Google Sheets Scheduled Product Sync

This guide explains how to sync WooCommerce products from Google Sheets using the Products Import & Export with Excel plugin and a scheduled cron import.

Prerequisites #

• WooCommerce installed and active.

• Products Import & Export with Excel plugin updated to version 12.1.1 or later.​

• A Google Sheet containing product data (existing products or new ones) with columns that match the plugin’s import fields (e.g. ID/SKU, title, prices, stock, etc.).

1. Update the plugin #

1. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins in WordPress.

2. Locate Product Import Export with Excel for WooCommerce and confirm the version is 12.1.1 or higher.​

3. If an update is available, click Update now, then verify the site works correctly after the update.

2. Prepare the Excel / Google Sheet #

You can either start from an export or from an empty sheet.

2.1 Export existing products (recommended) #

Use the Export Products screen to control which products and fields will be used as your Google Sheets template.

1. 1. Go to WPFactory → Product Import/Export → Export Products in your WordPress dashboard.​

   2. (Optional) In the top area, set any filters you need, for example:

      • Filter by SKU, Regular Price, Sale Price, or other fields.

      • Limit the number of results or choose the order (ASC/DESC).​

   3. Scroll down to TAXONOMIES TO SHOW and tick any taxonomies you want in the export (e.g. product categories, tags, attributes).​

   4. In FIELDS TO SHOW, select the exact product fields you want to work with, such as _sku, _regular_price, _sale_price, _stock, titles, content, etc., or use Check All to export everything.​

   5. Click Search at the bottom of the page to generate the export and download the Excel file.​

   6. Open the downloaded file and use it as a template: edit titles, prices, stock, or any other selected fields, then upload the edited file into Google Sheets for the later import and scheduling steps.

2.2 Create / edit the Google Sheet #

1. In Google Sheets, ensure the first row contains the column headers you plan to map (for example: ID, SKU, POST TITLE, regular_price, sale_price, etc.).​

2. Add or edit product rows under these headers. Existing products should be matched using ID or SKU according to how you plan to map fields in the plugin.​

3. Publish the Google Sheet as a public XLSX URL #

The cron import requires a public, direct XLSX link. Use “Publish to the web” in Google Sheets, as illustrated in the screenshots.

1. In Google Sheets, click File → Share → Publish to web.​​

2. In the dialog:

   • Under Link, choose Entire document.

   • In the format dropdown, select Microsoft Excel (.xlsx).​

3. Click Publish and confirm.

4. Copy the generated link (ending with output=xlsx) and keep it for later as the remote URL for the plugin.​​

5. Make sure Automatically republish when changes are made is enabled so any edits in Google Sheets are reflected on the next cron run.​

4. Run the initial manual import #

A successful manual import must be completed before enabling the schedule.

1. Go to WPFactory → Product Import/Export → Import Terms in your WordPress dashboard..
2. In the import screen, choose file to upload.​
   

5. Configure the scheduled product import (cron) #

Once the manual import and template are ready, configure the cron schedule.

1. Navigate to WooCommerce → Product Import Export with Excel → Settings → Products Import Schedule.​

2. Set Schedule to Yes.

3. Choose the Import type:

   • One-time product import for a single scheduled run.

   • Recurrent product import for regular updates (e.g. every day, every week).​

4. Enter the Products Import Excel URL location using the published Google Sheets XLSX link created in step 3.​

5. Define the start date and time and, for recurrent imports, the interval (e.g. every 1 hour, every 12 hours, daily).

6. Configure email notification settings so that an email is sent to the store’s info email address when the cron job finishes.​​

7. Save changes.

The plugin will now automatically download the XLSX version of your Google Sheet at the configured times, apply the saved mapping, and create or update products accordingly.​

6. Updating data via Google Sheets #

After scheduling is in place:

• Edit any product data directly in the Google Sheet (prices, stock, titles, etc.).

• Ensure the structure (column names and order) remains the same so the mapping template stays valid.​

• When the cron runs again, changes will be imported automatically, and an email will be sent when the process completes.

7. Notes and best practices #

• Always test on a staging / test site before enabling recurrent imports on a live store.

• Keep a recent backup of the database before large imports.

• Prefer matching products by ID or SKU to avoid creating duplicates.​