WooCommerce powers shops that vary from one product to 1000’s. However regardless of the dimensions of your retailer, you could end up needing to import and export merchandise and orders. Copying data manually, one merchandise at a time, could be tedious. The flexibility to import and export this knowledge in bulk could make retailer administration extra environment friendly and fewer irritating.
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When ought to I import or export merchandise?
Unsure when you want import and export performance to your retailer? There are fairly a number of situations the place importing and exporting merchandise in bulk can be helpful to only about any on-line store. You could want to do that if:
You might have a lot of merchandise that must be transferred or up to date
When you’re organising your retailer for the primary time and you’ve got a big catalog of merchandise, are importing a brand new batch of stock into an current retailer, or are updating product data in bulk, you would possibly profit from a bulk import/export.
That you must ship product knowledge to warehouses
When you’re organising a relationship with a warehouse for the primary time, they’ll need data on all of your merchandise — together with product identify, description, SKU, delivery technique, and fees. When you don’t have already got a spreadsheet with this knowledge, you’ll need to have the ability to export that data immediately out of your WooCommerce retailer.
That you must export your product catalog to a market like Amazon
When you’ve primarily run your retailer on WooCommerce and at the moment are starting to department out to Amazon, Etsy, Fb/Instagram, and different marketplaces, you could discover it helpful to easily bulk export your merchandise out of your WooCommerce retailer right into a CSV or XML file. You may then add this file to {the marketplace} you’d prefer to work with.
When you solely have 4 or 5 merchandise, you can most likely add them manually, however when you’ve obtained a catalog of lots of or 1000’s, you positively don’t wish to spend days or even weeks making an attempt so as to add these one-by-one.
That you must import merchandise from one other eCommerce platform to WooCommerce
When you’re transferring from BigCommerce, Shopify, Magento, or another eCommerce platform, having the ability to import your product catalog in bulk is a big time saver.
That you must replace product data in bulk
When you embrace the identical data in each product description and all of a sudden discover that this adjustments, you’ll both should replace every product individually or discover a strategy to change all of them directly.
Let’s say your retailer gives 200 t-shirt designs and each one has a shade choice of blue, black, and pink. You obtain a notification that your producer will now not provide pink shirts. Now it’s important to replace 200 merchandise to mirror this variation. As a substitute of going into each individually and eradicating the pink variation, you can bulk export your merchandise, delete the pink choice, after which import the revised data again into WooCommerce.
You wish to create a printed product catalog
Previously, firms led with printed catalogs and finally got here round to creating eCommerce shops. However as of late, the price of creating a web-based store is exponentially extra reasonably priced than designing, printing, and mailing catalogs. It’s more likely {that a} store would begin with eCommerce after which later resolve to create a printed catalog. If so to your retailer, having the ability to export all of your product knowledge immediately out of your on-line store might help expedite your catalog design course of.
When ought to I import and export orders?
Importing and exporting orders is significant for environment friendly administration of medium to giant eCommerce shops. However even smaller shops would possibly want import/export performance for WooCommerce infrequently. Beneath are some instance situations:
You’re sending orders in batches through a CSV file to your warehouse
When you don’t have a direct integration between your WooCommerce retailer and your warehouse, you could have to ship orders in a CSV or Excel file. Whilst you may transcribe order data manually into your CSV file, it could be fairly time consuming and vulnerable to errors. As a substitute, you can do a every day export of orders that you simply ship to your warehouse, which might prevent time and scale back the opportunity of typos and missed orders.
You want particular knowledge to run stories
Whereas WooCommerce has a number of totally different reporting capabilities, you could wish to generate stories distinctive to your organization. For example, if you would like one which reveals what number of of a particular product is bought in a selected nation, state, or province per 12 months, you’ll must create this your self. Exporting full product gross sales and order knowledge provides your analyst the info they should make this occur.
You’re importing orders in bulk that had been positioned manually by way of e mail, over the cellphone, or in particular person
When you take a lot of orders by way of channels aside from your web site, you don’t wish to spend hours including each individually to your retailer. When you can centralize your offline orders to a single CSV file that’s uploaded in bulk, you’ll save a number of time.
You wish to retailer order historical past off-site
When you delete order knowledge periodically in WooCommerce, you would possibly wish to again up historic orders in a CSV file someplace in case that you must entry them sooner or later.
Find out how to import and export merchandise and orders
There are a number of methods to import and export merchandise and orders relying on the kind of data you want:
- Constructed-in product import and export instruments: Nice for importing and exporting product knowledge for easy and variable product sorts
- The built-in analytics instrument, WooCommerce Analytics: A wonderful choice for exporting some varieties of primary product and order knowledge
- The WordPress native Import and Export instrument: Nice for importing and exporting extra detailed knowledge. Nevertheless, the outcomes will probably be in an XML file they usually look a bit messy. Additionally they don’t export or import full order knowledge.
