First steps with WooCommerce

Level: Beginner | Reading time: 12 minutes

Create your first product, set up payments and shipping to get your store up and running.

In this chapter :

WooCommerce Guide - WooCommerce

Purpose of this step - By the end of this guide, you'll have a fully functional store with at least one product online, an active payment method and a configured shipping method. You'll be able to place your first test order.

Create your first product

Creating a product in WooCommerce is intuitive and straightforward. Start with a simple (non-variable) product to familiarize yourself with the interface.

Important: At this stage, it's important not to confuse article and product in WordPress. An article is a post on your blog (or blog post), while a product is an item in your store. I specify because both appear in your administration interface.

Go to add a product

In your WordPress dashboard:

  1. Click on Products in the left-hand menu
  2. Click on Add a product.
  3. This takes you to the product editor, similar to the WordPress post editor.
WooCommerce Guide - WooCommerce tabs

The interface is divided into several areas: title, description, product data, images, categories. We'll fill in each section methodically.

Basic information

Product title:

Enter a descriptive, SEO-optimized name. Example: "Men's black organic cotton T-shirt" rather than "T-shirt 1". Include important keywords (material, color, gender).

Main description:

Write 150-300 words in the main editor. This description appears below the images on the product sheet. Structure it as follows:

  • Paragraph 1** - Emotional appeal or main benefit
  • Paragraph 2** - Detailed technical specifications
  • Paragraph 3** - Instructions for use or care

Use short paragraphs, bulleted lists and subheadings to facilitate reading. Avoid excessive technical jargon. Also, avoid simply copying and pasting from your supplier's page, as Google would view it as "duplicate content".

Short description:

In the right-hand column, in the "Product summary" zone (50-100 words). This text appears at the top of the page, just below the title. Summarize the essential: why buy this product in 2 powerful sentences.

Product data

Scroll down to the Product data area. Make sure "Simple product" is selected in the drop-down menu.

General tab:

  • Regular price** - Sales price incl. VAT (e.g., 29.90$)
  • Promotional price** - Optional, price crossed out if you offer a discount.
  • Scheduling** - Automatic promotion start/end dates

WooCommerce automatically displays the savings: "~~39.90$~~ 29.90$ (-25%)".

Inventory tab:

  • SKU** - Unique product reference (e.g. TSH-BIO-M-NOIR) for your internal management.
  • Manage stock** - Check if you are tracking available quantities.
  • Quantity in stock** - Number of units available (e.g., 50)
  • Authorize backorders - Do not authorize (avoids sales without stock).

If you do not manage stock (digital products, on-demand manufacturing), leave it unchecked.

Shipping tab:

  • Weight** - 0.250 (kg) - Important for calculating shipping costs.
  • Dimensions** - Length × Width × Height in cm (for carriers)
  • Shipping class** - Leave blank or create "Standard parcel", "Bulky", etc.

This data feeds the automatic calculation of delivery charges based on carrier rates.

Attributes tab:

Add technical characteristics that appear in a table on the product sheet.

  1. Click Add
  2. Enter name: "Material" | Value: "100% organic cotton".
  3. Check Visible on product page.
  4. Repeat for Color, Size, Origin, etc.

Attributes help SEO and facilitate search filters for your customers.

Product images

Images are the most important element in triggering online purchases. Plan for at least 3-4 photos per product.

Main image:

Click on Define product image in the right-hand column. Upload your best photo (white background or contextualized). This image will appear in listings and in a larger format on the product sheet.

Recommended resolution: 1200×1200 pixels minimum (square format ideal). Export in JPG at 80% quality to optimize file size (<200 Kb per image).

Product gallery:

Click on Add images to gallery. Upload 3-6 additional photos showing :

  • Product from different angles (front, profile, back, details)
  • Product in use (worn, in context)
  • Close-ups of textures, finishes, labels
  • Color variations if several choices are available

Customers scroll through the gallery to examine the product as they would in a store. The more details you show, the fewer returns you get.

Categories and labels

I'm not going to give you a lecture on WordPress, but it's important to point out here that categories can be hierarchical, and that a product must not belong to more than one particular category. Labels, on the other hand, have no hierarchy, and a product can have several.

For example, the pants you're selling may be in the "Men > Sport" category, and have the labels "velvet" and "organic".

Categories:

In the right-hand column, tick the appropriate category or create a new one. Examples: "Clothing > Men > T-shirts" or "Electronics > Audio > Headphones".

A clear hierarchy makes navigation easier. Don't create too many categories at first (5-10 maximum), as you'll refine them as you grow.

Tags:

Add 3-5 keywords describing the product: "organic", "made in France", "eco-responsible", "gift". Tags create cross-links between similar products.

Use terms that your customers type into Google or your internal search engine.

