Short answer: in your Shopify admin click Products, then Add product. Fill in the title, description, media, price and inventory, set the status to Active and click Save. Your product is live.
Below: every field on the page and what to put in it, how to add many products at once, how to add them from your phone, and what to check when a product does not show up.
Add one product, step by step
- In your Shopify admin, click Products in the left menu.
- Click Add product at the top right.
- Fill in the fields below, from top to bottom.
- Set Status to Active and click Save.
Title and description
- Title: what a shopper would type to find it - “Linen shirt, short sleeve, sand”, not “Summer vibes #3”. The title also appears in Google, in Shopify’s search and in ads for the product.
- Description: lead with what the product does for the buyer, then the details - size, material, care, what is in the box. Short paragraphs and a bullet list read best on a phone.
Media
Add photos (and video if you have it). The first image is the one shoppers see in collections, search and ads.
- Use the same size and background for every product - square images work everywhere.
- Show the product alone first, then in use.
- Fill in the alt text (click the image, then Add alt text): a short description helps visually impaired shoppers and image search.
Category
Pick the closest category from Shopify’s list (for example Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Shirts & Tops). Shopify uses it for tax rules, and sales channels and apps use it to understand what you sell.
Price
- Price: what the shopper pays.
- Compare-at price: the old price, if the product is on sale - Shopify shows it struck through.
- Cost per item: what the product costs you. Shopify then shows your profit and margin, and you will need the margin to judge your ads - see the ROAS calculator.
Inventory
- Track quantity: turn it on so Shopify counts your stock and stops selling at zero (or allows backorders, if you choose).
- SKU and barcode: your own product code and the barcode (ISBN, UPC, GTIN). Both help when you sell on other channels.
Shipping
Tick This is a physical product and enter the weight - it is used to calculate shipping rates at checkout. Leave it unticked for digital products and services.
Variants
If the product comes in sizes, colors or materials, click Add options like size or color, name the option and list the values. Shopify creates every combination; give each variant its own price, stock and photo where it differs.
Product organization
- Type and Vendor: your own labels, useful for filters and reports.
- Collections: put the product in at least one collection so shoppers can reach it from your menus - see how to add products to collections.
- Tags: free keywords for filters and automated collections (“summer”, “bestseller”, “gift”).
Search engine listing
Click Edit next to Search engine listing to set the page title, the meta description and the URL handle. Use the words shoppers search for, keep the title under about 60 characters and the description under about 155.
Status and sales channels
Active puts the product on sale; Draft keeps it hidden while you work on it. Under Publishing, make sure Online Store is selected - and any other channel you sell on.
Add many products at once (CSV import)
- Go to Products and click Import.
- Download Shopify’s sample CSV template.
- Fill in one row per product - and one extra row per variant, with the same handle.
- Upload the file and click Import products.
Tip: first import two or three products, check them in the admin, then import the rest. A mistake in one column is easier to fix on three products than on three hundred.
Add products from your phone
In the Shopify app, open Products and tap +. You can take the photos with your phone camera right there, fill in the same fields and save.
Product not showing in your store?
Check, in this order:
- Status is Active, not Draft.
- The Online Store channel is selected under Publishing.
- The product is in a collection that appears in your menu, or linked from your home page.
- There is stock, or “Continue selling when out of stock” is on.
Good product data sells - and advertises
The same title, photo and price that sell a product in your store are what shoppers see when you advertise it. Adeagle builds your ads straight from your Shopify products and shows them on other Shopify stores, blogs and apps - so a clear title and one sharp photo do double duty. Products with strong photos get clicked more; see what is usual in the CTR calculator.
Related: how to add products to collections on Shopify, how to remove “Powered by Shopify” and more Shopify how-tos.
Questions
In the Shopify admin, click Products, then Add product. Fill in the title, description, media, price and inventory, set the status to Active and click Save.
Go to Products > Import, download Shopify's sample CSV file, fill in one row per product (and one per variant), then upload the file. Shopify adds them all in one go.
Yes. Open Products in the app, tap the + button, add photos from your phone, fill in the details and save.
Check three things - the status is Active (not Draft), the Online Store sales channel is selected, and the product is in a collection or menu your shoppers can reach.
The category is Shopify's standard product category, used for taxes and by sales channels. Product type is your own label. Tags are free keywords for filters, automated collections and search.
A sharp, well-lit photo on a plain background, the same size and style across the store, plus photos of the product in use. Clear photos sell better and also make better ads.
