If you've ever had two spreadsheets with similar information (product names, SKUs, or prices) and wished there was a way to connect them automatically, VLOOKUPs are a great way of doing so.
A VLOOKUP (short for vertical lookup) is a formula in Google Sheets or Excel that helps pull matching data from one list into another.
VLOOKUPs can be used to:
Add barcodes to a product list, using another spreadsheet that already has them
Match vendor or cost information
Align product data that is in a different order between spreadsheets.
Instead of searching for matches, then copying and pasting line by line, a VLOOKUP will match the data for you, saving time and reducing manual errors.
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How VLOOKUPs help with Thrive Bulk Uploads
Thrive's bulk uploads are designed with a specific template structure to ensure data is imported into your catalog without issue. This means that the Bulk Upload spreadsheets cannot be reorganized and are not fully customizable.
If your product information is stored elsewhere and in a different order than on Thrive's bulk uploads, a VLOOKUP can help you quickly organize it to fit the bulk upload template to upload your data.
Before You Start
To use VLOOKUPS to match up your data, you'll need the following:
Thrive generated bulk upload sheet: This is where you'll data will go, once it is matched up.
Spreadsheet with your data: This sheet should contain the data you want to bring into Thrive. The data should match with one of our available fields in our spreadsheets (barcode, quantity, cost, price, etc)
Both of these spreadsheets must have a common unique identifier. This identifier will help you formula find and match the data. We recommend using the SKU for this, but you can also use barcode, name, etc.
Once you have this, you're ready to start using VLOOKUPs!