So, you’ve mastered creating your first physical product in WooCommerce. You can upload images, create galleries, and you’re feeling great! But what if your next product is an online course, a digital download, or a service? You can’t ship those. This is where the “Virtual” product type comes in, and it’s simpler than you think.
If you’ve been wondering how to properly set up products that don’t require shipping, you’re in the right place. This guide will walk you through the entire process of creating a virtual product in WooCommerce, highlighting the key differences from a physical product so you can confidently expand your online store’s offerings.
By the end of this post, you’ll be able to create and publish a virtual product with ease.
What is a WooCommerce Virtual Product?
In simple terms, a Virtual Product in WooCommerce is any item that is not physical and therefore does not require shipping. Think of services, memberships, online courses, or digital downloads like e-books or software.
The main difference you’ll see in the backend is that all the shipping-related fields (like weight and dimensions) disappear. It’s like the difference between sending someone a physical book via courier (physical product) versus emailing them a PDF of the same book (virtual product). For the PDF, you don’t need a shipping address or a box; you just need their email.
How to Create Your First Virtual Product: A Step-by-Step Guide
Let’s build a virtual product from scratch. We’ll create a placeholder product called “First Virtual Product,” which could be anything from an e-book to a consultation service.
Step 1: Add a New Product
Navigate to your WordPress dashboard and go to Products > Add New.
[Screenshot placeholder: The WordPress admin sidebar highlighting 'Products' and the 'Add New' button.]
Step 2: Enter the Basic Product Information
Just like with a physical product, you need to give it a title and a description.
- Product Title: Enter “First Virtual Product” or a name that suits your digital item.
- Product Description: Write a compelling description. Explain what the customer is getting. For our example, you could write: “This is the description of our first virtual product. This could be for an online course, a digital download, or a service.”
[Screenshot placeholder: The product edit screen showing the title and description fields filled in.]
Step 3: Configure the Crucial Product Data
This is the most important step. Look for the Product Data meta box. By default, it’s set to “Simple Product.” We need to change one setting here.
- Click on the Product Data dropdown and ensure Simple Product is selected.
- Directly below that, you will see a Virtual checkbox. Check this box.
[Screenshot placeholder: A close-up of the 'Product Data' meta box with 'Simple Product' selected and the 'Virtual' checkbox checked.]
What just happened? As soon as you check the “Virtual” box, you’ll notice the Shipping tab within the Product Data meta box completely disappears! This is the primary and most significant difference. Since the product doesn’t need to be shipped, WooCommerce intelligently removes all the unnecessary fields, cleaning up your interface.
Step 4: Set Your Pricing
Click on the General tab within the Product Data box.
- Regular Price: Set this to
$50(or your chosen price). - Sale Price: You can leave this blank or set a sale price to encourage purchases.
[Screenshot placeholder: The 'General' tab inside Product Data, showing the Regular Price set to $50.]
Step 5: Manage Inventory (Optional)
Click on the Inventory tab. For virtual products, inventory management is often simpler.
- You can leave the SKU blank or add one for tracking.
- For stock management, you have a choice:
- Leave it disabled: If you have an unlimited supply (like for a digital download), you don’t need to manage stock.
- Enable it: If your virtual product has limited slots (like a service with only 10 appointments per day), you can manage stock here. For now, we’ll leave it as “In stock” without managing quantity.
[Screenshot placeholder: The 'Inventory' tab, showing the Stock status as 'In stock' and the 'Manage stock?' box unchecked.]
Step 6: Publish Your Product
You’re all set! Before you hit publish, you can:
- Set a Featured Image: This is the main product image.
- Add to a Category: We’ll skip this for now, as categorizing products is a topic for another day.
Finally, click the Publish button. Congratulations! Your first virtual product is now live on your store.
[Screenshot placeholder: The 'Publish' meta box with the blue Publish button highlighted.]
Virtual vs. Physical Products: A Quick Comparison
Let’s solidify what you’ve learned. Here’s a direct comparison:
| Feature | Physical Product | Virtual Product |
|---|---|---|
| Shipping Tab | Yes (for weight, dimensions) | No (disappears) |
| Inventory | Optional | Optional |
| Purchasing | Customer provides shipping address | No shipping address required for checkout |
| Example | A t-shirt, a book | An online course, an e-book, a service |
A key point to remember: Not all virtual products are downloadable. For example, if you’re selling access to a course that users watch on your site, it’s virtual but there’s no file to download. The “Virtual” checkbox simply handles the shipping aspect.
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. Go ahead, create a dozen virtual products and see how they work!
[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, Master WooCommerce From Scratch, 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
Creating a virtual product in WooCommerce is a straightforward process that unlocks a world of possibilities for your online business. The key takeaway is simple: check the “Virtual” box in the Product Data meta box, and WooCommerce will automatically remove all shipping concerns. This allows you to seamlessly sell services, digital goods, and memberships alongside your physical products.
Keep practicing, and you’ll be a WooCommerce product pro in no time!
Common Questions About Virtual Products
What’s the difference between a Virtual and a Downloadable product?
A Virtual product handles the shipping (removes it), while a Downloadable product handles file delivery (adds a file upload field). A product can be both virtual and downloadable (like an e-book), or just virtual (like a service), or just downloadable (which is rare, as downloadable items typically don’t need shipping).
Can I change a physical product to a virtual one later?
Absolutely! Just edit the existing product, go to the Product Data meta box, and check the “Virtual” checkbox. The shipping data will be hidden but is not deleted; if you uncheck “Virtual” later, it will reappear.
Do customers see a difference between a virtual and physical product on the front end?
Primarily, the difference is during checkout where no shipping address is required for virtual-only purchases. On the product page itself, they will not see weight or dimensions, but otherwise, the “Add to Cart” experience is identical.
