This guide is your complete, step-by-step tutorial. We will walk through everything from the initial setup to designing your product pages and launching your business. We won’t just cover the “how.” We’ll explore the “why” and show you how to use a modern, integrated platform approach to build a store that is faster, more secure, and easier to manage. You’ll learn how to avoid the common pitfalls and build a store that truly represents your brand.

Key Takeaways

  • WooCommerce is a Free, Flexible Plugin: WooCommerce is a free plugin that adds full eCommerce functionality (products, cart, checkout) to any WordPress website. You maintain 100% control and ownership of your store and data.
  • Hosting is Your Foundation: Your store’s success depends on its speed and security. Choosing a managed, optimized solution like Elementor eCommerce Hosting simplifies this, as it’s built specifically for WordPress and WooCommerce performance.
  • Configuration is Critical: The most important part of the setup is configuring your core settings. This includes payments, shipping zones, and tax rules. We will cover this in detail.
  • Design Sells Products: A generic store layout won’t convert. The best way to customize your store is with the Elementor Pro WooCommerce Builder. It gives you full, drag-and-drop control over every part of your shop, from product pages to the checkout process.
  • Success Goes Beyond Setup: A successful store requires optimization and marketing. Using integrated tools for image optimization (like the Image Optimizer plugin), reliable transactional email (like Site Mailer), and email marketing (like Send by Elementor) is essential for growth.
  • AI Accelerates Everything: You can use Elementor AI to speed up your entire workflow. This includes generating product descriptions, creating unique lifestyle images, and even planning your site’s structure.

What is WooCommerce and Why Choose It?

Before we start building, let’s understand what WooCommerce is and why millions of businesses, from small artisan shops to large-scale enterprises, trust it.

Understanding the Power of WooCommerce

At its core, WooCommerce is a plugin for WordPress. WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS), and WooCommerce is the plugin that adds all the eCommerce functionality. Think of WordPress as the operating system and WooCommerce as the “eCommerce app.”

This model is what makes it so powerful.

  • It’s Free and Open-Source: The core WooCommerce plugin is 100% free. This means you are not “renting” your store. You own it completely. Your only core costs are your domain name and web hosting.
  • You Own Your Data: Unlike on other platforms, you have full control over all your store and customer data. There’s no platform that can suddenly change its rules or take a percentage of your sales. You are in charge.
  • It’s Infinitely Flexible: Because it’s open-source, you can customize anything. You can add any feature, integrate with any service, and design it any way you want. You are never limited by the platform’s built-in tools.

WooCommerce vs. SaaS Platforms (like Shopify)

You’ve probably heard of “all-in-one” platforms like Shopify. It’s helpful to know the fundamental difference.

  • SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) Platforms (e.g., Shopify): These are closed, “rented” platforms. They are very easy to start because everything (hosting, software, payments) is in one bundle. The trade-off is control and cost. You are limited to their design themes, their app store (which can get expensive), and you often have to pay transaction fees on top of your payment processor’s fees.
  • WooCommerce (Open-Source): This is a “build and own” platform. It gives you complete freedom. You choose your hosting, you have no transaction fees (beyond what your payment processor, like Stripe or PayPal, charges), and you have access to the entire WordPress ecosystem of over 50,000 plugins.

The traditional challenge of WooCommerce was that this freedom could be “fragmented.” You’d get hosting from one company, a theme from another, and a page builder from a third. If something broke, everyone would blame someone else.

The Solution: An Integrated WordPress Platform

The modern way to build with WooCommerce solves this problem. By choosing an integrated ecosystem, you get the “best of both worlds.”

This is where a platform like Elementor comes in. You can get Elementor Hosting, which is a managed WordPress hosting service built on the Google Cloud Platform. It comes with WordPress and the Elementor Pro plugin pre-installed.

This approach gives you:

  1. SaaS-like Simplicity: Everything is in one place, optimized to work together, and supported by one team.
  2. Open-Source Freedom: You still get the full power and flexibility of WordPress and WooCommerce.

This is the smartest way to build a store in 2025 . You get the power of owning your platform without the headache of managing fragmented pieces.

Phase 1: Setting Your Foundation

Before you can sell, you need a place to build. This first phase is about setting up the non-negotiable foundations for your store.

Step 1. Choose a Domain Name

Your domain name is your store’s address on the internet (e.g., yourstore.com). It should be brandable, short, and easy to remember.

