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If you have many products to add, the bulk upload tool lets you import them all at once from a CSV file. This is ideal for new vendors setting up their store for the first time, or for merchants migrating an existing catalog. The importer walks you through three steps: uploading your file, mapping your columns to the right fields, and previewing the data before it goes live.
Our team is always happy to assist you with product uploads and store set up. If you experience issues, drop us a line in live chat accessed via an app **Support **page or at vendors@imlocal.ca.

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Before You Begin

All products imported via bulk upload are created with a status of Draft. They will not be visible to customers until you publish them from your Inventory page.

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What You’ll Need

  • A CSV file (.csv) containing your product data — one row per product
  • Categories that already exist in the Local Pass system
  • Subcategories that already exist in the Local Pass system
You cannot create new categories or subcategories through the bulk upload. If a product’s category or subcategory doesn’t exist in the system yet, that product will fail validation and won’t be imported. Contact the Local Pass team to request new categories before uploading.

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Step 1 — Prepare Your CSV File

Your CSV file must have column headers in the first row. The importer will ask you to match your column names to the system’s fields in the next step, so your headers don’t need to match exactly — but clear names help avoid mistakes.

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Supported Fields

The following fields can be included in your CSV. Required fields must be present for every row.

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Formatting Rules

Category names must match exactly. The system converts your category name to a lowercase, underscored ID (e.g., Grain Products becomes grain_products). If that ID doesn’t exist in the system, the row will fail validation. Check the category list in your product form before preparing your file. Prices use decimal notation. Use a period as the decimal separator: 4.99, not 4,99. Do not include currency symbols. Comma-separated fields. For dietary labels, allergens, and keywords, separate multiple values with commas inside a single cell: vegan, gluten-free, nut-free Boolean fields. Use true or false (lowercase). For featured and soon-to-go flags, anything other than true is treated as false.

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Formatting Menu Options

Menu options follow a specific format. Each option group uses this structure:
  • IsVariant is true if selecting this option changes the product’s price entirely, or false if it adds to the base price
  • Separate multiple option groups with a semicolon ;
Example — Size variants that replace the base price:
Example — Add-ons that stack on top of the base price:
Example — Multiple groups:
If menu options feel complex, leave that column blank and set them up manually after importing through the product Edit form.

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Sample CSV Structure

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Step 2 — Upload Your File

  1. Go to Inventory in your dashboard
  2. Click Bulk Import (or the import button in your interface)
  3. The importer opens and shows the Upload step
  4. Click the upload area and select your .csv file, or drag and drop it in
  5. Once the file loads, the importer automatically moves to the next step
The importer accepts .csv and .txt files. Maximum import size is 490 products per upload. If your catalog is larger, split it into multiple files and import them one at a time.

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Step 3 — Map Your Columns

After uploading, you’ll see a list of all the system fields on the left, and a dropdown on the right for each one. Use the dropdowns to match each system field to the corresponding column header from your CSV.
  • If the importer detects a column name that exactly matches a system field (e.g., your CSV has a column called name), it maps that column automatically.
  • For columns that don’t match automatically, select the correct one from the dropdown.
  • If a field doesn’t apply to your products, select Ignore.
You must map at minimum the Product Name and Category columns. The importer will not proceed without these two mappings.
Once your columns are mapped, click Preview Data.

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Step 4 — Preview and Validate

The preview shows a summary of your products. Each row is colour-coded:

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Common Validation Errors

If any row has a validation error, the entire import is blocked. You cannot import a partial batch — all rows must pass before you can proceed. Fix the errors in your CSV file and re-upload.
The preview also shows the total number of products in the file so you can confirm the count looks right before proceeding.

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Step 5 — Confirm and Import

When all rows show a green indicator, the Confirm Import button becomes active. Click it to start the import. A loading spinner appears while the import runs. Do not close the page during this time. When complete, you’ll see a success message confirming how many products were imported.

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After Importing

Your imported products are now in your Inventory with Draft status. To review them: Go to Inventory and filter by Status → Draft to see all newly imported products. To publish them: Select individual products and use the Edit button to review and publish them one by one, or select multiple products using the checkboxes and use Update Status → Published to bulk-publish.
It’s a good idea to review a sample of imported products before bulk-publishing to confirm photos, descriptions, and pricing look right. Add photos to any products that need them — imported products use a default placeholder image.

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Starting Over

If you make a mistake at any step, use the Back button to return to the previous step. If you want to start completely over, click Back until you reach the upload step, then upload a new file.