Please refer to this article to learn how to import inventory items.

To help you transition to Lightspeed Retail, the Retail Imports team can help with importing your existing inventory, customers, and vendors.

Importing new items into Lightspeed Retail using our Retail Imports team is only available in North America.

To submit your data, you must prepare and format a spreadsheet with the required information.

Exporting your inventory data

Before you get started, create a copy of your original export file as a backup in case you encounter any errors. It can also be used to verify your data.

If you're transitioning from another POS software to Retail POS, export your current inventory data from your previous POS to a spreadsheet software file.

Lightspeed supports these file formats:

• .CSV (preferred)
• .TXT
• .XLS
• .XLSX

To export your inventory data in Retail POS:

1. Navigate to Inventory > Item Search.

   

2. Optionally, apply filters to include/exclude certain items from your export file.
3. Click Export.

   

Your inventory will automatically be downloaded as a CSV file.

Formatting your spreadsheet

To avoid having to manually correct the data in your system, use a spreadsheet software (such as Excel or Google Sheets) to format your spreadsheet so the Retail Imports team can import it.

For a list of detailed column names, descriptions, and formatting requirements, refer to Importing items using a spreadsheet.

Verifying the import file

After you create your import spreadsheet, scan the document for any erroneous data that could cause the data import to fail:

• Remove special characters so they display the correct data.
• Erase cells with N/A so they have a blank field.
• Change cells with scientific numbers, such as 4.001E+11 (usually UPC or EAN values) so that they are regular integers instead, such as 40010000000.
  • To do this in Excel, select the column with the scientific numbers. Click Format > Cells. Change the Category to Number, set the decimal places option to 0, and click OK.
  • To do this in Google Sheets, select the column with the scientific numbers. Click Format > Number > Number.
• If using Excel: Check that the leading 0 has not been trimmed from UPC numbers. If it has been, type "0" (including the apostrophes) to the beginning of your UPC number.
• Make sure that your spreadsheet is a .CSV (preferred), .TXT, .XLS, or .XLSX file.

Submitting your spreadsheet to the Retail Imports team

After you prepare and verify your import spreadsheet file, submit it to our Retail Imports team:

1. Submit your request.
2. Select Import request from the dropdown.

   

3. In the Subject field, type Inventory import.

   

4. In the Import Type dropdown, select Inventory or Customer or Vendor Import.
5. Fill in the Description field. Make sure this includes:
   • Your email address
   • Your Account ID (found by clicking Help at the bottom-left of your Retail POS screen)
6. Click Add file or drop files here and attach your spreadsheet.
7. Click Submit.

Data import can take up to 15 business days to complete. If we have to edit your data, we will send the file back to you for approval. If your file is not formatted correctly, it will delay your import.

What's next?