  • Keep it simple: Avoid hyphens or numbers if you can.
  • Go for .com: It’s the most recognized and trusted extension.
  • Check for availability: Use a domain registrar to see if your name is taken.

Many hosting plans offer a free domain name for the first year, so it’s often best to select your hosting first.

Step 2. Select the Right Hosting (A Critical Choice)

Hosting is where your website’s files live. For an eCommerce store, this is the most important decision you will make. Your store’s speed, security, and uptime all depend on your hosting.

You generally have three choices:

  1. Shared Hosting: The cheapest option. You share resources with hundreds of other websites. It’s slow and not secure enough for a serious eCommerce store.
  2. VPS (Virtual Private Server): A step up. You have dedicated resources, but you are often responsible for managing the server yourself. It’s technical.
  3. Managed WordPress/WooCommerce Hosting: The best choice. This is a hosting environment specifically built and optimized for WordPress and WooCommerce. The hosting company manages all the technical parts, security, and performance for you.

The Integrated Hosting Approach

This is why we recommend an all-in-one solution like Elementor eCommerce Hosting.

It’s not just hosting. It’s a complete package that includes:

  • Managed WordPress hosting on the Google Cloud Platform (fast and scalable).
  • Top-tier security features (WAF, DDoS protection) built-in.
  • The Elementor Pro plugin included (a $99/year value).
  • The Hello Theme pre-installed.
  • A single, unified support team for hosting, WordPress, and Elementor.

When you’re building a store, this bundle is a no-brainer. It gives you the hosting and the premium design tools you’ll need (which we’ll cover in Phase 4) in one purchase.

Here is a great overview of what Elementor Hosting provides:

Step 3. Install WordPress

If you use a managed host like Elementor Hosting, WordPress is already installed for you. You can just log in and start.

If you use a different hosting provider, you’ll need to install WordPress. Most hosts offer a “one-click installer” in their control panel (like cPanel or Plooto). You’ll just follow the on-screen prompts, create an admin username and password, and the installer will set up WordPress for you.

Step 4. Install a Theme

A “theme” in WordPress controls the basic design and layout of your site.

The Old Way: You would spend days searching for a “WooCommerce compatible theme” on a marketplace. The problem is that these themes are often bloated with features you don’t need, and they lock you in to their specific design. You can change colors and fonts, but you can’t really change the layout of your product or shop pages.

The Modern (and Better) Way: Use a Theme Builder The modern approach is to use a lightweight “framework theme” and a Theme Builder.

This is why Elementor Hosting comes with the Hello Theme. Hello is a “blank canvas” theme. It’s feather-light and has no styling of its own.

Why is this good? Because you will use Elementor Pro’s Theme Builder to visually design every single part of your website—your header, your footer, your blog posts, and most importantly, all your WooCommerce pages.

This gives you 100% visual control and results in a much faster, cleaner website. You build only what you need.

Phase 2: Installing and Configuring WooCommerce

Now that your foundation is set (hosting, WordPress, and Elementor), it’s time to install the engine of your store.

Step 5. Install the WooCommerce Plugin

  1. From your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins > Add New.
  2. In the search bar, type “WooCommerce.”
  3. You will see the plugin by Automattic (the company behind WordPress).
  4. Click Install Now, and then click Activate.

Step 6. Walk Through the WooCommerce Setup Wizard

Once you activate WooCommerce, you’ll be greeted by a setup wizard. This is the fastest way to get your core settings in place. Don’t worry, you can change all of these later.

  • H4: Store Details: This is the first screen. You’ll enter your store’s address, country, and currency. This is crucial for tax and shipping calculations.
  • H4: Industry: Tell WooCommerce what industry you’re in (e.g., “Fashion,” “Health and Beauty”).
  • H4: Product Types: What are you selling?
    • Physical products: The most common.
    • Downloads: For digital products like e-books or software.
    • Subscriptions: (This requires a paid extension, WooCommerce Subscriptions, but it’s good to know it’s an option).
  • H4: Business Details: How many products do you plan to display? Are you selling elsewhere? This helps WooCommerce tailor its dashboard for you.
  • H4: Theme: The wizard will strongly suggest you install a theme. If you are using Elementor and the Hello Theme, you should skip this step. You don’t need another theme; you will be building your own.

Once you’re done with the wizard, you’ll be taken to the WooCommerce dashboard.

Step 7. Essential WooCommerce Settings (The Dashboard)

The wizard is just the start. The real power is in the main settings menu. From your WordPress dashboard, go to WooCommerce > Settings. Let’s walk through each critical tab.

