Creating Variable Products with Attributes and Variations in WooCommerce

• Step 1: Set Up Attributes
• Step 2: Create the Product in WooCommerce
• Step 3: Set Up Product Variations with Previously Created Attributes
• Step 4: Fill Out Variation Product Data

Offer more choices to your customers with a set of variations on a product all while having control over prices, stock, images and more.

Some examples:

• Different sizes and colours of clothing (small, medium, large)
• Selection of material used for handcrafted goods (sterling silver, copper, gold)

A few definitions that may be helpful along the way:

Let’s start by working with the following product:

Product: Elev8 Web Studio Hoodie
Available Sizes: Small, Medium, Large
Available Colours: White, Black, Grey

1. From the menu on the left, go to Products > Attributes
2. Enter the attribute name and slug, then click Add attribute.
   • Example: Size, Colour.
3. Next to the Attribute name, select Configure Terms.
4. Enter the term name and slug, then click Add new.
   • Example: Size: Small, Medium, Large
5. Repeat the above steps for as many different attributes as you like.

1. From the menu on the left, go to Products > Add new
2. In the Product Data section, select Variable product from the dropdown menu.
3. Define your tax status.
4. Fill out your product details: name, short description, product tags/categories, image.

1. In the Product Data section, go to Attributes on the left hand side.
2. Select one of the attributes you previously created from the dropdown menu and click Add.
3. Make sure “Used for variations” is checked.
4. To enter the values for that attribute, click the Values field and select the terms you previously configured.
5. Click Save attributes.
6. Next, go to Variations on the left hand side.
7. Select Create variations from all attributes and click Go.
8. You will be prompted to confirm this action, click OK.

You can now fill out product data for each variation, i.e: SKU, price, stock, image, weight & dimensions, shipping class, etc.

1. Click the arrows on the right hand side to expand / close and edit details for each variation individually.
   • Note: Make sure to check off Manage Stock to fill out individual stock numbers.

2. Remember to click Publish or Update to make the variations visible on the front end of your shop.

You might also like

Setting Up Tax Rates in WooCommerce for Canadian Businesses 

Learn the Canadian tax rate set up process in WooCommerce.

2022 Canadian Sales Tax Rates for Your Online Store

A guide to 2022 Canadian Sales Tax Rates by province.

Understanding Shipping Zones and Shipping Classes in WooCommerce

Flexible shipping choices are essential to avoiding "price shock" and cart abandonment when a customer reaches this stage of the purchase. This article explains how to use Shipping Zones and Shipping Classes together in WooCommerce to optimize your shipping cost calculations.

About the Author

Sierra Pomerleau served as Team Coordinator for Elev8 Web Studio. She’s now doing #allthethings, from social media management to supporting WE Data Tools— a suite of placed-based, data-driven tools that support a strong and sustainable workforce.

Don't miss out on future articles!

Useful tips for website owners and content managers, delivered once a week.