Frequently Asked Questions

Upload a CSV, XML, or JSON file and MicroPIM maps your columns to the right fields automatically, including long descriptions, bullet points, and custom attributes. Nothing gets flattened or stripped in the process. You can review the mapping before anything is saved, so you catch mismatches early instead of after 5,000 products are already live.

Yes. MicroPIM supports variant management natively, so size, color, and material variants stay linked to their parent product during import. Shared attributes are inherited from the parent, and you can still override specific fields, like price or image, on individual variants without breaking the relationship.

Large catalogs fail most often from duplicate SKUs, missing required fields, or encoding issues buried deep in the file. MicroPIM validates the file before committing anything, flags problem rows, and lets you fix and re-run just those rows instead of restarting the whole import. Start free and test with a smaller batch first if you want extra confidence.

Google usually rejects listings missing GTIN/brand, a clear title, price, availability, and a compliant image. MicroPIM's product health scoring flags exactly which products are missing these fields before you ever push a feed live, so you catch gaps in your own catalog instead of finding out from a Google disapproval email.

Custom attributes and attribute groups carry the most migration risk because every platform names and structures them differently. MicroPIM lets you build your own taxonomies and attribute groups, then maps incoming fields to them during import so nothing gets dumped into a generic "notes" field or lost entirely.

Yes. Attribute groups in MicroPIM are structured so a bulk update on shared attributes (like a new season tag or a material change) applies across every matching product in one action, instead of opening each product individually. This is one of the most common reasons store owners move off spreadsheets and into a real PIM.

Requirements differ by channel: Google Shopping wants a minimum of 100x100px (800x800px recommended for apparel), while Shopify recommends 2048x2048px for zoom quality. Rather than managing separate image sets, MicroPIM stores one master image per product and serves it through the Image CDN, so each channel gets what it needs without manual duplication.

This is almost always a broken or relative URL in the source file, or a hosting host that blocks hotlinking. MicroPIM's import validates image URLs during the mapping step and flags any that fail to resolve, so you know before publishing instead of discovering blank product tiles on your storefront.

Yes. Images are centralized in the MicroPIM catalog, so you can attach them during file import (via URL columns) or through the browser extension when pulling products from a supplier site. There is no need to open each product record and upload one image at a time.

Google Shopping disapproves images under 100x100px for most categories, and under 250x250px for apparel. Low-resolution or watermarked images get flagged too. Run your catalog through MicroPIM's product health scoring to spot images below spec before you submit a feed, not after a rejection notice.

Oversized, unresized images are one of the most common causes of slow product pages, which directly hurts conversion and Google's page experience signals. MicroPIM serves every product image through a global Image CDN, so pages load fast across every channel without you having to manually compress files.

Images brought in through file upload, URL import, or the browser extension are stored centrally and served through the Image CDN, which handles fast delivery across your connected channels. You upload once and the same optimized asset powers your Shopify listing, your Google feed, and your marketplace listings alike.

Encoding errors usually come from special characters (accents, curly quotes, emoji) saved in a format your import tool doesn't expect, or headers that don't match the expected field names. MicroPIM's file import shows you exactly which rows and fields failed validation, so you can fix the source file instead of guessing which of 10,000 rows broke.

Splitting a large catalog into multiple smaller files is the usual workaround, but it multiplies the chance of missed rows or duplicate SKUs. MicroPIM is built for larger catalogs and also supports connecting directly via API or platform sync, so you are not stuck manually chunking files as your product count grows.

Paste the product URL into MicroPIM and it pulls the details in directly, no CSV needed. For heavier sourcing, the MicroPIM browser extension (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) lets you import a product with one click while you are browsing a supplier site, which is significantly faster than exporting and reformatting spreadsheets.

Yes. Once a supplier or platform is connected, MicroPIM supports scheduled auto-sync so new products, price changes, and stock updates come in automatically on a set schedule. You stop manually re-running imports every time a supplier updates their catalog.

At minimum you need a unique SKU, product title, and price; everything else (images, descriptions, attributes, variants) can be added or enriched afterward. MicroPIM validates required fields during import and clearly flags rows missing them, so incomplete rows do not silently fail or get skipped.

Silent partial failures are one of the most frustrating parts of bulk import on most platforms. MicroPIM shows a clear import summary: how many rows succeeded, how many failed, and why, row by row, plus automatic duplicate detection so repeat SKUs get merged instead of creating messy duplicates.

MicroPIM connects to Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop, BigCommerce, and Wix, plus major marketplace feeds, and keeps stock levels synced through scheduled auto-sync. Inventory is tracked centrally, so a sale on one channel updates availability everywhere else instead of you manually adjusting counts on each platform.

No. Instead of installing and managing a different sync app per marketplace, MicroPIM centralizes your catalog once and pushes it out to every connected channel, including marketplace feeds and Google Shopping/Meta catalog feeds, from a single source of truth. Fewer apps means fewer places for data to drift out of sync.

Yes. MicroPIM has a full REST API plus webhooks for real-time events, so you can connect a custom system, ERP, or internal tool directly instead of relying only on file imports. It's built for teams that need programmatic access, not just a UI-only workflow.

Connect your Google Shopping feed in MicroPIM and set up scheduled auto-sync so title, price, availability, and image changes push through automatically as they change in your catalog. You edit the product once in MicroPIM and the feed reflects it, no manual re-export needed.

Sync frequency depends on your scheduled auto-sync settings and how the connected platform handles updates, but MicroPIM is built to keep every connected channel current without you triggering it manually each time. Real-time events are handled through webhooks so critical changes, like a stock-out, propagate fast.

Polling checks for updates on a fixed schedule (say, every 15 minutes), while webhooks push a change the moment it happens. MicroPIM supports webhooks for real-time events alongside scheduled auto-sync for routine updates, giving you the speed of instant sync where it matters and predictable batch sync everywhere else.

Overselling happens when each channel tracks stock independently and none of them know about the others in real time. MicroPIM tracks inventory centrally across suppliers and sales channels, with scheduled auto-sync keeping every connected platform updated from one number, so you stop selling stock you no longer have.

This is usually caused by each platform being treated as its own source of truth, with manual updates happening in different places at different times. MicroPIM fixes this by making the PIM the single system of record for stock levels, then syncing that number out to every connected channel instead of the other way around.

Yes. Rather than opening each product to adjust stock, MicroPIM supports bulk updates so you can push quantity changes across many SKUs at once, whether from a supplier restock, a stocktake, or a seasonal adjustment. That update then flows out to every connected channel through scheduled auto-sync.

Yes. Since variant management keeps size, color, and material variants linked to their parent product with their own overridable attributes, stock is tracked per variant rather than lumped under one parent product. That means you know exactly which size or color is running low, not just that 'the product' needs restocking.

Centralizing inventory tracking is one of the core reasons small store owners move to MicroPIM. Instead of logging into Shopify, then Amazon Seller Central, then eBay separately to check stock, MicroPIM gives you one view of availability across suppliers and channels. Start free to see your own catalog laid out this way.

You can do either, but importing them together is usually safer since it keeps SKUs, prices, and stock counts aligned from the start. MicroPIM's import supports inventory fields alongside product data in the same file or API call, with automatic duplicate detection so stock does not get attached to the wrong SKU.