- An import/export extension: The quickest and easiest technique right here. That is additionally nice for customizing the knowledge you wish to import/export and dealing with detailed knowledge.
- Database handbook import and export: Good for coping with full or detailed product and order knowledge. Nevertheless, this requires some improvement expertise.
Hold studying for detailed directions.
Importing and exporting merchandise with the built-in Product Import/Export instrument
WooCommerce comes with the flexibility to bulk import a number of various kinds of merchandise, together with:
- Easy
- Variable
- Subscription merchandise
- Product bundles
- Composite merchandise
NOTE: If that you must import or export WooCommerce Bookings, WooCommerce Manufacturers, or different customized product sorts, you’ll want to make use of a premium extension like those we focus on under.
Importing merchandise
Earlier than importing your merchandise, you’ll want a CSV file with all of your product data, formatted in order that WooCommerce can correctly interpret the info. The easiest way to generate that is to obtain the pattern CSV file on Github. From there, you may change the pattern knowledge with your individual.
You can too create a CSV file from scratch utilizing the Product CSV Import Schema. If you wish to import merchandise from an current WooCommerce retailer, you may export them from the present retailer and alter any needed data earlier than importing it into the brand new one.
Which CSV editor ought to I exploit?
Google Sheets, Open Workplace’s Calc program, and LibreOffice’s Calc program are all nice software program for enhancing your CSV information. When you’re on a Mac, you can even use Numbers. Keep away from Microsoft Excel as a consequence of formatting and character encoding points.
How ought to I format my CSV file?
There are a number of formatting and data-related belongings you’ll want to concentrate to in your CSV file. When you don’t comply with these guidelines, you would possibly find yourself with a failed import or incorrect data in your retailer.
- CSV information must be in UTF-8 format.
- Use your retailer’s native timezone for dates.
- For true/false values, use 1 for true and 0 for false.
- A number of values in a subject must be separated with commas.
- Wrapping values in quotes means that you can insert a comma.
- Prefix the id with id: if referencing an current product ID. No prefix is required if referencing a SKU. For instance: id:100, SKU101
- Customized meta is supported however solely plain textual content. There’s no assist for JSON or serialized knowledge.
- Taxonomy time period hierarchy is denoted with > (e.g. T-shirts>Youth>Licensed Cartoon Tees). Phrases are separated with commas (e.g. short-sleeved,long-sleeved,cap-sleeved).
- Merchandise which can be in draft standing are usually not exported, solely printed and privately printed merchandise. Nevertheless, you may import a product with a draft standing.
- It’s not attainable to assign a particular publish ID to a product on import. Merchandise will at all times use the subsequent out there ID, whatever the ID included within the imported CSV.
- Photographs must already be uploaded to your web site or out there by way of a publicly accessible exterior hyperlink to be imported to your retailer. Some cloud storage providers use redirect scripts that forestall the picture file from being imported, so guarantee that your picture is accessible on the actual hyperlink you specify.
- If the product picture already exists within the Media Library, you may merely enter the file identify as an alternative of your entire file path.
Import new merchandise or replace current merchandise
You need to use the Import characteristic to import new merchandise or replace current ones.
1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to WooCommerce → Merchandise.
2. Choose Import on the prime of the Merchandise web page. You’ll be taken to a multi-step web page, step one of which is Add CSV File.
3. Choose Browse to decide on the CSV you wish to use.
4. When you’re updating current merchandise, verify the Replace current merchandise field.
5. CSV delimiter: Usually CSV parts are separated by a comma. In case you are utilizing a distinct delimiter in your file, you may set it right here.
6. Column mapping preferences: When you’ve set column mapping preferences prior to now and wish to use them, you may verify this field.
7. Click on Proceed. This may take you to the Column mapping display screen.
WooCommerce will robotically try and map the Column Identify out of your CSV to Fields.
8. If there are any fields you don’t wish to import, you should utilize the dropdown menus underneath Map to subject to point ‘Don’t import.’ You can too choose the sector you need your column identify mapped to. Any unrecognized columns or unmapped fields is not going to be imported by default.
9. When you’ve mapped all of your fields, click on Run the Importer.
10. You’ll see a display screen that claims “Importing. Your merchandise at the moment are being imported.” Wait till the Importer is completed. Don’t refresh your browser whereas it’s in progress. When your import is full, you’ll be taken to the Executed! display screen and from there you may click on View Merchandise to assessment them and ensure that they had been imported appropriately.
