How to Bulk Edit Products by CSV on BigCommerce

Managing a large product catalog on BigCommerce can be overwhelming, but did you know that you can easily bulk edit your products using CSV files? In this step-by-step video tutorial, I’ll walk you through the process of efficiently updating product details on your store, using custom fields as an example.

Whether you’re looking to update prices, descriptions, or custom fields across hundreds of products, this guide will show you how to make changes quickly and confidently. By the end of this video, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge to manage your store more effectively, saving you hours of manual data entry.

Why You Should Watch This Video

Hands-on Guidance: If you’ve been told about bulk editing via CSV but don’t know where to start, this video is for you. I’ll show you the exact steps you need to take, ensuring no detail is missed.
Pro Tip: Learn a crucial tip upfront—how making one small change in your live store before exporting the CSV file can simplify the entire bulk editing process.
Practical Example: I’ll walk you through a real-world scenario of adding and editing custom fields, so you can see the process in action before applying it to your own store.
Save Time: Instead of manually editing products one by one, discover how using a CSV file can help you make bulk changes faster, with less hassle.

Key Highlights from the Video

Here’s a quick breakdown of what you’ll learn in the video:

(00:02) – Introduction to bulk editing on BigCommerce using CSV files and a pro tip to test changes live before exporting.
(01:45) – Step-by-step demo of adding a custom field to a product and exporting all products using the Bulk Edit template.
(03:20) – Navigating the CSV file in Google Sheets, where to find the Custom Fields column, and making bulk edits.
(06:42) – Tips on how to edit other fields like brand names, descriptions, and prices through the same CSV process.
(08:25) – Reimporting the edited CSV into BigCommerce, checking for errors, and confirming the successful updates to your store.

Watch the Full Tutorial

Ready to take control of your BigCommerce product management? Watch the full video above for all the details and start bulk editing your products today!

For more e-commerce tips and tutorials, be sure to subscribe to my channel. If you need expert help with your store, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Epic Design Labs.

Full Transcript

(00:02)
Introduction
“Hello! Are you looking to edit all of your BigCommerce products through CSV? Have you heard about the bulk edit method but aren’t sure what it is? Or maybe you just want to watch someone do it to ensure you understand. Well, you’re in luck! In this video, I’ll show you how to do exactly that.”
(00:27)
Who I Am
“Before we get started, my name is Kal. I’m a developer, store owner, and I run a private group for e-commerce store owners like you, called E-Commerce Growth. Each week, I post new e-commerce videos on this channel. If you find this content helpful, please subscribe and hit the bell to see more!”

How to Bulk Edit Products Using CSV
(01:06)
Pro Tip
“Before we dive in, here’s a pro tip: think about the change you want to make and test it on your live store before exporting. This way, you can see how the change will look and work once applied to your CSV.”
(01:45)
Step 1: Adding a Custom Field
“I’m going to add a custom field to a test product as an example. Let’s edit the product, create a custom field, name it Test Field, and give it a test value. Click save, and now we’ve added the custom field to one product.”
(02:13)
Step 2: Exporting the Products
“Next, head to Products > Export. Always choose the Bulk Edit template for easy column matching during reimport. Start generating the export, wait a few seconds or minutes, then download the file.”
(02:45)
Step 3: Opening the CSV in Google Sheets
“After downloading, I open the file using Google Sheets (though you can use any CSV editor like Excel or Office 365). Here’s what the data looks like in spreadsheet form—various columns for product types, IDs, names, etc.”

Navigating and Editing the CSV
(03:20)
Step 4: Locating Custom Fields
“Scroll through the spreadsheet to find the column for Product Custom Fields. If you don’t have custom fields already, this column may not appear.”
(04:37)
Step 5: Freezing Rows and Columns
“To make things easier, I freeze the first row and the first column so that when I scroll, I can still see the product names.”
(05:12)
Step 6: Editing the Custom Field Values
“Let’s locate the custom field we added earlier. To apply it to all products, drag the custom field value down through the rows. You can customize each product’s field as needed (e.g., Red, Unicorn, etc.). You can even apply multiple custom fields, separating them with a comma.”

Additional Edits and Reimporting
(06:42)
Step 7: Editing Other Fields
“You can edit other product attributes too, like brand names, descriptions (ensure they are in HTML), prices, etc. CSV editing is versatile!”
(07:46)
Step 8: Download the Edited CSV
“Once you’ve made your changes, download the updated file as a CSV.”
(08:25)
Step 9: Reimporting into BigCommerce
“Go back to your BigCommerce store, navigate to the Product Import section, and drag the updated file in. Be sure to check the box that says the file was exported using the Bulk Edit template.”

Final Checks and Results
(09:33)
Step 10: Verifying the Import
“Once the import is complete, make sure to check for any errors. If something goes wrong, you’ll get a link to see the error details. Always pay attention to this!”
(10:03)
Step 11: Checking the Product
“Let’s view one of the products. As you can see, the custom field we added is now live. Mission accomplished!”

Recap and Final Thoughts
(10:40)
Review and Wrap-Up
“To recap:
Make the change you want on one product as a benchmark.
Export using the Bulk Edit template.
Make your changes in a CSV editor (Google Sheets or Excel).
Reimport the CSV with the bulk edit option checked.
Voila! Changes applied successfully.”
“If this video was helpful, hit the like button! And if you’d like to join my community of store owners, check out ecommercegrowth.com. Need a developer team? Reach out to us at epicdesignlabs.com.”
(11:20)
“Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next video!”