General Tab

  • Address: Double-check this is correct.
  • Selling location(s): Where will you sell to? You can sell to all countries, all countries except a few, or only to specific countries.
  • Enable taxes: Check this box. We’ll configure it in a moment.
  • Currency options: Make sure your currency, currency position (e.g., $10 vs 10$), and separators are correct for your region.

Products Tab

  • Shop page: WooCommerce automatically creates a page called “Shop” to display your products. This setting just confirms which page that is.
  • Placeholder image: You can set a default image to show if one of your products is missing one.
  • Inventory: Do you want to enable stock management? Check “Enable stock management”. This allows you to enter a quantity for each product (e.g., “100 in stock”) and WooCommerce will automatically track it as people buy.

Shipping Tab

This is one of the most important sections.

  1. Shipping Zones: A shipping zone is a geographic region. You must create at least one. For example, you might create a zone called “United States” and another called “Rest of the World.”
  2. Shipping Methods: For each zone, you must add a method. Click “Add shipping method” and you’ll see three main options:
    • Flat Rate: A fixed charge for all orders (e.g., “$5 shipping”).
    • Free Shipping: You can set this to trigger with a minimum purchase amount (e.g., “Free shipping on orders over $50”).
    • Local Pickup: Allows customers to pick up the order at your physical location.

You can add multiple methods to a zone (e.g., offer both a “$5 Flat Rate” and “Free Shipping over $50”).

Payments Tab

How will you get paid? This is critical.

  • WooCommerce Payments: This is the easiest and most recommended option. It’s built by WooCommerce (in partnership with Stripe) and lets you accept credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You manage it all from your WordPress dashboard.
  • Direct Bank Transfer (BACS): Manual. The customer gets your bank details and has to send a transfer. You then have to manually mark the order as paid.
  • Check Payments: Manual. The customer mails you a check.
  • Cash on Delivery: The customer pays in cash when they receive the product.
  • PayPal: You can easily connect your PayPal business account.

For most stores, enabling WooCommerce Payments and PayPal is the best combination. It gives your customers the most popular and trusted options.

Accounts & Privacy Tab

  • Guest checkout: Do you want to let customers check out without creating an account? It’s highly recommended to enable guest checkout. Forcing account creation is a major reason for cart abandonment.
  • Account creation: You can allow customers to create an account during checkout.
  • Privacy policy: Set your Privacy Policy page here. This is a legal requirement in most regions.

Emails Tab

WooCommerce sends “transactional emails” for all major events.

  • New order (to you)
  • Cancelled order (to you)
  • Failed order (to you)
  • Order on-hold (to customer)
  • Processing order (to customer)
  • Completed order (to customer)
  • New account (to customer)

You can click on each one to manage the text.

The WordPress Email Problem (and Solution) By default, WordPress sends email using a function that is notoriously unreliable. Many servers aren’t configured for it, and your critical “New Order” or “Completed Order” emails can end up in spam folders or not get delivered at all.

This is a massive problem for a store. You cannot have unreliable email.

The old solution was to install a complex SMTP plugin and sign up for a third-party email service. This is technical and a pain.

A much better solution is the Site Mailer by Elementor plugin.

  • It’s a zero-configuration solution.
  • You install the plugin, activate it, and it just works.
  • It guarantees reliable delivery of all your WordPress and WooCommerce emails.
  • It includes a log to see all emails that have been sent, and you can even see open rates.

This plugin is an essential utility for any professional WordPress site, especially a store.

Phase 3: Adding Your Products

Your store is configured. Now let’s add some products.

Understanding Product Types

In your WordPress dashboard, go to Products > Add New. Before you fill anything out, look at the “Product data” box. You’ll see a dropdown with several types:

  • Simple Product: A straightforward, single product with no options. Example: A book.
  • Variable Product: A product with options, or “variations.” Example: A T-shirt (Variations: Size S/M/L, Color Red/Blue). This is the second most common type.
  • Grouped Product: A collection of other simple products that can be purchased together. Example: A “Photography Bundle” made of a camera, lens, and bag.
  • External/Affiliate Product: A product you list on your site but link to another site for purchase.

Step 8. How to Add a Simple Product (Step-by-Step)

Let’s add a simple product.