Exporting merchandise
If that you must export merchandise out of your retailer, the method is pretty easy.
1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to WooCommerce → Merchandise and click on Export on the prime of your display screen.
You’ll be taken to Export merchandise to a CSV file. From right here, you may choose which columns, what product sorts, and what product class you wish to export.
2. Make your alternatives, then click on Generate CSV.
3. Wait to your export to complete and obtain your file.
WooCommerce Product Import & Export
For extra detailed data on importing and exporting merchandise with the default WooCommerce Product Import and Export instruments, learn the WooCommerce Getting Began Documentation.
Exporting product and order knowledge with WooCommerce Analytics
WooCommerce Analytics offers reporting particulars about your retailer’s gross sales, merchandise, and orders. Exporting this knowledge is helpful if you wish to assessment greatest promoting merchandise, examine income for various time durations, get an outline in your inventory ranges, or determine your most loyal clients. Whilst you can’t import exterior knowledge on to WooCommerce Analytics, when you’re utilizing a model of WooCommerce older than 4.0 and are upgrading to 4.0 or above, you may import historic knowledge out of your earlier model of WooCommerce.
Remember the fact that WooCommerce Analytics is proscribed to pretty high-level knowledge and doesn’t import/export full product or order data. When you want detailed data like what number of gross sales had been made in a particular nation over a sure time period or need to bulk edit product descriptions in your retailer, you’ll must export that knowledge immediately out of your database or utilizing an extension like Import Export Suite for WooCommerce.
Exporting product analytics
In your Product Analytics view, you may select a date or date vary after which view all merchandise, see a single product, or select a product comparability view.
Product stories can embrace:
- Product title
- SKU
- Variety of objects bought
- Web gross sales
- Variety of orders
- Classes
- Variety of variations
- Inventory Standing (In Inventory, Low Inventory, Out of Inventory, N/A)
- Inventory Amount
To filter your outcomes for particular knowledge columns, click on on the vertical ellipsis on the prime proper of your product outcomes view.
You may toggle on or off the SKU, Orders, Class, Variations, Standing, and Inventory columns. When your report displays the knowledge you want, click on the Obtain button on the prime proper of your product outcomes view. Your knowledge will probably be downloaded as a CSV file.
Exporting order analytics
In your Order Analytics view, you may select a date or date vary after which view all orders or select from some superior filters like:
- Order Standing
- Merchandise
- Variations
- Coupon Codes
- Buyer Kind
- Refunds
- Tax Fee
- Attributes
Order stories can embrace:
- Date
- Order quantity
- Standing
- Buyer identify
- Buyer kind
- Product(s) bought
- Variety of objects bought
- Coupon(s) used
- Web gross sales
To filter your outcomes for particular knowledge columns, click on on the vertical ellipsis on the prime proper of your product outcomes view.
You may toggle on or off the Standing, Buyer, Buyer kind, Product(s), Gadgets bought, and Coupon(s) columns. When your report displays the knowledge you want, click on the Obtain button on the prime proper of your product outcomes view. Your knowledge will probably be downloaded as a CSV file.
WooCommerce Analytics
WooCommerce Analytics is a reporting and knowledge evaluation instrument that comes with model 5.3 and above of WooCommerce. The suite contains superior filtering and segmenting instruments to your stories, report downloads in CSV format, and a customizable dashboard to watch key metrics of your retailer. Be taught extra
Exporting product and order knowledge with WordPress’ Export instrument
WordPress natively means that you can export totally different publish sorts as XML information. This characteristic is positioned in Instruments → Export in your WordPress dashboard.
WordPress’ Export instrument can export customized publish sorts like:
- Merchandise
- Variations
- Orders
- Refunds
- Coupons
Word: Select Merchandise or Orders as an alternative of Product or Order when exporting.
Remember the fact that for order exports, the outcomes are considerably restricted in that it does not embrace the names of the merchandise or the amount bought in every order.
The WordPress Export instrument’s formatting is probably not perfect to your functions, both. The info will probably be exported as an XML file, so except you propose on importing this knowledge immediately into one other WooCommerce web site, you’ll most likely wish to view the outcomes as a CSV file. To do that you’ll both must convert it to a CSV file utilizing Notepad++ (Home windows) or a free on-line conversion instrument. The ensuing formatting shouldn’t be fairly and could be a bit messy to kind by way of. When you want order particulars like which merchandise had been ordered and what number of, you’ll nonetheless should export that data immediately from the database or use a plugin to deal with your exports.
