le January 19, 2025 4:11 PM

Introduction

In this article, we'll walk through how to use ShopFlow to create and publish a new product. We'll use our **Dawn's Embrace Mug** as an example to demonstrate the process. This guide covers preparing Excel to create our product, filling all the required fields on Excel and publish it. Then, we will verify our product directly on Excel and preview it on Shopify.

The pre-requisite of this article is to install the ShopFlow's app in Shopify's marketplace (https://apps.shopify.com/shop-flow) and the ShopFlow's excel addon from Excel (video).

Step 1: Preparing the data

We are launching an exciting new product—the Dawn's Embrace Mug. Before diving into the technical steps, it's important to feel the excitement of bringing this creation to life. Imagine the satisfaction of seeing your new mug, inspired by the peacefulness of dawn, becoming available to customers.

In this step, we'll prepare all the necessary data in Excel, which will later be used to publish the product via ShopFlow. Using Excel allows us to organize every detail methodically, ensuring that nothing is overlooked. Here’s an overview of what we’ll be filling out:

• Product Title and Handle: We'll start by naming our product. The title, Dawn's Embrace Mug, is not only a clear identifier but also sets the tone for the rest of the data. The handle, a URL-friendly version of the title, ensures our product can be easily found online (e.g., dawns-embrace-mug).
• Description: Crafting a compelling description is key. In our case, the description will highlight what makes this mug special—its design inspired by the tranquility of sunrise, the quality of craftsmanship, and how it brings warmth to everyday coffee moments.
• Product Type, Vendor, and Category: To keep things organized, we'll classify the product type as a "Coffee Mug" and list the vendor as "Sunrise Ceramics." This categorization helps in managing inventory and searching within the store. If applicable, assigning it to a specific category refines its placement within our product taxonomy.
• Tags and SEO Information: Tags like "coffee," "mug," "sunrise," and "morning" help customers find our mug quickly through search filters. SEO titles and descriptions ensure that when someone searches for a product like ours, our mug stands out with an appealing snippet that leads them to click.
• Images: A picture speaks a thousand words. Including an image of the Dawn's Embrace Mug provides a visual connection, making the product more tangible and appealing. In Excel, we'll reference the image URL along with alt text to describe the image for accessibility and SEO.

As you fill out the Excel sheet, think of each field as a piece of the story of the Dawn's Embrace Mug. You're not just entering data; you're crafting the narrative and specifications that will make your product shine when it's published. This preparation step sets a solid foundation, making the transition to ShopFlow seamless and efficient, while giving you the same sense of anticipation and accomplishment that comes with launching a new product.

Step 2: Preparing Excel for the product creation

In this step, we'll use the ShopFlow Excel add-on task panel to select all the necessary fields for our product creation. We won't fill in the data yet; instead, we'll add the fields that will be used to create the Dawn's Embrace Mug. This prepares our Excel sheet for a smooth data entry process later on.

Using the task panel, select the query "productCreate" that will unlock the fields selection. Then select the fields necessary to the product creation

• title:
  Description: The name of the product.
  Example: We set it to "Dawn's Embrace Mug" to clearly identify the mug.

• handle:
  Description: A URL-friendly version of the title.
  Example: It’s set to "dawns-embrace-mug" to ensure the product URL is simple and SEO-friendly.

• descriptionHtml:
  Description: Provides a rich HTML description of the product, highlighting its features and inspiration.
  Example: A heartfelt story about the mug, using HTML tags to emphasize key details like <strong> for important phrases.

• productType:
  Description: Categorizes the product, helping with inventory organization and search filtering.
  Example: We classify it as a "Coffee Mug".

• vendor:
  Description: Indicates the creator or brand behind the product.
  Example: Here, it’s "Sunrise Ceramics" to reflect the artisanal nature of the mug.

• tags:
  Description: Keywords associated with the product to improve searchability within the store.
  Example: Tags like coffee, mug, sunrise, morning, and personalized help customers find the mug based on its themes.

• seo:
  Description: Contains SEO-specific subfields to enhance online search performance.

  • seo.title: Optimized title for search engines.
  • seo.description: A concise summary of the product for search engine results.

• status:
  Description: Indicates the product’s availability status.
  Example: Set to "ACTIVE" so the product is ready to be sold immediately.

• images:
  Description: Associates images with the product to enhance its visual appeal.