  1. Product Name: Enter the title (e.g., “Classic Leather-Bound Journal”).
  2. Main Description: In the large text editor, write the full, detailed product description. This appears further down on the page.
  3. Product Data Box: This is the main control center.
    • General Tab:
      • Regular Price: The normal price (e.g., “25”).
      • Sale Price: (Optional) If it’s on sale (e.g., “20”). You can schedule the sale dates.
    • Inventory Tab:
      • SKU: (Stock Keeping Unit) A unique ID for your product (e.g., “JRNL-001”).
      • Manage Stock? Check this box.
      • Stock Quantity: Enter how many you have (e.g., “150”). WooCommerce will now track this.
    • Shipping Tab:
      • Weight (kg/lbs): Enter the product’s weight. This is needed for any weight-based shipping.
      • Dimensions (cm/in): Length, width, height.
      • Shipping Class: (Optional) You can assign a class (e.g., “Bulky”) if you set these up in the Shipping settings.
    • Linked Products Tab:
      • Upsells: Products you recommend instead of the current one (e.g., a more expensive, premium journal). They appear on the product page.
      • Cross-sells: Products you recommend in addition to the current one. They appear on the cart page.
  4. Product Short Description: Find the box below the main data box. This is a critical field. This short, persuasive summary appears right next to the “Add to Cart” button.
  5. Product Image: In the sidebar on the right, find the “Product image” box. This is the main, featured image.
  6. Product Gallery: Below the “Product image” box. Add your additional images here (different angles, lifestyle shots, etc.).

Step 9. How to Add a Variable Product

What if you’re selling a T-shirt?

  1. Follow the steps above, but in the “Product data” dropdown, select Variable product.
  2. Attributes Tab: First, you must define the options.
    • Click “Add.”
    • Name: “Color”
    • Values: “Red | Blue | Green” (Use the | character to separate values).
    • Check the box “Used for variations”. Click “Save attributes.”
    • Click “Add” again.
    • Name: “Size”
    • Values: “Small | Medium | Large”
    • Check “Used for variations”. Click “Save attributes.”
  3. Variations Tab: Now you need to create the actual products.
    • Click the dropdown and select “Create variations from all attributes.”
    • WooCommerce will confirm and create all possible combinations (e.g., Red-Small, Red-Medium, Red-Large, Blue-Small, etc.).
    • You must expand each variation and set a price. You can also set a different image, SKU, and stock quantity for each one.

Step 10. Creating Product Categories & Tags

On the right sidebar (like a blog post), you can add Categories and Tags. This is vital for organizing your store.

  • Categories: These are hierarchical. Used for broad grouping. (e.g., “Men’s,” “Women’s,” “T-Shirts,” “Hoodies”).
  • Tags: These are not hierarchical. Used for specific details. (e.g., “Cotton,” “V-Neck,” “Summer”).

Phase 4: Designing Your Store with Elementor

You have a configured store with products. If you look at it now, it will be… ugly. It will use a generic, uninspired layout from your theme. This is the single biggest frustration for new store owners.

The Problem: Default WooCommerce Templates are Rigid

By default, your theme controls the design of your Shop Page (the product grid) and your Single Product Page. You cannot change the layout. You can’t move the price, or change the “Add to Cart” button, or add a trust badge. You’re stuck.

This is terrible for conversions. A “one-size-fits-all” design doesn’t sell.

The Solution: The Elementor Pro WooCommerce Builder

This is where Elementor Pro becomes the most important tool in your arsenal. It includes the WooCommerce Builder.

This is not just a page builder. It’s a Store Builder. It unlocks every single part of your WooCommerce store for visual, drag-and-drop editing.

It works using Dynamic Content. Here’s the concept:

  1. You will design one template (e.g., a “Single Product” template).
  2. You’ll use Elementor’s special WooCommerce widgets (like “Product Title” and “Product Price”). These are dynamic.
  3. You’ll set that template to apply to “All Products.”
  4. Elementor will then automatically apply your beautiful, custom design to every product you have, pulling in the correct name, image, price, and description for each one.

You design one template, and it works for your entire store.

See the WooCommerce Builder in action:

Step 11. Designing a Custom Shop Page (Archive)

Your “Shop” page is a “Product Archive.” Let’s customize it.

  1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Templates > Theme Builder.
  2. Click on Product Archive and “Add New.”
  3. You can start from a template or a blank canvas. Let’s go blank.
  4. Drag in the “Archive Title” widget. It will dynamically show “Shop” or the category name (e.g., “T-Shirts”).
  5. Drag in the “Products” widget. This is the main event.
  6. You can now visually control everything:
    • Change the number of columns and rows.
    • Customize the style of the “Add to Cart” button.
    • Style the “On Sale” flash.
    • Change the fonts and colors of the price and title.
    • Add advanced filtering.
  7. When you’re done, click Publish > Add Condition. Set it to “All Product Archives”. Click Save & Close.