Importing product and order knowledge with the WordPress Import instrument
To import product or order knowledge utilizing the WordPress Import instrument, you’ll must guarantee that your file is formatted identical to the export file for whichever publish kind you’re importing. Exporting a publish kind first can provide you a template for learn how to arrange your import file.
This exported file can even outline what varieties of knowledge could be imported. That is particularly vital with regards to order data for the reason that Orders publish kind doesn’t embrace full order data.
Whilst you can edit your file as a CSV, as soon as your file is configured you must be sure to reserve it as an XML file.
When your file is prepared and saved in XML format, open your WordPress dashboard and go to Instruments → Import.
Scroll to the underside of the subsequent display screen till you discover the WordPress choice, then click on Run Importer.
Choose your XML file utilizing the Select File button, then click on Add file and import.
Utilizing WooCommerce extensions to import and export merchandise and orders
The quickest and least error-prone strategy to import and export WooCommerce merchandise and orders is to make use of an extension. This protects time and reduces the potential for errors. Relying on the info you want, there are a number of nice options to select from — Import Export Suite for WooCommerce, Product CSV Import Suite, Buyer/Order/Coupon CSV Import Suite, and WooCommerce Buyer/Order/Coupon Export.
Import Export Suite for WooCommerce
With Import Export Suite for WooCommerce, you may import, export, migrate, and replace all of your WooCommerce knowledge in bulk utilizing both a CSV or XML file. All WooCommerce product sorts are supported, together with:
- easy
- grouped
- exterior
- variable
You can too import and export orders, product evaluations, coupons, subscriptions, and clients.
Import Export Suite for WooCommerce contains a number of different helpful options, like:
- Scheduled imports and exports. You may automate your imports and exports on a schedule you select. These processes run within the background so you may proceed to work on different areas of your web site.
- Import/export historical past. The suite shops your whole import and export historical past and contains the choice to re-run the identical import/export once more.
- Information and debug logs. You may view all the info associated to your import/export processes and verify debug logs if a course of fails and that you must troubleshoot the problem.
- Import and export customized fields and hidden metadata.
- Create customized exports utilizing filters. You may specify the whole variety of merchandise to export, skip first n exports, embrace or exclude merchandise by class, and specify particular merchandise to export by product identify.
Product CSV Import Suite
Product CSV Import Suite is particularly geared towards importing and exporting merchandise. Along with having the ability to import and export the identical product sorts that WooCommerce does by default, it’s additionally set as much as deal with data from WooCommerce Bookings, Product Distributors, WooCommerce Manufacturers, Google Product Feed, and WooCommerce Pictures.
Product CSV Import Suite is ready to seize customized subject and taxonomy data you can embrace in your imports and exports. It should additionally import customized knowledge from extensions like Product Add-Ons and Dynamic Pricing.
With Product CSV Import Suite, you have got extra granular management of what product knowledge you export out of your retailer. You can too export merchandise in draft mode.
Buyer/Order/Coupon CSV Import Suite
Buyer/Order/Coupon CSV Import Suite is just an importer. It doesn’t create exports. You’ll must buy its companion plugin WooCommerce Buyer/Order/Coupon Export or one other order export plugin if you wish to export order data.
The importer can deal with a number of totally different import codecs, and columns could be mapped to the suitable WooCommerce fields to merge or create orders. Your knowledge could be imported as a file, copy and pasted, or added through a URL.
Along with importing and merging orders, you may import and merge clients and coupons. This extension additionally means that you can import customized fields and taxonomies related to orders, clients, and coupons.
A number of delivery strategies per order are supported and order knowledge imports within the background so that you could import giant knowledge units with out risking timeouts.
WooCommerce Buyer/Order/Coupon Export
WooCommerce Buyer/Order/Coupon Export is an export instrument solely that outputs information in CSV and XML format. If that you must import buyer, order, or coupon knowledge, you should utilize its companion extension, Buyer/Order/Coupon CSV Import Suite.
With this extension you may export particular person orders, clients, or coupons and automate your exports with knowledge transfers through FTP, HTTP POST, or e mail. The export course of runs asynchronously within the background in your web site so you may proceed working in different areas of your retailer whereas your export completes.
Different helpful options embrace:
- Customized codecs that embrace buyer and order meta. You can too customise exports to fit your CRM or order success system — rearrange and add new fields and embrace customized meta knowledge and static values.
Which resolution is best for you?
There’s no one-size-fits-all resolution for each import and export requirement. You could have already got what you want from the built-in WooCommerce Import and Export instruments and WooCommerce Analytics. In case you have a extra distinctive scenario, a premium extension like Import Export Suite for WooCommerce could be your best choice.
Take the time to think about what import and/or export knowledge that you must effectively and successfully run your retailer and select the answer that greatest helps your targets.