  • originalSource: The URL of the product image.
  • alt: Alternative text describing the image, such as "Beatiful mug in the sunsite's color", for accessibility and SEO.
  • mediaContentType: Specifies the media type, in this case "IMAGE".

Once everything is selected, you can click on the "Load" button to create a table on Excel which will allow us to fill the data of our product.

Step 3: Filling Excel to create the product

Then we fill the Dawn's Embrace Mug data

• title: Dawn's Embrace Mug
• handle: dawns-embrace-mug
• descriptionHtml: <strong>Dawn's Embrace Mug</strong>: A warm and inviting coffee mug inspired by the tranquility of sunrise. Crafted to bring serenity and a sense of calm to your morning routine.
• productType: Coffee Mug
• vendor: Sunrise Ceramics
• tags: coffee, mug, sunrise, morning, personalized
• seo.title: Buy Dawn's Embrace Mug - Start Your Day with Serenity
• seo.description: Discover the Dawn's Embrace Mug, a beautifully designed coffee mug capturing the essence of sunrise. Perfect for brightening your mornings.
• status: ACTIVE
• images.originalSource: https://img.freepik.com/psd-gratuit/vue-rapprochee-tasse-cafe-isolee_23-2151833559.jpg
• images.alt: Mug in the sunset
• images.mediaContentType: IMAGE

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Once all data is filled in, simply click the "Publish" button in the Excel ribbon. This action will send your data through ShopFlow to create the Dawn's Embrace Mug product on Shopify.

Step 4: Verify product's creation on Excel

After publishing, it's important to confirm that the product was successfully created. We’ll do this in two parts:

1. Check the Notification Button
2. Create a query to berify today's products

1. Check the Notification Button

• Locate the Notification:
  After clicking "Publish", look for a notification in the ShopFlow task panel or ribbon area within Excel.

• Success Indicator:
  A successful product creation is indicated by:

  • A green checkmark
  • A success message, such as "Product created successfully"

• Error Handling:
  If you see an error or warning:

  • Review the message for details.
  • Troubleshoot based on the provided information (e.g., missing data or connectivity issues).

Once you see the success notification, you can proceed with verifying that the product appears as expected.

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2. Create a Query to Check Products Created Today

To further validate the creation and review recent products, you can execute a query to list products sorted by their creation date. This helps confirm that the Dawn's Embrace Mug is among the most recent additions.

Step 5: Preview our product on Shopify

With confirmation that the Dawn's Embrace Mug has been successfully created, the next step is to preview the product on your Shopify store. This allows you to see how the product appears to customers and verify that all details—such as images, descriptions are displayed correctly.

1. Log into Shopify Admin:
   Open your web browser and log into your Shopify admin dashboard using your store credentials.

2. Navigate to the Products Section:
   From the Shopify admin sidebar, click on "Products". This will display a list of all products in your store.

3. Search for the Mug:

   • In the search bar at the top of the Products page, type in keywords like Dawn's Embrace Mug or simply mug.

   • Look through the search results to locate your newly created product. It should appear near the top if sorted by creation date.

     

4. Open the Product Details:

   • Click on the Dawn's Embrace Mug from the list to open its detailed product page within the admin interface.

   • Review the information such as title, description, images, and variants to ensure everything is correct.

     

5. Preview the Product on Your Storefront:

   • Within the product detail page, look for a "Preview" button or link. This is usually located near the top or alongside the product images.

   • Click the "Preview" button. A new tab or window will open, showing how the Dawn's Embrace Mug appears on your live storefront.

     

6. Review the Live Product Page:

   • Check that the product image is displaying correctly.
   • Verify the description, pricing, and any other key details.
   • Ensure that the layout and style match your expectations and branding.

What to Look For:

• Visual Appeal: Confirm that the product image and design are clear and attractive.
• Accurate Information: The title, description, and other details should match the data you entered.
• Functionality: Test interactive elements such as variant selectors or "Add to Cart" buttons if available.

By following these steps, you gain confidence that the Dawn's Embrace Mug is correctly integrated into your Shopify store and ready for customers to discover. If anything looks off, you can return to the Shopify admin to make adjustments or revisit Excel and ShopFlow to correct the data.

You can install the ShopFlow's app in Shopify's marketplace (https://apps.shopify.com/shop-flow) and the ShopFlow's excel addon from Excel (video).