Before adding products it is helpful to get familiar with some background information for WooCommerce products.
- Categories: Categories are the organizational structure of WooCommerce products. You can create any number of categories and subcategories to arrange your products in groups.
- Product Types: Before adding products, you must determine which product type applies to your items. The product types are: simple, grouped, virtual, downloadable, external or affiliate, and variable. The product types will determine what kind of information you can add to your products, for example, simple products will allow you to enter dimensions for your items while virtual products will not.
- Simple: The "simple" product type is the most common type of product used in WooCommerce. Simple products are tangible, can be shipped to customers, and have no options.
- Grouped: Grouped products are sets of simple products that are collected in a set.
- Virtual: Virtual products are intangible and cannot be shipped to customers. Services are the most common example of a virtual product.
- Downloadable: These products are downloaded by the customer after purchasing, such as music, pdf files, or photos. Selecting a product as "downloadable" will enable you to upload a file for the customer to download after the purchase.
- External or affiliate: This product type is for items listed and described on your website, but not sold on your website.
- Variable: The variable product type is for items that have multiple different varieties, for example, a t-shirt that can be purchased in different sizes and colors. Each individual variation can be assigned its own SKU number, price, shipping cost, etc.
- Once you have logged in to your WordPress dashboard, hover over the Products tab at the left side of your screen and select "Add New" in the pop-up menu. Type in the product title and description.
2. Scroll down the page to the product data box. This section is where you will add the majority of the product data. Use the dropdown menu to select the product type. Select the "downloadable" or "virtual" boxes if applicable. This article will cover adding a simple product. If you select a different product type, add any relevant information for your selected product type in the Product Data box.
- General: The general tab will allow you to input product information such as regular price, sale price, and tax information.
- Inventory: The inventory tab is where you will indicate if a product is in stock, what quantity you have in stock, if backorders are allowed, and other information. Select the "Enable stock management at product level" option to input more specific information.
- Shipping: Use the shipping tab to apply information for the size, weight, and shipping class of your product.
- Linked products: Use the linked products tab to cross-promote your items. Assigning up-sells to a product will display similar products along with the item a customer is viewing. Assigning a cross-sell will display connected products or accessories along with products a customer has added to their cart.
- Attributes: Using the attributes tab allows you to assign specific details to a product. This can be used with variable products to create different product options.
3. Add a product short description. Scroll down the page beneath the Product Data box to find the Product Short Description box. The product short description is the excerpt that displays with the item in the product listings page.
4. Assigning categories and tags. Scroll back up the page and find the Categories and Tags boxes on the right side of the screen. These options are used to help you group, organize, and identify your products. Assign any relevant categories or tags to your product or create new ones to assign.
5. The Product Image and Product Gallery boxes allow you to upload images to display with your product. This will be covered in a separate FAQ.
6. Scroll up to the top of the page and find the Publish box on the right side of the screen. Use the options here to determine the product's visibility settings and check its status. When finished, select the "Publish" button and the new product will be added to your site!