Each WooCommerce affiliate product needs a product URL and button text before it can send shoppers to the merchant. Adding those one product at a time stops being practical past a few dozen listings. Importing affiliate products directly from the merchant's feed fills in both fields for every listing in a single run.
WP All Import's Automatic Setup maps an affiliate feed's product URL, button text, price, image, and category columns to the matching WooCommerce fields based on the data each column contains. If the feed doesn't specify a product type, one setting in Manual Setup covers it, and the automatic mappings are already in place. This guide covers both steps, plus how to keep affiliate products current as merchant feeds change.
How WooCommerce Stores Affiliate Products
WooCommerce treats affiliate products as their own product type, labeled External/Affiliate product in the Product data dropdown. An affiliate product has a product page, price, images, and categories like any other WooCommerce product, but shoppers can't add it to the cart. WooCommerce replaces the Add to Cart button with a buy button that links to the merchant's product page. The shopper completes the purchase there, and the affiliate link records the referral.
Because the merchant handles fulfillment, affiliate products have no stock management or shipping settings. An affiliate product import only needs to fill in the fields below.
| WooCommerce Field | What It Holds |
|---|---|
| Product URL | The merchant's product page, including the affiliate tracking ID |
| Button Text | The label on the buy button |
| Regular / Sale Price | The prices shown on the store |
| SKU | The merchant's product ID, used to match products on later imports |
| Product Images | Image URLs hosted by the merchant |
| Categories / Tags | How the product is organized on the store |
Many affiliate feeds also include columns WooCommerce has no built-in field for, such as the merchant name or commission rate. WP All Import imports these as custom fields alongside the standard product data.
Prepare Your Affiliate Product Import File
Affiliate networks and merchants provide product data as downloadable files or feed URLs, usually in CSV or XML. WP All Import imports affiliate product feeds in the structure the network delivers them, so the file doesn't need renamed columns or a fixed template before it goes into WooCommerce.
A few details in the file affect how the import runs:
- Product type: If you control the feed, add a product_type column with the value external. Automatic Setup then creates External/Affiliate products directly. Without that column, you set the product type in Manual Setup, which takes one change.
- Category paths: A single category column formatted as Home & Kitchen > Cutlery imports as a parent category with a child category beneath it.
- Image URLs: Image links must be publicly accessible so the images can be downloaded into the Media Library during import.
- Feed URLs: If the network provides a feed link, import from the URL instead of saving a local copy. The same link can then be used for scheduled updates.
Importing External/Affiliate products requires WP All Import Pro with the WooCommerce Import Add-On Pro.
Import Affiliate Products with Automatic Setup
WP All Import imports WooCommerce affiliate products in five steps with Automatic Setup, which maps the feed to WooCommerce fields automatically and shows the result for review before any products are created.
1. Start a New Import
Go to All Import › New Import and click Set up automatically at the top of the screen.
On the Select Your Import File screen, upload the affiliate feed, enter a feed link under Download from URL, reuse an Existing File, or connect through FTP/SFTP. Automatic Setup accepts XML, CSV, JSON, TXT, ZIP, and GZ files up to 256MB.
2. Choose WooCommerce Products
Select WooCommerce, choose Products as the import type, and click Start Automatic Setup.
3. Review the Field Mappings
The Your Import Is Ready screen shows how many fields were mapped and how many records will be imported. WP All Import's Automatic Setup assigns each feed column to a WooCommerce field based on the data the column contains, so a column named "deeplink" maps to the product URL without being renamed first.
Expand Field Mappings and confirm that these affiliate fields are present:
- Single Product Url, the merchant link
- Single Product Button Text, the buy button label
- Regular Price and Sale Price
- Images, categories, and tags, further down the list
4. Check the Product Type
Look for a Single Product Type row in the WooCommerce Import Add-On group. It appears when the feed includes a product type column.
- Row present: click Run Import.
- Row missing: click Manual Setup and follow the next section. Without a product type, the products import as simple products with an Add to Cart button.
5. Run the Import and Check a Product
Once the import finishes, a summary shows how many products were created, updated, or skipped.
Open any imported product to confirm the result. The buy button shows the feed's button text in place of Add to Cart and links to the merchant's product page.
