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Sources & Importing

Adding Sources to a Product

Step-by-step guide to attaching URLs, text, and documents as sources for individual products.

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Adding Sources to a Product

Adding sources to a product is straightforward. You can attach URLs, paste text, or upload documents—all through the per-product Sources upload view.

Opening the Sources View

  1. Navigate to Products in the sidebar.
  2. Find the product you want to add sources to.
  3. In the row for that product, look for the Data Sources cell (a column showing source count or an empty state).
  4. Double-click on the Data Sources cell.

The Sources upload view opens directly connected to that cell.

[SCREENSHOT: Products table with Data Sources column highlighted, Sources upload view open from the cell]

Adding a URL Source

URLs are the fastest way to give the AI context. Point it to product pages, spec sheets, or technical documentation.

To add a URL:

  1. In the Sources view, click Enter URL.
  2. Paste or type the full URL (e.g., https://supplier.com/product/SKU-123-specs).
  3. Click Add or press Enter.

The URL is now attached to this product. The AI will fetch and read the content when you run enrichment.

Tips for best results:

  • Use direct product or specification pages, not search result pages.
  • Prefer official supplier or manufacturer pages over third-party resellers.
  • Avoid auto-redirects or short links—use the final destination URL.
  • If you're having trouble with a particular website, contact support and we can help with unique sites.

Adding Text Source

Sometimes you have product specs or descriptions already in text form—from an email, a supplier sheet, or internal notes. Paste it directly.

To add text:

  1. In the Sources view, click Enter text.
  2. Paste or type the product information (specifications, descriptions, features, certifications, etc.).
  3. Click Add or press Enter.

The text is now stored as a source for this product.

Tips for best results:

  • Paste structured data when possible: "Material: Polycarbonate, Dimensions: 12x8x4 inches, Weight: 2.5 lbs"
  • Include certifications, compliance info, or unique selling points.
  • The more context you can provide, the better the AI output will be — don't hold back on detail.

Uploading Document Sources

For detailed spec sheets, technical manuals, or vendor documentation, upload the document directly. Merchkit supports PDF, Excel, Word, OpenDocument, and RTF files up to 25MB each.

To upload a document:

  1. In the Sources view, click Drop documents or Choose file.
  2. Select one or more files from your computer (PDF, .xlsx, .docx, .odt, .rtf).
  3. Click Upload or confirm the upload.

The documents are now attached to this product. The AI will read them during enrichment.

Tips for best results:

  • Upload spec sheets and data sheets directly from suppliers.
  • Use PDFs when possible—they're easier for the AI to parse than scanned images.
  • If a document has multiple products, paste the relevant section as text instead, or upload the document and let the AI extract the relevant parts.
  • Keep file size reasonable (under 5MB per file is ideal).

Copying Sources from Parent to Variant

If you have product variants (e.g., different colors or sizes of the same product), you don't need to add sources to each variant individually. Copy them from the parent product.

To duplicate sources from parent:

  1. Open the Sources view for a variant product.
  2. Look for the Duplicate Sources from Parent button (visible only if a parent product exists).
  3. Click the button.

All sources from the parent product are now copied to this variant.

[SCREENSHOT: Sources view with "Duplicate Sources from Parent" button visible]

This is especially useful when you bulk-import variants—add sources to the parent once, then copy down.

Managing and Viewing Sources

Once you've added sources to a product, the Sources view shows:

  • Count of sources in the Data Sources cell (e.g., "3 sources")
  • List of sources with their type (URL, text, or document name)
  • Option to remove sources individually (hover over a source and click delete/remove)

Common Issues

"The URL didn't load"

  • Check that the URL is correct and publicly accessible.
  • If you're having trouble with a particular website, contact support — we can help with unique sites.

"I uploaded a document but it looks wrong"

  • Make sure the document is not password-protected or image-only.
  • PDFs with native text (not scanned images) work best.
  • If you uploaded a scanned PDF, consider pasting the text instead.

"I have 10 sources for one product—is that too many?"

  • No. More sources = more context for the AI. Go ahead.
  • However, if many of them are redundant, consider removing duplicates to keep things clean.

"Where do I see if the AI read my sources?"

  • Sources are read during enrichment runs. You don't see a real-time log, but the AI uses them to generate attribute values.
  • If enrichment results look better after adding sources, that's your signal it's working.

Next Steps

Once you've added sources to your products, you're ready to run enrichment. Or, if you have many products and want to add sources in bulk, check out Bulk Importing Sources.

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How Sources Work
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Bulk Importing Sources