Initial Data Import

Plan Requirement: Free Trial or Ultimate

The Data Import feature helps you migrate to CloudBridal from another system or quickly set up your store with bulk data. This tool lets you import large amounts of data using Excel spreadsheets, saving time compared to manual entry.

Available Import Types

CloudBridal currently supports importing three types of data:

Inventory Items Import

Supported fields:

• Customer Type: The type of customer the item is for, or blank if it's not customer specific. Must exactly match one of the customer types you have defined in Customer Settings.
• Item Type: The type of item the item is. Must exactly match one of the item types you have defined in Inventory Settings.
• Vendor Name: The name of the vendor/designer the item is from. CloudBridal will automatically create a new vendor if the name is not found in your existing vendors.
• Item Internal Name: The item's name/style ID/SKU from the vendor.
• Item Display Name: The name you would like to display to your customers. If blank, uses the Item Internal Name.
• Quantity: The quantity of the item you have in stock.
• Size: The size of the item, or variation name if it's a non-dress item.
• Color: The color of the item, if applicable.
• Wholesale Price: The price you pay for the item.
• Retail Price: The recommended retail price of the item.
• Sale Price: The actual price that the customer pays for the item. If blank, uses Retail price.
• Comments: Any notes you would like to include about this item.

Customers Import (Contact Data)

Supported fields:

• Customer Type: The type of customer the item is for. Must exactly match one of the customer types you have defined in Customer Settings.
• Name: The customer's full name.
• Email: The customer's email address.
• Phone Number: The customer's phone number.
• Event Date: The customer's event date, such as their wedding date.
• Home Address: The customer's home address.
• Comments: Any notes you would like to include about this customer.

Customers + Appointments Import

This import type lets you migrate historical appointment data while automatically creating customer records. It's ideal for stores transitioning from another booking system.

Supported fields:

• Appointment Type (required): The type of appointment. Must match one of your existing appointment types defined in Calendar Settings (matching is case-insensitive).
• Date (required): The appointment date. Supports various formats including yyyy-MM-dd, MM/dd/yyyy, and dd/MM/yyyy.
• Start Time (required): The appointment start time. Supports HH:mm format (e.g., 14:30) or text format (e.g., 2:30 PM, 9am).
• End Time (required): The appointment end time. Same format options as Start Time.
• Customer Name (required): The customer's full name.
• Customer Email: The customer's email address.
• Phone Number: The customer's phone number.
• Event Date: The customer's event date, such as their wedding date.
• Home Address: The customer's home address.
• Referred From: How the customer was referred to your store.
• Internal Notes: Private notes about this appointment (not visible to customers).

How customer matching works:

When importing appointments, CloudBridal will:

1. First try to match an existing customer by email address or phone number
2. If no match is found, create a new customer record with the provided information
3. Link the appointment to the matched or newly created customer

Import Process

Follow these steps to import your data:

Step 1: Download the Template

1. Visit the Data Import page
2. Select the type of data you want to import (Inventory Items, Customers, or Customers + Appointments)
3. Click "Download Blank Template File"

Step 2: Fill in Your Data

1. Open the template in Excel or another spreadsheet application
2. Fill in your data according to the column headers
3. Save the file when complete

• See the fields reference above for more information on what each column means

Step 3: Upload and Verify

1. Click "Upload Completed Template" and select your filled-in file
2. CloudBridal will verify the file and show a summary of detected items
3. Review the verification results to ensure they match your expectations

Step 4: Begin Import

1. Click the "Begin Import" button to start the process
2. The import runs in the background, so you can continue using CloudBridal
3. You'll receive an email when the import is complete with results and any issues

Reimporting Data

You can run imports multiple times to make any corrections as needed:

• Inventory Items: If CloudBridal finds a matching item (same vendor and item name), it will update that item instead of creating a new one
• Customers: CloudBridal attempts to match by email address and phone number to prevent duplicates
• Appointments: CloudBridal matches existing appointments by the combination of date, start time, and customer name. If a match is found, the appointment is updated rather than duplicated.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues during import:

• Check that your template follows the required format
• Look for required fields that might be missing
• Verify that date fields are in the correct format
• For appointment imports, ensure all appointment types exist in your Calendar Settings before importing
• For very large imports, try splitting into smaller batches
• Review the email results for specific error messages

If you need assistance with importing your data, contact CloudBridal support at support@cloudbridal.com.

Updated on: 19/01/2026