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How to choose the right feed type: Add New, Export, Update, or Delete

1. Overview

Choosing the right feed type in BulkFlow is essential to streamline your data management process. Depending on your needs—whether importing new data, updating existing records, exporting data, migrating data between stores or platforms, or removing items from your store—BulkFlow offers different feed types to handle each operation. In this guide, we'll help you understand when to use Import, Update, Export, Migrate, or Delete feeds.


2. What is BulkFlow Feed?

A Feed in BulkFlow is a step-by-step workflow that allows you to import, export, update, migrate, or delete data between different sources and your store. BulkFlow supports a wide range of entities, including Products, Collections, Orders, Customers, Discounts, Metaobjects, Redirects, Pages, Blogs, Companies, and Menus. Each feed defines how the data flows from a file or external system into platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Wordpress, and more.


3. When to Use Each Feed Type

Import Feed

Purpose: This feed type is used when you want to add new data to your store. Ideal for adding new products, customers, orders, or any other supported entity.
When to Use:

  • When you are introducing new items (e.g., new products, collections, or customers) to your store.
  • When starting fresh data imports, like creating product catalogs or uploading new customer lists.


Update Feed

Purpose: Use this feed to modify existing records in your store.
When to Use:

  • When you want to update details of existing products, customers, orders, or other entities.
  • If you need to change prices, inventory levels, customer information, or Smart Collection conditions, this feed will help you update the existing data without creating duplicates.


Export Feed

Purpose: Use this feed to export data from your store for backup, analysis, or integration with other systems.
When to Use:

  • When you want to back up your data.
  • When you need to transfer data between platforms or create reports (e.g., exporting Shopify product data for external use).
  • When you need inventory quantities broken down by location, or want to export Smart Collections (including their Exclude conditions).


Migrate Feed

Purpose: Use this feed to move data into your current Shopify store from WooCommerce, WordPress, or another Shopify store, without doing it manually.
When to Use:

  • When you're switching to Shopify from WooCommerce or WordPress.
  • When you're copying or syncing data between two Shopify stores (e.g., staging to production, or setting up a new store).


Delete Feed

Purpose: The Delete feed allows you to remove products, collections, customers, orders, or other supported entities from your store. Best for discontinuing products or cleaning up test data.
When to Use:

  • When you need to permanently remove records from your store.
  • Ideal for clearing out outdated products or cleaning test data during development.


4. Key Features of Feeds

  • Flexible Data Operations: Handle imports, exports, updates, migrations, or deletions effortlessly across supported entities.
  • Multiple Data Sources: Work with CSV, XLSX files, Google Sheets, file URLs, FTP/SFTP, or API connections.
  • AI-Powered Field Mapping: BulkFlow also offers AI-powered field mapping to help match source and destination fields more precisely.
  • Demo Run: Preview the result on a small sample of your data before committing to the full import or update, so you can catch errors before they reach your live store.
  • Automated Scheduling: Set feeds to run automatically at fixed intervals, reducing manual work.
  • Error Handling & Logs: Monitor execution logs, troubleshoot issues, and receive alerts if a feed fails.


5. How a Feed Works

Step 1: Choose Your Feed Type

  • From your BulkFlow Dashboard, click directly on the feed type you want to use — Import, Export, Update, Migrate, or Delete.
  • Choose the Entity: Pick the data type you want to work with (e.g., Products, Collections, Customers, Orders, Companies).

Step 2: Prepare Your File

Upload your file based on your selected connection type:

  • File Upload
  • File URL
  • Google Sheets
  • FTP/SFTP
  • API

Ensure the file is formatted correctly (CSV, XLSX) and matches the entity selected.

Step 3: Configure Data Mapping

  • BulkFlow will automatically suggest field mappings based on default templates.
  • AI-powered field mapping is also available to help match your fields more precisely.
  • You can review, adjust, or manually map fields to match your store's data structure.

Step 4: Run a Demo, Then Process Your Feed

  • Click Demo Import to run the feed on a small sample of your data and preview the result before committing to anything.
  • Once you're satisfied with the preview, click Full Import to process the entire feed.
  • The feed will run in the background — you can pause, cancel, or manage its progress through logs and alerts.


6. Tips

  • Use the Right Feed Type: Always choose the correct feed type for the operation you need (Import, Update, Migrate, Delete, Export).
  • Validate Data: Double-check for typos or incorrect fields before starting the import or update.
  • Run a Demo First: Use Demo Import to test your feed on a small sample before applying it to your full data set.


7. FAQs

  1. What's the difference between Update and Import feeds?

Update modifies existing records, while Import creates new records.

  1. Can I update existing records with a Delete feed?

No, a Delete feed removes items permanently. To update, use the Update Feed.

  1. Can I export data to Google Sheets?

Yes, use the Export Feed to back up your data to Google Sheets or other platforms.

  1. Can I import and update feed at the same time?

Yes, as long as you enable the 'Update existing data in the store' option during the feed import.

  1. What's the difference between a Migrate feed and an Import feed?

Migrate is designed for moving data from WooCommerce, WordPress, or another Shopify store into your current store. Import is for adding fresh data from a file into your store, regardless of where that data originally came from.

  1. What does Demo Import actually do?

It runs your feed on a small sample of your data so you can preview the result and catch mapping errors or issues before they affect your live store data.


8. Related Guides

  • How to create an 'Import' feed to import new data
  • How to create an 'Update' feed to change existing records
  • How to create a 'Migrate' feed to move data into Shopify
  • How to create a 'Delete' feed to remove data
  • How to create an 'Export' feed to back up Shopify data

Updated on: 13/08/2026

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