How to Import/Export Products in a WooCommerce Store?

Running a WooCommerce store means you need to keep your product catalog accurate, organized, and up to date. Whether you’re adding new products in a WooCommerce store, updating prices in bulk, or migrating to a new platform, managing your product data effectively is crucial.

Doing this manually can be a lengthy process and can lead to errors, especially if you have a large inventory. This is where import-export plugins are incredibly useful!

In this article, we’ll explain how to use WebToffee’s free Product Import Export plugin to quickly import and export products in a WooCommerce store — helping you save time and reduce errors.

Table of Contents

Exporting Products in a WooCommerce Store

The free Product Import Export plugin allows you to export products from your WooCommerce store into a CSV file. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to export products in a WooCommerce store using the Product Import Export for WooCommerce plugin.

Step 1: Install WebToffee Product Import Export Plugin

The first step in exporting WooCommerce products using the plugin is to install and activate the plugin. Product Import and Export for WooCommerce is a free and easy-to-use plugin available in the WordPress plugin directory.

For this, login to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to:

Plugins > Add New Plugin.
Search for the “Product Import Export for WooCommerce” plugin.
Then, Install and Activate the plugin.

Step 2: Choose the Product as Post Type

Once the plugin is installed,

Go to WebToffee Import Export (Basic) > Export.
Choose the post type to export as Product.

Click the Select an export method button to proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Select an Export Method

There are two ways to export products: Quick Export and Advanced Export.

The Quick Export feature lets you easily export all your products with the necessary fields in just one click, making the process quick and efficient.

If you need more control over your exports, the Advanced Export feature is perfect. It allows you to choose specific products or fields to include or exclude from your export file. With customizable filtering options, column selection, and advanced settings, you can adjust the export to fit your specific requirements.

Let’s select Advanced export and proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Filter Export Data

At this stage, you can use various filtering options to choose the data that needs to be exported. You can limit the number of products, exclude the first few items, or export specific products based on their categories and tags. After configuring your selections, proceed to the next step.

Step 4: Map & Reorder Columns

In this section,

Choose which product data columns you want to export.
Specify the names of these columns in the CSV file.
Rearrange the column positions using the drag-and-drop icons.

Once selected, you can proceed to the next step.

Step 5: Export Products

This is the final step in exporting your WooCommerce products. Here,

Select a batch size to define how many records the server processes per iteration within the timeout period. This controls the number of products exported at once.
Then, choose a delimiter from the dropdown to separate columns in the CSV file.
Click Export to proceed.

When you export, a CSV file will be downloaded to your system. It will contain all the columns and products that satisfy the selected criteria.

Also Read – Best WooCommerce Plugins You Must Have

Importing Products in a WooCommerce Store

You can use the same plugin to import your products back to the same or another store.

Note that your input CSV file should be encoded in UTF-8 format for flawless and accurate import of your products.

Follow the below steps to import products in a WooCommerce store using the free WooCommerce product import export plugin.

Step 1: Select Post Type

From the WordPress dashboard,

Go to – WebToffee Import Export (Basic) > Import.
Select Product as the post type.
Click Select import method.

Step 2: Choose Import Method

Next, select an import method for importing your products. There are two options: Quick import and Advanced import.

You can use the Quick import option if you have used the same plugin to export the input file.

With Quick import, you can simply upload the exported file and click Import to transfer WooCommerce products to your store.

Let’s see how the Advanced import method works, which has advanced options for more control over the import process.

Upload the input CSV file.
Select a delimiter to separate columns in the CSV file from the drop-down.
Click the Map import columns button to proceed.

Step 3: Reorder Columns of Products CSV File

Next, you must map the import column headers from your CSV file to the corresponding WooCommerce product fields.

If the plugin identifies header names in your CSV file that correspond to WooCommerce product fields, it will automatically match them. However, in cases where the header names do not align perfectly or if you want to adjust any mappings, you can easily do that by:

Clicking the file columns and choosing a header name from the drop-down.
Once done, click on Advanced options/Batch import.

Proceed to the next step.

Step 4: Configure Advanced Import Options

Next, there are several advanced options for deciding the course of the import.

Choose whether to skip or proceed with the import of new products.
Select ID or SKU to match products.
Skip or Update the existing products in your store.
Set the number of products to import in a single batch.

Once done, click Import to import your WooCommerce products from a CSV file.

After the import is finished, a pop-up will show up displaying the import status, including how many imports were successful and if there were any failures.

By upgrading to the premium version of the WooCommerce Product Import plugin, you gain access to advanced features that greatly enhance your product data export capabilities compared to the free version.

Conclusion

Moving to a new platform can be daunting, especially when it comes to transferring your products and their details, particularly if you have a large catalog. This is where the right plugin can make a significant difference. The Product Import Export Plugin for WooCommerce is designed to streamline this process, ensuring that your product imports and exports are handled smoothly and efficiently.

But that’s not all. WebToffee also provides a range of other plugins, like WooCommerce Order Import Export and WordPress Users Import Export, which allow you to easily transfer orders and users to and from your store.

We hope this article has helped clarify the steps involved in importing and exporting your products. We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please leave your feedback in the comments below and join the conversation.