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How to Add Sample Data in WooCommerce (with Product Images)

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Do you want to add some sample data in WooCommerce?

If you are setting up a new online store, then you may want to add some sample product data to see how it will look when goes live. This can also help with testing before you open it to the public.

In this article, we’ll show you how to easily add sample data in WooCommerce with product images.

Adding sample data in WooCommerce

Why Add Sample Data in WooCommerce?

Using dummy data in WooCommerce lets you see how your WooCommerce store looks with actual products in place.

You can test your WooCommerce theme, try essential WooCommerce plugins, and set up your store without adding your own products.

Adding dummy WooCommerce products enables you to offer a better customer experience in your store when you go live with real products.

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If you’d prefer written instructions, just keep reading.

Setting Up Your WooCommerce Store for Sample Data

If you haven’t yet launched your WordPress website, then you need to get suitable WooCommerce hosting.

We recommend Bluehost for WooCommerce hosting. WPBeginner readers can get started for as low as $2.75 per month, including a free domain name!

Need help launching a WordPress-powered WooCommerce store? Follow the instructions in our step-by-step WooCommerce tutorial.

Adding Sample Product Data in WooCommerce

Now that you have installed WooCommerce, you can begin to add some sample product data to your store.

First, you need to visit the Products » All Products page in your WordPress admin area and click on the ‘Start Import’ button.

Click the 'Start Import' button to import sample data into WooCommerce

You will then see the product importer page.

From here, you need to click on the ‘Advanced Options’ link to expand the settings.

Click the Show Advanced Options link in order to see more fields

After that, you just need to copy and paste the following URL path into the box for a CSV file on your server.

wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/sample-data/sample_products.csv

Don’t worry, this CSV is included with WooCommerce when you install it.

Entering the URL path of your product sample CSV file

That URL goes directly to the sample product data. This is the quickest method to add the sample data.

Another option is to download the sample_products.csv file from your website and then upload it again. Simply go to the following URL:

https://example.com/wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/sample-data/sample_products.csv

Don’t forget to replace example.com with your own domain name. Your browser will automatically download the CSV file to your computer, which you can then upload on the product importer page.

Once you have uploaded the CSV file, you will be prompted to choose how to map the data to the product fields in WooCommerce.

We recommend leaving all these settings as the defaults and clicking on ‘Run the importer’ button at the bottom.

Click the 'Run the Importer' button to go ahead and import the test product data

The WooCommerce importer may take a minute or two to import dummy content. Once it has finished, you will see an ‘Import Complete’ message.

You can then click on the ‘View products’ button to see all the imported content.

The message showing that the WooCommerce product import is complete

The sample WooCommerce products will show up just like regular products.

You can then edit these just like any WooCommerce product, preview them with your WooCommerce theme, and try out different WordPress plugins.

The sample products are now shown in the product table

Creating Sample Orders in WooCommerce

WooCommerce doesn’t come with a sample order generator. The easiest way to create dummy orders in WooCommerce is to simply go through the checkout process yourself. This lets you optimize your customer journey and boost conversions.

It’s easy to do this without spending any money and without changing the prices of your products.

Simply go to the WooCommerce » Settings » Payments page in your WordPress admin and enable the toggle for the ‘Cash on delivery’ payment option. Don’t forget to click the ‘Save Changes’ button.

Enabling cash on delivery in WooCommerce

Next, you need to visit your store and order some of the dummy products by going through the full checkout process.

You’ll then see your orders on the WooCommerce » Orders page.

Viewing your sample orders in WooCommerce

You can create as many sample orders as you want.

How to Remove the Sample Data in WooCommerce

After you’ve finished using your sample data, you can delete the dummy products and orders.

To delete orders, go to the WooCommerce » Orders page in your WordPress admin. Here, you simply need to select all the orders and use the ‘Bulk actions’ menu to move them all to the trash.

Just select ‘Move to trash’ from the dropdown then click the ‘Apply’ button.

Moving your sample orders to the trash

To delete products, go to the Products » All Products page in your WordPress admin.

Again, simply select all the products then use the ‘Bulk actions’ menu. Go ahead and select ‘Move to trash’ then click the Apply button.

Moving your sample products to the trash

We hope this article helped you learn how to add sample data in WooCommerce. Now that your store is ready, we recommend that you check out our guide on how to set up WooCommerce conversion tracking and our list of the best WooCommerce plugins for your store.

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Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi with over 16 years of experience in WordPress, Web Hosting, eCommerce, SEO, and Marketing. Started in 2009, WPBeginner is now the largest free WordPress resource site in the industry and is often referred to as the Wikipedia for WordPress.

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Reader Interactions

3 CommentsLeave a Reply

  1. Syed Balkhi says

    Hey WPBeginner readers,
    Did you know you can win exciting prizes by commenting on WPBeginner?
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  2. Pasquale Mellone says

    I am in the middle of launching an e-commerce website and I want aware of the sample data feature. Very slick! Thanks for sharing!

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