Publish product

Before publishing, check the preview:

  1. Click Preview at top right
  2. Check display: images, price, description, "Add to cart" button
  3. Test responsive (mobile version)

If everything is correct, click Publish. Your first product is online! Repeat the process to add other products to your catalog.

Practice with demo products 🔺

Creating products at a time takes time. If you want to quickly explore all WooCommerce features (filters, variations, categories, reports), you can import a demo catalog in just a few clicks.

The sample_products.csv file

WooCommerce provides a demo file containing around twenty fictitious products: clothing, accessories, variable products with sizes and colors. With this catalog, you can immediately see what a completed store would look like.

Download file:

The file is available on the official WooCommerce GitHub repository:

Click on the Raw button, then right-click > Save As to download the CSV file to your computer.

Import demo products

Import procedure:

  1. In your WordPress administration, go to Products > All products.
  2. Click on the Import button at the top of the page
  3. Click on Choose a file and select the downloaded file sample_products.csv.
  4. Click on Continue
  5. On the column matching screen, WooCommerce automatically recognizes the fields. Click on Start Import.
  6. Wait a few seconds during import

When finished, you have a complete catalog with single products, variable products (t-shirts with S/M/L sizes and colors), pre-populated categories and demo images.

Explore features with real data

With this test catalog, you can now :

  • Navigate the shop** like a customer and see the products displayed in a grid.
  • Test filters by category, by price, by attribute (color, size)
  • Put in test orders to understand the complete purchasing tunnel
  • View reports** in WooCommerce > Reports (which now display data)
  • Modify a variable product** to understand how attributes and variations work

Clean up before actual launch

These demo products are intended for learning purposes. Before launching your real store, delete them:

  1. Go to Products > All products.
  2. Check the box at the top to select all products
  3. In the Grouped actions menu, select Trash.
  4. Click on Apply
  5. Empty the recycle garbage can to delete permanently.

You'll leave with a blank store, ready for your real products.

Configure payment methods 🔺

Without configured payment methods, your customers won't be able to finalize their purchases. Activate at least 2 options to maximize conversions.

Go to settings

Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Payments. You'll see a list of available methods and their status (enabled/disabled).

By default, WooCommerce offers :

  • Direct credit card payment (requires extension such as Stripe, WooCommerce Payments)
  • PayPal** - Payment via PayPal account or card (without account)
  • Bank transfer** - Customer pays manually, you validate on receipt
  • Cheque** - Order on hold until cheque is received
  • Cash on delivery** - Customer pays driver in cash

Set up PayPal

PayPal is the quickest way to get started. All you need is a PayPal Business account (free).

Setup steps:

  1. Click on PayPal then Manage.
  2. Activate PayPal - Check box
  3. PayPal email - Enter your PayPal Business account email.
  4. Title - "PayPal or Credit Card" (customer may not know they can pay without an account)
  5. Description - "Secure payment via PayPal".
  6. Save changes - "PayPal or credit card

Test immediately: place a fictitious order and you should be redirected to PayPal. In sandbox (test) mode, no money is debited.

PayPal fees: Vary by country (typically 2.9% + fixed fee). Please compare with other solutions before confirming.

Configure Stripe or credit card

To accept credit card payments directly on your site (without redirecting to PayPal ), install Stripe.

Stripe installation:

  1. Go to Extensions > Add.
  2. Search for WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway.
  3. Install and activate the extension (free)
  4. Create a Stripe account at stripe.com (free, identity verification required)
  5. Retrieve your API keys (Stripe > Developers > API Keys)
  6. Paste public and secret keys into WooCommerce > Settings > Payments > Stripe.

Stripe benefits:

  • Smooth payment without leaving your site (better conversion rate)
  • Supports Visa, Mastercard, American Express
  • Automatic fraud protection
  • Payments to your bank account within 2-7 days

Stripe fees: Vary by region (typically 2.9% + $0.30 in US, 1.4% + $0.25 in Europe).

Set up bank transfer

Bank transfer is valid for large amounts (B2B customers) or as back-up solution if online payment fails.

  1. Activate Bank transfer in Payments
  2. Enter your bank details (IBAN, BIC, holder)
  3. Instructions - "Please make the transfer with the order reference in the subject line".
  4. Order status - "Pending" (change to "Processing" when you receive the transfer)

The confirmation email automatically displays your bank details to the customer. You must manually validate orders once payment has been received.

Final recommendations

Ideal start-up configuration:

  • Stripe (direct debit card) - Priority 1, best conversion rate
  • PayPal** - Popular alternative, reassuring for customers
  • Transfer** - For orders > $500 or corporate customers

Avoid cheques and C.O.D. at first (time-consuming management, delays). Activate them later according to customer requests.

Set shipping parameters 🔺

Delivery is a major purchasing criterion. Set clear, automatically calculated rates based on weight and destination.

Create a shipping zone

Zones let you apply different rates based on the customer's location.

