When preparing to add data to Thrive in bulk, your product information may not match the order of the products in Thrive's bulk upload spreadsheets.
To enter the data onto our bulk uploads, you'll need to organize your data to correspond with the order in the bulk upload spreadsheet. Using a VLOOKUP formula in Google Sheets provides an efficient method to align your information accurately.
Need Assistance? We’re Here to Help.
Our Professional Services team will take care of preparing your data for upload into Thrive. Complete this form to get started today.
Requirements:
Thrive generated bulk upload spreadsheet
Spreadsheet containing the data you'd like to pull into Thrive
Important: Both of these must contain a matching data column to be used to compare the data. We recommend the product SKU as it is the most reliable match point.
Optional:
We've created a Google Sheets template here. You will need to make a copy of your own. The spreadsheet is for copying costs, but can be used for copying quantities, barcodes etc. Just plug in the data and double-check the formula in Column F.
Step 1: Set up your Sheets
Open your Thrive bulk upload sheet
Open a new sheet, rename it "Formula Sheet" or something similar
Copy the SKU column from your bulk upload template and paste it onto the new sheet
![Bulk Edit Variants for Location 1 - SVTEST - Generated Oct 22, 2025 17_04_31 - Google Sheets - 22 October 2025 (1).mp4 [video-to-gif output image]](https://downloads.intercomcdn.com/i/o/3f16592e9820f7ac43625ff6696cc2ec7a5c7d2f/1791936077/23d34c3001490f49e1c91f8d5602/ezgif-84520663893b17.gif?expires=1765839600&signature=02ce9e0b773128af7f05da1c16d92acb1119784f85c1e5bab14bfc63acefcf48&req=dScuF8B9m4FYXvMW1HO4zcV71XApE97kx4baPZLL3l1h2gaDmA7C1qeSyzy8%0A6kup2taSSftcsELTg8U%3D%0A)
The SKU column will be your "lookup" key. It is how you'll match data between the two sheets. If you don't have SKUs, other fields can be used, such as name or barcode, but SKUs usually provide the best match.
Step 2: Get Your Data Ready
In the spreadsheet containing the data you would like to bring to Thrive, ensure you have:
A SKU column (to match the data)
Columns for the data you'd like to merge (barcode, quantity, cost, etc)
Copy both the SKU Column and the column for the data you'd like to merge into your Formula Sheet
Highlight your data and ensure the data is set to Plain Text. This is especially important for UPC information, as Google Sheets can drop leading zeros unless formatted this way.
Step 3: Write your VLOOKUP Formula
Here is the basic format for a VLOOKUP:
=IFNA(VLOOKUP(lookup_value, range, column_index,False))
Each part of the formula has its purpose:
IFNA: Keeps your sheet clean by preventing errors if no match is found.
lookup_value: The value you are searching for (e.g., a product SKU).
range: The area of your sheet where Excel should look for the lookup_value.
column_index: Specifies which column’s data to return once a match is found.
FALSE: Ensures the formula only returns exact matches.
Let's walk through an example where the data we are trying to bring into Thrive is the barcode:
In this example, Steps 1 and 2 are complete. Your Thrive SKU has been pasted into Column D, and you have pasted the SKU and Barcode columns into your new Formula sheet from your data source spreadsheet:
Your formula would look something like this:
=IFNA(VLOOKUP(D2,A1:B28,2,false))
What this means:
D2: The SKU you're using to match the data.
A1:B28: The range of your data set that you pasted into the sheet from your data source spreadsheet. You can highlight your range to add to your formula!
2: The column number of the info you want to bring into Thrive. Reference SKU is column 1, Barcode to Add is Column 2. In this case, we add 2 to add the Barcode data.
False: Makes sure it only adds the barcodes if the SKU is an exact match.
Once the first row looks correct, you can drag the formula down to fill the rest of the column!
Step 4: Copy Your Data onto your Thrive bulk upload sheet.
Before adding your data to the original bulk upload sheet Thrive generated, convert your formula column to plain text by:
Selecting the cells with your VLOOKUP results
Copy and paste them into the next column over. Ensure you paste Values Only. This will ensure that only the data, not the formula, will be transferred.
Paste the values onto your Thrive-generated bulk upload sheet
![Bulk Edit Variants for Location 1 - SVTEST - Generated Oct 22, 2025 17_04_31 - Google Sheets - 22 October 2025.mp4 [video-to-gif output image]](https://downloads.intercomcdn.com/i/o/3f16592e9820f7ac43625ff6696cc2ec7a5c7d2f/1791866677/00cd050b5525b920cdacb6c83c84/ezgif-108c062fea29c9.gif?expires=1765839600&signature=7486c678c3213fa7b8495620f5225cc6aa807a7b200fa436ccccd155152d8f72&req=dScuF8F4m4dYXvMW1HO4zQz2xHfu7hQwxfNxDzbePkPko8MsQF%2BRyro6%2FxdC%0AqpSj6bzQ6B84Sj1jAM8%3D%0A)
Step 5: Verify and Submit
Once you have pasted your data onto your Thrive bulk upload sheet, we strongly recommend that you verify that everything looks correct.
Once submitted, a bulk upload spreadsheet cannot be reversed or recovered. When you're ready, you can submit the sheet by clicking on the link in Cell C1.
Congratulations! You've successfully matched and combined your data using VLOOKUPs!
Need More Resources?
We know formulas can feel intimidating at first! Our support team can help make sure your bulk upload template is set up correctly, but we are not able to troubleshoot custom spreadsheets or with more specific and unique VLOOKUP scenarios.
If you'd like to learn more about working with VLOOKUPs, here are some great resources: