How to import products from Amazon to Shopify

Amazon and Shopify are two of the largest e-commerce platforms on today’s market, and many digital retailers leverage both simultaneously to maximize sales. But with this dual-channel approach comes twice the work to ensure your online inventory is accurate and up to date.

Whether you’re facilitating Amazon dropshipping on Shopify, expanding your online presence, or replicating your product catalog, knowing how to import Amazon products to Shopify is an important skill for an e-commerce merchant. But without the proper guidance, it can be challenging to learn how to sell on Shopify.

We created this guide to help you get started with your Amazon to Shopify product import. From considerations and challenges to step-by-step instructions, this guide is your first stop on the way to a smoother import process.

What is an Amazon to Shopify product import?

When online retailers want to bring their Amazon product feed to Shopify, they must run an Amazon to Shopify product import. This process involves uploading Amazon inventory data to Shopify to ensure consistency and accuracy across e-commerce platforms.

There are two important categories of Amazon to Shopify product import tools: direct migration and synchronization. Direct migration is a one-time action that imports a single set of product data from Amazon to Shopify. This could be used for re-platforming or data consolidation. Synchronization is an ongoing process that ensures your Shopify store accurately reflects your Amazon inventory. This is more commonly performed when managing multiple channels simultaneously.

Once you’ve decided which import use case best fits your needs, choose an import style to upload your files. Amazon to Shopify integration is typically performed in one of three ways:

1. Manual import: Create and upload individual product listings manually. This is best for small companies with very few products or variations, or companies looking to make small changes, but comes with a high risk of manual errors and high time consumption. It’s free to use.
2. Bulk upload: Use Comma-Separated Values (CSV) spreadsheets to upload large amounts of inventory data at once. This approach is best for growing stores with large product catalogs, migrating platforms, and managing large data sets efficiently. There’s still a risk of manual error, but with less time commitment than manual imports. It’s also free to use.
3. Using apps or tools: Automate and enhance data import and export through the use of specialized digital tools. Best for maximum efficiency and error reduction, as well as automation, specialized functions, and large corporations. Lowest time commitment and error rate. However, many top tools require financial investment.

As you select your preferred import method, keep these key terms in mind:

• CSV: CSV files are plain text files that store your product data in a table format. These files are standard for importing and exporting product data between platforms.
• API: An Application Programming Interface (API) is a digital framework that lets two software applications communicate with each other. This technology can be used to connect Amazon to Shopify directly via their respective APIs.
• Integrations: Tools designed to connect digital solutions, often provided by a third party. These programs act as a bridge between Amazon and Shopify to simplify importing.

These terms will be central to the different methods you may use to import products from Amazon to Shopify. Each has its own benefits and challenges, so you should understand the ins and outs to make an informed decision.

Methods to import Amazon products into Shopify

The method you choose to transfer Amazon products to Shopify will depend on your scope of work, the level of effort you want to make, and your willingness to invest. Some methods offer ease of use and automation but come at a higher cost.

1. Manual CSV import/export

Importing your product data manually is an easy way to save while still maintaining the accuracy of your Shopify storefront. However, this method requires a bit more work and can be more error-prone than others. Manual CSV importing is best for businesses with a small or simple product list.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Export your product data from Amazon by requesting your Active Listings Report under the Inventory menu.
2. Edit your product CSV file to match Shopify’s formatting standards. You can ensure you meet standards by downloading Shopify’s CSV template.
3. Upload your product data to Shopify in the Shopify Admin menu. Make sure you deselect Publish new products to all sales channels to avoid publishing before review.
4. Double-check and organize your product data to ensure correctness.
5. Finalize your import by clicking Import products.

As you continue to update your store, you’ll need to repeat this process regularly to create a consistently accurate customer experience.

• Pros: Free to perform, good for small businesses, most control over the process
• Cons: Error-prone, not automated, must be repeated regularly

2. Using Shopify apps and third-party tools

If you’re looking for the easiest way possible to migrate your Amazon listings to another platform, third-party tools and apps in the Shopify App Store can make this process simple and automatic. However, you may need to pay for their use.

Here’s how that process may work, depending on your chosen solution:

1. Select a tool of your choice, whether through the Shopify App Store or a third-party provider.
2. Install your app and connect it to your Amazon account.
3. Choose your import method and upload product data. Third-party solutions may offer the option to use URLs, CSVs, or tools that scrape your Amazon account for data.
4. Adjust any optional settings inside your third-party tool.
5. Follow your tool’s instructions for importing data to Shopify.

With third-party apps, there’s no one way to import your data, so it’s hard to gauge how complex the process may be until you use one. However, many of these apps offer continuous synchronization, meaning that if the setup process is complex, you have to perform it only once to have automated, recurring updates for your Shopify storefront.

Although it’s currently in early access stages, Shopify is developing a native Store Migration App that lets you perform the entire import process easily within the Shopify platform. For now, you will need to choose a third-party solution that meets your needs.

• Pros: Automated, allows for synchronization, least amount of effort required
• Cons: May require financial investment, process varies based on tool

3. API-based solutions for larger catalogs

Some larger organizations may have product catalogs that would require too much manual work to move and don’t fit into the capabilities of any third-party tools. In this case, you may have to develop your own API, which can be a lot of effort.

