Shopify Product Management Guide: A Complete Explanation from Product Registration to Publishing, Unpublishing, and Archiving

Shopify is a powerful platform for starting or growing your online business. At its core is the product management feature. This guide explains in detail how to manage products using Shopify. We'll walk you through everything step by step, from registering and editing products to publishing, unpublishing, and even archiving them. We cover how to do this both via the browser and the mobile app, so you can choose the method that best fits your business style.

Fields You Can Set on a Product

Title and Description

The title is the product name shown to customers.

The description is the product's descriptive text. You can use the rich text editor to add headings, bold text, change colors, and insert images or videos. You can also use Shopify Magic to automatically generate a product description using AI.

Media

This refers to the product's images, 3D models, and videos.

Status

Status is an indicator of the current state of a product. In Shopify, setting a product's status lets you manage whether the product is available for sale, and at what stage it is. There are three types of status:

• Active: The product is available for sale. It's shown to customers and can be purchased.
• Draft: The product cannot be sold. Products with draft status are not shown to customers.
• Unlisted: Only customers who know the URL can access the product. It's also hidden from collection pages and search result pages, and is excluded from indexing by search engines.
• Archived: The product has been discontinued from sale. It doesn't appear in the product management screen or to customers.

Category

This is a label for classifying the group (or class) a product belongs to. You can only choose from the predefined list, the "Shopify standard product taxonomy."

Price and Compare-at Price

Price is the displayed price of the product.

Compare-at price is the product's price before a discount. It's used when lowering a product's price, and if a compare-at price is set, it will be shown as a sale price (though this depends on the Shopify theme you're using).

SKU and Barcode (ISBN, UPC, GTIN, etc.)

A SKU (Stock Keeping Unit, the smallest management unit) is a unique code for identifying a product within your business. SKUs play an important role in inventory management and generating sales reports.

A barcode (ISBN, UPC, GTIN, etc.) is a code for identifying a product. These codes are used for product management and for scanning at the point of sale, enabling efficient inventory management and sales data collection.

Inventory

This is the product's inventory quantity. There are 4 types of inventory:

• Unavailable: Inventory that cannot be sold, such as damaged or safety stock
• Committed: Inventory that has been ordered but not yet shipped
• Available: Inventory that can be sold
• On hand: Inventory that physically exists (unavailable + committed + available)

Shipping

This is the product's shipping information.

You can set whether the product requires shipping and its weight, which is needed for calculating shipping rates.

For how to set up shipping on Shopify, please also refer to the blog article below.

Variants

Add variants when a product has multiple options, such as color or size. You can create up to 100 variants for a single product.

Purchase Options

Purchase options are added when you're using a Shopify app to offer subscription sales, try-before-you-buy, pre-orders, or similar options for a product.

If you'd like to offer subscription sales or pre-orders on Shopify, please also refer to the blog articles below.

Metafields

You can manage information for a product that can't be handled by the existing fields as supplementary data. Metafields can also be used to extend your product pages.

For more on metafields, please also refer to the blog article below.

Search Results

You can set the URL, title, and description shown in search engine results, such as on Google. Be sure to fill this in if you also want to implement SEO measures for a product.

The blog article below introduces SEO measures you can take on Shopify. Please use it as a reference.

Sales Channels

A sales channel refers to the means or route through which a product or service is delivered to customers. Shopify lets you sell products through multiple sales channels. The types of sales channels include the following:

• Online Store: Shopify's primary sales channel, letting customers purchase products through your website.
• POS (Point of Sale): A system that supports in-person sales at a physical store. You can use the POS system to manage in-store sales.
• Shop: Lets you sell products through Shopify's own mobile app called "Shop." The Shop app is a platform where customers can easily discover and purchase products.
• Social media: Lets you sell products through social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
• Marketplaces: Lets you sell products through online marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay.
• Other channels: You can also sell products through other online platforms, such as Google Shopping and YouTube.

Vendor

The vendor field lets you set the supplier, manufacturer, or brand for each product. Entering a vendor lets you display vendor information on the product page, and also lets you extract products from the same vendor within a collection.

