How to Generate a Rakuten Product Feed for WooCommerce in 2026

To generate a Rakuten product feed for WooCommerce, install a WordPress feed plugin such as CTX Feed, choose its Rakuten template, map the required attributes, and export the file for submission to Rakuten Advertising. The template fills in most mandatory fields automatically, including title, price, availability, GTIN, and brand, so a submission-ready feed takes only a few clicks.

This feed serves Rakuten Advertising, the network that promotes your products across Rakuten’s Social, Display, and Search channels. Opening an actual storefront on Rakuten Ichiba, Japan’s retail marketplace, is a different process handled through Rakuten’s own RMS system, and it requires a registered business entity in Japan or a service partner acting on your behalf. This guide covers the product feed, not marketplace onboarding.

How to Generate a Rakuten Product Feed Using CTX Feed

Step 1: Install CTX Feed

Log in to your WordPress admin panel and go to Plugins > Add New. Search for “CTX Feed,” then install and activate it. A new CTX Feed menu appears in the left sidebar once activation finishes.

Step 2: Create a New Product Feed

Open CTX Feed from the sidebar and click Generate New Feed. This opens the feed builder where you’ll configure the Rakuten export.

Step 3: Select the Rakuten Template

On the New WooCommerce Product Feed page, fill in the Content Settings:

Country: Select the country your shipping tax should calculate from. Template: Choose Rakuten. The prebuilt template loads automatically with Rakuten’s standard attributes. File Name: Give the feed a unique name, such as “Rakuten Product Feed.” Reusing a name overwrites the previous file. File Type: CTX Feed selects an appropriate format automatically, and you can change it if your workflow needs a different one.

CTX Feed also supports multi-language feeds. If you’re targeting Rakuten’s supported languages, you can generate a separate feed per language without extra plugins.

Step 4: Map and Add Attributes

The Rakuten template loads with default fields, but you can adjust it. Click Add New Attribute to insert a row, then set the attribute name and its corresponding WooCommerce value. Common additions include MPN, GTIN, age group, and availability. The full attribute list and definitions are in the reference table below.

Step 5: Generate the Feed

Click Update and Generate Feed. Feed generation typically finishes within seconds for smaller catalogs; stores with thousands of SKUs may take a few minutes.

Keeping Your Rakuten Feed Updated Automatically

New products won’t appear in an already-generated feed unless you refresh it. CTX Feed’s Auto Update Feed Interval setting handles this: the free version offers 5 update intervals, and the Pro version offers 8. You can also regenerate the feed manually at any time if you need an immediate update.

Required Attributes for the Rakuten Product Feed

Rakuten also accepts the Google Product Feed format, but a dedicated feed with the attributes below reduces mapping errors. Rakuten classifies these as Required Search (RSEM) attributes.

Attribute Name	Definition	Example
id	A unique product identifier, typically your WooCommerce SKU or product ID. Some Rakuten integrations expect this in a shopcode:itemcode format; confirm the exact syntax required for your specific Rakuten channel in the current Rakuten Advertising documentation before publishing.	136
title	The product name, kept under 70 characters.	OnePlus 9R 5G (8/256GB)
description	Detailed product information.	OnePlus 9R 5G with Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 Octa-core processor, Adreno 650 GPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage.
brand	The product’s manufacturer name.	OnePlus
google_product_category	The category is based on Google’s product taxonomy.	Electronics > Communications > Telephony > Mobile Phones
link	The direct product page URL.
price	The product’s price with currency.	599.00 EUR
availability	Stock status: backorder, preorder, out of stock, or in stock.	in stock
mpn	Manufacturer Part Number, unique within a single manufacturer.	GO1254OGLE
gtin	Global Trade Item Number, a globally unique product identifier.	123454677890
condition	Product condition: new, used, or refurbished.	new
tax	Tax amount, ideally configured to match your Merchant Center setup.	2.99 EUR
shipping	Shipping cost for the product.	1.99 EUR
age_group	The intended age group: kids, adults, etc.	kids
item_group_id	The identifier linking all variants of one product.	5274009
image_link	A URL pointing to the product image, recommended at 600x600px.
gender	The target gender: male, female, unisex.	male

Recommended or Optional Attributes

Attribute Name	Definition	Recommended/Optional	Example
image_link_x	Additional product image links; replace X with a number.	Optional
additional_image_link	Up to 10 extra product images from different angles.	Required for Publisher/Social, recommended for search
sale_price	The discounted price.	Required only if it differs from regular price	10 EUR
sale_price_effective_date	The validity window for the sale price.	Recommended	2026-01-05T20:07:51+0100
color	The product’s color.	Recommended for non-apparel, required for apparel	Purple
size	The product’s size.	Recommended for non-apparel, required for apparel	XL
product_type	Your custom product category path.	Strongly recommended	Home > Men > Shirt > Casual Shirt
material	The product’s fabric or material.	Recommended for apparel with material variation	Denim
pattern	The design pattern.	Recommended for variant apparel	Striped
shipping_weight	The product’s shipping weight, if shipping is calculated by weight.	Required only if applicable	5.7 lbs
adult	Flags adult-only products.	Optional	no
multipack	Indicates multiple products sold in one package.	Optional	2

Best WooCommerce Feed Plugin for Rakuten

CTX Feed builds a Rakuten-ready product feed directly from your WooCommerce catalog, with a template that pre-maps most required fields. As of mid-2026, the plugin has 70,000+ active installations and a 4.6-star rating on WordPress.org, and it supports 220+ shopping, social, and marketplace channels beyond Rakuten.

Beyond the Rakuten template, CTX Feed handles category mapping, scheduled auto-updates, and multi-language or multi-currency feeds for stores selling internationally. The free version covers most single-channel setups; CTX Feed Pro adds dynamic attributes, advanced filtering, and more frequent auto-update intervals for larger catalogs.

Key Features

Pre-built Rakuten template with auto-mapped required attributes. Support for 220+ additional channels, including Google Shopping, Facebook, and TikTok Shop. Scheduled auto-updates so new and changed products stay in sync. Multi-language and multi-currency feed generation for international sellers. Filtering to exclude out-of-stock or incomplete products before they reach Rakuten.

Pricing starts from a free tier on WordPress.org, with paid plans listed on the official CTX Feed pricing page. Check current pricing before publishing, since plans change.

Frequently Asked Questions

Key Takeaways

• CTX Feed generates a Rakuten-ready product feed from WooCommerce in five steps: install, create a feed, select the Rakuten template, map attributes, and generate.
• The feed you build with this method targets Rakuten Advertising’s Social, Display, and Search channels, not a Rakuten Ichiba marketplace storefront, which is a separate onboarding path.
• Required attributes include id, title, price, availability, GTIN, and brand; optional attributes like color, size, and product_type matter most for apparel.
• Auto-update intervals keep your feed current as your catalog changes, avoiding manual regeneration. Confirm current pricing, fees, and item ID formatting directly with Rakuten before publishing your final feed, since these details change over time.