The Order Import tool allows you to upload a specially formatted spreadsheet containing multiple orders so you can fulfill them at once. If the information in the spreadsheet is invalid, incomplete, or cannot be validated by our system, the upload will result in an error.


Note: If an upload results in an error, you can download the spreadsheet again with explanations for the errors marked in a column on the right. For the fastest way to identify errors, download the spreadsheet when you receive an error.



If you cannot identify the error in the spreadsheet, this article explains the most common errors and how to resolve them.


TABLE OF CONTENTS


Improperly Formatted Headers

Order Import tool spreadsheets should have specially formatted headers at the top that act as identifiers for our system when processing the spreadsheet. Each column header helps the system identify the information in that column and properly map it to the order.



The headers are as follows:

  • Channel_Order_ID

  • Channel_Item_ID

  • Quantity

  • Shipping_First_Name

  • Shipping_Last_Name

  • Shipping_Organization

  • Shipping_Street_Line_1

  • Shipping_Street_Line_2

  • Shipping_City

  • Shipping_State

  • Shipping_Postal_Code

  • Shipping_Country

  • Contact_Email_Address

  • Contact_Phone_Number

  • Recipient_Tax_ID


For more information about these headers, see the Order Import tool article.


Note: Do not edit or remove the underscores from these headers. Doing so will result in an upload error. A correctly formatted Lulu Order Import tool template can be downloaded at the end of this article.


Improperly Formatted Text

Within Excel, Pages, Google Sheets, and other popular spreadsheet programs, text can be formatted in ways such as scientific, accounting, or financial formats.


Special formatting can affect information by converting strings of numbers into equations, adding special characters, or removing certain digits from strings. This will cause an upload error.


Example of text set to Scientific Formatting:



Note: All text information in an Order Import tool spreadsheet must be formatted as plain text. Highlight all text in every field of the spreadsheet, then change the formatting to plain text.



Example Formatting for Google Sheets:



For more information on formatting text, refer to the support site for the program you are using.


Correctly Formatting Addresses

When a file is uploaded, the system attempts to validate each address. If information is not entered correctly, the system will not be able to validate the address, resulting in an upload error.


The following are common address errors to check:


Information in the Wrong Column

For example, you may enter the last name in the organization column or mistakenly enter the city in the state column. Check that all information is in the correct column.


Improper State and Country Entry

Lulu’s validation system for cities, states/provinces, and countries follows the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 standard. All States and Countries should not be fully spelled out. Enter them as 2-character codes.

Example:

California = CA
Texas = TX

New York = NY

United States = US

Germany = DE


If you are unsure, verify official state/province and country codes in accordance with the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 standard.



Note: Do not enter UK for addresses in the United Kingdom. The UK refers to a group of countries (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland). Instead, enter the two-character country code for Great Britain: GB.


Address Length Error

Every field in the address, including the first and last name, organization, Street Address 1, and Street Address 2, must be fewer than 30 characters, including spaces.


If a line is longer than 30 characters, shorten the address if possible or split the address between Address Lines 1 and 2. If an address is too long to abbreviate to fewer than 30 characters, you will need to use a different address.


Example Abbreviations to Shorten Addresses:


Building - Bldg.

Drive - Dr.

Street - St. 

Suite - Ste. 

Room - Rm. 

Floor - Fl.

Apartment - Apt. 

Northeast - NE

Northwest - NW

Southeast - SE

Southwest - SW


For a full list of official abbreviations recognized by the US Postal Service please see here. 


Note: If the organization name is too long, you may be able to abbreviate it using an official acronym. For example, the Young Men's Christian Association can be abbreviated as YMCA.


Missing Information

All addresses in an Order Import tool spreadsheet must include the following information:


  • Channel_Order_ID: A string of numbers that becomes the order number.

  • Channel_Item_ID: A string of numbers that acts as a code to help the system identify which product the customer purchased.

  • Quantity: The number of each book purchased.

  • First & Last Name

  • Street Address

  • City

  • State/Province

  • Postal Code

  • Country

  • Phone Number


If an address is missing any of the information above, the upload will result in an error.


Phone numbers should be entered without spaces or special characters and should include the area code.


Note: Lulu uses Google’s Address Validation process. If Google cannot validate an address, Lulu cannot validate it either. The address will require a correction or a different address.