Manage Syncs from a WooCommerce Store

If you’re hosting a large amount of data such as products, orders, or customer records in your WooCommerce store, your initial sync may take awhile because it’s resource-intensive for servers. Once the initial sync is complete, however, subsequent syncing is typically smoother and places less demand on your resources.

In this article, you’ll learn some adjustments you can make to improve performance and speed up data syncing.

Things to know

Here are some things to know.

• Many of the options discussed in this article are technical and may require familiarity with your web hosting site details.
• You also may need access to your WooCommerce databases and settings.
• If you need help with the Mailchimp for WooCommerce integration, check out this troubleshooting article.

Enable remote diagnostics

When you enable remote diagnostics, it provides us with real-time data about your store’s connection to Mailchimp. We use this data to better assist you when troubleshooting syncing issues.

To enable remote diagnostics in Mailchimp for WooCommerce, follow these steps.

1. Log in to your WordPress Admin console.
2. Click Plugins and choose Mailchimp for WooCommerce.
3. Click the Settings tab.
4. Find the Support section and select the Remote Diagnostics checkbox.

Enable High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS)

WooCommerce provides a database solution known as High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS), which improves the efficiency of order-related operations by storing data in custom tables. This reduces the load on your server and speeds up processes like order syncing.

We recommend enabling HPOS in your WooCommerce settings if your store has a high volume of orders. You should also be sure that your other WooCommerce plugins support HPOS, as this will improve overall syncing performance across the board.

Use WP-CLI for advanced queue setup

For stores with a high volume of orders or complex data, using WordPress Command Line Interface (WP-CLI) to manage the sync queue can improve performance significantly. WP-CLI allows you to run scheduled tasks more efficiently by processing them through a command-line interface, bypassing the limitations of the default WP-Cron system.

Check out Advanced Queue Setup in CLI Mode to learn more.

Audit for plugin conflicts and errors

It’s important to regularly review and optimize any other plugins you may be using to prevent conflicts that may affect syncing performance. Make sure that your other WooCommerce plugins aren't causing Action Scheduler errors, and are compatible with HPOS and other performance enhancements. If you’re still having problems, be prepared to review and update other plugins that might be impacting the sync process.

Optimize your WooCommerce hosting environment

Your hosting setup has a big impact on how your sync performs. WooCommerce operates on decentralized hosting, meaning that the server infrastructure for each store varies. Here are some ways you can improve performance:

• Upgrade your hosting plan - If you're on shared hosting, consider upgrading to a Virtual Private Server (VPS) or dedicated hosting plan to provide your store with more resources.
• Use WooCommerce-optimized hosting - Consider switching to a hosting plan that specializes in WooCommerce stores. These plans can offer optimized performance, better server configurations, and faster syncing times.

Enable object caching

When you enable object caching, it can significantly reduce the load on your server by improving data retrieval during a sync. Object caching stores results from previous database queries, meaning that future queries can retrieve data much faster. This is particularly useful for stores with large product catalogs or frequent orders.

You can use object caching in several ways. One popular method is to use Redis. Learn more about how to use Redis caching for WooCommerce.

Cron jobs for heavily cached sites

For sites that use heavy caching, cron jobs can help ensure that scheduled tasks run smoothly with the Action Scheduler. By default, WordPress uses a system called wp-cron, which checks for scheduled tasks whenever someone visits your site. However, on low-traffic or heavily cached sites, this approach might not always trigger tasks.

Setting up a cron job through your web host’s control panel can simulate regular site traffic by pinging your website every few minutes, making sure tasks are executed on time. This mimics the traffic-based triggers of wp-cron, ensuring scheduled tasks run consistently regardless of actual website traffic.

Perform regular maintenance and updates

You should maintain your WooCommerce store and keep it up to date to help improve syncing performance. We recommend scheduling the following tasks regularly.

• Update WooCommerce, WordPress, and Mailchimp for WooCommerce - Regular updates can address bugs, improve performance, and ensure compatibility between platforms.
• Optimize your database - Use tools like WP-Optimize to clean and optimize your WooCommerce database, which can reduce server load and improve syncing times.
• Clear caches regularly - Clear your website’s cache to ensure that the most up-to-date data is being synced to Mailchimp.