BigCommerce's CSV import is more structured than Shopify's and more forgiving than WooCommerce's, but it has its own quirks. The column names are different from every other platform, variants work differently, and there are required fields that aren't obvious until your import fails.
This guide covers the format BigCommerce expects, the fields that matter, and the mistakes that waste your time.
BigCommerce vs. other platforms
BigCommerce uses "Item Type" instead of Shopify's "Handle" system or WooCommerce's "Type" field. Every row in a BigCommerce CSV is either "Product" or "SKU" (their term for variant). The parent product row contains all the shared data, and each SKU row contains variant-specific data like price, weight, and stock.
Column names are also unique: "Product Name" instead of "Title," "Product Description" instead of "Body (HTML)," "Price" instead of "Variant Price." If you're converting from another platform, you can't just rename a few columns and import.
Required columns
- Item Type — "Product" for parent rows, "SKU" for variant rows. This is the most important column. Get it wrong and nothing imports correctly.
- Product Name — The title. Only on parent rows.
- Price — Selling price as a decimal number.
- Product Type — BigCommerce requires this: "physical" or "digital."
- Product Code/SKU — Unique identifier. BigCommerce uses this for variant matching.
How variants work
BigCommerce handles variants through option sets. In the CSV, parent product rows define the option name and display style (dropdown, swatch, radio buttons). Variant rows (Item Type = "SKU") then specify the option value and their own price, weight, and stock.
The key column is "Option Set" on parent rows and the option value columns on SKU rows. Unlike Shopify where option names are inline ("Option1 Name," "Option1 Value"), BigCommerce references pre-defined option sets.
Custom fields and brand
BigCommerce supports custom fields directly in the CSV with "Custom Fields" column. The format is name=value pairs separated by semicolons. For example: "Material=Cotton;Origin=USA;Care=Machine wash."
The "Brand" column maps to a BigCommerce brand object. If the brand doesn't exist in your store, BigCommerce creates it during import. This is actually more convenient than Shopify, which just has a text "Vendor" field.
Common import mistakes
- Missing "Product Type" — Every product must be "physical" or "digital." BigCommerce rejects rows without this.
- Wrong "Item Type" casing — It must be exactly "Product" or "SKU" with that capitalization.
- HTML in descriptions — BigCommerce accepts HTML but renders it literally. Double-check that your HTML tags are clean, not double-encoded.
- Weight as zero — For physical products, BigCommerce may flag zero-weight items during shipping calculation.
Skip the formatting headaches
Catalogd generates BigCommerce-ready CSVs with the correct column names, Item Type assignments, variant structure, and product type fields already filled in. Upload your spreadsheet and download a file that's ready for BigCommerce's importer. Try it free with 5 products.