The Excel catalog template is the go-to working tool for e-commerce product managers to prepare, validate and hand off product data before import. Its strength: validation formulas. Its limit: the export-import roundtrip that eats up time every week.
Compatible tools
Recommended Excel template structure
An effective Excel catalog template includes at least 4 tabs:
- Products — core data (title, description, category, brand, price, SKU)
- Variants — variants (color, size, weight, variant SKU, stock, specific price)
- Images — image URLs per product and variant, position, alt text
- Reference lists — valid categories, brands, units, statuses (used for validations)
Useful validation formulas
Conditional formatting
Dropdown lists
| Column | Type | Required | Recommended validation |
|---|---|---|---|
| SKU / Reference | Text | Yes | Unique, COUNTIF = 1 |
| Product title | Text | Yes | LEN between 20 and 70 |
| Description | Long text | Recommended | LEN > 100 |
| Category | List | Yes | Value in reference list |
| Price incl. tax | Number | Yes | ISNUMBER, > 0 |
| Compare-at price | Number | No | ISNUMBER, > Price |
| Stock | Integer | Yes | ISNUMBER, >= 0 |
| EAN / GTIN | Text | Recommended | LEN = 13 |
| Main image URL | Text | Recommended | LEFT = https:// |
Excel template limits and when to switch to Seegea
The Excel template is great for preparing and validating a catalog before the initial import. Its limits appear in day-to-day use:
- Every change requires a CSV export + re-import (30 to 60 min roundtrip)
- Impossible to see the real catalog state in real time
- No rollback if an import overwrites correct data
- Collaboration gets difficult beyond 2 people on the same file
Seegea replaces the Excel template for daily editing: inline tabular grid, immediate push to Shopify or PrestaShop, full rollback, real-time collaboration. The template remains useful for the initial onboarding of a new catalog or supplier file.
Built in France between Annecy and Chantilly, Seegea fits into your existing workflow without replacing your tools — it extends them where they stop.
Import your Excel template into Seegea
We validate your structure and show the result on a call