Introduction

ChannelGrabber has a Data Exchange feature, which allows products and listings to be created and revised in bulk using spreadsheets instead of manually entering and amending information in ChannelGrabber.

This guide primarily focuses on creating new products in ChannelGrabber.  Along with this guide you should be able to use this link to download the Products and Variations Import Template (open the Google Sheet then click on "File > Download As" and choose what format you want to download it in) which we recommend you use to ensure that all the necessary fields are populated in the correct format.  This guide will refer to specific fields in the example template.

The Data Exchange can be used to create new single products and variation products within ChannelGrabber and also to list these products out to eBay from one file.  However, it is not possible to list variation items, or items that do not yet exist/have an existing ASIN to Amazon or other channels such as webstores.

 If you have more than one variation name - eg. Colour and Size – then both names need to be entered, separated by a pipe separator (don’t enter any spaces between the names or separators), then the variation values must be added in the same order, and again, using a pipe separator:

The maximum number of variation names we recommend to enter is two, as eBay does support multiple variation themes, but other channels do not, so by only using two you are “future-proofing” your products in ChannelGrabber.

For variation products, you need to follow the exact SKU and information structure shown in the example template – the product info (such as title, price, images, description etc.) must only be entered on the parent SKU line and the only detail at this point to be added on the variation SKU lines are the variation names and values.  The same Parent SKU must be entered in column B for all variations under the same parent product, otherwise they will not be grouped together properly when imported to ChannelGrabber.

2.  Any other columns will add more detail to your product in ChannelGrabber, which may be useful for internal reference and future listings on other channels, such as descriptions, barcodes, item locations etc. but these are not compulsory for the actual product creation.
​

3.  In order to add images via the Data Exchange, an image URL must be used, which means that your images would need to be hosted online somewhere.  If you want to upload multiple images, you can enter multiple URLs separated by a pipe separator.  Please do not enter a space between the pipe separator and the URLs.  You should add the image that you want to be the main/primary image first, followed by any secondary images.  Here is the correct format:

If you do not add images via the Data Exchange, then they will need to be added manually in ChannelGrabber before you can list the product to any channels.

4.  Once you have completed as much detail as you can in the spreadsheet, you need to save it in CSV (Comma delimited) format – this is crucial, as ChannelGrabber will not be able to process any files that are not in CSV format.  If you use an Apple Mac, you should use the CSV (Windows format) option.  Please avoid the use of full stops in the filename: 

5.  You can now import the data into ChannelGrabber to create the products.  In ChannelGrabber, hover over the main Products button in the top navigation bar, then select Data Exchange from the sub-menu:

Once in the Data Exchange, click on the Listings tab on the right which will bring you to the Imports page:

6.  Click on Choose File to browse your computer for the CSV file you just saved, then click the Upload button to bring it into ChannelGrabber:

7.  Once your file is uploaded, additional fields will appear, which are for data mapping.  The left hand drop-down menu shows all the column headers from your file and the right hand drop-down menu allows you to map your file header to the corresponding field in ChannelGrabber.  This is how ChannelGrabber knows which fields to populate from your data:

If your column headers from your file match the ChannelGrabber field names, then the data mapping will be done automatically once your file is uploaded.  If you need to add or change fields, then click on the Add Row button near the top left of the page to create as many rows are you need, then map all the headers in your file to the corresponding fields in ChannelGrabber.  The order doesn’t particularly matter, but you may find it helpful to use the same order as in your file, or you can go through alphabetically, it’s up to you:

8.  Once you have set up all the product data mapping, you can save this as a template to avoid having to repeat this process in future.  On the right side of the page, click the Template button, then name and save your template.  In future, you will be able to click on the Load drop-down menu to load the template you just saved:

9.  Once you have completed your data mapping and saved your template, you are ready to let ChannelGrabber process your data file.  Click the Generate button and ChannelGrabber will start processing your data.  A progress box will appear at the top of the page to show you the total number of rows to be processed and will show how many successful rows have been processed as it goes along:

10.  Once the Data Exchange has finished processing your file, you can return to your main Products page and view the products that have been created:

This concludes the product creation process.  If you now wish to list the products you just created to your marketplaces, you can do this manually through ChannelGrabber using the data you just created as a starting point, or for ebay you can add more detail to the CSV and list via the Data Exchange (please see separate guide: "Listing to eBay via Data Exchange").

We hope this guide is helpful but please feel free to contact us if you need further assistance.