While your process will likely vary depending on your exact circumstances, these are some high-level checkpoints you may encounter as you get started on developing your own solution:

1. Acquire an Amazon Seller Account and a Shopify Partner Account.
2. Obtain the necessary API keys, tokens, and other credentials from both platforms.
3. Align your data to ensure compatibility with both platforms.
4. Choose a programming language and develop your integration script, including API authentication, product data synchronization, automated reformatting, and more.
5. Deploy your API tool and monitor its performance, making updates and performing maintenance over time.

This potentially time-intensive development process requires a higher level of technical expertise than other methods. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, you can hire a developer to assist. However, this will increase your overall investment.

• Pros: Customized solution, best for large or complex data sets, total control
• Cons: Technically difficult, time-intensive, longest lead time, possibly expensive

Whether you’re starting a Shopify storefront from scratch or just updating it, you need to stay on top of a few important factors.

Key considerations before migrating Amazon products

One of the key advantages of Shopify is being able to move product data from one platform to another. But before your Amazon to Shopify product import can be a success, you also need to

• Ensure data accuracy by carefully reviewing exported Amazon data before migration.
• Check product image quality and SEO metadata.
• Synchronize pricing and inventory to eliminate data discrepancies.
• Cross-check the current Shopify data against the imported files to ensure there are no duplicate listings.
• Familiarize yourself with Amazon and Shopify policies to ensure compliance.

As you learn how to sell online across these two platforms, taking these additional precautions will be just as important as performing the Amazon to Shopify product import itself.

Common challenges and how to avoid them

As with every data migration, there are a few possible issues to prepare for when gearing up for an Amazon seller to Shopify product import. It’s important to face these challenges head-on so your Shopify storefront is accurate and doesn’t frustrate customers. 

• Data formatting issues: Shopify requires specific formatting for product import files. To avoid problems caused by mis-formatted data, follow the Shopify CSV template and double-check your data’s accuracy.
• SKU mismatches: These often occur during manual imports when SKUs are entered incorrectly. This can lead to lost sales and wasted inventory. Ensure your data is synchronized and your product SKUs are entered correctly before importing.
• Inventory and pricing discrepancies: If your pricing and inventory don’t match across your Amazon and Shopify storefronts, you risk confusing customers. Synchronizing your product data ensures both storefronts are updated in real time, eliminating discrepancies between them.
• Tool limitations: If you use a third-party app to import from Amazon to Shopify, some tools have limited functionality. Research tools carefully before investing to ensure your chosen solution can handle your needs.
• Maintaining product reviews and ratings: Product reviews don’t transfer over when you import products from Amazon to Shopify. If you wish to maintain your ratings and reviews, you’ll have to find another app to transfer them after import.

When transferring data directly from Amazon to Shopify, maintaining data accuracy can be challenging, which is why trusting an intermediary solution may be in your best interest.

Simplify product imports with CSV/Excel with Jotform

If you’ve determined that CSV or Excel files are your best option for importing products from Amazon to Shopify, be prepared to adjust your CSV files to match Shopify’s unique formatting requirements. That’s where Jotform comes in. Jotform’s Product List field makes it faster and more flexible to list your products on your website by ensuring your Amazon data files are compliant with Shopify standards.

Rather than dealing with your CSV files after uploading them directly from Amazon to Shopify, use Jotform as a checkpoint to perform a few key functions, including

• Reviewing and cleaning up product names, pricing, and descriptions to ensure consistency
• Standardizing SKUs and product categories to avoid mismatched product data
• Pulling product data from your Amazon catalog to generate custom order forms, pre-orders, wholesale requests, and more
• Maintaining a centralized product list that can be used to update your storefronts across multiple channels

Using Jotform as the middleman between Amazon and Shopify lets you keep your product data under control. Here’s how to import products to your form:

1. Export your Amazon listings as a CSV file.
2. In Jotform’s Form Builder, create a form.
3. Once your form is generated, add a Product List field.
4. Click on the Shopping Cart icon on the right, and then select Import in the side menu.
5. Upload your CSV/Excel file to the Product List field. By clicking CSV/Excel in the Import Products window, Jotform will automatically map product details such as title, price, and SKU.
6. Review and edit your items, then click Import to add this to your form and use this refined catalog for your Amazon Shopify migration or other workflows.

This method isn’t limited to just Amazon to Shopify imports. Jotform also supports Shopify CSV imports. So, if you’re syncing products from elsewhere, you can keep your data consistent without the risk of errors through manual data entry.

Choosing the right path for your Amazon to Shopify migration

There are several ways to import products from Amazon to Shopify successfully. If you’re a small business, manually uploading CSVs can be easy and effective. Larger organizations, on the other hand, can invest in API solutions. Apps also offer streamlined solutions that can cater to businesses of all sizes.

Consider the time you’re willing to invest, the features you need, the complexity of your data, and if outside help is in your budget. No matter which method you choose, streamline your process (possibly by getting a little help from Jotform) so you can effectively grow your business across both platforms.