Why am I getting an import error when adding products to a category?

Import errors when assigning products to categories almost always come down to one of two things: the category doesn't exist yet in the system, or the category name in your file doesn't match exactly what's in WizCommerce.

» Steps to assign products to a category

Step 1: Make sure the category exists first

• A newly created category or collection will not appear on the Product Listing Page until at least one product has been assigned to it, but more importantly, the category must exist in the system before you can assign products to it via import. If it doesn't exist yet, create it first.

• To create a new category: go to Manage → Import and Export, click Category, export the sheet, add your new category in the Data Sheet, and re-import it. For sub-categories, use the > symbol in the Category Name column — for example, Clay Vase > Ethnic creates a sub-category under Clay Vases.

Step 2: Export your product data

• Go to Manage → Import and Export → Product → Export. Under Export Fields, tick Categories, Collections, or both, depending on what you need to update.

Step 3: Fill in the Categories column carefully

• Open the exported file and go to the Data Sheet tab. In the Categories column, enter the category name exactly as it appears in the system, spelling, spacing, and capitalisation all need to match. Even an extra space before or after the name will cause an error.

• To add a product to more than one category, enter multiple category names separated by a comma, for example; Spring Collection,New Arrivals (Do not use space between collections/categories).

Step 4: Save and re-import

• Save the file. Go back to Manage → Import and Export → Product → Import, upload the file, and select Categories as the field to import.

» Things to double-check if it's still failing:

• The category name in your file matches the system exactly (no typos, no extra spaces, correct capitalisation)
• The category was created in the system before you attempted the import
• You're separating multiple categories with a comma, not a slash or pipe