Adding Simple Products in WooCommerce: A Complete Guide
🎯 Before You Begin
When creating products for your WooCommerce store, planning your data structure first saves significant time later. This guide walks you through setting up attributes, creating categories, and adding products step by step.
🏷️ How to Create Product Attributes
Attributes define the characteristics of your products — the data customers need when making purchasing decisions.
📋 Planning Your Attributes
Consider what information customers need. For a T-shirt, relevant attributes might include:
👕 Colour — Red, Blue, Black, White
🧵 Material — Cotton, Polyester, Blend
📏 Size — XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
➕ Creating Attributes in WooCommerce
1️⃣ Navigate to Products > Attributes
2️⃣ Enter the attribute name (e.g., "Colour")
3️⃣ A Slug is auto-generated from the name — this becomes useful for filtering and URLs
4️⃣ Click Add Attribute
5️⃣ Repeat for each attribute you need
⚙️ Adding Attribute Values
You can add values (terms) in two ways:
🔧 Configure Terms — Click this link next to any attribute to pre-define all possible values
📝 During Product Creation — Add values as you create individual products
💡 Tip: Pre-defining common values ensures consistency across your catalogue and speeds up product creation.
📂 Creating the Product Category Tree
Categories help customers navigate your store and find products easily.
🏗️ Building Your Category Structure
1️⃣ Navigate to Products > Categories
2️⃣ Create your top-level categories first (e.g., "Clothing")
3️⃣ Add subcategories by selecting a Parent Category (e.g., "T-Shirts" under "Clothing")
4️⃣ Continue building your hierarchy as needed
📝 Category Fields Explained
🏷️ Name — The category title customers will see
📄 Description — Optional text describing the category
🔗 Slug — The URL-friendly version of the name (auto-generated)
📁 Parent Category — Creates hierarchy by nesting under another category
🖼️ Thumbnail — Optional image representing the category
✅ Viewing Your Categories
Once created, categories appear in:
- The category list under Products > Categories
- The product editor when assigning products to categories
- Your store's navigation (depending on theme settings)
➕ Creating a New Product
Navigate to Products > Add New to access the product editor.
📝 Essential Product Fields
🏷️ Product Name — Clear, descriptive title for your product
📄 Product Description — Detailed information about the product. Be informative but concise — focus on what customers need to know.
🖼️ Product Image — The main image displayed on product pages and listings. Use high-quality images with consistent dimensions.
🖼️ Product Gallery — Additional images showing different angles, details, or the product in use.
📂 Product Categories — Select from your category tree to help customers find this product.
🏷️ Product Tags — Keywords for filtering and search. Create tags under Products > Tags.
💼 Product Data Section
This panel contains critical product information:
Type Settings
☁️ Virtual — Check if the product has no physical form (e.g., services)
📥 Downloadable — Check if customers receive a file upon purchase
Pricing
💰 Regular Price — The standard selling price
🏷️ Sale Price — Optional discounted price (displays with strikethrough on regular price)
Inventory
🔢 SKU — Stock Keeping Unit. A unique identifier for inventory management.
📦 Manage Stock — Enable WooCommerce to track inventory automatically
📊 Stock Status — Set to "In Stock", "Out of Stock", or "On Backorder"
1️⃣ Sold Individually — Limit customers to one per order (useful for limited items)
Shipping
⚖️ Weight — Product weight for shipping calculations
📐 Dimensions — Length, width, and height in centimetres
Attributes
🏷️ Attributes — Add the attributes you created earlier and enter values for this specific product
⚠️ Note: You can create attributes directly on a product, but these will only be available for that product — not globally across your catalogue.
💾 Saving and Publishing
Once all fields are complete:
1️⃣ Review all entered data for accuracy
2️⃣ Set the product status (Draft or Published)
3️⃣ Click Publish or Save Draft
Your product will now appear in your store (if published) and in your product list.
⏱️ The Challenge at Scale
This manual process works for individual products, but consider what happens with a larger catalogue:
❌ Time-Consuming — Each product requires navigating multiple fields and sections
❌ Error-Prone — Manual data entry across hundreds of products invites mistakes
❌ Difficult to Maintain — Updates must be made product by product
❌ No Bulk Editing — WooCommerce offers limited tools for mass updates
❌ Proofreading Burden — Every field needs checking for accuracy
For stores with hundreds or thousands of products, this approach becomes unsustainable.
🚀 A Better Approach: Using OneTimePIM
OneTimePIM transforms WooCommerce product management:
📊 Centralised Data Repository
Store and edit all your product data in one organised location:
✅ Single Source of Truth — All product information in one place
✅ Easy Access — Find and update any product quickly
✅ Data Accuracy — Ensure information is correct and consistent
🔄 Automated WooCommerce Sync
Push products to your store efficiently:
⚡ Bulk Upload — Add hundreds of products simultaneously
🔄 Automatic Updates — Changes sync to WooCommerce instantly
🛡️ Reduced Errors — Eliminate manual data entry mistakes
⏱️ Time Savings — What takes hours manually completes in minutes
🌐 Multi-Channel Ready
Expand beyond WooCommerce:
📤 Multiple Stores — Push to several WooCommerce installations
🛒 Marketplace Integration — Amazon, eBay, and more
📋 Custom Exports — Any format for any recipient
Book a demo and discover how OneTimePIM's WooCommerce connector can streamline your product management workflow.