Filling the online store with goods: from the price list to cards that can be shown to the buyer
Filling the online store with goods rests not on the number of items, but on the number of fields that must be closed on each. The price line gives the name, price and article number - this is enough for the product to exist in the database, and it is not enough for the buyer to find it with a filter and recognize it from the photo.
Therefore, the work begins with two decisions, and not with downloading a file: according to which tree the assortment is distributed and what is considered a unit - a model or each size with a color separately. The second decision multiplies the catalog many times, and it is better to adopt it deliberately, and not by chance.
Next comes the pilot batch for 50 priority category items. It shows the real speed and the final rules: what the name sounds like, what attributes are required, what is done with the supplier's photo. After the batch, we call the price for the position and the term for the entire volume - before it, these would have been numbers from the ceiling.
position multiplied by the number of fields in the card
after a free audit
Price
30
Guarantee
days after project sign-off
position multiplied by the number of fields in the card
Unit of work
free catalog audit, 2-4 working days
Before the estimate
50
Pilot batch
items of the priority category to the main volume
115,456
The largest catalog we have measured
commodity items, measured on August 1, 2026
two independent calculations: standard search and sitemap
Acceptance
7-40
Term
working days depending on the volume and status of the data
Who it's for
Situations where this service delivers results
Scenario 1 of 4
The store is launched, the catalog is empty
The theme is standing, the checkout is working, and the template and category stubs are hanging in the menu without any products. The launch is postponed for a banal reason: there is no one to take items. We undertake this volume and return the catalog in a condition suitable for advertising.
We'll review your situation in a free audit
Scenario 2 of 4
There are products, but the filter in the category is not collected
The characteristics lie inside the description in a solid line or generally only on the manufacturer's picture. The filter module is installed and empty, because it has nothing to build a sample from. We divide the parameters into fields and reduce their names to one dictionary.
Scenario 3 of 4
Assortment with variations in size, color or packaging
Clothes, underwear, shoes, bottled cosmetics, fasteners of various diameters. Here, the price of a mistake is the highest: an incorrectly chosen accounting unit inflates the catalog tenfold or, on the contrary, hides from the buyer the specific option he is looking for.
Scenario 4 of 4
The catalog has grown spontaneously over several years
Items were added by different people at different times: the same characteristic is named in three ways, the product is in four categories, some branches are empty. We put order in the structure and fields, without moving the store anywhere.
What's included
Complete list of work and what you get as a result
Category tree with named depth: where each group of the assortment falls and why
Draft import of items with the price as a basis, then proofing of cards in the fields
A dictionary of attributes within a category: one parameter name, one measurement unit, the same spelling of values
Layout of characteristics from the product name into separate fields - without this, the filter in the category will not be collected
Variations in size, color, and packing are combined under one card where they should be variations
Photo processing: uniform size and background, compression to reasonable weight, WebP, alt and meaningful file names
Product names according to a rule that scales to the entire catalog, instead of literal price lines
One main route for a product that is sold from multiple categories is through cross-linking
Cleaning up empty menu branches and template stubs left after installation
Acceptance on two independent counts: standard store search and site map, the discrepancy is explained
Rules of filling for your content manager: how to start the following items in the same way
Terms: payment in stages, a pilot batch of 50 items to the main volume
When this service isn't right
What's not included — so there are no surprises at delivery
Product sales descriptions and category texts are separate content work
Object shooting of the product and cleaning the background in the photo taken by the phone
Development of an import and exchange module with an accounting system
Translation of the catalog into a second language
Agreements with the supplier on the price format and photo rights
Free catalog audit before filling
We take your price, a folder with photos and the site itself in the state in which they are now. There is only one question: how many items and fields will have to be covered with hands. Everything else is calculated from this number.
What we measure
Accounting unit: item or modelThe size, color and packaging are created by individual cards or variations of one. This is the main fork of the volume: in the underwear store we measured, there are 115,456 product items - precisely because each size and color lives at a separate address.
Tree of categoriesHow many sections, what depth of nesting, according to which principle the assortment is divided. We also check whether there will be empty branches in the menu after filling.
