Catalog Intake

Documentation

Catalog Intake documentation for Shopify merchants

Learn how to turn vendor CSVs, Excel .xlsx files, PDFs, packing slips, invoices, product sheets, and images into reviewed Shopify products, selected sales channel publishing, or approved inventory updates.

Start with the workflow Contact support

Getting started

Getting started with Catalog Intake

Use this workflow when a vendor sends product data in a file that is not already Shopify-ready.

  • Install Catalog Intake from the Shopify App Store.
  • Confirm the store profile so product types, option names, tags, image rules, and inventory behavior match your catalog.
  • Upload a vendor CSV, Excel .xlsx file, PDF, invoice, packing slip, product sheet, line sheet, or product image.
  • Review extracted rows, grouped variants, image suggestions, pricing, SKUs, barcodes, and inventory quantities.
  • Approve only the rows you want to send to Shopify.
  • Create draft products, publish active products to selected sales channels, or update inventory for matching barcodes.

First import walkthrough

First vendor import walkthrough

A first import should be small enough to review carefully while still showing the full Catalog Intake workflow.

  • Start with one vendor file, Excel .xlsx spreadsheet, invoice, packing slip, product sheet, or product image.
  • Review extracted product rows for titles, vendors, variants, prices, SKUs, barcodes, quantities, and image matches.
  • Fix variant grouping, missing images, unclear barcodes, or product type choices before approving rows.
  • Approve only the rows that should be sent to Shopify.
  • Create draft products, create active products for selected sales channels, or update inventory for existing barcode matches.
  • Open the Shopify products or inventory results after the push and confirm the changes.

Supported files

Supported vendor file types

Catalog Intake is built for the messy vendor sources merchants already receive.

  • CSV and Excel .xlsx files from suppliers, distributors, ERPs, and vendor portals.
  • PDF product sheets, invoices, order sheets, packing slips, and line sheets.
  • JPG, PNG, HEIC, HEIF, and WebP images of packing slips, product labels, shipment tables, or product paperwork.
  • Files with one product, many products, or repeated variant rows such as sizes, colors, editions, formats, widths, or other options.
  • Scanned or photographed documents work best when the text, barcode digits, quantities, and table headers are clear.

Extracted fields

Product fields Catalog Intake extracts

The app turns vendor source material into structured product rows for merchant review.

  • Product title, vendor, product type, category clues, tags, and handle-ready naming.
  • Variant option values such as size, color, width, edition, format, length, diameter, or other product-specific choices.
  • SKU, barcode or UPC, price, compare-at price or MSRP, cost where visible, and inventory quantity.
  • Image matches from Shopify Files based on filenames, product names, SKUs, colorways, or configured image rules.
  • Review flags for missing fields, duplicate SKUs, unclear barcodes, suspicious variants, and rows that need merchant attention.

Store profile

Store profile and import rules

Catalog Intake uses a store profile so imports follow the way your Shopify catalog is already organized.

  • Scan the connected Shopify catalog so Catalog Intake can learn current vendors, product types, option labels, tags, and naming patterns.
  • Choose whether to mirror existing catalog structure or use a cleaner generic retail profile.
  • Control default vendors, product types, option names, generated tags, title cleanup, and product grouping behavior.
  • Set field push rules so only approved titles, SKUs, barcodes, prices, inventory, images, tags, or product metadata are sent to Shopify.
  • Adjust rules before approving a batch when a vendor file uses unusual naming, option, or barcode patterns.

Review queue

Review queue before Shopify changes

Catalog Intake is review-first. It does not send product or inventory changes until merchants approve the batch and push it.

  • Every extracted row enters a review queue where merchants can edit product fields before pushing.
  • Rows are grouped into products and variants so merchants review the actual Shopify product shape, not disconnected spreadsheet rows.
  • Warnings highlight missing barcodes, missing SKUs, duplicate identifiers, invalid variants, unknown product types, and image issues.
  • Merchants can approve, reject, or edit rows before creating products, publishing selected sales channels, or updating inventory.
  • The push review step shows what will happen in Shopify before the app sends approved changes.

Variants

Variant grouping and cleanup

Many vendor files list variants as repeated rows or size-grid tables. Catalog Intake groups them into Shopify-ready product structures.

  • Group rows by product title, vendor, color, SKU pattern, barcode pattern, and configured store rules.
  • Normalize option labels such as Size, Color, Width, Length, Edition, Format, or store-specific labels.
  • Keep sibling variants consistent across shared titles, vendors, product types, tags, images, and pricing where appropriate.
  • Detect incomplete variant groups, duplicate variants, one-size products, and rows where a vendor table needs manual review.
  • Edit a field once and apply it across matching variants when the grouped product should stay consistent.

Image matching

Shopify Files image matching

Catalog Intake can suggest product images that already exist in Shopify Files.

  • Match images by filename patterns, product title, SKU, barcode, colorway, vendor, or configured image-handling rules.
  • Attach suggested Shopify Files images during review instead of manually searching for every product image.
  • Keep merchants in control by showing image matches before approved rows are pushed.
  • Use image handling settings to decide when images should be matched, replaced, skipped, or reviewed manually.
  • Review unmatched products so missing or ambiguous images do not block the rest of the batch.

Product status

Creating Shopify draft or active products

Approved new products are created as drafts by default. When merchants enable active product mode, Catalog Intake can publish approved products to selected Shopify sales channels.

