Updating simple products to variant product

Hi @ksansone ,

When you change the product (i.e update it from a single product to variable product), you will still have the order history under the same product (as in the product name in already placed orders will not change), however, then name/IDs of the product will change in Sales report. When you create a variable product, each variation is assigned an ID which is used in sales report.

A better approach here would be to put the existing simple products to Draft mode and then create a new variable product. This will keep the orders as well as sales report intact, and new orders and sales report will be under the new product.

Let us know if you have further questions.

@wpnomad thank you! This seems to be working so far, but my other question is when I do my csv import file, do I use the same product numbers as before and have it update them or should I assign new product numbers?

Thanks!

Hi @ksansone ,

I need to understand your current setup a bit better to advise on that.

Can you please let me know the following:

1. It seems you have now added the new variable products in your store and have set the single products to draft – is that right?
2. You mentioned you will be importing CSV – may I know if you’re importing CSV for updating existing product’s stock, prices etc or if you’re using it to add the new product/s as well?

Let me know so I can help you further with this.

@wpnomad sure I will explain.

1. Yes currently all single products (which is all our products) are set to draft.
2. Not sure how to answer this…. are these new products? The are really the existing products (need to keep SKU the same) that are being updated from single to variable/variants. So basically I have the parent single product turned into a variable product and then the single children turned into variants.

Do I check the box for ‘Update existing products with same ID or SKU’? Or am I actually creating new products since the matching SKUs will be products in draft….

Will this keep my order/sales history in tact is really what my concern is.

Thank you!

Hi @ksansone ,

2. Not sure how to answer this…. are these new products? The are really the existing products (need to keep SKU the same) that are being updated from single to variable/variants. So basically I have the parent single product turned into a variable product and then the single children turned into variants.

I understand that may have been confusing to answer. As you have kept the old products in draft without modifying them and then have added new products which is a variable product with same SKU, it essentially makes it a new product in terms of how WooCommerce handles the products (using product ID and not the SKU value).

So, in short:

– The new variable product and old simple products in draft are separate products.
– WooCommerce requires unique SKUs, so you will need to add a new SKU for the variable product.
– The previous sales report and orders (of products which are now in draft) will remain as it is, the new sales will be recorded with the newly added variable product.

I hope this clarifies things, let me know if you have further queries.

Howdy!

We haven’t heard back from you in a while, so I’m going to go ahead and mark this thread as resolved. If you have any other questions please start a new thread.

Cheers!

@wpnomad thanks for you help on this. I was able to create a new sku for the parent variable (new product) and update the existing single products to variations keeping the same sku which was necessary for this project.

Hope all this information helps someone else in the future!