How to Prepare Your CSV for Pattern Owl
Pattern Owl can import reviews from any platform via CSV upload. Here's how to prepare your file.
Required Columns
Your CSV needs these five columns. The column names don't have to match exactly - our import wizard will help you map them.
| Column | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| product_name | The product being reviewed | "Wireless Bluetooth Speaker" |
| product_id | A product ID or SKU | "WBS-2024" |
| rating | A score from 1 to 5 | 4 |
| review_date | When the review was posted (YYYY-MM-DD) | 2025-11-15 |
| review_text | The review content | "Great sound quality, compact size..." |
Optional Columns
These are nice to have but not required:
review_title— The review headlinecustomer_name— Reviewer's nameorder_id— Order or transaction IDemail— Reviewer's email
Sample CSV
product_name,product_id,rating,review_date,review_text,review_title,customer_name Wireless Bluetooth Speaker,WBS-2024,5,2025-11-15,"Amazing sound quality for the price. Battery lasts all day.",Best speaker I've owned,Sarah M. Wireless Bluetooth Speaker,WBS-2024,3,2025-11-20,"Sound is decent but the Bluetooth range is shorter than expected.",Good but not great,Mike T. Leather Wallet - Brown,LW-BRN-01,4,2025-12-01,"Nice quality leather. Slim enough for front pocket. Wish it had more card slots.",Solid wallet,James R. Organic Face Cream,OFC-50ML,5,2025-12-05,"My skin has never felt better. No irritation at all. Will definitely reorder.",Life changing!,Amy L. Organic Face Cream,OFC-50ML,2,2025-12-10,"The cream is too thick and has a strong scent. Not for sensitive skin despite the label.",Disappointing,Karen W.
Exporting Reviews from Your Platform
Most review platforms let you export to CSV. Here's the general approach:
- Log into your review platform (Shopify, Yotpo, Judge.me, Stamped, etc.)
- Find the export/download option — usually in Settings, Reports, or a Reviews management section
- Export as CSV — select all reviews or a date range
- Check the columns — your export will likely have the right data, just with different column names. That's fine - the import wizard auto-detects common variations (like "Review Score" for rating, "SKU" for product_id, etc.)
Tips
- Column names are flexible. If your CSV says "Review Score" instead of "rating," the wizard will suggest the right mapping. You can also manually assign columns.
- Date formats are flexible. The wizard detects common formats (MM/DD/YYYY, YYYY-MM-DD, etc.) and lets you confirm.
- Empty review text is okay. Rating-only reviews (no text) are still imported and counted in your metrics.
- Maximum file size: 1,000 reviews per CSV upload. For larger datasets, split into multiple files.