The blog article below introduces use cases that leverage vendor information. Please use it as a reference.

How to Register a Product

Here's how to register a new product.

Even after registering a product using the method introduced in this chapter, you can still edit or update it as needed. You can also add variants, configure inventory management settings, and select sales channels.

How to Register a Product from a Browser

1. From the admin panel, go to "Products."
2. From the products page, click "Add product."
3. Enter the product information (title, description, price, inventory quantity, SKU, product images, etc.).
4. Click Save.

How to Register a Product from the Mobile App

1. From the Shopify app, go to "Products > All products."
2. On the All Products screen, tap [+].
3. Enter the product information (title, description, price, inventory quantity, SKU, product images, etc.).
4. Tap "Save."

How to Edit a Product

When editing a product, you can update a variety of information, including the title, description, price, inventory quantity, and images. Once you save your changes, they're immediately reflected in your store.

Here's how to edit a product on Shopify:

How to Edit from a Browser

1. From the admin panel, go to "Products."
2. Find the product you want to edit and click its product name.
3. Edit the necessary information on the product detail page.
4. Once you're done editing, click "Save."

How to Edit from the Mobile App

1. Open the Shopify app.
2. Go to "Products > All products."
3. Tap the product you want to edit.
4. Edit the product details.
5. Once you're done editing, tap "Save" on iOS or the "✓" (checkmark) on Android.

How to Bulk-Edit Multiple Products

1. From the admin panel, go to "Products."
2. Select the checkboxes for the products you want to edit.
3. Click "More actions > Edit selected products."
4. Make the necessary changes, then click "Save selected products."

How to Duplicate a Product

How to Duplicate from a Browser

1. From the admin panel, go to "Products."
2. Click the name of the product you want to duplicate.
3. Click "More actions" at the top right of the product detail page, then select "Duplicate."
4. Give the duplicated product a new title, and change any other details as needed (such as product status or publishing settings).
5. Once you're done, click "Duplicate product."

How to Duplicate from the Mobile App

1. Open the Shopify app and tap "Products" from the bottom menu.
2. From the product list, tap the product you want to duplicate.
3. Once the product detail page appears, tap "..." at the top right and select "Duplicate."
4. Give the duplicated product a new title, and change any other details as needed (such as product status or publishing settings).
5. Once you're done, tap "Save" to save the duplicate.

How to Publish a Product (Set It to Active Status)

To publish a product on Shopify, you make it visible by setting the product's status to "Active." This chapter introduces how to set a product's status to "Active."

How to Unpublish a Product from a Browser

1. From the admin panel, go to "Products."
2. Click the name of the product you want to publish.
3. Click the "Product status" dropdown menu and select "Active."
4. Click "Save."

How to Unpublish a Product from the Mobile App

1. Open the app and go to "Products > All products."
2. Tap the product you want to publish.
3. Tap the current state in the "Product status (or Visibility)" section.
4. Select "Active."
5. Tap "Save" (or "[✓]").

How to Publish a Product to Only Specific Sales Channels

Here's how to publish a product on Shopify:

How to Publish to Only Specific Sales Channels from a Browser

1. From the admin panel, go to "Products."
2. Click the name of the product you want to publish to open the product detail page.
3. Check the "Publishing" section. (This shows the sales channels the product is currently included in.)
4. Click "..." (the ellipsis) > "Manage sales channels."
5. Select the sales channels and apps where you want to publish the product.
6. Click "Done."
7. Click "Save" to apply the changes.

How to Publish to Only Specific Sales Channels from the Mobile App

1. Open the Shopify app and go to "Products > All products."
2. Tap the product you want to publish.
3. Tap "Edit" in the "Sales channels" section.
4. Select the sales channels where you want to publish the product.
5. Tap "Save" (or "✓") to apply the changes.

How to Unpublish a Product (Set It to Draft Status)

To unpublish a product on Shopify, you make it hidden by setting the product's status to "Draft." This chapter introduces how to set a product's status to "Draft."

How to Unpublish a Product from a Browser

1. From the admin panel, go to "Products."
2. Click the name of the product you want to set to draft.
3. Click the "Product status" dropdown menu and select "Draft."
4. Click "Save."

