On a fresh install the Overview screen shows a “Getting started” block with three steps. The order is not arbitrary: each step will not work without the one before it.
Step 1. Connect a supplier
Setup → Suppliers. Either pick a ready-made class from the supplier catalogue, or create your own with “Add supplier”: a name and a feed format. Then comes the feed link, the name and the SKU prefix. Details are in “Connecting a supplier”.
An enabled supplier without a name or an SKU prefix gets highlighted: the setup is not finished.
Step 2. Map categories
Setup → Categories. Open a supplier — their feed loads and shows its categories. That can take a few minutes; there is no need to close the page.
Then pick a store category next to the ones you need and enable them. A product reaches the store only from a category that is enabled and has a store category assigned. Changes are saved immediately; there is no Save button here.
Step 3. Run the import
Work → Import products. Tick the suppliers and press “Start import”. The work goes in two steps: first the suppliers are polled and the queue is built, then products are processed one by one.
Do not close the tab — the run will stop. If it stops anyway, nothing is lost: the queue survives, and next time “Continue” will process the remainder without polling the feeds again.
What to expect the first time
Some products will be skipped, and that is normal. The log says why: no description, no images, the supplier category is not mapped. The first two are settings; the third means you forgot to assign a store category.
Once the products exist, the work is done by “Update prices” — it is fast, and that is what goes on a schedule.