How do I handle variants in the Shopify CSV template?

Shopify uses one row per variant. The first row of a product contains all global data (Title, Body HTML, Vendor…). Subsequent rows repeat the same Handle but only fill variant fields (Option1 Value, Variant SKU, Variant Price, Variant Inventory Qty).

What encoding should I use for my CSV file?

UTF-8 without BOM, always. Excel on Windows saves as Windows-1252 by default, which breaks accented characters on import. In Excel: File → Save As → CSV UTF-8. In Google Sheets: File → Download → CSV (UTF-8 by default).

How many columns does my CSV need?

Shopify accepts a CSV with only Handle, Title and Variant Price (3 minimum). In practice, a complete e-commerce catalog requires 20 to 30 columns. The template on this page covers the 25 essential columns.

Can Seegea help me fill this template?

Yes. Seegea reads your supplier or ERP CSV, offers a visual mapping to the Shopify or PrestaShop schema, generates missing descriptions via AI, and optimizes images before push. No need to fill the template manually.

Product CSV template: copy-paste starter for Shopify & PrestaShop

The number one cause of a failed CSV import is not a Shopify or PrestaShop bug — it's a poorly structured file. Wrong headers, incorrect encoding, orphaned variant rows: all errors that can be fixed before the import if you start from the right template.

Here are the essential columns for a clean import, with format rules for each field.

Compatible platforms

Shopify CSV template: the 25 essential columns

Base structure of an importable Shopify file:

Handle — unique URL identifier (slug), links products to their variants
Title — commercial name, 70 useful characters
Body (HTML) — HTML description, p, ul, strong tags allowed
Vendor — brand or supplier
Product Category — Shopify taxonomy (e.g. Apparel & Accessories)
Type — free product type (e.g. T-shirt)
Tags — comma-separated tags
Published — TRUE or FALSE
Option1 Name — e.g. Size, Color
Option1 Value — variant value (e.g. M, Red)
Variant SKU — unique reference
Variant Grams — weight in grams
Variant Inventory Tracker — shopify
Variant Inventory Qty — available stock
Variant Inventory Policy — deny or continue
Variant Fulfillment Service — manual
Variant Price — decimal price with dot (not comma)
Variant Compare At Price — strikethrough price
Variant Requires Shipping — TRUE or FALSE
Variant Taxable — TRUE or FALSE
Variant Barcode — EAN/GTIN
Image Src — absolute HTTPS image URL
Image Position — 1 for main image
SEO Title — title tag, max 60 characters
SEO Description — meta description, max 155 characters

Rule 1: unique and stable Handle

The Handle is the pivot of your Shopify catalog. A Handle that changes during a re-import creates a duplicate. Use stable slugs (e.g. cotton-white-t-shirt) and never change them after publication.

Rule 2: decimal price with a dot

Shopify expects 12.99 not 12,99. A comma decimal breaks the import silently — Shopify reads the column as text and ignores the value.

Rule 3: images as absolute HTTPS URLs

Relative paths (/images/product.jpg) don't work. Seegea can temporarily host your images during import and generate HTTPS URLs automatically.

Error	Symptom	Fix
Windows-1252 encoding	Broken accents	Re-save as UTF-8 without BOM
Comma decimal (12,99)	Product created at $0	Replace 12,99 with 12.99
Duplicate Handle across products	Variants linked to wrong product	Check uniqueness with COUNTIF

Add a Validation_status column (Draft / To validate / Validated / Rejected) to track enrichment progress across your team. Seegea uses the same status principle in its tabular grid.

Moving from CSV template to inline editing

The CSV template is great for the initial load of a supplier catalog. But day-to-day, modifying 30 prices or fixing 50 descriptions through a CSV roundtrip export-edit-reimport costs 2 hours for 10 minutes of real work.

Seegea enables inline tabular editing: click on the cell, type the value, and the push to Shopify or PrestaShop is immediate. No export, no import. And if a change is wrong, Ctrl+Z restores the previous version and re-pushes.

Built in France between Annecy and Chantilly, Seegea installs in 48h on your store and includes a kickoff Google Meet session.

Test the Seegea CSV import on a live call

Send us your file — we validate the structure before push

Test the Seegea CSV import on a live call

Created in France (Annecy – Chantilly) · Email & Google Meet support

FAQ

No. The schemas differ: Shopify uses English headers (Handle, Title, Variant Price…) with comma separator and UTF-8 encoding. PrestaShop uses localized headers, semicolon separator by default, and specific fields like Default category (ID) or Tax rules group. Adapt the template for each platform.

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Product CSV template: the copy-paste starter for Shopify and PrestaShop