With your product categories, tags, and attributes set up, it’s time to bring your WooCommerce store to life by creating products. WooCommerce offers multiple product types—simple, grouped, external/affiliate, variable, and downloadable—each with unique settings to suit your inventory. This comprehensive guide walks you through creating each type, using practical examples like a “Flying Ninja” poster and a digital album, to ensure your store is ready to sell.
Getting Started
- Navigate to Add Product:
- From your WordPress dashboard, hover over Products and click Add New.
- The interface mirrors WordPress posts, with:
- Product Name: Title field at the top.
- Content Field: Main description area.
- Product Data Meta Box: Core settings (prices, inventory, etc.).
- Product Short Description: Brief text below the meta box.
- Sidebar: Includes Publish, Product Categories, Product Tags, Product Image, and Product Gallery.
- Overview of Product Types:
- Simple: Standard product (e.g., a poster).
- Grouped: Container for related simple products (e.g., an album in physical and digital formats).
- External/Affiliate: Links to external products (e.g., affiliate items).
- Variable: Products with variations (e.g., a shirt in different sizes).
- Downloadable/Virtual: Digital or non-physical products (e.g., a PDF or service).
Chapter 1: Creating a Simple Product
Let’s create a simple product called “Flying Ninja” (a poster).
- Basic Details:
- Product Name: Enter “Flying Ninja.”
- Content Field: Write a detailed description, e.g., “A vibrant poster featuring a ninja soaring through the sky.” This appears in the Description tab on the product page (e.g., using the Storefront theme).
- Short Description: Add a brief summary, e.g., “Colorful ninja poster, 24×36 inches.” Keep it concise, as it displays near the product image.
- Product Data Meta Box:
- Product Type: Select Simple Product.
- General:
- Regular Price: Set the price, e.g., $19.99. Ensure it aligns with your tax settings (WooCommerce > Settings > Tax—inclusive or exclusive).
- Sale Price: Enter a discounted price, e.g., $14.99. Click Schedule to set a sale date range (e.g., start and end dates), or click Cancel to remove.
- Tax Status: Choose Taxable, Shipping Only, or None.
- Tax Class: Select a class if taxable (set up in Tax Settings).
- Inventory:
- SKU: Add a unique Stock Keeping Unit, e.g., FN-001.
- Manage Stock: Check to enable stock tracking, then enter quantity (e.g., 100).
- Allow Backorders: Choose Do Not Allow, Allow (Notify Customer), or Allow (silent backordering).
- Stock Status: Set In Stock or Out of Stock (affects visibility on the shop page).
- Sold Individually: Check to limit to one per order.
- Shipping (Skipped if Virtual):
- Weight: Enter weight, e.g., 0.5 lbs.
- Dimensions: Set length, width, height, e.g., 24 x 36 x 0.1 inches.
- Shipping Class: Select a class if used (see Shipping Classes guide).
- Linked Products:
- Upsells: Add higher-value products, e.g., a premium poster, shown on the product page.
- Cross-Sells: Add related products, e.g., a poster frame, shown in the cart.
- Attributes (Optional for Simple Products):
- Add attributes like “Color” (e.g., “Red”) for organization or filtering (useful with the WooCommerce Layered Nav widget).
- Advanced:
- Purchase Note: Add a note sent post-purchase, e.g., “Thank you for buying our poster!”
- Menu Order: Set display order if sorting manually.
- Enable Reviews: Check to allow customer reviews.
- Sidebar Settings:
- Product Categories: Assign to a category, e.g., “Posters.”
- Product Tags: Add tags, e.g., “Art” or “Ninja.”
- Product Image: Upload the main image (acts like a featured image, shown on shop and product pages).
- Product Gallery: Add extra images (e.g., alternate angles, poster on a wall), displayed below the main image.
- Publish and Test:
- Click Publish to make the product live.
- Visit the shop page to confirm the product displays correctly, including price, image, stock status, and description.
Chapter 2: Creating a Grouped Product
Grouped products bundle related simple products, like offering a music album in physical and digital formats on one page.
- Prepare Simple Products:
- Create two simple products first:
- Physical Album: SKU ALB-001, price $15, in “Music” category.
- Digital Album: SKU ALB-002, price $10, marked as Downloadable (see Chapter 5).
- Optionally, hide these from the catalog:
- Edit each product, set Catalog Visibility to Hidden in the Publish meta box, so they only appear in the grouped product.
- Create two simple products first:
- Create the Grouped Product:
- Go to Products > Add New.
- Product Name: Enter “Album Bundle.”
- Content Field: Describe the bundle, e.g., “Get our latest album in physical or digital format.”
- Short Description: Add a brief pitch, e.g., “Choose your format: CD or MP3.”
- Product Data Meta Box:
- Product Type: Select Grouped Product.
- Linked Products:
- In the Grouped Products field, type the names of the simple products (e.g., “Physical Album,” “Digital Album”) to link them.
- Other sections (Inventory, Attributes, Advanced) work as with simple products but are rarely needed.
- Sidebar:
- Assign to the “Music” and “Albums” categories.
- Add tags like “New Release.”
- Upload a product image (e.g., album cover).
- Add gallery images if needed.
- Publish and Test:
- Click Publish.
- Visit the product page to confirm both formats are listed, with their prices and “Add to Cart” buttons.
- Test adding each to the cart to ensure functionality.
Chapter 3: Creating an External/Affiliate Product
External or affiliate products link to another seller’s site, ideal for earning commissions.
