Need to add or make changes to lots of products at once? No need to do it one at a time. Add or edit your products in bulk using a CSV file!
This guide covers how to get the CSV, what information you'll need and how to upload it to Lightspeed.
Grab your menu, and let’s get started!
Or, check out this video with Joel, a Lightspeed Account Manager. Using real-life examples, he shows you tips and tricks to add and edit items in bulk.
What’s in this guide?
Before you begin
Add new products: download the Import Template
Fill out the CSV
Upload the CSV to Lightspeed
Edit existing products: download the Product Export
Frequently Asked Questions
Before you begin
- You’ll need Google Sheets to read CSV files.
- Make sure you are using a desktop or laptop to access this feature as it is not accessible on the iOS or Android App, and let's be honest - it's much easier using a spreadsheet app with a keyboard and mouse
- Make sure your Tax Settings are correct.
- Head over to Company settings
- Under the Details tab, look for Tax Settings
- Choose between Use Tax Inclusive Prices or Use Tax Exclusive Prices
Note - Make sure to choose the correct option, because this will affect the CSV that you will download.
Add new products: download the Import Template
1. After making sure you have the right tax settings, under Products from the Back Office, select the cloud icon with the arrow pointing up
2. Select Get the Import Template
3. Open the CSV file using Google Sheets.
Fill out the CSV
Now that you have the CSV downloaded, it is time to fill in the details.
When adding new products: The CSV will be blank. Mind that some columns must NOT be filled.
When editing your products: The CSV will have all your existing products. Edit the columns that correspond to the changes you want. Note that there are columns that you should NOT edit.
In this section, you will see the significance of each field. If required fields are left blank, you will receive an error message once you upload the CSV.
| CSV Field | Description | Is this required? | How to use |
| Product ID | A unique number assigned by Lightspeed to each Product in a Company | Yes |
Do not edit If uploading new products, leave blank |
| Product No | Often used for custom integrations, not used by Lightspeed | No | Numbers and letters can be used |
| Product Name | This is the name of your Product or Modifier that will show on: POS, production dockets, tax receipts and purchase orders |
Yes | Use a unique name for each Product or Modifier |
| Barcode | Used in conjunction with a barcode scanner for search functionality | No | A unique number is recommended but not required |
| SKU | Use the SKU field to map this product with other apps, such as eCommerce | No | Numbers and letters can be used. Needs to be unique |
| Unit | Define the measure of this product by unit, weight or volume | Yes |
“unit” is used for a single item by default |
|
Default Size |
Used with the unit selected
This is the size of the purchased or created product (Smaller increments will be specified in recipes) |
Yes |
Only numbers can be used and will apply to the Unit
e.g. 700ml |
|
Sell Price Inc Tax or Sell Price Ex Tax |
A company-wide selling price to be used as a starting price for a product
We recommend using one format consistently across a Company If a product does not attract tax, this is defined by the tax code This price is not fixed and can be influenced by Option Sets, Price Lists and Variants |
Yes | Use numbers and do not include a currency symbol |
| Sell Tax Code | The CODE of the tax that is applicable when being sold | Yes | You will need to add your tax types before performing the import |
|
Cost Price Inc Tax or Cost Price Ex Tax |
A company-wide cost price used for Purchasing and COGS reporting. This price includes LUC but not GST |
Yes | Use numbers and do not include a currency symbol |
| Cost Tax Code | The specific tax type you are purchasing this product with | Yes | You will need to add your tax types before performing the import |
| Is Modifier | This indicates if an item is a Product or Modifier | Yes |
1 = Modifier
0 = Product |
| Print Docket | This indicates if an item should be printed on a production docket | Yes |
1 = Print on docket 0 = Don’t print |
| Tags |
Used for filtering products when searching in Back Office and POS.