Set the Affiliate Product Type in Manual Setup
WP All Import carries every automatic mapping into Manual Setup, so turning a feed without a product type column into WooCommerce affiliate products takes one setting change. Most affiliate network feeds fall into this group, because networks rarely include a product type column.
1. Open Manual Setup
On the Your Import Is Ready screen, click Manual Setup. The Drag & Drop screen opens with the fields from Automatic Setup already mapped.
2. Set the Product Type
In the WooCommerce Add-On panel, change Product Type to External/Affiliate product. The General tab updates to show the Product URL and Button Text fields, which already contain the feed's link and button label.
3. Add a Tracking ID (Optional)
If the feed's links don't already include your affiliate ID, add it directly in the Product URL field after the mapped element, for example {deeplink[1]}?tag=yourid. Use & instead of ? when the merchant URLs already contain a query string. Every imported link picks up the ID without editing the feed.
4. Run the Import
Click Continue to reach Import Settings, then continue to the Confirm & Run screen and click Confirm & Run Import.
Keep Affiliate Products in Sync with the Merchant Feed
WP All Import keeps WooCommerce affiliate products in sync with the merchant's feed by matching products on SKU and updating the existing listings each time the same import runs. Prices, sale dates, and affiliate links change often, so the settings below decide how each update behaves.
Match Products by SKU
In Import Settings, set the unique identifier to the feed's SKU column, or click Auto-detect. When the import runs again, products that already exist are updated instead of duplicated.
Limit Updates to the Fields That Change
Choose which data each update overwrites, for example prices and the product name only. Descriptions, images, or SEO changes made on the store stay untouched.
Handle Products That Leave the Feed
When a merchant discontinues a product, the import can remove the matching WooCommerce product or change it, for example by setting it to draft. This prevents dead affiliate links from staying live on the store.
Run Updates on a Schedule
Open All Import › Manage Imports and click Scheduling Options next to the import. Choose one of two methods:
- Automatic Scheduling: the paid in-plugin service. You pick days and times, and no server setup is needed.
- Cron jobs: configured on your server.
For full setup steps, see Run WordPress Import on a Schedule and WooCommerce Update Product Prices.
Final Thoughts
WP All Import turns a merchant's product feed into WooCommerce affiliate products in a single import, with Automatic Setup mapping product URLs and button text from whatever columns the feed uses. On later runs, WP All Import matches existing affiliate products by SKU and updates only the fields that change, such as prices and links.
That keeps an affiliate catalog accurate as merchants adjust prices and retire products, without editing listings one at a time. Adding another merchant later follows the same steps: bring in the feed, review the mappings, and run the import.
Import WooCommerce Affiliate Products — FAQs
How do I bulk import affiliate products into WooCommerce?
You can bulk import affiliate products into WooCommerce with WP All Import, which maps an entire affiliate feed to WooCommerce products in a single import:
- Go to All Import › New Import and click Set up automatically.
- Upload the affiliate feed, or enter its link under Download from URL.
- Select WooCommerce, choose Products, and click Start Automatic Setup.
- Expand Field Mappings and confirm the product URL and button text are mapped.
- If there's no Single Product Type row, click Manual Setup and set Product Type to External/Affiliate product.
- Run the import.
What is an external product in WooCommerce?
An external product in WooCommerce is a product listed on your store but sold and fulfilled by another merchant. WooCommerce replaces the Add to Cart button with a buy button that links to the merchant's product page, where the shopper completes the purchase. External products are also called affiliate products and are set up by choosing External/Affiliate product in the Product data dropdown. WP All Import creates external products in bulk from CSV and XML feeds.
Can I import Amazon affiliate products into WooCommerce?
Yes. You can import Amazon affiliate products into WooCommerce by importing a file of Amazon product data with WP All Import and mapping each product's Amazon affiliate link to the Product URL field. For the full process, see How To Import Amazon Products to WooCommerce.
How do I update affiliate product prices in WooCommerce automatically?
You can update affiliate product prices in WooCommerce automatically with WP All Import by scheduling the same import that created the products. In Import Settings, set the unique identifier to the feed's SKU column and limit updates to the price fields. Then go to All Import › Manage Imports, click Scheduling Options, and choose Automatic Scheduling or cron jobs. Each scheduled run matches products by SKU and updates their prices from the latest version of the merchant's feed.
Import WooCommerce Affiliate Products — Related Information
