Problem Description #
Even though products have valid EAN/GTIN values in backend, when generating product feeds or exporting products (via feed plugin or export tool), the EAN column remains blank or missing, causing feed sync problems with marketplaces, Google Merchant, etc.
Common symptoms: #
- In feed export settings, after selecting “alg ean (Custom Attribute)” for GTIN/EAN, the output feed shows empty GTIN values. WordPress.org
- Products appear without GTIN in feed despite having EAN in admin product data.
Cause: #
- The feed/export plugin may be using a custom meta key or attribute name different from what EAN plugin uses. By default, EAN plugin uses meta key _alg_ean. If feed mapping uses a different key, mapping fails. WordPress.org+1
- Feed may need regeneration after mapping changes, if not regenerated, old (empty) data persists. WordPress.org
- Some export/import or feed tools may cache metadata or not support dynamic custom attributes properly, leading to missing data.
Solution: #
- In feed/export plugin settings, when mapping GTIN/EAN field, use meta key _alg_ean (or custom meta key if you changed it in EAN plugin settings).
- After mapping, regenerate the feed/export file (don’t rely on previous cached feed).
- Verify a few products manually, open exported file (CSV/XML) and confirm EAN appears.
- If still empty: check that products actually have non-empty EAN in backend; ensure no special characters or spaces in EAN.
- If using variable products, ensure that variants have EAN assigned (as per Article 1).
Prerequisites: #
- Latest version of EAN plugin.
- Feed/export plugin compatible with custom meta attributes.
Additional Notes: #
- For marketplaces (Google, Amazon, etc.), GTIN is often mandatory, test feed output before submitting.
- Document your feed mapping settings (meta key name, field mapping) to avoid confusion if importing/exporting again.