You can assign multiple tags to a product. |
No |
Letters and numbers can be used
Separate them with a “,” when multiple are being used |
| Category Names | Categories group products together on the POS screen | No | Letters and numbers can be used
Separate them with a “,” when multiple are being used |
| Sell Account | This defines if a product or modifier can be sold via POS | Yes |
1= Sold from POS 0 = Not sold from POS |
| Buy Account | This defines if a product or modifier can be ordered via Purchase | Yes |
1= Ordered from Purchase
0 = Not ordered from Purchase |
| Inventory Account | This defines if a product or modifier can be counted as stock Whether they appear in a Stock on hand report or stock count | Yes |
1= Counted stock item 0 = Not counted stock item |
| Image URL | This is used for adding images to the product tile on the POS screen | No |
Put the URL of an image here to link an image from a website If the URL changes, the image will stop displaying on the POS Avoid using images on websites that require a login or password to access |
| Reporting Group |
This defines how this item is recorded for Insights reports
You will start with 2 default Reporting groups, Drink and Food These can be changed and will impact the reports run after the change |
No |
Only one Reporting Group can be given too a Product or Modifier If no Reporting Group is defined, it will default to “None” in Insights |
| Friendly Name | This is the name shown for integrations that use Online Products |
No | Numbers and letters can be used |
| Show Online | This toggles product off and on for integrations that sync with Online Products |
No |
0 = Off
|
| Online Description | The description shown for integrations that use Online Products |
No | Numbers and letters can be used |
| Inventory Type | This defines whether a Product is Purchased or Made | Yes | 1 = Purchased 2 = Made |
| Purchase Format | Defines the format for how products are purchased | No |
Individual (Default) Boxes Crates Packs Cartons |
| Purchase Qty | Defines how many are purchased in the purchase format | No | Only numbers can be used |
|
Container |
Defines the format for how products are measured | Yes |
The container format can be defined by any of the following:
Required: Uppercase |
| Variable Qty Prompt | Toggles off and on the variable quantity prompt setting | Yes | 0 = Off 1 = On |
Upload the CSV to Lightspeed
Awesome! Now you are ready to upload your template to your Lightspeed.
1. Before uploading, check if all the fields are filled out properly
2. After that, make sure it is saved in the correct file type. The file extension should say “.csv” - If not, select Download As and choose Comma-separated values (.csv) as the file type.
On Google Sheets:
3. Ready to upload! Under Products from the Lightspeed Back Office, select the cloud icon with the arrow pointing up
4. You will be taken here to upload your file. You can drag the file to the box or click on the box and then upload your file
5. If the upload fails, you will be notified of it. Ensure you have all the required fields filled and the file type is correct.
6. If the upload fails again, please attach the CSV file to an email to support@kounta.com outlining the errors you encountered. Our 24/7 support is also available to help you out
Edit existing products: download the Product Export
1. After making sure you have the right tax settings, under Products from the Back Office, select the cloud icon with the arrow pointing down
2. In the Export Products page, make sure CSV (Comma Separated Values) file is ticked (see image below)
3. Select Export Products
4. Then, select Download the export
5. Open the CSV file using Google Sheets. If you have any products manually added to Lightspeed, they will be included in the file
6. Fill in this CSV, save it, and then upload it to Lightspeed (as discussed above)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change my product's layout?
Lightspeed allows you to change the order of your product categories and products. Learn about changing your menu layout.
Do all sites in a company share one menu?
You can choose to which site a product appears because sites under the same company will share the same product master list.
Follow these steps to manage which products appear on which sites.
- Head to the Products section of your Back Office
- Select the product
- Look for Product Management
- Check off the sites to which the products will appear
Can I bulk-add or edit Product Variants and Option sets?
Not for now- these menu features can only be added or edited through the Back Office.
Learn more about Product Variants
My import isn't working, what might be the cause?
The import function itself will provide you with an error if it detects an issue, the error provides guidance on what row/s are causing the import to fail and the error/s varies depending on the import file. As a general rule, when importing data, ensure the the file meets the following criteria:
- Ensure all invalid characters are removed
- Ensure all duplicates are removed
- If the file is greater that 450 rows, seperate the file in to files of 450 rows and import each separately
- Ensure the headers on the CSV match the CSV template
What's my next step?
Maximize the full power of Lightspeed menu tools!
- Make sure customers get exactly what they ordered. Record item changes, such as no salad or extra bacon, in just a few taps, using Product Modifiers.
- Enable your staff to add or remove ingredients or create combo meals. Prompt your staff to upsell. Or maybe you just need to organise your product modifiers to make menu navigation easier. Lightspeed’s Option Sets make this all possible. Option Sets allow you to customise your menu workflow for maximum efficiency.
- If you sell a product in different sizes, flavours or with any other variable attribute, check out Product Variants - this will allow you to sell as many product variations as you need - all in a neat and tidy menu.
- Need flexibility in entering quantities and prices at the POS - like when selling by the ounce or kilo? Now you can set specific products to automatically ask staff to enter a quantity or price using Variable Quantities and Prices.
- Need to add product descriptions, tags, barcodes, and the like? Check out advanced product settings!