Feed Integration

If your e-commerce platform doesn’t have a direct Cernel integration yet, you can upload product data as CSV or JSON feeds. This allows you to enrich products from any platform and export the enriched data back for import.

When to Use Feed Integration

Unsupported Platforms

WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, custom platforms

Custom Systems

Internal e-commerce systems or proprietary platforms

One-Time Imports

Bulk product enrichment before platform migration

Testing

Try Cernel without connecting your live store

Feed integration is manual—you upload product data, enrich it in Cernel, then export and import back to your platform. For Shopify stores, use the Shopify integration for automatic sync.

Feed Formats

Cernel supports two feed formats:

CSV (Comma-Separated Values)

Best for: Most platforms, Excel exports, Google Sheets Example CSV:

id,title,description,price,sku,collection,image_url
1001,"Blue Cotton T-Shirt","A comfortable everyday tee",29.99,"TEE-BLU-001","Men's Clothing","https://example.com/images/tee.jpg"
1002,"Red Silk Dress","Elegant evening wear",149.99,"DRESS-RED-001","Women's Formal","https://example.com/images/dress.jpg"

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)

Best for: API exports, programmatic feeds, structured data Example JSON:

[
  {
    "id": "1001",
    "title": "Blue Cotton T-Shirt",
    "description": "A comfortable everyday tee",
    "price": 29.99,
    "sku": "TEE-BLU-001",
    "collection": "Men's Clothing",
    "image_url": "https://example.com/images/tee.jpg"
  },
  {
    "id": "1002",
    "title": "Red Silk Dress",
    "description": "Elegant evening wear",
    "price": 149.99,
    "sku": "DRESS-RED-001",
    "collection": "Women's Formal",
    "image_url": "https://example.com/images/dress.jpg"
  }
]

Required Fields

Your feed must include these fields:

Field	Description	Example
id	Unique product identifier	`1001`, `PROD-123`
title	Product name	`Blue Cotton T-Shirt`

Recommended Fields

Include these for better enrichment quality:

Field	Description	Example
description	Existing description (if any)	`A comfortable everyday tee`
sku	Stock Keeping Unit	`TEE-BLU-001`
collection	Primary category	`Men's Clothing`
price	Product price	`29.99`
image_url	Product image URL	`https://example.com/image.jpg`
brand	Brand name	`BrandName`
color	Color attribute	`Blue`
material	Material attribute	`Cotton`

More data = better AI enrichment. Include as many fields as possible for optimal content generation.

Uploading a Feed

Prepare Your Feed

Export products from your platform as CSV or JSONEnsure required fields (id, title) are included

Go to platform.cernel.com

Navigate to Settings → Sites

Click Settings, then Sites

Click 'Add Site'

Select “Upload Feed”

Upload File

Drag and drop your CSV/JSON file or click to browseMax file size: 50MB (~50,000 products)

Map Fields

Cernel detects your columns and asks you to map them:

Which column is the product ID?
Which column is the title?
Map optional fields (SKU, description, price, etc.)

Set Language

Choose the language for this feed (English, French, German, etc.)

Import

Click “Import Products” to process the feedProcessing time: ~1-5 minutes for 1,000 products

Products Appear in Cernel

Once imported, products are available for enrichment

Field Mapping

During upload, you’ll map your feed columns to Cernel fields: Example Mapping:

Your Column Name	Cernel Field
`product_id`	ID
`name`	Title
`long_description`	Description
`category`	Collection
`main_image`	Image URL
`list_price`	Price

Cernel attempts to auto-detect mappings based on column names. Review and adjust if needed.

Enriching Feed Products

Once uploaded, feed products work exactly like products from integrated platforms:

View in Products → All Products
Assign to collections (if not already done via feed)
Enrich with AI attributes and content
Review and approve enriched data
Export enriched products (see below)

Learn more about product enrichment →

Exporting Enriched Data

After enrichment, export the updated product data:

Select Products

Go to Products → All ProductsSelect which products to export (or select all)

Click 'Export'

Choose “Export to CSV” or “Export to JSON”

Choose Fields

Select which enriched attributes to include:

Descriptions
Meta tags
Attributes (color, material, etc.)
Image alt text

Download

Cernel generates the export file for download

Import to Your Platform

Use your platform’s import feature to update products with enriched data

Most platforms support CSV import for product updates. Check your platform’s documentation for specific import format requirements.

