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Bulk Import Overhaul / Background Tasks UI
We've completely rethought how bulk product updates work — and built a new Background Tasks system so you always know exactly what's happening. The new import wizard auto-suggests mappings, validates data before processing, offers bulk correction with a preview when validation errors appear, and provides persistent tracking of every bulk operation. Together, these changes mean fewer support tickets and more confidence when making large-scale catalog changes.
@Colin Eckert
ProductCareSalesMarketing
See It in Action
4 items — click to enlarge
Why This Matters
- Faster bulk workflows — reduced time to upload, map, and process large product files by up to 40%
- Fewer errors — clearer field definitions and better validation catch mistakes before they cause problems
- Better visibility — the new Background Tasks UI provides real-time tracking of imports, exports, and bulk actions
- Better repeat experience — reuse previous column mappings so recurring imports are set-and-forget
What's New
- 1Added a template cheatsheet that clearly explains each CSV column, including definitions, requirements, and example values
- 2Clarified commonly confusing fields (e.g., SKU vs Product ID vs Variant Group ID) to reduce mapping errors
- 3Extended these definitions into the header mapping step for better in-flow guidance
- 4Introduced "Export existing products" as a quick way to back up data before making bulk changes
- 5Improved import speed by auto-mapping known headers and skipping unnecessary mapping steps
- 6Added the ability to reuse previous mappings or skip header mapping entirely for repeat uploads
- 7Introduced an import progress bar with batched execution visibility
- 8Launched a new Background Tasks menu to track imports, exports, and future bulk operations, with quick access to errors
- 9Improved error handling for invalid files (e.g., clear messaging for unsupported formats like Excel instead of CSV)
- 10When validation errors appear during import, merchants can use bulk error correction: for a given issue (e.g. invalid Status), set a proposed value once, preview current vs new values per row, then confirm to apply the fix across every affected row in the file
Known Limitations
- Some bulk workflows still depend on correct CSV formatting and field mapping
- Advanced bulk operations (e.g., tax/category/price adjustment assignment) are still being expanded in Background Tasks
- Non-CSV file types (e.g., XLSX, XML) are not supported for import