Setting up your first WooCommerce store is exciting, but when you dive into the settings, it can feel overwhelming. You have products ready, but where do you configure how they’re displayed, how inventory is managed, or what happens when a customer clicks “Add to Cart”? If these questions sound familiar, you’re in the right place.
This guide will walk you through the essential WooCommerce product settings. By the end, you’ll have the confidence to configure your shop’s foundation, ensuring it works exactly how you envision it.
Understanding the Products Settings Tabs
Unlike the General settings, the Products section in WooCommerce is divided into several tabs. This can be confusing at first, but it helps organize the many options available.
You’ll find four main tabs:
- General: For basic shop page and cart behavior.
- Inventory: For managing stock levels and notifications.
- Downloadable products: For digital goods like eBooks or software.
- Advanced: For additional, more complex features.
It’s crucial to explore all these tabs to ensure you don’t miss a critical setting. Today, we’re focusing on the first two: General and Inventory.
Configuring Your General Product Settings
The General tab is where you set the stage for how customers will browse and interact with your products.
Setting Your Shop Page
The first decision is your “Shop page.” This is the main page where all your products are listed. By default, WooCommerce creates a page called “Shop.”
But what if you sell memberships or community resources? “Shop” might not feel right. You might prefer “Store,” “Products,” or “Marketplace.”
Here’s how to change it in a few simple steps:
- Go to Pages > Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
- Create a new page and title it what you want (e.g., “Store”).
- Publish the page.
- Now, navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Products > General.
- In the “Shop page” dropdown, select your newly created page (e.g., “Store”).
- Click “Save changes.”
[Screenshot placeholder: The WooCommerce Products > General settings page, highlighting the 'Shop page' dropdown.]
Your product archive will now use this new page. To make the URL look clean (e.g., yoursite.com/store), you may also need to update the product permalinks.
- Go to Settings > Permalinks in WordPress.
- Scroll down to the “Product permalinks” section.
- The “Shop base” will typically change to match your new shop page’s name. You can also set a custom base like “product” if you prefer.
- Save the changes.
Controlling “Add to Cart” Behavior
This setting defines what happens after a customer adds an item to their cart.
You have two main options:
- Redirect to the cart page: This immediately takes the customer to the cart page. It’s a clear, direct path to checkout but interrupts browsing.
- Enable Ajax add to cart: This uses a cool feature called Ajax. The item is added to the cart in the background, and a small message (or a cart icon update) confirms it. The customer never leaves the product page, encouraging them to continue shopping.
For most stores, enabling Ajax add to cart on archives provides a smoother user experience.
Product Measurements, Reviews, and Placeholders
- Measurements: Set your default units for weight (kg, g, lbs) and dimensions (cm, in, mm). Choose what’s standard for your industry and region. A fabric store might use meters, while a jewelry shop would use grams and millimeters.
- Enable reviews: Product reviews build social proof and trust. This is enabled by default, and it’s a good idea to leave it on. You can also choose to:
- Show “verified owner” labels for customers who actually bought the product.
- Only allow reviews from verified owners (highly recommended to prevent spam).
- Make star ratings required if a review is submitted.
- Placeholder image: This is the image that appears if you forget to add a product photo. Upload a professional default image that represents your brand.
[Screenshot placeholder: The section of the General tab showing the measurement units and review checkboxes.]
Mastering Inventory Management Settings
For physical products, inventory management is non-negotiable. This tab helps you avoid selling what you don’t have.
Enabling Stock Management
The first option, “Enable stock management,” turns the entire inventory system on or off. If you sell digital products, you can disable this. For any physical goods, keep this box checked.
Hold Stock and Notifications
- Hold stock (minutes): This is a crucial setting. Imagine a customer adds an item to their cart but never completes the payment. This setting holds that stock for a set period (e.g., 60 minutes) before releasing it back for others to buy. This prevents “inventory ghosts” where items are tied up in abandoned carts.
- Notifications: You can enable notifications for both low stock and out of stock levels.
- Low stock threshold: Set the number that triggers a warning. For high-volume items, set this higher (e.g., 20). For slow-selling items, 2 might be fine.
- Notification recipient: The email address that will receive these stock alerts.
Out of Stock Visibility
The “Out of stock visibility” option lets you choose what happens when an item sells out.
- If unchecked, the product remains on your site but is marked “Out of stock.” Customers can’t purchase it.
- If checked, the product is hidden from your catalog entirely.
Hiding out-of-stock items is useful for one-of-a-kind products (like art) that will never be restocked. For most stores, leave this unchecked so customers can see what you usually offer and potentially sign up for a restock notification.
Stock Display Format
Finally, you can choose how (or if) you display stock levels to customers.
- Always show quantity: Shows the exact number left (e.g., “12 in stock”).
- Show low stock amount: Only shows a warning when stock is low (e.g., “Only 2 left!”).
- Never show quantity: Hides stock numbers entirely.
Using “Show low stock amount” can create a sense of urgency and encourage purchases.
[Screenshot placeholder: The Inventory settings tab, highlighting the 'Hold stock' and 'Low stock threshold' fields.]
Want to Put This Lesson into Practice?
Reading about a setting is one thing, but the best way to learn WooCommerce is by doing. If you’re nervous about breaking your live store, or don’t have a safe place to experiment, a ‘sandbox’ is the perfect solution.
We offer a WooCommerce Practice Account that gives you a pre-built WooCommerce store to test, tweak, and practice on, completely risk-free.
[Link to your Practice Account Service Page]
Ready to Go from Practice to Pro?
Once you’re comfortable with the basics, you might wonder, “What’s next?” A practice account is great for testing, but a structured course gives you the complete roadmap from beginner to confident store owner.
Our comprehensive course guides you through every aspect of WooCommerce, from setup and product creation to advanced shipping, payments, and marketing, all with expert guidance.
If you’re serious about mastering WooCommerce, check out our WooCommerce 101 – Recorded Video Course.
Conclusion
Configuring your WooCommerce product settings might seem detailed, but it’s the foundation of a professional and trustworthy online store. By carefully setting up your shop page, cart behavior, and—most importantly—your inventory management, you prevent future headaches and create a seamless experience for your customers. Take your time with these settings; a solid setup now will pay dividends for years to come.
Common Questions About WooCommerce Product Settings
Should I enable stock management if I sell digital products?
No. For digital products like PDFs, software, or music, you have unlimited inventory. Disabling stock management in the Inventory tab will simplify your workflow.
What is the best ‘Add to cart’ behavior?
For most stores, enabling “Ajax add to cart” is the best practice. It provides instant feedback to the customer without interrupting their shopping journey, which can lead to higher average order values.
How long should I hold stock for unpaid orders?
60 minutes is a good starting point. It gives customers enough time to complete their payment without tying up your inventory for too long. For high-demand products, you might reduce this to 30 minutes. For high-ticket items, you could increase it to 2-4 hours.