Feed Update Workflow

Feed integration is manual, but you can update periodically:

Export from Platform

Export updated product data from your e-commerce platform

Upload New Feed

Upload to Cernel (Settings → Sites → Update Feed)

Sync Behavior

New products: Added to Cernel
Existing products (matching ID): Updated with new data
Deleted products: Remain in Cernel unless manually removed

Enrich New/Updated Products

Enrich products that are new or need updated content

Export & Import

Export enriched data and import back to your platform

Best Practices

Include All Available Data

The more fields you include in your feed, the better the AI enrichment quality. Don’t skip optional fields—they provide valuable context.

Use Unique IDs

Product IDs must be unique and consistent. If you re-upload a feed, matching IDs will update existing products rather than creating duplicates.

Validate Before Upload

Check your feed for formatting errors:

Proper CSV escaping (quotes for commas in values)
Valid JSON syntax
No missing required fields

Tools: CSVLint.com, JSONLint.com

Test with Small Sample First

Upload 10-20 products first to validate field mapping and enrichment quality before uploading your full catalog.

Keep Feed Backups

Save your original feed files before import. If something goes wrong, you can start over.

Document Field Mappings

Keep notes on which of your platform’s fields map to which Cernel fields. This makes future uploads faster.

Troubleshooting

Upload Fails

Common causes:

File too large (>50MB): Split into multiple files
Invalid format: Ensure CSV/JSON is properly formatted
Missing required fields: Add id and title columns

Solution: Validate your file format and check error messages for specific issues.

Field Mapping Confusion

Issue: Unsure which columns to map to which Cernel fields.Solution: Map as follows:

ID → Your unique product identifier
Title → Product name/title
Description → Main product description (if any)
Everything else is optional

Duplicate Products

Issue: Re-uploading creates duplicates instead of updating.Cause: Product IDs don’t match between uploads.Solution: Ensure IDs are exactly the same in both uploads. Case-sensitive!

Missing Images

Issue: Images don’t appear in Cernel.Cause: Image URLs are invalid or not publicly accessible.Solution: Ensure image URLs are:

Publicly accessible (not behind authentication)
Direct links to image files (.jpg, .png)
Using HTTPS

Import Stuck

Issue: Feed processing shows “In Progress” for >10 minutes.Solution: Very large files (30,000+ products) can take time. If stuck for >30 minutes, contact support.

Limitations

Feed integration has some limitations compared to direct platform integrations:

Feature	Shopify Integration	Feed Integration
Automatic Sync	✅ Bi-directional	❌ Manual upload/export
Real-Time Updates	✅ Within minutes	❌ Manual process
Metafield Mapping	✅ Direct mapping	❌ Export/import required
Image Sync	✅ Automatic	⚠️ Via URLs only
Variant Support	✅ Full support	⚠️ Must include variants in feed

We’re working on direct integrations for WooCommerce, Magento, and other platforms. Contact support if you need a specific integration prioritized.

What’s Next?

Product Enrichment

Start enriching your feed products

Bulk Operations

Enrich large feeds efficiently

Shopify Integration

Prefer automatic sync? Use Shopify

Sites Settings

Manage connected sites and feeds

Next: Configure your Organization Settings to manage users and billing.

Get Started

How to

Platform Basics

Content Generation

Advanced Features

Integrations

Settings & Admin

Feed Integration

When to Use Feed Integration

Unsupported Platforms

Custom Systems

One-Time Imports

Testing

Feed Formats

CSV (Comma-Separated Values)

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)

Required Fields

Recommended Fields

Uploading a Feed

Field Mapping

Enriching Feed Products

Exporting Enriched Data

Feed Update Workflow

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Limitations

What’s Next?

Product Enrichment

Bulk Operations

Shopify Integration

Sites Settings

Get Started

How to

Platform Basics

Content Generation

Advanced Features

Integrations

Settings & Admin

​When to Use Feed Integration

Unsupported Platforms

Custom Systems

One-Time Imports

Testing

​Feed Formats

​CSV (Comma-Separated Values)

​JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)

​Required Fields

​Recommended Fields

​Uploading a Feed

​Field Mapping

​Enriching Feed Products

​Exporting Enriched Data

​Feed Update Workflow

​Best Practices

​Troubleshooting

​Limitations

​What’s Next?

Product Enrichment

Bulk Operations

Shopify Integration

Sites Settings

When to Use Feed Integration

Feed Formats

CSV (Comma-Separated Values)

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)

Required Fields

Recommended Fields

Uploading a Feed

Field Mapping

Enriching Feed Products

Exporting Enriched Data

Feed Update Workflow

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Limitations

What’s Next?