If you’re running a WooCommerce store on your WordPress site, there may come a time when you need to import products from another platform. Maybe you’re moving to WooCommerce from another eCommerce platform, or you’re setting up a new store and need to import products from a CSV or spreadsheet.
In this article, we’ll show you how to import products into WooCommerce on WordPress. We’ll cover both simple and variable products, and we’ll also show you how to import product images.
Before You Start
Before you begin, it’s important to understand the difference between simple and variable products in WooCommerce. A simple product is a single product with a single SKU.
A variable product is a product with multiple variations, each of which has its own SKU. For example, a shirt might come in multiple colors and sizes, so there would be one SKU for each color/size combination.
Simple Products
If you’re importing simple products, all you need is a CSV file with the following columns:
- Product name
- SKU
- Price
- Categories (comma-separated)
- Tags (comma-separated)
Variable Products
If you’re importing variable products, your CSV file will need additional columns for each variation. For example:
-
- Product name
- SKU
- Price
- Categories (comma-separated)
- Tags (comma-separated)
- Variation name (e.g. “Size” or “Color”)
- Variation options (e.g. “Small, Medium, Large” or “Red, Blue, Green”)
The steps for importing simple and variable products are similar, but the process is slightly more complex for variable products due to the additional columns required in the CSV file.
Importing Products
To import products into WooCommerce on WordPress, you’ll need to install the WooCommerce Product CSV Import Suite plugin. This plugin allows you to import products from a CSV file, and it also supports custom product fields and taxonomies.
Once the plugin is installed and activated, go to WooCommerce > Product Importer. Select the CSV file you want to import, and then map the columns from your CSV file to the appropriate fields in WooCommerce.
After you’ve mapped the columns, click the “Run Importer” button to begin the import process. The plugin will import the products and display the results on the screen.
Importing Product Images
To import product images, you’ll need to include the image URL in the CSV file. The WooCommerce Product CSV Import Suite plugin will automatically download the images and attach them to the appropriate products.
You’ll need to make sure that the image URLs are valid and that the images are hosted on a server that allows hotlinking. If the images are not hosted on a server that allows hotlinking, you’ll need to download the images and upload them to your own server before importing them into WooCommerce.
In conclusion, importing products into WooCommerce on WordPress can be a bit tricky but with the right plugin and a properly formatted CSV file, it is doable. Make sure to test the import on a staging site first, and always have a backup of your site before beginning the process.