  • Create draft or active products from approved rows only.
  • Push grouped variants, product titles, vendors, product types, prices, SKUs, barcodes, quantities, tags, categories, and images according to the store profile.
  • Use draft status as the default safety layer before products appear on the storefront.
  • Select destinations such as Online Store, Shop, POS, or other available Shopify sales channels before pushing active products.
  • Review the exact push destination summary before products are created or published.
  • Review push results after creation so merchants can see which products were created and which rows need attention.
  • Avoid duplicate creation by reviewing SKU, barcode, and existing-product signals before pushing.

Inventory updates

Updating inventory by barcode

Catalog Intake can update existing inventory when an extracted row matches an existing Shopify product or variant by barcode.

  • Use barcode matching to find existing Shopify variants before creating new products.
  • Preview whether a row will create a product or update inventory before pushing.
  • Choose the Shopify inventory location used for stock updates.
  • Review unclear, missing, duplicate, or conflicting barcodes instead of guessing.
  • Use inventory behavior settings to control whether approved rows update counts or remain product drafts only.

Shopify actions

Creating products and inventory updates

After review, Catalog Intake sends approved rows to Shopify as draft products, active products published to selected sales channels, or inventory updates.

  • Create draft products from approved new-product rows by default.
  • Create active products and publish them to selected sales channels when that setting is enabled.
  • Update existing inventory when approved rows match Shopify variants by barcode.
  • Send cleaned titles, tags, product types, option names, prices, SKUs, barcodes, quantities, and image matches according to store settings.
  • Use catalog cleanup tools to compare imported product data against existing store conventions before pushing.
  • Review push results after Shopify changes are created.

Pricing and limits

Plans, upload limits, and trials

Catalog Intake plans are based on monthly upload volume, with higher tiers for busier stores.

  • Lite starts at 50 uploads per month.
  • Starter includes 150 uploads per month.
  • Growth includes 400 uploads per month.
  • Pro includes 1,000 uploads per month.
  • Each plan includes CSV, Excel .xlsx, PDF, image, and packing slip intake, Shopify Files image matching, inventory updates by barcode, draft product creation, and optional active publishing to selected sales channels.
  • All paid plans include a 7-day free trial on the Shopify App Store listing.

Permissions

Shopify permissions and data access

Catalog Intake asks for only the Shopify access needed to process catalog intake and approved product changes.

  • Product and inventory access is needed to create products, read existing variants, match barcodes, and update approved inventory counts.
  • Publication access is needed when merchants choose to publish active products to selected Shopify sales channels.
  • Shopify Files access is needed to suggest product image matches from files already uploaded to Shopify.
  • Location access is needed so approved inventory updates can target the correct Shopify inventory location.
  • Store owner contact data is used for account, support, and required Shopify app operation purposes.
  • Catalog Intake is not designed to collect Shopify customer records, orders, payment data, or shopper tracking data.

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting common import issues

Most issues are caused by unclear source files, missing vendor fields, duplicate identifiers, or store rules that need adjustment.

  • CSV and Excel .xlsx files work best when columns have clear headers for title, SKU, barcode, variant option, price, and quantity.
  • If a PDF extracts poorly, use a cleaner source PDF when possible and check whether the table headers, quantities, SKUs, and barcodes are readable.
  • If a photo or scan extracts poorly, retake it straight-on with the full table visible, good lighting, and barcode digits in focus.
  • If variants look wrong, check the option label, grouping, and product type rules in the store profile.
  • If inventory does not update, confirm that the Shopify variant has the same barcode and that the target inventory location is correct.
  • If an image does not match, check Shopify Files filenames and the image handling rules used by the store profile.
  • If a product is not created, review missing required fields, rejected rows, duplicate SKUs, barcode warnings, and push result messages.

Support

What to include in a support request

A complete support request helps identify whether the issue is extraction, review, image matching, product creation, sales channel publishing, or inventory update behavior.

  • Send the Shopify shop domain and the vendor or supplier name.
  • Include the file type, such as CSV, Excel .xlsx, PDF, invoice, packing slip, product sheet, JPG, PNG, HEIC, HEIF, or WebP.
  • Describe where the issue happened: upload, extraction, variant grouping, image matching, approval, product creation, sales channel publishing, or inventory update.
  • Include a screenshot of the review row or push result when possible.
  • Mention the expected title, SKU, barcode, quantity, variant, image, or product type when a row needs correction.
  • Email support@catalogintake.com with those details.

Documentation FAQ

Common merchant questions

Can Catalog Intake publish active products?

Draft is the default. Merchants can enable active product mode and select the Shopify sales channels to publish to, then review the destination summary before pushing approved products.

What counts as an upload?

An upload means one submitted vendor file or image. A single upload can contain one product or many product rows, depending on the vendor file. Upload limits are based on submitted files, not product rows.

Can Catalog Intake update inventory instead of creating products?

Yes. When an extracted row matches an existing Shopify variant by barcode, merchants can review and approve an inventory update instead of creating a duplicate product.

Does Catalog Intake work outside one retail category?

Yes. Store profile rules adapt product types, variant labels, tags, vendors, and image matching to the merchant's catalog.

What is the store profile scan?

Catalog Intake scans the connected Shopify catalog to learn how your store already uses product types, tags, vendors, option names, variants, and image patterns. The app uses that profile to organize new vendor imports so they better match your existing catalog.

Should merchants still review extracted rows?

Yes. File quality and vendor formatting can vary, so Catalog Intake is designed around merchant review and approval before anything is sent to Shopify.