Commerce: How to create variations in WooCommerce

Creating Product Variations in WooCommerce: A Step-by-Step Guide

Why Use Product Variations?

Product variations in WooCommerce allow you to offer multiple options for a single product, such as different bag sizes, grinds, or other options for non-coffee products. Using proper variations is crucial for:

1. Improved inventory management
2. Better customer experience
3. Accurate pricing for different options
4. Seamless integration with RoasterTools (and other systems)

Important: Creating true variations, rather than virtual variants, ensures that your product data imports correctly into RoasterTools and is mappable.

Step-by-Step Guide to Adding a Variable Product

Follow these steps to create a new variable product with proper variations:

1. Navigate to "Products" in WP-Admin (the site's admin area).
2. Click "Add New Product" at the top of the page.
3. Enter the product name.
4. Choose "Variable Product" from the "Product data" dropdown menu.
5. Click on the "Attributes" tab on the left-hand side under the Product data dropdown.
6. Add either a global/existing attribute or create a new one (specific to the product):
   1. Adding a Global Attribute:
      1. If you've already created global attributes, select the one you want to use from the "add existing" dropdown menu at the top of the settings.
      2. Select the variations/values you'd like to use from that attribute. You can add them all by clicking the "Select All" button below the values box or select specific ones by clicking on the "Select Values" box and choosing them one by one.
   2. Adding a New Attribute:
      1. Click the "Add New" button at the top of the settings.
      2. Add a name for your attribute (example: size).
      3. Add the values (variations) you need. Separate each variation/value with | (i.e., Medium | Large | XL | XXL).
7. Click "Save Attributes".
8. Click on the Variations tab on the left.
9. Click "Generate variations" to create independent variants.

Best Practices

• Always use true variations instead of virtual variants to ensure compatibility with our app and other systems.
• Be consistent with your attribute naming and values across products, using global attributes where possible.
• Use clear, descriptive names for your attributes and variations.
• Double-check that all variations are properly set up before publishing the product.

By following these steps and best practices, you'll create robust product variations that enhance your store's functionality and integrate seamlessly with RoasterTools.