Managing WooCommerce subscriptions is an excellent way to increase revenue and strengthen customer loyalty. However, managing subscription products can be quite challenging. This is where the Product Import Export for WooCommerce plugin becomes essential. This article explains how to streamline your subscription product management.
Subscription-based businesses have actually seen huge growth over the last decade. Market research forecasts an exponential growth amounting to $2227.63 billion by 2028.
Like all products in your store, the WooCommerce subscription products may also have to be moved around. Even though you can import and export WooCommerce products in your store, there is no default mechanism for selectively importing and exporting subscription products.
However, managing subscription products, especially in large quantities, can be daunting without the right tools. This is where a dedicated plugin proves to be invaluable. A simple and smart plugin like WebToffee Product Import Export for WooCommerce enables you to import and export selected WooCommerce subscription products.
Whether you’re introducing a new subscription model, migrating your store, or refreshing your product catalog, this plugin simplifies the management of subscription products. In this article, let’s discuss in detail how you can import and export your subscription products in the WooCommerce store.
Key Takeaways
- Subscription-based businesses are on the rise, presenting a great opportunity for WooCommerce store owners.
- Although WooCommerce allows for importing and exporting products, it lacks a built-in feature for selectively managing subscription products, which can make it difficult to handle large volumes.
- Plugins such as Product Import Export for WooCommerce can streamline the management of subscription products, allowing for efficient imports, exports, and updates, which is crucial for store migrations.
Subscription products refer to items or services that are sold repeatedly, enabling customers to receive them automatically at set intervals. They allow customers to automatically receive items or services at regular intervals, such as weekly, monthly, or yearly, without reordering each time.
It’s like a “set it and forget it” system that provides advantages for both the buyer and the seller.
Why Are Subscription Products Popular?
Subscription products are popular for a variety of reasons. For customers, they provide a convenient way to obtain essentials or enjoy curated experiences without the hassle of frequent reordering.
It’s a clever approach for businesses to foster loyalty and secure a consistent revenue stream. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement!
How Do They Work?
- The Customer’s Viewpoint: You select what you need, choose how often you want it delivered, and sign up. Payments are made automatically, and the product arrives at your door or inbox like clockwork.
- The Business’s Viewpoint: Once a customer subscribes, you gain a reliable income source and the opportunity to develop a long-term relationship with them.
Some common examples of subscription products are:
Physical Goods:
- Consumables like coffee, meal kits, or toiletries.
- Specialty boxes (e.g., beauty boxes, book clubs, or pet supplies).
Digital Services:
- Software (e.g., SaaS tools).
- Entertainment platforms (e.g., streaming services or e-books).
WooCommerce and WordPress, by default, offer you some general tools and settings to help you import and export WooCommerce subscriptions. However, these settings have some drawbacks that inhibit your ability to move the desired data.
This is where the Product Import Export plugin from WebToffee can help.
You can accomplish this in two ways: using WooCommerce’s built-in export feature or specialized import-export plugins. So, without further ado, let’s see how to import and export your products in WooCommerce.
Method 1: Import Export Subscriptions Using WooCommerce Built-in Feature
You can both import and export your WooCommerce subscriptions using the WooCommerce plugin in WordPress. The only drawback here is that this setting lacks filters and customizations that you may require to filter out the exact products you may require.
First, let’s see how you can export WooCommerce subscription products with these settings,
- Go to Products > All Products in your WordPress menu bar.
- Click on Export.
- Select Simple subscription or Variable subscription from the Which product types should be exported? option.
- If required, you may also configure the other customization options available on the page.
- Once the configuration is completed, click on Generate CSV.
This will initiate the download of a CSV file for WooCommerce subscription products.
Now, to import WooCommerce subscription products to your store,
- Navigate to Products > All Products and click on Import.
- Choose the CSV file with the subscription products. You may alternatively enter the path to the file on your server.
- Configure the other required settings and click on Continue.
Now, map the CSV fields to the products. If the file has column names similar to those in WooCommerce, the selections will be made internally.
- Click on Run the importer to import the products.
This will import the WooCommerce subscription products to the store.
Method 2: Import-Export WooCommerce Subscriptions Using a Plugin
You can also use a plugin like the Product Import Export for WooCommerce to move your WooCommerce subscriptions. The plugin will offer you features such as importing/exporting only the subscription products and selecting the required products and fields.
To access all the available customizations, you may need to use the plugin’s premium version. So, let’s see how you can import and export WooCommerce subscriptions with the premium version of the product import export plugin.
Check this article on exporting specific WooCommerce products to learn how to export products using the free plugin.
Prerequisites:
You may need to purchase the premium Product Import Export Plugin to import and export WooCommerce subscriptions.
After purchasing the plugin, follow the steps below to install it.
- On your WordPress admin console, navigate to Plugins > Add New.
- Click on Upload Plugin and choose the zip file of the plugin.
- Click on Install Now and then activate the plugin.
How to Export WooCommerce Subscriptions Using the Plugin?
To export your WooCommerce subscriptions,
Step 1: Select Product as Post Type for Export
- Go to WebToffee Import Export (Pro) > Export.
- Select the post type as Product.
Step 2: Select Advanced Export Method
- Select the export method as Advanced export.
Step 3: Filter Product Export Data
Here, filter data to export as per the criteria.
- Choose the Product types as Simple and/or Variable subscription.
You may also select other filters if found necessary. For instance, to export subscription products that are out of stock, select the stock status as out of stock.
Step 4: Map and Reorder Export Columns
Now, select, rearrange, and rename the product fields you want to export. However, if you are happy with the current setup, you may ignore this step.
Step 5: Configure Advanced Export Options
- Now, provide a name for the export file and choose the required file format. You can choose between CSV, XML, TSV, XLS, and XLSX.
- Click on Export.
This will download a file with all subscription products satisfying the selected criteria. In our example, all subscription products currently out of stock will be added to the export file. You can directly share it with the respective authorities to take actionable steps.
How to Import WooCommerce Subscriptions Using the Plugin?
Importing WooCommerce subscriptions follows the same steps as importing other products. But let’s quickly look at how to import WooCommerce subscriptions using the product import export plugin.
Step 1: Select Product as Post Type for Import
- Go to Import under WebToffee Import Export (Pro).
- Select the post type as Product.
Step 2: Choose Advanced Import Method
- Choose the import method as Advanced import and select the file you want to import. The file can have XML, CSV, TSV, XLS, or XLSX formats.
Step 4: Map Import Columns
- Now map the import columns with the fields in WooCommerce.
Step 5: Configure Advanced Import Options
This is the final step in importing subscription products.
- Select the import options and click on Import/Schedule > Import.
This will import the products in the file to your WooCommerce store.
Conclusion
Handling WooCommerce subscription products doesn’t need to be difficult. The plugins from WebToffee, such as the Subscription for WooCommerce, WooCommerce Product Import Export, and Order, Coupon, Subscription Import Export will help you to add and deal with WooCommerce subscriptions effectively, saving time and reducing mistakes.
Whether expanding your product range, moving your store, or refreshing your catalog, these plugins streamline the process and ensure your operations run smoothly.
Start taking advantage of smart solutions today and maximize the potential of your WooCommerce store with easy subscription product management!