Your entire shop now has a beautiful, custom-designed layout.

Step 12. Designing a Custom Single Product Page

This is the most powerful part. You can create a high-converting layout that is 100% unique.

  1. In the Theme Builder, go to Single Product and “Add New.”
  2. Drag in Elementor’s dedicated WooCommerce widgets. You can place them anywhere you want.
    • Product Title
    • Product Images (you can control the thumbnail layout)
    • Product Price
    • Product Rating
    • Short Description
    • Add to Cart (you can fully customize this button)
    • Product Meta (SKU, category)
    • Product Tabs (for the long description and reviews)
    • Related Products
  3. Pro Tip: Add other widgets to build trust. Add a “Trust Badges” section (e.g., “Secure Checkout,” “Free Returns”). Add a video. Add testimonials. You have full creative freedom.
  4. Click Publish > Add Condition. Set it to “All Products”. Click Save & Close.

Now, every product in your store uses your custom, high-converting design.

Step 13. Customizing Your Cart and Checkout Pages

You can even design your Cart and Checkout pages. Elementor Pro has dedicated “Cart” and “Checkout” widgets. You can create a new page, drag in the widget, and then design all around it. Add your logo, add testimonials, add trust seals, and create a custom header and footer to create a distraction-free checkout process. This is proven to reduce cart abandonment.

How Elementor AI Speeds Up Design

This is where the really modern workflow comes in. You can use Elementor AI directly inside the builder to create your store content.

Writing Product Descriptions with AI

Stuck trying to write a compelling description?

  1. Add a “Text Editor” widget for your product description.
  2. Click the “Write with AI” icon.
  3. Type a simple prompt: “Write a persuasive, 100-word product description for a ‘Classic Leather-Bound Journal’ made from genuine leather with 200 lined pages.”
  4. Elementor AI will generate high-quality, conversion-focused copy for you instantly. You can use it for short descriptions, headlines, and more.

Creating Unique Images with AI

Need a lifestyle shot of your product or a banner for your “Summer Sale”?

  1. Add an “Image” widget.
  2. Click “Create with AI.”
  3. Type a prompt: “A lifestyle photo of a leather journal on a rustic wooden desk next to a cup of coffee, morning light.”
  4. Elementor AI will generate a unique, royalty-free image for you to use. This is perfect for blog posts, sale banners, and category headers.

Planning Your Site with AI

Before you even build, you can use the Elementor AI Site Planner. This free tool will ask you about your store and generate a complete sitemap and structure for you, which you can then import right into Elementor.

Don’t Forget Mobile!

A majority of online shopping happens on mobile. With Elementor, you can click the “Responsive Mode” icon at any time to see how your design looks on tablets and mobile. You can then make changes that only apply to mobile devices. This ensures your store is perfectly optimized for every shopper.

Phase 5: Post-Launch Growth & Optimization

Building the store is just the beginning. Now you need to manage it, drive traffic, and optimize it for sales.

As web creation expert Itamar Haim often states, “Building the store is just the first step. The real success of an eCommerce business comes from continuous optimization, smart marketing, and creating a seamless user experience from the homepage to the ‘thank you’ page.”

Here are the key areas to focus on.

Optimizing for Speed

Your store must be fast. A 1-second delay in page load can lead to a 7% reduction in conversions. The number one cause of slow sites? Large, unoptimized images.

Your product photos are high-resolution, which means they are large files. You must compress them.

You can do this manually, or you can automate it. The Image Optimizer plugin by Elementor is a “set it and forget it” solution.

  • It automatically compresses any image you upload to your WordPress site.
  • It can convert your images to modern, fast-loading formats like WebP.
  • It has a “Bulk Optimize” feature to scan and compress all your existing images.

This, combined with fast Elementor Hosting, is the key to a high-speed store.

Marketing Your Store

People won’t find your store by magic. You need to market it. Email marketing is still the most powerful and profitable marketing channel.

You need to:

  1. Collect Emails: Add a “Newsletter Signup” form to your site. You can build one in seconds with Elementor’s Form Builder.
  2. Send Emails: Send newsletters, sale announcements, and new product alerts.
  3. Automate: Set up “abandoned cart” emails to win back lost sales.

