How To Set Product Quantity In Woocommerce

Setting Product Quantity in WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide to Stock Management

So, you’ve got your WooCommerce store up and running – congratulations! Now it’s time to get serious about managing your products, and a crucial part of that is setting the correct product quantity. Think of it like this: Imagine a physical store that sells out of a popular item unexpectedly – frustrated customers and lost sales, right? We want to avoid that online! This guide will walk you through the basics of setting and managing product quantity in WooCommerce, helping you keep your virtual shelves stocked and your customers happy.

Why is Accurate Product Quantity Management Important?

Beyond avoiding disappointed customers, keeping your product quantities accurate has several benefits:

• Prevents Overselling: No one likes ordering something online only to be told it’s out of stock. Accurate quantity settings prevent this frustrating experience.
• Improves Customer Satisfaction: Knowing exactly what’s available builds trust and encourages repeat purchases.
• Reduces Returns and Refunds: If you accurately represent your stock, you’re less likely to ship the wrong quantity or a product that is simply unavailable.
• Provides Valuable Data: Tracking your stock levels allows you to identify popular products and plan future inventory purchases.

Setting Product Quantity for Simple Products

For the majority of products, setting the quantity is straightforward. WooCommerce simple products have a dedicated “Inventory” tab where you can easily manage stock. Here’s how:

1. Navigate to the Product Edit Screen: Log into your WordPress dashboard and go to Products > All Products. Find the product you want to edit and click “Edit”.

2. Go to the Inventory Tab: In the product edit screen, you’ll see several tabs. Click on the “Inventory” tab.

3. Enable Stock Management: Check the box next to “Manage stock?” This activates the quantity management features. If you *don’t* check this box, WooCommerce will assume you always have the product available and won’t track inventory.

4. Set the Stock Quantity: In the “Stock quantity” field, enter the number of units you have in stock. For example, if you have 25 blue t-shirts, enter “25”.

5. Set the “Allow Backorders?” Option: This is where you decide what happens when a customer tries to order more than you have in stock:

• Do not allow: The customer cannot order more than the available stock.
• Allow, but notify customer: The customer can order even if the item is out of stock, but they’ll see a notification (like “Available on backorder”) during checkout. This is useful if you know you’ll be restocking soon.
• Allow: The customer can order even if the item is out of stock, and they *won’t* see any notification. Use this carefully! Only choose this option if you are absolutely sure you can fulfill the order promptly. A bad backorder experience can lead to lost customers.

6. Set “Low stock threshold”: This is the quantity at which WooCommerce will send you an email notification to remind you to restock. For example, if you set this to “5”, you’ll receive an email when the stock level reaches 5.

7. Update the Product: Click the “Update” button at the top right of the screen to save your changes.

Example:

Let’s say you’re selling handmade candles. You currently have 12 Lavender-scented candles in stock.

• You go to the product’s “Inventory” tab.
• You check “Manage stock?”.
• You enter “12” in the “Stock quantity” field.
• You select “Allow, but notify customer” for “Allow backorders?” because you can usually make more candles within a few days.
• You set the “Low stock threshold” to “3” so you’ll get a reminder when you only have 3 left.

Managing Stock for Variable Products (Products with Variations)

Variable products, like t-shirts that come in different sizes and colors, require a slightly different approach. Instead of setting the quantity for the “parent” product, you need to set it for each individual *variation*.

1. Navigate to the Product Edit Screen: Just like before, go to Products > All Products and edit your variable product.

2. Go to the Variations Tab: Click on the “Variations” Read more about How To Choose Design And Size In Woocommerce tab.

3. Manage Variations Individually or in Bulk: You have two options:

• Individual Variation Management: Expand each variation by clicking on it. You’ll see the same “Manage stock?” and “Stock quantity” fields within each variation. Fill these out just like you did for a simple product.
• Bulk Variation Management: Use the dropdown menu above the variations list (labeled “Add variation”) and select “Manage stock”. Click “Go”. You’ll then be prompted to enter a stock quantity for *all* variations. This is useful if you’re restocking everything at once.

4. Set “Allow Backorders?” and “Low stock threshold” These settings work the same as for simple products, but you can set them *individually* for each variation if you need different backorder policies for different sizes or colors.

5. Update the Product: Don’t forget to click “Update” to save your changes.

Example:

You sell t-shirts that come in Small, Medium, and Large sizes. You have the following stock:

• Small: 15
• Medium: 8
• Large: 22

You would go to the “Variations” tab and set the “Stock quantity” for each variation accordingly.

Advanced Tips and Tricks

• Using WooCommerce Extensions: For more complex inventory management, consider using WooCommerce extensions. These can provide features like automated stock updates, barcode scanning, and integration with accounting software. Search the WordPress plugin directory for options.
• Regular Stock Audits: Periodically physically count your stock and compare it to the quantities in your WooCommerce store. This helps identify discrepancies and prevent errors.
• Consider using SKU’s: SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) is a unique identifier for each product. Use WooCommerce SKU field to add unique SKU’s for each variation.
• `woocommerce_reduce_order_stock` filter: This filter hook runs when the stock is reduced (when the order is created).

 add_action( 'woocommerce_reduce_order_stock', 'reduce_stock_on_order', 10, 1 ); 

function reduce_stock_on_order( $order ) {

$order_id = method_exists( $order, ‘get_id’ ) Discover insights on How To Put Event Snippet On Woocommerce ? $order->get_id() : $order->id;

// Your custom logic here, for example, logging the stock reduction.

error_log( ‘Stock reduced for order ID: ‘ . $order_id );

}

By mastering these basic quantity management techniques, you’ll be well on your way to running a smoother, more efficient WooCommerce store and keeping your customers satisfied. Good luck!