Shopware Import: 33 Hours to 3 Hours for 530K SKUs

The Challenge

A German e-commerce client with over 530,000 SKUs was trapped in an operational nightmare. Their product import process took 33 hours, making daily catalog updates impossible and creating inventory synchronization issues.

Critical Pain Points

33-hour import process blocking daily operations
Inventory synchronization delays causing overselling
Server resources exhausted during imports
No ability to run incremental updates
Database locking issues during peak import times

The business was effectively limited to weekly catalog updates, causing significant competitive disadvantage and customer service issues from inventory mismatches.

The Solution

Engineered a high-performance API integration with multiple optimization strategies working in concert.

Dynamic Batch Processing

Implemented intelligent batch sizing that adjusts based on payload complexity, optimizing memory usage while maximizing throughput.

Database Index Strategy

Created composite indexes on frequently queried fields, dramatically reducing lookup times during import validation.

Asynchronous Queue System

Leveraged Symfony Messenger for parallel processing, allowing multiple import streams to run concurrently without blocking.

Redis Caching Layer

Implemented Redis caching for category mappings and attribute lookups, eliminating redundant database queries during import.

Results & Business Impact

91% Reduction in Import Time

Reduced import time from 33 hours to 2.8 hours, enabling same-day catalog updates.

Daily Catalog Refreshes Enabled

Business can now sync inventory and pricing daily instead of weekly, eliminating overselling issues.

Reduced Server Load

Optimized processing reduced peak CPU usage by 60%, allowing imports during business hours.

Incremental Update Capability

New architecture supports delta imports, further reducing routine sync times to under 30 minutes.