How to Update Inventory Data in WooCommerce

The Product Import Export plugin for WoCommerce is a reliable extension for managing your products in every possible way. The plugin consists of several features to fulfill the varied needs of the store owner. One among them is its ease in managing the stock or inventory.

The plugin allows you to import and export the products in CSV or XML format. Several import/export filters and sorting options are embedded within the plugin for facilitating customized import/export. 

WooCommerce, by default, gives provision to manage stock at the product level by enabling the option: Manage Stock?. 

On disabling the option: Manage stock?, Stock status appears, where you can choose among the following.

However, with this plugin in place, ensure that the manage_stock column of the CSV/XML is marked as yes for an uninterrupted import/export of stock data.

The import-export plugin offers two methods for updating/modifying the stock or inventory in WooCommerce. Let’s walk through the inventory updating methods.

In the CSV column header for product stock, you can update the stock value for products. If you do not have a column header for product stock in the CSV file, create one and name it as stock, and update the product stock values.

Our Product Import Export Plugin for WooCommerce facilitates three types of values that will help you update the product stock:

1. Replacing stock value: If the existing product stock value is 10, and you replace the stock value with 20, then the updated product stock after importing will result in 20.
2. Adding value to existing stock: You can use the (+) sign prefix to the stock value to update the product stock.
   If the existing product stock value is 10, replace the value with (+)5, then the updated product stock after importing will result in 15.
3. Reducing the value of the existing stock: You can use the (-) sign prefix to the stock value to update the product stock.
   If the existing product stock value is 10, replace the value with (-)5, then the updated product stock after importing will result in 5.

Once the product stock values are updated, save the CSV file and import.

Method 2: Updating inventory via importing

As a first step, install and activate the product import export plugin. Click on WebToffee Import Export (Pro) > Import menu from the WordPress admin panel.

• Select Products under post type.
• Select an import method: One can choose among: Quick import, Pre-saved template and Advanced import .
• Map import columns: To map import columns. Here, you can map the commercial names to WooCommerce columns. Use Evaluation Field to fix/update the required value for a particular field.
  
  Make sure Inventory: Stock field is properly mapped to your CSV column header stock: stock value.
  
  On assigning +5 in the evaluation field against the Inventory: stock row, the existing stock value which is 20 will be increased by 5 so that the present stock will be 25.
  Click Use Expression as value to update the stock and proceed to the next step.
  
  
  
• Advanced Options/Batch Import: Provides advanced options to import and scheduling import.
  In this step, select Update for the option: If product exists in the store to update stocks of existing products on your store.

Next, click Import to finish.

You can check the updated stock in the product data meta-box of the product edit page. A screenshot of the updated stock of a product is as shown below:

For more information on importing and exporting products, read this documentation.