Characteristics: where they lieSeparate price columns, inside the product name or only in the photo from the manufacturer. It depends on how many attributes are transferred almost verbatim, and how many will have to be drawn out by hand.
Photo conditionResolution, format, background, vendor watermarks, how many items in total without an image. Separately, we check whether you have the right to publish a photo of the supplier.
What is already established on the siteHow many cards are there now, how many of them are empty or duplicated, does the number in the site map match the number in the standard search. A discrepancy between these two numbers almost always means an underlying problem.
Volume in items and fieldsThe audit summary is a table: how many items, how many fields per position, which is transferred automatically, which remains for a person. The estimate is based on it.
What you get
Analysis of the price and folder with photos: what is transferred automatically, what is done manually.
A diagram of a category tree with a named nesting depth.
Dictionary of priority category attributes: names of parameters and units of measurement.
Estimate volume in items and fields, not in abstract hours.
Conversation for 30–40 minutes on the document.
Timeline: 2-4 working days
Why is it free
Because it is impossible to name the amount without your files: the same thousand items can be work for a week and work for two months, and this can be seen only from the price and photo.
What's next
After the audit, we make a pilot batch for 50 items of the priority category. You see the finished cards and confirm the rules - then the rest of the catalog follows these rules and at a fixed price per position.
Short form: your contact and site URL
Contract, act and 30-day warranty
Every project gets a written contract: scope, deadlines, amount, acceptance procedure. After delivery — act and invoice, then 30 calendar days of warranty.
Sole proprietor & bank transfer
The contractor is a registered sole proprietor. Payment by invoice with closing documents.
Rights & access — yours
Code, design and materials transfer to you after full payment. Domain, hosting, repository and analytics are registered to you.
Client portal instead of email chains
During the project you get access to a portal: contracts, invoices, acts and project status in one place.
European clients
Among our work — projects for Norway, Bulgaria, Moldova and Spain.
Verifiable numbers
Every case in the portfolio comes with a link to a live site and a technical measurement.
Audit first, then pricing
There is no price list on the site intentionally: the scope of the same work differs multiples between clients.
We say "no" when unsure
If the task isn't ours or the deadline is unrealistic — we tell you upfront.
What affects the price
Why two seemingly identical tasks are priced differently
The number of fields in the cardName, price and one photo - one job. Twelve characteristics, three angles, configuration and compatibility are different, and the difference is multiple. That is why we calculate the volume in items multiplied by fields.
Where are the characteristicsIndividual price columns are transferred almost verbatim. Parameters merged into a name such as "1/2" Bubbler Nozzle" are analyzed by a separate rule for each supplier and checked selectively.
Accounting unitVariations within the card keep the catalog compact. Separate items for each size and color multiply the volume: in the measured underwear store, this gave 115,456 items with a much smaller number of models.
Photo conditionThe manufacturer's ready-made photo bank with a transparent background is processed in batches. Multi-caliber images with vendor watermarks require a manual pass through each position.
The novelty of the structureThe tree of categories is already there and it is working - we start it in the existing one. There is no structure or it is assembled randomly - design is added, and this is a separate stage with approval.
What is already established on the siteAn empty catalog is filled faster than a half-filled one. In the second case, first of all, it is necessary to understand what remains of the existing one, what is corrected, and what duplicates itself under different addresses.
Process steps
Transparent stages with approval at every step
Total duration:7–40 days
1
Catalog, price and photo audit
2-4 working days
We look at your real files and site: volume in items, completeness of attributes, suitability of images, state of what is already established. The output is a volume table from which the estimate is calculated.
2
Category tree and attribute dictionary
1-3 working days
We offer a structure with a named nesting depth and a list of mandatory parameters for each category with single units of measurement. You approve, and after approval it doesn't move.
3
Pilot batch for 50 items
2-4 working days
We start the first fifty cards of the priority category in full. We measure the real speed on them, catch discrepancies in the rules, and then name the price for the position for the entire volume.
4
Rough import and proofing of fields
3-15 working days
Items from the price form the basis, then there is a breakdown of characteristics by attributes, summary of variations and names according to the rule. Items without mandatory data are placed in a separate list, not in the catalog.