- Create the Product:
- Go to Products > Add New.
- Product Name: Enter “Partner Poster.”
- Content Field: Describe the product, e.g., “A stunning poster from our partner store.”
- Short Description: Add a summary, e.g., “High-quality art print.”
- Product Data Meta Box:
- Product Type: Select External/Affiliate Product.
- General:
- Product URL: Enter the external link, e.g., https://partnerstore.com/poster.
- Button Text: Customize the button, e.g., “Buy Now” (defaults to “Add to Cart”).
- Regular Price: Set a display price, e.g., `$25” (optional).
- Sale Price: Add a promotional price if applicable.
- Linked Products: Add upsells or cross-sells (e.g., your own products to encourage local sales).
- Sidebar:
- Assign to a category, e.g., “Posters.”
- Add tags like “Affiliate.”
- Upload a product image.
- Publish and Test:
- Click Publish.
- Visit the product page to confirm the “Buy Now” button links to the external URL.
- Test the link to ensure it directs correctly.
Chapter 4: Creating a Variable Product
Variable products handle items with options, like a shirt in different sizes.
- Create the Product:
- Go to Products > Add New.
- Product Name: Enter “Ninja T-Shirt.”
- Content Field: Describe it, e.g., “Comfy cotton t-shirt with a ninja design.”
- Short Description: Add a summary, e.g., “Available in multiple sizes.”
- Sidebar:
- Assign to “Clothing” category.
- Add tags like “Casual.”
- Upload a product image and gallery images.
- Set Up Attributes:
- Product Data Meta Box:
- Product Type: Select Variable Product.
- Attributes:
- From the Custom Product Attribute dropdown, select a global attribute (e.g., “Size” from the Attributes guide, with terms Small, Medium, Large).
- Click Add, then Select All to include all terms (or manually add new ones, e.g., “Extra Large”).
- Check Used for Variations to enable variation setup.
- Click Save Attributes.
- Product Data Meta Box:
- Create Variations:
- Go to the Variations section.
- Automatic Creation:
- From the Add Variation dropdown, select Create variations from all attributes to generate all possible variations (e.g., Small, Medium, Large).
- Manual Creation:
- Select Add Variation to create specific ones.
- For each variation (e.g., Small):
- Image: Upload a variation-specific image (optional).
- SKU: Add a unique SKU, e.g., TS-SM-001.
- Enabled: Check to activate.
- Downloadable/Virtual: Check if applicable (rare for shirts).
- Regular Price: Set price, e.g., $20.
- Sale Price: Add a discount if needed.
- Stock Management: Check to set quantity (e.g., 50) and backorder rules.
- Stock Status: Set In Stock or Out of Stock.
- Weight/Dimensions: Add, e.g., 0.3 lbs, 10 x 8 x 1 inches.
- Shipping Class: Select if used.
- Tax Class: Set if different from default.
- Description: Add a variation-specific note (optional).
- Use bulk actions (e.g., set prices for all variations) via the dropdown for efficiency.
- Publish and Test:
- Click Publish.
- Visit the product page to confirm customers can select sizes and see correct prices/stock.
- Test adding variations to the cart to ensure functionality.
Chapter 5: Adding Digital Downloads
Downloadable products deliver digital files, applicable to simple or variable products.
- Simple Product Download (Edit “Flying Ninja”):
- Go to Products, hover over “Flying Ninja,” and click Edit.
- Product Data Meta Box:
- Check Downloadable (and optionally Virtual if no shipping applies).
- Downloadable Files:
- Click Add File.
- Name: Enter “Digital Poster.”
- File URL: Upload a file (e.g., a PDF) via Choose File or enter a hosted URL.
- Add multiple files if needed (e.g., PNG and PSD versions).
- Download Limit: Set a limit, e.g., 10 downloads, or leave blank for unlimited.
- Download Expiry: Set days until access expires, e.g., 30, or leave blank for no expiry.
- Save and test by purchasing to confirm file access.
- Variable Product Download (Edit “Album Bundle”):
- Edit the grouped product’s Digital Album variation (or create a new variable product).
- Product Data > Variations:
- Expand the “Digital” variation.
- Check Downloadable (and Virtual if no shipping).
- Add a file (e.g., “Album MP3”), set limit/expiry as above.
- Save and test to ensure the digital variation delivers the file.
Step 6: Final Testing and Tips
- Test All Products:
- Simple: Confirm price, stock, and images display correctly.
- Grouped: Verify all linked products appear and function.
- External: Ensure the external link works.
- Variable: Check variation selection and cart behavior.
- Downloadable: Test file downloads via customer account or email links.
- Pro Tips:
- Accuracy: Double-check weights, dimensions, and SKUs to avoid shipping or inventory errors.
- Upsells/Cross-Sells: Use strategically to boost sales (e.g., suggest frames for posters).
- Attributes for Filtering: Add non-variation attributes (e.g., “Color”) to simple products for use with Layered Nav.
- Theme Compatibility: Ensure your theme (e.g., Storefront) displays upsells, cross-sells, and galleries correctly.
- Documentation: Refer to WooCommerce’s product documentation for advanced setups like subscriptions or bulk editing.
Congratulations!
You’ve mastered creating every WooCommerce product type! From a “Flying Ninja” simple poster to a grouped album, affiliate links, variable shirts, and downloadable files, your store is ready to sell anything. Experiment with these options to showcase your inventory and delight customers.
For more guidance, explore WooCommerce’s resources or dive into advanced features like product add-ons.