Order management is key for running a successful online store. Whether you're migrating from another platform, adding new sales channels, or uploading bulk orders, effective order importing ensures customer satisfaction.
This maintains accurate inventory count, prevents shipping delays, and keeps a record of customer purchases. Through this import process, merchants can minimize errors and improve overall efficiency. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to quickly import orders into Shopify for effective order management.
What are the Methods to Import Orders into Shopify?
There are three methods to import orders into Shopify, each with its own advantages and considerations. Understanding each option will allow you to choose the most efficient and appropriate method according to your business needs.
- Manual Order Import
- Upload CSV File
- Shopify Order Import App
1. Manual Order Import
As the name suggests, you have to manually add each order one by one into Shopify. It is suitable for small businesses has a limited number of orders. But it is time-consuming and allows full order customization.
- Log in to the Shopify admin with your store credentials.
- Navigate to Orders in the left-hand menu, where you will see the list of all orders.
- On the top right side, click Create orde
- Type the product name in the search bar or click on browse to select a product from your store inventory.
- Assign an order to the customer by clicking on the Customer search box or create a new customer.
- Enter the quantity, add discounts, and apply taxes or shipping rates if needed.
- Choose the payment status; Mark as paid or Pending.
- Review order details and click Save to finalize the order.
2. Upload CSV File
CSV file (Comma-Separated Values) allows you to store and organize a large number of orders. This imports multiple orders at once, reducing manual data entry. Shopify has a specific format for order import, so the file must be structured correctly to avoid errors.
CSV file must contain details like customer information, product SKUs, quantities, pricing, and order status.
- In the admin dashboard, navigate “Customers” tab on the left-side menu.
- Click the “Import” button on the top right side.
- Click Add file and upload a CSV file that contains the order data.
- Click “Import Customers” to process the orders.
The file format must match Shopify's import structure format. Incorrect headers or missing data will result in errors during upload.
3. Shopify Order Import Apps
Shopify App Store offers hundreds of third-party apps for importing and managing orders. These apps help to automate the process and provide additional features for order management.
EZ Importer
A straightforward solution for Shopify merchants to transfer customer order data from CSV files. Its mapping system and custom-built templates allow you to import from another Shopify store.
Pricing Plan: EZ Importer is free to install, but additional charges are applied.
Matrixify
Matrixify is a centralized hub for moving and handling your data. You can efficiently manage bulk data, automate order management processes, and ensure accurate data transfer between Shopify and other platforms.
Pricing: Matrixify comes in four different pricing plans.
- Free
- Basic $20/month
- Big $50/month
- Enterprise $200/month
EasyCSV
This app simplifies the handling of CSV and XLSX files to easily sync and update product information, inventory quantities, and order data. It can automatically sync and send data out when new orders come in.
Pricing Plan: EasyCSV comes with five different plans.
- Free
- Project Plan $9/month
- Business $29/month
- Custom Plan $39/month
How to Troubleshoot Common Shopify Order Import Errors?
Importing an order into Shopify is a straightforward process, but sometimes unexpected errors come and break the connection. Understanding and troubleshooting these issues is essential for proper order management and accurate records in your Shopify store.
CSV File Format
An incorrect CSV file format leads to import failures.
All the required fields in the CSV file format match with official Shopify template. This verifies that the data is organized correctly.
Duplicate Order
When you import orders with the same order number more than once, it causes duplication and creates confusion in managing inventory.
Before importing, double-check the order ID to identify and delete duplicates.
Missing Required Field
Missing required fields in the CSV file leads to import failure.
Verify that the required fields must be added or properly formatted before importing. Fill up all missing information and remove empty fields, incorrect data types to avoid failures again.
Order Import Delay
Large file size slows down the import process.
Split large CSV files into smaller batches or compress images to minimize data load.
Order Status
Wrong order status confuses the customers, affects their experience, and the brand identity.
Set the product status accurately to define the current state of the order clearly. This helps to prevent errors and maintain workflow accuracy.
Ensure the product status matches Shopify order status to prevent errors and maintain workflow accuracy. Review status mapping, which helps avoid inconsistencies and smooth order management.
Mismatch Product SKU
The SKU in the import file does not match the products in the Shopify catalog, which causes fulfillment issues. This mismatch prevents Shopify from correctly linking the product to the order.
Double-check that the SKU in the import file matches the Shopify product listing exactly, including formatting, spacing, and capitalization.