5
Photo and service fields
2-8 working days
Batch image processing: uniform size, compression, WebP, alt and clear filenames. At the same time, the page headers are filled in according to the rule and the template stubs are removed.
6
Adoption and transfer of rules
1-3 working days
We count the established by two independent methods, show the discrepancy and its reason, give a list of missing data and written rules for your content manager.
Did not find your case?
Describe how it works on your side — we will tell you whether “Filling the catalog with goods” fits and what it means in your situation. No brief and no call: one question, one answer.
Technologies & integrations
What we build on and what it connects to
Stack
OpenCart 3.x and 4.x — we start through the admin and draft import. Restrictions: bulk operations through the browser fail after a timeout
WooCommerce is the same, just with a different variation model
CSV and XML raw import. Limitations: It provides a foundation, not a finished card
An intermediate table of correspondences — so that a repeated pass does not create duplicates
Batch image processing and WebP. Limitations: you cannot make a good photo from a bad source
The regular CMS search and sitemap are two independent counters for adoption
Integrations
supplier prices
manufacturer's photo bank
XML feed to marketplaces
Google Merchant Center
1C / BAS
filter module in categories
Filling by a contractor versus filling by your manager
How this option differs from the alternative
Your manager in your spare timeOur approach
Speeddepends on the manager's workload; the catalog often stops at a thirdallocated people for the entire volume, the deadline is named after the pilot batch
Unity of ruleseach new person starts in his own way, and after a year the parameter is named in three waysthe dictionary of attributes and the name rule are fixed before the start and apply to the entire directory
Photoas it came from the supplier, often with someone else's watermarkbatch processing to a single view, WebP and alt
Acceptancethe number from the admin without verification, the site map may be differenttwo independent counts with an explained discrepancy
Costlooks free until you count manager time taken from ordersan invoice is issued, but the amount is closed within the specified terms
Cases
Tasks and results in numbers — all metrics measured by us
a store of automatic and drip irrigation systems, a catalog of 300 items
Task
Lay out the small technical nomenclature so that the buyer reaches the right fitting: elbows, couplings and tees differ only in diameter and type of thread.
Solution
The store is based on OpenCart 3, the catalog is expanded to four nesting levels, the filter module works in the categories.
Result
Measurement 01.08.2026. 300 products in 40 categories at four levels — 5 root, 16 second level, 10 third, 9 fourth; quantity confirmed by two methods, discrepancy 0%. The defects found are related to the filling: 2 of the 5 root categories are empty, the footer has "Category 1-4" stubs, the names of the products begin with someone else's "Buy" and in this form end up in the page header. We measured the state of the catalog, not the work on filling it.
underwear retail store, catalog of over 110,000 product items
Task
Maintain a catalog in which each size and color is listed as a separate item within one store — with category and brand navigation preserved.
Solution
Store on OpenCart 3, three language versions, the site map is made with an index of 42 submaps.
Result
Measurement 01.08.2026. 115,456 product items - the figure was confirmed by two methods: standard search yielded 1,154 pages of 100 items plus 56 for the last one, the site map — 112,646 unique product addresses, a discrepancy of 2.4%. Structure: 129 categories and 334 brands. The price of such an accounting unit is also measured: in a sample of 150 random product addresses, 50 redirect to another size or color. Separately by photo: 118 images on the main one, none with delayed loading and none in WebP.
professional tool shop, catalog of over 6,000 items
Task
Sell a tool to a retail craftsman and a VAT company at the same time: a catalog with filters by type of tool and a card with characteristics.
Solution
Store on OpenCart with two language versions; the site map is given by a separate module from the address declared in robots.txt.
Result
Measured on 07/31/2026. 6,486 product pages and 361 categories. An indicative figure is about categorization: the site map has 25,537 entries for 6,857 unique addresses — each product is present on average 3.9 times under different category paths, and map generation takes 34.2 seconds. The numbers describe the state of the catalog on the day of measurement, not the increase from our work.
What we need from you
We can't start without this — best to prepare in advance
1The price in machine form with the article number - even if the specifications in it are incomplete.
2Photos of goods or access to the manufacturer's photo bank with the right to publish.
