The Shopify CSV export is the starting point for many e-commerce workflows: platform migration, weekly backup, pricing analysis, or bulk updates. But the native format has blind spots you need to know about.
This guide covers the official format, its limits, and how to work around them cleanly.
Shopify catalog export and analysis
Shopify CSV export format
Shopify CSV is structured per variant: a product with 3 sizes produces 3 rows. The first row carries product data (title, description, handle, status); subsequent rows repeat the handle and add variant data (SKU, price, inventory, option value).
Key columns: Handle, Title, Body (HTML), Vendor, Type, Tags, Published, Option1 Name, Option1 Value, Variant SKU, Variant Price, Variant Inventory Qty, Image Src, Image Alt Text.
What the Shopify CSV does not export
- Metafields: absent from the native CSV. Export via API or Seegea.
- Translations: CSV only contains the store default language.
- Multiple images: image URLs appear on separate rows, not columns.
- Collection associations: not included in the standard product CSV.
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Shopify product export use cases
- Migration: to PrestaShop, WooCommerce, or another Shopify. Usually requires column mapping.
- Backup: weekly catalog snapshot. Useful before a bulk edit.
- Pricing analysis: compare prices and margins in a spreadsheet.
- Bulk update: edit in Excel, reimport. Risky but possible.
- Syndication: prepare a feed for a price comparison site or marketplace.
| Exported content | Native Shopify CSV | Seegea extended export |
|---|---|---|
| Title, description, price | Yes | Yes |
| Variants (SKU, stock, options) | Yes | Yes |
| Metafields | No | Yes |
| Image alt text | Partial | Yes |
| Translations (Shopify Markets) | No | Partial |
| Collection associations | No | Yes |
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