How to Unpublish a Product from the Mobile App

1. Open the app and go to "Products > All products."
2. Tap the product you want to set to draft.
3. Tap the current state in the "Product status (or Visibility)" section.
4. Select "Draft."
5. Tap "Save" (or "[✓]").

How to Unpublish a Product from Only Specific Sales Channels

Here's how to unpublish a product from only specific sales channels on Shopify:

How to Unpublish from Only Specific Sales Channels from a Browser

1. From the admin panel, go to "Products."
2. Click the name of the product you want to unpublish.
3. On the product detail page, check the "Publishing" section.
4. Click "..." (the ellipsis) > "Manage sales channels."
5. Deselect the sales channels from which you want to unpublish the product.
6. Click "Done."
7. Click "Save" to apply the changes.

How to Unpublish from Only Specific Sales Channels from the Mobile App

1. Open the app and go to [Products] > [All products].
2. Tap the product you want to unpublish.
3. Tap [Edit] in the [Sales channels] section.
4. Deselect the sales channels from which you want to unpublish the product.
5. Tap [Save] or [✓] to apply the changes.

How to Archive a Product

Here's how to archive a product on Shopify:

※ An archived product is hidden from your online store and other sales channels.

※ You can find archived products in the "Products > Archived" section.

How to Archive a Product from a Browser

1. From the admin panel, go to "Products."
2. Click the name of the product you want to archive.
3. On the product detail page, click the "More actions" (or "...") menu at the top right.
4. Select "Archive" from the dropdown menu.
5. When the confirmation dialog appears, click "Archive" to confirm.

How to Bulk-Archive Multiple Products

1. On the "Products" page, select the checkboxes for the products you want to archive.
2. From the "Actions" menu that appears at the top, select "Archive."
3. In the confirmation dialog, click "Archive."

How to Archive a Product from the Mobile App

1. Open the app and go to "Products > All products."
2. Tap the product you want to archive.
3. On the product detail page, tap the [...] or [⋮] menu at the top right.
4. Select "Archive."
5. In the confirmation dialog, tap "Archive."

How to Export Products (Bulk Export)

From the product management screen, you can export multiple products' data in bulk.

(1) Click "Products" from the Shopify admin panel

(2) From the products page, narrow down the products you want to export

The filter conditions you can use are as follows:

• Vendor
• Product tag
• Status
• Category
• Sales channel
• Market
• Type
• Collection
• Publishing errors
• Gift card
• Bundle
• App

(3) Click "Export" at the top right of the screen

(4) From the popup that appears, select the group of products to export

(5) From the popup that appears, select the export type

(6) Click "Export products"

(7) You'll receive an email with a download link — click that link

That completes the export process.

The blog article below introduces ways to export product data other than through product management. Please use it as a reference.

In Closing

Shopify's product management features are an essential tool for the success of your online business. Putting the methods introduced in this guide into practice will help your business run more efficiently and strategically.

Let's revisit a few key points:

1. Regular updates: Always keep your product information up to date. It's important to regularly review and, as needed, update your prices, inventory status, and descriptions.
2. SEO optimization: Properly incorporating keywords into your product titles and descriptions can improve your ranking in search engine results.
3. Leveraging sales channels: Effectively using multiple sales channels lets you reach more customers. Understand the characteristics of each channel and aim for the optimal product rollout.
4. Data analysis: Use Shopify's analytics tools to understand which products are popular and which sales channels are effective, and put that insight to use in your strategy.
5. Checking for new features: Shopify is constantly adding new features. Check regularly for new features and proactively adopt anything that could benefit your business.

Product management may seem like a simple task at first glance, but it's actually a critical factor in the success of your business. Put the knowledge you've learned in this guide to use and make the most of Shopify's product management features. Doing so will help your online business run more efficiently and steadily move toward success.

As your business grows, it's important to keep learning, adapting, and continuously improving. Together with Shopify, unlock the full potential of your business.

After registering your products, try using the collections feature to group your products by category. The blog article below explains collections in detail. Please use it as a reference.