Introduction
You’ve set up your WooCommerce store, added your first products, and configured shipping. It feels great! But then, a question pops into your head: “What do I do when I sell a product that comes in multiple options?” Imagine you sell a t-shirt. It’s the same design, but it’s available in white, black, and blue, and in small, medium, and large sizes. Do you create nine separate product pages? That would be a nightmare to manage.
Don’t worry, there’s a much smarter way. In this guide, you’ll learn how to use WooCommerce product variations to elegantly handle this exact situation. By the end of this post, you’ll be able to create a single product page that lets your customers select any combination of color and size with just a few clicks.
What Are Product Variations and Why Do You Need Them?
In simple terms, a product variation is a specific form of a main product that has different attributes, like size, color, or material. Instead of creating separate listings for a “Blue Shirt – Small” and a “Blue Shirt – Large,” you create one “Shirt” product and define all the possible variations within it.
Think of it like ordering a pizza. You have one base pizza (the main product), but you can choose different toppings (the attributes) to create your perfect meal (the variation). WooCommerce works the same way!
Using variations is crucial because it:
- Improves Customer Experience: Customers can easily find and select their desired options on one page.
- Simplifies Inventory Management: You can track stock for each specific variation (e.g., how many Medium Blue shirts are left).
- Keeps Your Store Organized: You avoid cluttering your store with dozens of nearly identical product pages.
How to Create Your First Variable Product: A Step-by-Step Guide
Let’s walk through the process of creating a t-shirt with color and size options.
Step 1: Create a New Product and Select the Type
Navigate to Products > Add New from your WordPress dashboard. Give your product a title and a description.
Now, look for the Product Data meta-box. By default, it’s set to “Simple product.” Click the dropdown and change it to “Variable product.”
You’ll notice the tabs in the Product Data box change slightly. We’ll be focusing on the Attributes and Variations tabs.
[Screenshot: The Product Data meta-box showing the dropdown with "Variable product" selected.]
Step 2: Define Your Product Attributes
Attributes are the characteristics that will differentiate your variations. For our t-shirt, the attributes are “Color” and “Size.”
- Go to the Attributes tab.
- From the custom attribute dropdown, select “Custom product attribute.”
- In the Name field, enter your first attribute, e.g.,
Color. - In the Value(s) field, enter all the options separated by a vertical bar
|. For example:White | Black | Blue. - Crucially, make sure you check the box that says “Used for variations.”
- Click Save attributes.
Repeat this process for your second attribute, “Size,” with values like Small | Medium | Large.
[Screenshot: The Attributes tab filled out with Color and Size attributes, showing the "Used for variations" box checked.]
Step 3: Generate All Variations
Now for the magic! WooCommerce can automatically create every possible combination for you.
- Go to the Variations tab.
- You’ll see a dropdown that says “Add variation.” Change it to “Create variations from all attributes.”
- A confirmation pop-up will appear. Click OK.
WooCommerce will now generate all the variations for you. In our case, it will create 9 unique variations (3 colors x 3 sizes). You’ll see them all listed in the Variations tab.
[Screenshot: The Variations tab dropdown with "Create variations from all attributes" selected.]
Step 4: Configure Each Variation (Price, Stock, etc.)
You now have a list of all your variations. You need to configure each one. The quickest way is to use the bulk actions.
- Click the top checkbox to select all variations.
- Under “Bulk actions,” click “Edit” and then “Go.”
- A bulk edit window will appear. Here you can set a Regular Price for all variations at once, e.g.,
$19.99. Click OK.
Now, you can fine-tune individual variations. For example, if you have less stock of the “Blue, Large” shirt, you can click on that variation to expand it and set a specific stock quantity. You can also upload a unique image for each variation (like a photo of the actual blue shirt) right here.
[Screenshot: The expanded view of a single variation, showing fields for price, stock, and image upload.]
Step 5: Publish Your Product
Once you’ve configured your variations and added a main product image, you’re all set! Click the Publish button. Go to the front end of your store, and you’ll see your new product with dropdowns for Color and Size. When a customer selects an option, the page will update seamlessly.
Common Questions About Product Variations
Can I use more than two attributes for variations?
Absolutely! You can use three or more attributes. For example, you could have a “Logo” attribute with options like “Embossed” or “Printed” in addition to color and size. Just remember that each new attribute multiplies the number of variations. 3 colors x 3 sizes x 2 logos = 18 variations. It’s powerful, but keep it manageable.
What’s the difference between a variable product and a simple product?
A simple product has no options. What you see is what you get. A variable product is a container for multiple simple products (variations) that differ by specific attributes. It’s the best way to sell any product that comes with customer-selectable options.
How do I manage inventory for individual variations?
As shown in Step 4, you can manage stock by expanding each variation. There, you’ll find fields for “SKU,” “Stock status,” and “Stock quantity.” Enabling stock management at the variation level gives you precise control over your inventory.
Conclusion
Mastering WooCommerce product variations is a game-changer for any store owner selling customizable items. It transforms a potentially complex inventory problem into an elegant, customer-friendly solution. By creating a single variable product, you save yourself countless hours of management while providing a superior shopping experience. Remember, the key steps are defining your attributes, letting WooCommerce generate the variations, and then configuring the details for each one. Keep practicing, and you’ll be a variations pro in no time!
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 WooScribe Practice Account that gives you a pre-built WooCommerce store to test, tweak, and practice on, completely risk-free.
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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.
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