WooCommerce: How to Add Information to the “Additional Information” Field (The Easy Way!)
So, you’re running a WooCommerce store and want to add more details to your product pages? Excellent! The “Additional Information” field is a perfect place for this. Often, customers are looking for specific details beyond the description. This article will guide you through how to populate this field, even if you’re new to WordPress and WooCommerce. We’ll keep it beginner-friendly and packed with real-world examples.
What is the “Additional Information” Field?
Think of the “Additional Information” field as a mini spec sheet for your products. It’s usually displayed as a table on the product page, showcasing key attributes. This is where you provide crucial details that influence a customer’s purchasing decision.
For example:
* For clothing: Size, Material, Care Instructions.
* For electronics: Dimensions, Weight, Power Requirements.
* For furniture: Assembly Required, Seating Capacity, Dimensions.
* For food: Ingredients, Nutritional Information, Allergens.
Having this information readily available improves the customer experience, reduces support requests, and ultimately, increases sales.
Method 1: Using Product Attributes (The Recommended Way)
This is the most common and WooCommerce-approved method. It’s also the easiest to manage and provides the best user experience.
1. Go to Products > Attributes: In your WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to Products, then click on Attributes.
2. Create a New Attribute: Let’s say you’re selling t-shirts and want to display the “Material” of each shirt. In the “Name” field, enter “Material” (or whatever attribute you need). The slug will automatically populate, but you can change it if you like. Leave everything else as default and click “Add attribute”.
Real-life reasoning: We are creating an attribute that our products will use, so if your product have size or color, now is the time to add it.
3. Add Terms to Your Attribute: Once your attribute is created, hover over it and click “Configure terms”. This is where you define the possible values for that attribute. For “Material,” you might add terms like “Cotton,” “Polyester,” “Linen,” etc. Click “Add new Material” for each one.
Example: Let’s say you have cotton, polyester, and linen t-shirts. Add these as terms to your “Material” attribute.
4. Assign the Attribute to Your Product: Edit the product where you want to display this information. Scroll down to the “Product data” Learn more about Woocommerce How To Refund section and click on the “Attributes” tab.
5. Add the Attribute to Your Product: In the dropdown labeled “Custom product attribute,” select the attribute you created (e.g., “Material”) and click “Add”.
6. Select the Values: You’ll now see options to select the values (terms) for this attribute. Click the “Select terms” button. Choose the appropriate material for this specific t-shirt (e.g., “Cotton”). Make sure to check the “Visible on the product page” checkbox.
Important: Checking “Visible on the product page” is crucial. Without this, the attribute won’t be displayed in the “Additional Information” tab.
7. Save and View: Click “Save attributes” and then update your product. Go to the product page, and you should see the “Additional Information” tab with the “Material” attribute and its value (“Cotton”) displayed.
Real-life reasoning: This is the end-to-end flow for displaying information about the product, and all it takes a couple clicks.
Method 2: Using Custom Fields (For More Flexibility)
While product attributes are great for structured data, sometimes you need more flexibility. Custom fields (also called “meta fields”) let you add virtually any type of data to a product. This is useful when your information doesn’t fit neatly into predefined attributes.
1. Install a Custom Fields Plugin: WooCommerce doesn’t natively offer an easy way to add custom fields through the interface. You’ll need a plugin. Popular choices include:
- Advanced Custom Fields (ACF): A powerful and widely used plugin.
- Meta Box: Another excellent and robust option.
- Custom Field Suite: A simpler, more lightweight alternative.
- Field Label: Enter “Warranty Period”.
- Field Name: This will be automatically generated (e.g., `warranty_period`). You can customize it, but keep it lowercase and use underscores instead of spaces.
- Field Type: Choose the appropriate field type. For “Warranty Period,” “Text” or “Number” would be suitable.
- Instructions (optional): Add helpful instructions for yourself or other administrators.
For this example, we’ll use Advanced Custom Fields (ACF). Install and activate it.
2. Create a Field Group: In your WordPress admin, go to “Custom Fields” (a new menu item added by Learn more about How To Change Shipping On Woocommerce ACF) and click “Add New”.
3. Name Your Field Group: Give your field group a descriptive name, like “Product Specifications”.
4. Add Fields to the Group: Click “Add Field”. Let’s say you want to add “Warranty Period” to your products.
Repeat this process to add any other custom fields you need. For example, you might add a “Recommended Usage” field (Text area) and a “Country of Origin” (Text).
5. Set Location Rules: Under the “Location” section, specify where this field group should appear. Set “Post Type” to “Product”. This ensures the custom fields appear on your product edit pages.
6. Save the Field Group: Click “Save Changes”.
7. Add Data to Your Products: Edit the product where you want to add this information. You’ll now see your new custom fields at the bottom of the product edit Learn more about How To Customize Shop Page Woocommerce page. Enter the values for each field.
Example: For “Warranty Period,” enter “1 Year”. For “Country of Origin,” enter “China”.
8. Display the Custom Fields on the Product Page:
This step requires a bit of coding. You’ll need to edit your theme’s `functions.php` file or use a child theme to avoid losing changes during theme updates.
add_filter( 'woocommerce_product_additional_information_heading', '__return_null' ); // remove heading of additional information
add_filter( ‘woocommerce_product_additional_information’, ‘display_custom_fields_in_additional_information’, 10, 1 );
function display_custom_fields_in_additional_information( $product ) {
echo ‘
Additional Product Information
‘; // Adding custom title here
echo ‘
| Warranty Period: | ‘ . esc_html( $warranty_period ) . ‘ |
|---|---|
| Country of Origin: | ‘ . esc_html( $country_of_origin ) . ‘ |
‘;
}
Explanation:
- `add_filter( ‘woocommerce_product_additional_information_heading’, ‘__return_null’ );`: This removes the default “Additional Information” heading. We’re adding our own to customize the display.
- `add_filter( ‘woocommerce_product_additional_information’, ‘display_custom_fields_in_additional_information’, 10, 1 );`: This is the core of the code. We’re using a WooCommerce filter to modify the content displayed in the “Additional Information” tab.
- `get_field( ‘warranty_period’, $product->get_id() );`: This retrieves the value of the “warranty_period” custom field for the current product. Make sure to replace `warranty_period` with the actual field name you created in ACF.
- `esc_html( $warranty_period )`: This ensures that the output is safe and prevents XSS vulnerabilities.
- The code generates HTML `
` with custom heading “Additional Product Information” and shows each product information in a separate table row.
Important:
* Always back up your `functions.php` file before making changes!
* If you’re not comfortable editing code, consider hiring a developer.
9. View Your Product Page: Refresh the product page, and you should now see your custom fields displayed in the “Additional Information” tab.
Real-life reasoning: Custom fields provide flexibility where attributes are limited. For example, a warranty period might not be a simple attribute, as it can involve details not suitable for simple pre-defined value list.
Which Method Should You Choose?
* Product Attributes: Use this for standard, repeatable product characteristics like size, color, material, weight, etc. It’s the easiest to manage for consistent data.
* Custom Fields: Use this for unique information that doesn’t easily fit into attributes, or when you need more control over the display.
SEO Benefits:
* Rich Snippets: Using structured data (which attributes help facilitate) can improve your search engine rankings by making your product information more understandable to search engines.
* Long-Tail Keywords: Adding detailed information makes it easier for customers to find your products through specific searches (e.g., “Cotton t-shirt with 1-year warranty”).
By effectively utilizing the “Additional Information” field in WooCommerce, you can provide a richer shopping experience, improve your SEO, and ultimately, boost your sales. Good luck!
