Learn how to use the automation feature that transforms your static PDFs into dynamic, shoppable catalogs from the type of product feed to how to create and automate a shopping list.
You can improve your catalog by making it shoppable, showing your products efficiently, and offering a smooth shopping experience for your customers.
Note: Automation is available with the Enterprise plan.
Step 1. Create your CSV/Spreadsheet
You can add all the information about your products in a Google Spreadsheet or create your CSV file in Excel or a similar program. You will need a column for each element you want to automate, such as name, price, image URL, or description.
Important: Your spreadsheet must have a column with a valid SKU so that Flipsnack can connect to it.
If you don’t have a product feed yet, you can easily download and customize one of our pre-made templates to include the necessary information.
We have two temples, and the differences between the two are:
- Simple Product Feed: Designed for products without variations. It's straightforward and ideal for simpler inventories.
- Variant-Rich Product Feed: This feed includes detailed attributes such as color, size, material, and more—perfect for products with multiple variations.
Choose the template that best suits your needs. Within the product feed, you can customize the look and feel of buttons and product areas, including styling for colors, transparency, and button text to match your brand.
If your products have variations, using our Variant-rich product feed template is mandatory, as it simplifies connecting your data to our platform.
Tip: We recommend creating or importing the datasheet, directly in Google Spreadsheet, because it will be easier to update if something is changing with your product information.
Important: To include images in your data set, you can first upload the image files to a web server, FTP, or hosting service that allows you to store and retrieve images. Then, you can copy the image's direct URL and paste it into the designated image column. You can also host the images directly in Flipsnack. Please read this article for more details.
If you don’t want to display the discounted price or other types of information, you can simply omit them from the CSV file.
However, you can check out more information about CSV files at our help center or contact us on live chat.
Step 2: Upload your data
On the main dashboard, go to Automation, on the bottom left side, click on Import feed.
Now either click on the Upload CSV file or Google Drive.
.png?width=688&height=397&name=Screenshot%202024-11-27%20at%2011.16.10-mh%20(1).png)
After you click, the preferred option, you will have the option to download our pre-mapped templates, if you download them you will get the Simple Product Feed and Variant-Rich Product Feed in the same folder. As a starting point, we recommend using our sample file for simple product feed, if you don’t already have the product feed prepared.
For this example, I will connect to my Google Drive, because it will be easier to update it later on if I make any changes to my spreadsheet if needed.
Click on the Connect Google Drive. You will have to log in to your account. From your account, you can pick your product feed and wait until it's getting imported.
After the upload is complete, the mapping modal will open, called Set unique ID, allowing you to connect your file with our platform.
If your columns have the same names as those in the mapping modal and also in the demo template, they will be mapped automatically.
If not, for example, if you have "Title" instead of "Name," you will need to map it manually so it can make the connection between your feed and our platform.
After you make sure, that the feed columns are properly mapped, click on Save Changes.
Then, go back to the Home page, and from Flipbooks, choose the catalog in which you want to add the products from the spreadsheet and click on the Edit button, on the left side of the flipbook card.
In my case, I uploaded a PDF catalog, but you can start one from scratch in Flipsnack and have the flexibility to make your template.
After that, on the left-hand side, you will see the Automation section with a list of all the products you've added to your spreadsheet. Drag and drop the product onto the page, it will appear as an area, but you can customize it to your liking, the size, or the Opacity from the upper right side.
Please click the Preview button in the upper right corner to test if it worked properly.
Tip: You can use the search bar for products when you have a large amount of products in your data set. Simply search using the product title or description between quotation marks. For example, "lounge chair”.
If you customize your area and you're satisfied with the result, duplicate it so you don’t need to customize for each product. You can use Ctrl+D on Windows or Cmd+D on Mac. A duplicated area will already be connected to the feed.
Once the area element is duplicated, you can simply move it over an item on the catalog and drag and drop the corresponding product from the Automation tab. You can then repeat this process as much as necessary.
To add a different element, like buttons or product tags, place it on the page. Then, group the elements by clicking the three dots in the upper-right corner and selecting Group.
Then, click on the Connect to feed button in the upper right corner as well, scroll down and you will find a section dedicated to the element, in my case, it's the Shopping button, and map the information you want to appear in the button or product tag.
After, click on Save Changes.
On the order side, if you chose the variant rich product feed, here is what the preview would look like for each automated option regarding the spreadsheet, with the mention that the automation process is the same for each of them:
If you've made changes to your product spreadsheet, you can use the auto-sync button for updates. Please read this article to how to do it and find out more.
If you have any more questions about this process in Flipsnack or other questions about automation, contact us via live chat.