Editing Custom Fields via CSV in BigCommerce

Editing Custom Fields via CSV in BigCommerce

Are you looking to efficiently manage custom fields for your products in BigCommerce? Editing via CSV is a powerful method that allows bulk updates, saving you time and effort. In this video tutorial, I’ll show you how to edit custom fields, from exporting your product data to updating and importing it back into BigCommerce. Watch the video below to learn all the steps.

What You’ll Learn in This Video

In this video, I cover everything you need to know about editing custom fields in BigCommerce using a CSV file. Here’s a quick breakdown:

  1. Introduction and Setup (00:01): I explain how to edit custom fields in BigCommerce using a CSV and add custom fields to a product for demo purposes.
  2. Exporting the Product CSV (01:26): Learn how to export product data, open it in Google Sheets, and locate custom fields that appear concatenated in one column.
  3. Adding and Editing Custom Fields (03:28): I show you how to add new custom fields in the CSV by concatenating existing fields with new entries using a semicolon.
  4. Merging Fields with Formulas (05:20): Watch how I use the CONCATENATE formula and IF statements to merge new and old custom fields without formatting issues.
  5. Importing and Verifying Changes (12:48): Finally, I demonstrate how to re-import the edited CSV back into BigCommerce and verify that the custom fields are correctly updated.

Why Watch This Video?

If you manage multiple products and need to make bulk updates to custom fields, this video will save you a ton of time. You’ll learn actionable steps to efficiently add, remove, or modify custom fields using a CSV file in BigCommerce. I break down the process with easy-to-follow instructions, and by the end of the video, you’ll be ready to handle any custom field changes like a pro.

Watch the Video Now

Click play and start mastering how to edit custom fields in BigCommerce!

Full Transcript

(00:01)
Hey guys, in this video, I’m going to show you how to edit custom fields on your products in BigCommerce using a CSV.
Before we get started, my name is Kal. I’m a developer and store owner, just like you. I also run the ecommerce growth community for store owners. Every week I post ecommerce videos, so if you find this helpful, subscribe and hit the bell to see more.
Let me share my screen, and I’ll walk you through how to do this.
(00:32)
I’m logged into my store, and first, I’m going to open up a product to show you how custom fields work. I’m adding a couple of custom fields:
Blocks = Yes
Material = Plastic
Material = Brass
I’m doing this so we have something to look at as an example when we do an export. Now, I’ll click Save.

Step 1: Export the Product CSV
(01:26)
Next, we’re going to export the product data.
Go to Products → Export → Bulk Edit → Click Export.
Once exported, download the file and open it in Google Drive or Excel. I’ll use Google Drive here.
(02:06)
First, I’ll hide the cost column to avoid distractions. Then, I’ll freeze the first row for easy reference.
Now, I’ll locate the test product I just edited—it’s at the bottom of the sheet. Let’s scroll over to the custom fields, and here they are:
Blocks = Yes; Material = Plastic; Material = Brass
Notice how the custom fields are concatenated in one column, separated by semicolons.

Step 2: Adding More Custom Fields
(03:28)
To add more custom fields, you can simply add a new entry. For example, I’ll add Another = Albatross.
This method allows you to edit and add as many custom fields as you want. You could potentially add hundreds, though I’m not sure of the exact limit.
(04:37)
If this were the only change I needed, I could re-export the CSV, upload it back to BigCommerce, and I’d be done. But since you’re probably looking to edit multiple custom fields, here’s a trick:

Step 3: Merging Custom Fields
(05:20)
Let’s imagine you have an additional column of new custom field values you want to merge with the existing fields.
Instead of overwriting the old data, I’ll show you how to concatenate both the old and new fields.
(05:50)
We’ll create a new column for the merged custom fields. Then, using a concatenate formula, I’ll combine the existing and new custom fields.
Here’s the formula:
=CONCATENATE(existing_field, ";", new_field)
(07:05)
If needed, I’ll insert a semicolon between the entries to keep the formatting clean. Once the formula is applied, it merges the fields, creating one unified column for all custom fields.

Step 4: Fine-Tuning with IF Statements
(07:44)
To avoid issues where one field is blank, I’ll add an IF statement to the formula:
=IF(LEN(existing_field)>0, CONCATENATE(existing_field, ";", new_field), new_field)
This checks if a field is present before concatenating, ensuring that no extra semicolons are added if a field is empty.
(09:48)
This way, we get a clean result every time, even if one of the columns is blank. The formula automatically adjusts for cases where only one field is present.

Step 5: Finalizing the CSV
(12:17)
Now that everything looks good, I’ll fill down the formula for all rows and ensure no custom fields are lost in the process.

Step 6: Re-importing the CSV to BigCommerce
(12:48)
Once the CSV is ready, download it and go back to BigCommerce.
Go to Products → Import, and choose the CSV file.
Select the option that it was exported using bulk edit, and click Next.
(13:33)
In the import settings, match the Product Custom Fields column with the custom fields in the CSV.
Since we didn’t rename the column, BigCommerce will automatically match it, so we don’t need to do anything else here. Just click Next and start the import.

Step 7: Verifying the Changes
(14:12)
If there are no errors during the import, you’re good to go. Now, I’ll check the product in the store to verify the changes.
(14:49)
Let’s go to the custom fields section, and there it is—Another = Albatross has been added successfully. If I wanted to remove a field, I could do that easily with a find-and-replace in the CSV.

Wrap-Up
(15:18)
That’s how you edit, add, or remove custom fields using a CSV in BigCommerce. If this video helped you, please like, subscribe, and join the ecommerce growth community at ecommercegrowth.com.
If you need a developer for your site, check out Epic Design Labs and see if we’re a good fit. I appreciate you all—leave a comment if you’re stuck, and maybe it’ll be the topic of my next video. See you next time!