Can I Import Costs from My Supplier?

Yes! If your supplier provides product costs in a spreadsheet (Excel, CSV, Google Sheets), you can easily import them into Alpha Insights.

Import Methods

Method 1: Direct CSV Import

If supplier provides CSV with SKU and cost:

1. Go to Alpha Insights → Cost of Goods Manager
2. Click Import/Export → Import Costs
3. Download template CSV
4. Match supplier data to template format
5. Upload and import

Method 2: Convert Supplier Sheet

If supplier uses custom format:

1. Open supplier spreadsheet
2. Download Alpha Insights template
3. • SKU column → Product ID/SKU
   • Cost/Price column → Cost
4. Save as CSV
5. Import to Alpha Insights

Required CSV Format

Minimum Required Columns

	product_id,cost 123,25.00 124,18.50 125,32.00

OR using SKU:

	sku,cost SHIRT-001,25.00 HAT-002,18.50 MUG-003,32.00

Full Format with Product Name

	product_id,sku,product_name,cost 123,SHIRT-001,Blue T-Shirt,25.00 124,HAT-002,Baseball Cap,18.50 125,MUG-003,Coffee Mug,32.00

Note: Product name is optional but helpful for verification

Matching Products

By Product ID

Best if: You have WooCommerce product IDs

Find product ID:

• Products → All Products
• Hover over product, see ID in URL
• Or export products from WooCommerce

By SKU

Best if: Supplier uses SKUs (most common)

Requirements:

• Products must have SKUs in WooCommerce
• SKUs must match exactly (case-sensitive)
• SKUs must be unique

By Product Name

Less reliable but possible:

• Names must match exactly
• Works if SKUs not available
• Risk of mismatches with similar names

Step-by-Step: Supplier Sheet to Alpha Insights

Example: Supplier Sends Excel File

Supplier sheet format:

	| Item Code | Description | Unit Cost | |-----------|-----------------|----------| | TS-BLU-M | Blue T-Shirt M | $12.00 | | TS-BLU-L | Blue T-Shirt L | $12.50 | | HAT-RED | Red Baseball Cap| $8.00 |

Conversion steps:

1. Open supplier file in Excel
2. Open Alpha Insights template in Excel
3. • Item Code → sku column
   • Unit Cost → cost column
4. Copy data to template
5. Remove $ symbols from cost column (leave numbers only)
6. Save as CSV
7. Import to Alpha Insights

Handling Special Cases

Variable Products (Size/Color Variations)

Supplier provides one cost per variation:

	sku,cost SHIRT-BLU-S,11.50 SHIRT-BLU-M,12.00 SHIRT-BLU-L,12.50 SHIRT-BLU-XL,13.00

Import: Each variation SKU gets its own cost

Quantity-Based Pricing

Supplier offers volume discounts:

• 1-10 units: $15 each
• 11-50 units: $12 each
• 51+ units: $10 each

Solution: Use average cost based on typical order quantity, or use Alpha Insights quantity-based cost feature

Products Not in Supplier Sheet

• Products you source elsewhere
• Custom/handmade products
• Digital products

Solution: Add these costs manually or create separate import for different suppliers

Updating Costs Regularly

When Supplier Raises Prices

1. Request updated price sheet from supplier
2. Export current costs from Alpha Insights
3. Compare old vs new prices
4. Import updated costs
5. Note effective date in product notes

Scheduled Updates

Best practice:

• Request supplier price lists quarterly
• Review and import updates
• Document cost changes
• Adjust selling prices if needed

Automated Sync (Advanced)

For developers:

• Use Alpha Insights API to sync costs
• Automate with supplier’s system
• Scheduled daily/weekly updates

Multi-Supplier Management

Multiple Suppliers

If you have 3 suppliers:

1. Create separate CSV for each supplier
2. Import each one separately
3. Or combine all into one master CSV
4. Document which products from which supplier (use notes)

Tracking Supplier in Product

In product edit screen:

• Use Alpha Insights notes field
• Add: “Supplier: ABC Company – Last updated: Jan 2024”
• Helpful for future cost updates

Verification After Import

Check Import Results

1. Review import summary (X products updated)
2. Check a few products manually
3. Verify costs look reasonable
4. Check Cost of Goods Manager for any blanks

Test Profit Calculation

1. Create test order or check recent order
2. Verify profit calculation uses new costs
3. Check dashboard profit metrics updated

Common Import Issues

Issue: SKUs don’t match

Cause: Supplier SKUs differ from your WooCommerce SKUs

Solutions:

• Update one system to match the other
• Create mapping table (Supplier SKU → Your SKU)
• Use find/replace in Excel before importing

Issue: Some products not updated

Check:

• Product exists in WooCommerce (matching ID/SKU)
• SKU exact match (case-sensitive)
• Review import log for errors

Issue: Costs look wrong

Common mistakes:

• Didn’t remove currency symbols ($)
• Decimal separators wrong (12,50 vs 12.50)
• Used retail price column instead of cost column

Solution: Export, fix errors, re-import

Best Practices

• Keep supplier contact for price updates
• Request costs in standardized format (CSV with SKU and cost)
• Document cost update dates
• Backup costs before importing updates
• Test import with 5-10 products first
• Review import results before accepting