marks can break the feed upload.
SKU
Name
Price
Currency
Image 1
Product URL
WB-01
Relaxed Fit Linen Blazer
150
USD
https://example.com/wb-01.jpg
https://example.com/wb-01
WB-02
Sands Linen Blazer
150
USD
https://example.com/wb-02.jpg
https://example.com/wb-02
SG-01
Resin Sunglasses
150
USD
https://example.com/sg-01.jpg
https://example.com/sg-01

On a Mac, set the number format before you export a CSV, to avoid import issues:

  • Open System Settings on your Mac and go to Language & Region.
  • Scroll down to Number Format and select 1,234,567.89.
  • Export your spreadsheet as a CSV file.
Why prepare the feed first
  • Automatic mapping. Columns that match Flipsnack option names are mapped on import; the rest are mapped by AI.
  • Reusable designs. A catalog design works with any new feed that keeps the same column headers.
  • One-click updates. A Google Sheets feed syncs with the Sync button.

Import the product feed

  • On the Automation page, click Import feed. In the Design Studio, open the Automation panel and click Add feed.
  • Choose Upload CSV to upload a file from your device, Google Drive to pick a Google Sheet, or Import URL to import from a link.
  • In the Map feed content window, set Select unique ID to the column with your SKUs. Set it right after the upload: it is the identifier Flipsnack uses to update your products.
  • Under AI mapping, check each Flipsnack option against your feed columns. Columns with the same names as the options (and the demo template) are mapped automatically. Other columns are mapped by AI, for example Title to Name.
  • Click Save changes.

The Import product feeds window in Flipsnack with the Google Drive, Upload CSV and Import URL options highlighted

The Map feed content window in Flipsnack with the Select unique ID field highlighted

Warning: when you update a feed that is connected to a flipbook, do not change the values in the unique ID column or the name of that column. You can add new products and codes, but the existing ones must stay as they are. Changing them breaks the mapping and the design of the catalog.

Work with multiple product feeds

You can add more than one feed and reuse a catalog design with a different one. It works only when the new file keeps the same column headers. If the same information sits under a different name, Flipsnack cannot match it. For example, a text box set to show the column Price cannot read a new file that names the column US Price.

The Automation panel in the Flipsnack Design Studio listing the imported feeds, with the Add feed button highlighted

A prepared feed helps teams that produce catalogs at volume.

Where it helps
  • Mid-market and Enterprise teams: catalogs with many products that change season to season.
  • E-commerce teams: product data that already lives in a spreadsheet or a Google Sheet.

Sync your product feed

Sync keeps the feed and the flipbook aligned. It works on the SKU, so if the SKU is missing or changed, Flipsnack cannot update your data.

  • For a feed imported from Google Drive, use the Sync button on the Automation page or in the Design Studio Automation panel. When the sync ends, choose whether to update the products already in the flipbook too. Otherwise only the feed is updated.
  • For an uploaded CSV, click the Replace icon in the feed's row, or Replace feed in the Design Studio panel, and upload the new file.
  • To change how columns map to Flipsnack options, click the Mapping icon in the feed's row.
  • Reordering products in the feed reorders them in the side panel, but not in existing layouts. The new order applies only when you generate a new catalog.

The Automation page in Flipsnack with the Replace, Mapping and Delete icons highlighted in a feed row

The product list of a feed in the Design Studio Automation panel with the Replace feed button highlighted

Prepare your file for product tag automation

Useful column headers are Product title, SKU, Description, Price, Discount price, Product URL, Button label, Image 1, Image 2 and Image 3. You do not have to use these names, but similar ones make it easier to match your columns to the fields of a product tag.

You do not need every column. Skip the button label and product URL if you do not link to a web page, and skip images, prices or discount prices if you do not show them. Flipsnack also lets you automate multimedia elements to present products.

Troubleshooting

  • The import fails or numbers look wrong: on a Mac, set the number format to 1,234,567.89 and export the CSV again.
  • The feed upload fails: remove double quotation marks from the data and use two apostrophes instead.
  • Data does not appear in the design: the new file uses different column headers than the feed the design was built on. Restore the original headers.
  • Sync does not update a product: the SKU is missing or was changed. Restore the SKU in the unique ID column.

Additional tips / FAQs

  • Which file types can I use? CSV, XLSX and Google Sheets.
  • Which option is best if I update often? Google Sheets, because a click on Sync replaces re-uploading the file.
  • Can I use the same design with another feed? Yes, when the new feed keeps the same column headers.

Next steps

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