Create your first zone:

  1. Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping
  2. Click Add a shipping zone
  3. Zone name - Your primary market (e.g., "United States", "United Kingdom", "Domestic")
  4. Regions - Select your country/region in the dropdown
  5. Save

Repeat to create additional zones if you ship internationally (e.g., "International" or specific regions).

Add shipping methods

For each zone, add one or more shipping methods with their rates.

Method 1: Flat rate (fixed price)

Simple to set up to get started. You charge the same amount regardless of the quantity ordered.

  1. In your zone, click Add a shipping method
  2. Select Fixed price
  3. Title - "Standard Shipping" (name displayed to customer)
  4. Cost - Your flat rate (e.g., 5.90)
  5. Save

The customer will pay this flat rate for delivery in this zone.

Method 2: Price according to weight.

Fairer if your products have very different weights. Requires the free WooCommerce Shipping Weight Based extension.

  1. Install the extension
  2. Create slices: 0-500g = $4 | 500g-1kg = $6 | 1-2kg = $8
  3. Price automatically applied according to total basket weight.

Method 3: Conditional free delivery.

Encourage customers to order more by offering free delivery above a certain amount.

  1. Add FREE SHIPPING method
  2. Condition - "Minimum order amount: $50".
  3. The customer sees "Free delivery for orders over $50" and can complete the shopping cart.

Alternate between flat-rate (< 50$) and free delivery (≥ 50$) to optimize your average basket.

Configure shipping classes

If you sell very different products (small jewel vs. bulky piece of furniture), create classes for specific rates.

Create a class:

  1. Shipping > Shipping classes > Add
  2. Names: "Standard", "Bulky", "Express".
  3. In each field, define cost per class: Standard $5, Bulky $15

Assign the class in the Shipping tab of each product. WooCommerce automatically calculates the total based on the items in the shopping cart.

Delivery times

Add an explicit mention of delivery times in the method title or description.

Examples:

  • "Standard Shipping (2-3 days)"
  • "Express Delivery (24h)"
  • "Economy Shipping (4-6 days)"

Be realistic about delivery times. It's better to promise 5 days and deliver in 3 than the other way around (bad grades guaranteed).

Test your store 🔺

Before sending the link to your first customers, complete a full test of the buying process.

Test the buying tunnel

Order simulation:

  1. Open your store in private browsing (do not log in as admin)
  2. Add product to cart
  3. Click View Cart - Check quantity, price, subtotal display
  4. Click Order
  5. Fill in the form with test email address (you@yourdomain.com)
  6. Select delivery method - Check shipping cost calculation
  7. Select payment method - Test with test card (Stripe offers dummy numbers)
  8. Confirm order

You should receive 2 emails: customer confirmation + admin notification. If emails are missing, check WooCommerce > Settings > Emails.

Test emails

WooCommerce sends automatic emails at each order stage. Check them all:

Customer emails:

  • New order ("Pending" status)
  • Order in process (payment received)
  • Order completed (shipped)
  • Customer note (if you add a comment)

Admin emails:

  • New order (you'll be notified instantly)
  • Cancelled order (to investigate reasons for abandonment)

Test email appearance: logo, colors, custom text. Customize them via WooCommerce > Settings > Emails > Customize (visual editor).

Check essential pages

Browse your site like a normal visitor:

  • Store page** - Products well displayed in grid, images loaded
  • Product sheet** - Easy-to-read photo gallery, prices and description
  • Cart** - "Update cart" and "Checkout" buttons functional
  • Order** - Complete form, required fields highlighted in red if forgotten
  • My account** - After ordering, customer login displays history

Test also on mobile (50% of e-commerce traffic). All buttons must be easy to click.

Solve common problems

Add to cart" button doesn't work:

Theme/extension conflict. Deactivate all extensions except WooCommerce, test, reactivate one by one to identify the culprit.

Emails not received:

Mail server is misconfigured. Install WP Mail SMTP extension and configure with Gmail or SendGrid (free up to 100 emails/day).

Shipping costs are incorrect:

Check product weights, shipping zones, calculation by range. Test with several addresses across different regions (urban, rural, remote/overseas regions).

Payment fails test:

Use test card numbers provided by Stripe/PayPal. Make sure "Sandbox" mode is activated before testing.

In a nutshell

Your first steps are to create a complete, professional product (optimized title, detailed description, price including tax if applicable, quality images, appropriate category), configure at least two complementary payment methods (Stripe + PayPal recommended to maximize conversions) and set up shipping zones with rates consistent with your actual costs. Then test the complete end-to-end checkout process: add to cart, checkout, payment, and verify receipt of confirmation emails. Correct any problems immediately before inviting your first customers. A minimally functional store requires at least 1 product, 2 active payment methods and 1 configured delivery method.

Next steps 🔺

Finalize your store:

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