4: Creating a Product

eCommerce is currently undergoing Beta Testing and is not available to all users. These instructions are for our Beta Testers at this time.

Creating your First Product

This is the moment you’ve been waiting for! It’s time to create your first product. We are going to continue on with this example using a sweatshirt, but feel free to modify the tutorial to your needs. There are so many different ways to present products, you will need to be creative, and this tutorial will get you started by understanding the basics.

Go to PRODUCTS > ADD PRODUCT

click-add-product

Go to PRODUCTS > ADD PRODUCT to get started with your first product.

Enter the PRODUCT NAME

product-name

Enter the name of your product. We suggest keeping this to a reasonable length – short and detailed.

Enter the PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

description

Enter the description for your product. This will appear below your product in the Description Field.

Determine the PRODUCT DATA type

variable-product

The default option for the PRODUCT DATA is SIMPLE PRODUCT. This is a product with no variables/options, like a ticket, or a book. In our example, we are selling a sweatshirt, so we are going to change that from Simple Product to VARIABLE PRODUCT. This means that the product will have some sort of variables or options.

Click on the ATTRIBUTES Tab on the left

click-attributes

We are going to skip inventory management and shipping in this tutorial as most schools don’t use these features, so let’s skip right to clicking on the ATTRIBUTES Tab on the left side.

Select SIZE from the Drop Down & ADD

select_size

If you created any Global Attributes in the previous tutorial, you can select them in the Attributes Drop Down. We are going to select SIZE. Now click ADD.

Check USED FOR VARIATIONS

used-for-variations

Assuming you want to use these Attributes as Variation/Options, be sure to click the USED FOR VARIATIONS box. 

Select the Values (Sizes)

select-values

Now click on the VALUE(S) field and a drop down will appear with all of your pre-defined values. Select the values you want to use on this specific product. If you want to offer all of the values, you can click the SELECT ALL option below the SELECT TERMS field.

Click the SAVE ATTRIBUTES button

save-attributes

When you have finished adding attribute values, click the SAVE ATTRIBUTES BUTTON.

Click the VARIATIONS Tab

click-variations

Now that you have added Attributes, you can start to use them in Variations (or options) for your products. To get started, click on the VARIATIONS tab on the left.

Click the ADD VARIATION Button

add-variation

There are a lot of options on this page including setting a default Size and mapping individual sizes and prices, but we are going to assume that your product comes in standard sizes and is the same price regardless of size. For this example, we will be clicking the ADD VARIATION button to get started.

Verify Size Settings & Add PRICE

size-price

We are going to set this product up with the same price regardless of the size, so we will leave the setting on ANY SIZE, but you can assign different prices per option by selecting the option and following the steps below once per size / option. We are leaving ours on ANY SIZE. The only other required field in this section is the REGULAR PRICE. Your product will not show up until you assign a price to it. Remember, this price is going to be for all sizes in our example. You do not need to “save” these options, they will be saved when you publish.

Optional: Different Pricing for Sizes / Options

link-all-variations

If you have products that have different prices based on the options selected, you may want to use the LINK ALL VARIATIONS option to speed up your process. This will create a pricing option for every possible variation you have. Note that if you have multiple variations (i.e. color and size) this will create a variation for each size in each color. Once you click the LINK ALL VARIATIONS button, proceed to assign a price to each one just like we demonstrated above.

Scroll down the page to the PRODUCT SHORT DESCRIPTION

prod-short0-desc

We suggest using the PRODUCT SHORT DESCRIPTION field to list important details about the product. This field will appear with the pricing and sizing options, the Description entered previously will be below the product.

Scroll back up to PRODUCT CATEGORIES

product-categories

Scroll back up your page to the top and you will see PRODUCT CATEGORIES listed below your Publish and Update Options. If you have previously added any categories, they will be listed here, otherwise, this will be empty when you first see it. Product Categories are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT if you have a lot of products, so pay attention to the structure of your store. It can be changed, but it’s always good to try to get things laid out right the first time around.

Click ADD NEW PRODUCT CATEGORY

add-new-act

Click the ADD NEW PRODUCT CATEGORY link to enter the new category. If you have other categories, you can assign a Parent Category as well if you wish. NOTE: You can also add, edit and change Product Categories by clicking the CATEGORIES link in the left side menu under the PRODUCTS heading.

Click ADD NEW PRODUCT CATEGORY Button to Save

add-new-cat

Click the ADD NEW PRODUCT CATEGORY button to save your new category. You can add additional categories if you would like.

Click the SET FEATURED IMAGE link

set-feat-image

Scroll down to the Featured Image section and click on the SET FEATURED IMAGE link to add an image to your product. We highly recommend using images for your products whenever possible.

Upload an Image or Select from Media

select-image

Upload a picture or select a file from your Media Library and then click the SET FEATURED IMAGE BUTTON.

PUBLISH your first item!

publish

Congrats! You’ve made it! You can now click the PUBLISH button and watch the sales roll in :) Seriously though, it’s time, you did it. Publish!

Take a look and VIEW PRODUCT

view-product

Now it’s time to take a look at your work! Click the VIEW PRODUCT link at the top of your page. You may want to open this up in a NEW TAB or WINDOW to make it easier to preview changes, etc you might want to make.

Move Along if you’re Happy! Or make some edits.

live-prod

Take a look at your work and see if you need to make any changes. If you’re happy with the way things look, you can move on to the next section (or add more products!) If you need to edit, go back to your edit window/tab and make your changes, publish and review them again until you’re ready. NOTE that the Add to Cart Button does not appear until a size selection is made.