If you sell parts online, there is a good chance you have a SKU count that is well over ten thousand records, in some cases over one hundred thousand and even millions of products. Managing these products in a spreadsheet like Excel or Google requires hundreds of hours of manual time and is fraught with errors. If this describes your company you should consider creating an automated product management system (PIM) that will aggregate your products and then put them on your Shopify site automatically.
Merchants often encounter challenges when consolidating product data from diverse locations and formats for bulk import into platforms like Shopify. While tools like MS Excel, Google Sheets, or Matrixify facilitate bulk manipulation, some scenarios like those involving CSV files and various websites demand a more automated approach.
Ambaum has worked with a number of parts merchants to create custom software that aggregates and manages their extensive product catalog. One of our merchants, BTI, has an extensive catalog of 20,000+ SKUs, faced inefficiencies with manual processes; working with CSV files and various websites to acquire product information then moving that information to Shopify. This resulted in a system that was not scalable with the business.
In collaboration, we developed a Shopify App that automates data acquisition, syncing with Shopify, and product management. The system intelligently navigates online pages housing BTI's product information, utilizing overlapping data to automate decisions on titles, descriptions, etc., based on client-defined rules.
Our client required seamless integration of product data from multiple online platforms into their Shopify store. We developed a robust Python-based ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) pipeline that systematically aggregates data from disparate sources into a centralized MySQL database, ensuring consistent product information across their ecommerce operations.
The system addresses the complexities of multi-platform data synchronization through comprehensive error handling and monitoring via the ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana). Advanced business logic intelligently reconciles conflicting data points to determine optimal product information for display and inventory management.
Automated scheduled updates maintain data freshness according to client-defined intervals, while on-demand synchronization capabilities provide immediate updates when needed. The platform maintains complete audit trails of all data extraction processes, Shopify API updates, and system events for full operational transparency.
This solution enables reliable product data management across multiple sales channels while reducing manual oversight and ensuring data integrity throughout the entire product lifecycle, from initial sourcing through final customer purchase.
