Dispatching orders in bulk with a File Import

When to use this

Use File Import when you already know the tracking number and courier for a batch of orders — for example, a supplier has drop-shipped orders directly and sent you a spreadsheet of tracking numbers, or you've booked shipments outside StoreFeeder and just need your order statuses to catch up.

Before you start

Have a spreadsheet ready with one row per order. Column order and headers don't matter - you'll match your columns to StoreFeeder's fields after you upload. At minimum you need a column with Order Number; everything else is optional but recommended:

Accepted file types are .csv, .xls and .xlsx, up to 5 MB.

Step by step

1. Navigate to Warehouse › Despatch Order / Pickwave › File Import and select the file you want to import.

   On the File Import tab, drag your spreadsheet onto the upload box, or click to browse. Only one file at a time.

2. Choose what your order number column contains

   Select whether the order number column holds your StoreFeeder order number or a channel order ID from the marketplace it came from — StoreFeeder needs to know which one to match against.

3. Map your columns

   StoreFeeder reads the header row from your file and lets you match each of your columns to Order Number, Consignment Number, Despatch Date and Shipped By using the dropdowns. Click Confirm Mappings.

4. Resolve any duplicate matches

   If you matched by channel order ID and a reference matches more than one StoreFeeder order (common with split or merged orders), a list appears asking you to tick which specific order each row applies to. 

5. Review the preview grid

   Every row is checked and shown with a status icon — green for OK, a warning icon for anything that needs attention. Hover the warning icon to read the reason, or use the filter to show only rows with errors.

6. Confirm the import

   Click Confirm Import. Rows marked OK are processed; rows with errors are skipped. You'll see a summary such as "48 out of 50 orders despatched," plus how many were held back.

Column mapping, in more detail

StoreFeeder doesn't require a fixed template - you map your own spreadsheet's headers to its fields every time you import, so there's nothing to reformat beforehand. The four fields you can map are Order Number, Consignment Number, Despatch Date and Shipped By, as described in the table above.

Duplicate order references

Channel order IDs aren't always one-to-one with StoreFeeder orders — an order can be split into several, or several combined into one. When your import file is matched by channel order ID and StoreFeeder finds more than one order sharing the same reference, it won't guess. Instead it shows you a table of every candidate order (with its status and order date) and asks you to tick the correct one before you can continue.

What happens after import

For each row that imports successfully, StoreFeeder:

• Saves the tracking number into the order (without overwriting one that's already there, unless the order is a drop-shipment).
• Sets the despatch date from your file — or now, if none was given or it couldn't be read.
• Stores the courier/shipping text, and links it to a real shipping method if it matches a configured alias.
• Marks the order as Despatched.

Orders that are already despatched, or sat in a status that can't be despatched yet, are rejected with an explanation rather than being force-changed. If your account uses multiple stock locations, an order that isn't on a pickwave yet will also be rejected.

Common errors and what they mean

File limits

Checking past imports

The File Import History tab keeps a record of every import: who ran it, when, how many rows were total/updated/failed, and a breakdown of failure reasons. You can download a CSV of the errors, and — for about 4 days after the import — download the original file you uploaded.