When product photos arrive via email, compress them before adding to WooCommerce
Email a product photo to your workflow’s own Email Parser address and FlowMattic compresses the image into your media library, then creates a WooCommerce product that uses it.
Email Parser by FlowMattic
Image Compressor
WooCommerce3 steps Setup ~5 min Used on 1.4k sites Free to import
What this workflow does
Suppliers, photographers and staff often send product shots by email, and they are usually far larger than a shop page needs. Saving each attachment, shrinking it and building the product by hand takes several tools. This workflow turns one email into a compressed image and a new WooCommerce product.
The Email Parser by FlowMattic trigger gives the workflow its own email address, and every email sent to it starts a run. The parser needs a valid FlowMattic licence key to provide the address. Capture a test email with a photo attached to see the fields it produces, including the subject, body and any attachment link.
The Image Compressor step downloads the image from the URL you map, compresses it and saves it to your WordPress Media Library. Unless you change them, it uses a quality of 80 and keeps the original dimensions, with an option to resize. It returns the new media URL and ID.
The WooCommerce Create New Product step then adds the product. Both action steps ship unmapped, so map the attachment link into the compressor and the compressed image plus details such as the name and price into the product. As imported, each email handles the one image you map.
Supplier sends new stock photos
A gift shop's supplier emails a photo of each new item to the parser address, and a product with a lighter image is ready for the owner to finish.
Phone photos from the stockroom
Staff photograph new arrivals on their phones and email them in, so oversized camera images never reach the product pages.
Makers listing their own work
A marketplace-style shop lets trusted makers email a photo with the product name in the subject line to create the listing.
How this workflow runs
What happens at each step once the workflow is on, and what you need before you import it.
Email Parser by FlowMattic Email ReceivedStarts a run whenever an email arrives at this workflow's Email Parser address. Capture a test email with a photo to see the subject, body and attachment fields you can map.
- Image Compressor Compress Image
Downloads the image from the URL you map, compresses it (quality 80 unless you change it) and saves it to the Media Library, returning the new image's URL and ID. Map the attachment link after import.
- WooCommerce Create New Product
Adds the product to your WooCommerce store. The step ships unmapped: map the compressed image from the previous step and the product details you want from the email, such as the subject as the name.
What you need
- FlowMatticCore
- WooCommerce PluginPlugin
After importing, map your own data. To keep the template universal, not every step is pre-filled. Open each step in the builder and connect your accounts and fields (channels, lists, sheets, recipients) before you switch the workflow on.
Make it yours
Changes worth making after you import it.
- Create products as drafts, if the Create New Product step lets you set the status, so you can check the name, price and description before they go live.
- Turn on the Image Compressor's resize option with a maximum width and height that suit your theme's product images.
- Put a Filter between the Email Parser trigger and the Image Compressor step that continues only when the sender is one of your suppliers, so stray emails to the address don't create products.
- Ask senders to put the product name in the subject line, so you can map the subject straight into the product title.
Questions about this workflow
What happens if one email has several product photos?
As imported, the run compresses the single image you map and creates one product. For several photos, add an Iterator over the attachments between the trigger and the Image Compressor step, and plan whether each photo should become its own product.
Where do the compressed photos end up?
In your WordPress Media Library. The Image Compressor saves each one there and returns its media URL and ID for the WooCommerce step to use.
Does every email to the parser address create a WooCommerce product?
Yes, each email starts a run. Only share the address with people who send product photos, or put a Filter on the sender between the trigger and the Image Compressor step.
Do I need anything to use the Email Parser address?
A valid FlowMattic licence key. Without one, the trigger shows a licence message instead of the email address.
More E-Commerce workflows
Other ready-to-import templates from the same category.
Import this workflow into your WordPress site
Download the JSON, import it from the Workflows screen and connect your accounts. Every run stays on your server, with no per-task fees.
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