Update Products Only

The Update Only option updates products that already exist in the Destination store.

When enabled, Tipo Sync will:

✅ Update products that have a matching identifier

❌ Not create new products

❌ Ignore products that do not already exist in the Destination store

This option is useful when you only want to keep existing products updated without importing new products.

⚙️ How to Enable Update Only

For a New Connection:

Before connecting, check and select the product information you want to sync here.

1. Open the app in Destination store > click Connect store button

2. Enter the Connection Code from your Source Store (found under the app’s Settings).

3. In General > Matching & Imports part > select Update Only

4. Under Unique Identifier, choose one:

Handle (recommended)
SKU (ensure all variants have unique SKUs)
Barcode (ensure all variants have unique barcodes)

Enable the Product sync setting > select the products you want to sync
Complete connection and click Save

For an Existing Connection

1. Go to the Destinations store > click Stores > click on the store URL of source store to view the connection detail

2. In General > Matching & Imports part > select Update only

3. Choose your preferred Unique Identifier

Click Save to apply the changes.

🔗 How Tipo Sync Identifies Products

Before updating a product, Tipo Sync checks whether the product already exists in the Destination store.

The app compares products using a Matching Identifier.

A Matching Identifier is the value used to determine whether two products are the same product across stores.

Identifier	Description	Example
Handle (Recommended)	Unique part of the product URL used to identify a product across stores.	`/kimono-dress-coral`
SKU	Unique code assigned to a product variant.	`SKU-12345-CORAL`
Barcode	Global product identification code.	`8850123456789`

🔁 How Update Only Works

When a product is synced, Tipo Sync first checks the selected Matching Identifier.

Result	Action
Matching product found	Update the existing product
No matching product found	Ignore the product

🛍 Example 1: Matching Product Found

Source Store

Product	Handle
Kimono Dress Coral	kimono-dress-coral

Destination Store

Product	Handle
Kimono Dress Coral	kimono-dress-coral

The Handles match.

Result

✅ Existing product is updated

✅ No duplicate product is created

🚫 Example 2: No Matching Product Found

Source Store

Product	Handle
Linen Shirt Beige	linen-shirt-beige

Destination Store

Product	Handle
Summer Dress Blue	summer-dress-blue

No matching Handle is found.

Result

❌ Product is not created

❌ Product is not synced

The product is ignored because it does not already exist in the Destination store.

🛍 Example 3: Update Only in Action

Before Sync

Source Store	Destination Store
Product A	Product B
Product B	Product C
Product C

After Sync

Product	Result
Product A	Ignored
Product B	Updated
Product C	Updated

Products B and C already exist in the Destination store, so they are updated.

Product A does not exist in the Destination store, so it is ignored.

🚫 What Happens When New Products Are Added?

Initial Setup

Source Store:

Product A
Product B
Product C

Destination Store:

Product A
Product B
Product C

The connection is configured with Update Only.

Later

You add:

Product D
Product E
Product F

to the Source store.

Result

❌ Product D is not created

❌ Product E is not created

❌ Product F is not created

Because these products do not already exist in the Destination store, they are ignored.

Only products that already exist in both stores can be updated.

🎯 When Should I Use Update Only?

Use Update Only when:

You already have products in both stores.
You want to keep product information synchronized.
You do not want new products to be automatically imported.
You want full control over which products exist in the Destination store.

Common use cases:

Managing separate product catalogs.
Preventing accidental product creation.
Updating inventory, prices, or descriptions for existing products only.

⚖️ Compare Sync Options

Option	Create New Products	Update Existing Products
🔄 Create & Update	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
🔁 Update Only	❌ No	✅ Yes
➕ Create Only	✅ Yes	❌ No

🙋 Still need support?

If you still need help, please feel free to contact us at hi@tipo.io. We’ll be happy to assist you further.