3Solution by accounting unit: size and color are separate items or variations of one.
4An approved category tree or a person who will approve it in one business day.
5Access to the site's admin and database, as well as a copy space for the pilot batch.
6Priority: which category to start with if the entire catalog is not needed at once.
If something is missing — let us know, we'll help you gather it or do it as a separate task.
FAQ
Most frequently asked questions — with concrete answers
How many items do you open per day?
Honest answer: the speed is determined by your card, or rather the number of fields in it. An item with a name, price, and one photo, and an item with twelve characteristics, three angles, and size variations differ in terms of labor intensity. That's why we don't name the speed until the pilot batch: we start 50 items of the priority category, measure the real time, and then give the price for the position and the term for the entire volume.
Are sizes and colors one product or many?
The decision is yours, and it changes the scope of work more than anything else. Separate cards for each variant give accurate balances and the ability to sell a specific size on the marketplace, but inflate the catalog. In the underwear store we measured, because of this, 115,456 product items were collected with a much smaller number of models. Variations within a single card keep the catalog compact; the price of this is that the platform and your account must be able to work with them. We show the consequences of both ways on your assortment before the start.
Are photos from the supplier's price list suitable?
Technically, often yes, legally this is a matter for the supplier, and it is resolved before the works. Next comes processing: uniform size and background, compression, WebP, alt, understandable filenames. Why this is shown in a live example: in the underwear store we measured, there are 118 image tags on the main one, none of them with delayed loading and none in WebP, and the main one gives the first response in 1.5 s against 0.39 s on the product card.
Who decides the structure of the categories and how many levels there should be?
We propose, you approve. The depth depends on how similar the items are. In the store of irrigation systems, which we measured, 300 products are laid out in 40 categories on four levels - 5 root, 16 second level, 10 third, 9 fourth. The reason is simple: elbows, couplings and tees differ only in diameter and thread, without such nesting the required part cannot be found. In a catalog of heterogeneous groups, the fourth level is usually redundant.
The product is in three categories - is this a problem?
The fact that the product is visible from several places is normal. Another bad thing: each path is born with its own address. In the tool store we measured, the sitemap contains 25,537 entries for 6,857 unique addresses: each product is present on average 3.9 times under different category paths, and the sitemap itself takes 34 seconds to generate because of this. Therefore, when filling, we immediately fix one main path for the card, and make the rest of the connections cross.
How do I check that the work is actually done?
Two independent counts, both of which you can repeat yourself. The first is a standard store search with an empty query and pagination to the last page. The second is the number of product addresses in the site map. The numbers must match; if they differ, we show the reason, rather than rounding to convenience. Plus selective field checking: we take random cards from each category and see if mandatory attributes are filled.
Will the next import of the price not erase your work?
It will not be erased if the fields are separated explicitly. Before starting work, we agree on what comes from the price list — price, balance, availability — and what remains on the site forever: your name, your characteristics, your photo. If you don't have automatic import yet, the agreement is still saved: it will be needed by whoever configures the import next.
Will the products appear in the search after filling?
They will appear in the directory and in the site map, but this is not the same as in the search. Google directly writes that the sitemap helps to find pages, but does not guarantee either crawling or indexing. A name card with a price tag competes with a dozen of the same cards in nearby stores. The content gives the pages to exist and be suitable for the filter, the demand for them is already created by the texts and promotions.
And if some of the items have no data at all?
Such items are not established silently. We make a list of what is missing - no photo, no dimensions, no article number - and give it along with the interim report. A card with empty mandatory fields spoils the filter and looks abandoned, so the decision for each group is up to you: select the data, leave the position out of the catalog or publish with a minimum of fields deliberately.
Send the price and a folder with photos - we will calculate the volume in items and fields.
In response, you will receive file parsing, a category tree diagram, and an evaluation of works. If it is clear from the files that you should first ask the supplier for articles or normal pictures, let's say so in the first email.
There is no price list on the site on purpose: the same work differs several times over between two clients, and a “from” figure explains nothing in that case. First a free audit — we count your pages, duplicates and speed — then we name the sum and the deadline and fix both in the contract.