The Send by Elementor service is built for this. It’s an email marketing platform that connects directly to your Elementor forms with one click. There are no complex API integrations. You can build your list and send marketing campaigns from one simple, integrated platform.

Managing Your Store Day-to-Day

Your ongoing work will happen in the WooCommerce dashboard.

  • WooCommerce > Orders: This is where you’ll see new orders come in. You can click on an order, see what the customer bought, and update its status from “Processing” to “Completed” (which will trigger the “Completed order” email).
  • WooCommerce > Reports: This section gives you powerful, built-in analytics. You can track your sales over time, see your top-selling products, and view your stock levels.

Enhancing Accessibility

You want all customers to be able to use your store. Web accessibility is not just a good practice; it’s a legal requirement in many places. The Ally Web Accessibility plugin by Elementor scans your site for accessibility issues and helps you fix them, ensuring your store is usable by people with disabilities.

You can see a great overview of it here:

Conclusion: Your WooCommerce Store is Just the Beginning

You did it. If you followed these phases, you’ve gone from a blank WordPress installation to a fully functional, custom-designed, and optimized eCommerce store. You’ve configured your settings, added your products, and—most importantly—built a beautiful, branded storefront that you have 100% control over.

While WooCommerce is the powerful engine, you’ve seen how an integrated platform like Elementor is the key to making it professional and manageable. By combining Elementor Hosting, the WooCommerce Builder, and its suite of AI and optimization tools, you get all the freedom of open-source without any of the fragmentation or technical headaches.

Your store is now ready. The next steps are all about marketing, connecting with your customers, and growing your brand. You have the perfect foundation to succeed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Is WooCommerce really free? Yes, the core WooCommerce plugin is 100% free and open-source. Your main costs will be your domain name (approx. $15/year) and your web hosting (which can range from $10/month to $100+/month). You may also choose to buy premium extensions for advanced features (like subscriptions or bookings).

2. What’s the difference between WooCommerce and Elementor? WooCommerce is the engine that handles all the eCommerce functionality (products, cart, checkout, payments). Elementor is the visual designer that lets you design your entire website, including your WooCommerce store, with a drag-and-drop interface.

3. Do I need Elementor Pro to use WooCommerce? You can use the free version of Elementor with WooCommerce, but you will be limited to your theme’s default layouts for your shop and product pages. You need Elementor Pro to get the WooCommerce Builder, which is what lets you visually design your own custom templates for your products, shop, and checkout pages.

4. How do I handle taxes in WooCommerce? In WooCommerce > Settings > General, check “Enable taxes.” Then, a new “Tax” tab will appear. You can enter tax rates manually for different states or countries. The easiest way is to use the “Automated taxes” feature in WooCommerce Payments, which calculates sales tax at checkout automatically.

5. What’s the best payment gateway for WooCommerce? The most recommended and easiest to set up is WooCommerce Payments. It lets you accept credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay directly on your site and manage it all from your dashboard. Adding PayPal as a second option is also a best practice.

6. Can I sell digital products on WooCommerce? Yes. When you add a product, simply check the “Downloadable” box in the “Product data” section. This will add new fields where you can upload your file (e.g., a PDF or .zip) and set a download limit.

7. How do I manage inventory with WooCommerce? In WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Inventory, check “Enable stock management.” Then, when you edit any product, you can go to the “Inventory” tab, check “Manage stock?” and enter a “Stock quantity.” WooCommerce will automatically reduce this number as sales are made and show “Out of stock” when it hits zero.

8. What is a “Product Archive” page? “Archive” is the WordPress term for a page that lists multiple posts. A “Product Archive” is a page that lists multiple products. Your main “Shop” page is a product archive, as are your “Category” pages (e.g., “T-Shirts”) and “Tag” pages.

9. Why is my WordPress site not sending WooCommerce emails? This is a very common problem. By default, WordPress uses a mail function that is often blocked by hosting providers or flagged as spam. The best solution is to use a dedicated transactional email plugin like Site Mailer by Elementor, which replaces the default function and ensures reliable delivery.

10. Is WooCommerce better than Shopify? It’s not about “better,” it’s about “different.” Shopify is easier for absolute beginners but is more expensive and much more limiting. You “rent” your store. WooCommerce requires a bit more setup but gives you 100% ownership, complete design freedom (especially with Elementor), and is more cost-effective in the long run. If you want to build a unique, powerful brand, WooCommerce is the more professional choice.