Many types of products can be sold using Woocommerce. Using Woocommerce product types, an ecommerce website can sell unique products like downloadable software, or products from an affiliate program.
The following product types come default in all Woocommerce websites.
Simple products
Simple products are the most common product type sold using Woocommerce. Simple products do not have any options like size or color. They are simple as the name implies. There is only one price for each simple product.
Simple products can be a physical item which requires shipping, or a virtual / digital product which does not require any shipping.
Virtual products
Digital and virtual products can be sold just like physical products, but without the shipping step. Checking the “Virtual” box indicates that the product is not physical, and removes the shipping process entirely.
Digital and virtual products offer shop owners a sale opportunity which can be done 100% without human interaction. Every step is automated!
Not all virtual products are downloadable. for that, we need to set the product to “downloadable”.
Downloadable products
Downloadable files can be downloaded directly from a website upon purchase. A download link is available after the checkout, in the user’s account, and within an email.
Checking the “Downloadable” box indicates that the product is a digital file available for download.
Grouped products
Grouped products allow you to group multiple products into a single package. The purpose of grouped products is to suggest bundles of products which are best purchased together.
Grouped products consist of existing products in the Woocommerce store.
External / Affiliate products
External products are products that exist on other website which you want to feature on your own website. The “add to cart” button is replaced with a link to the external product URL. External products are purchased directly on the external website, and not your website.
All you need to setup an external product is a URL to the product. You can use this product type to sell products from an affiliate program.
Variable products
Unlike simple products, variable products can have many variations like size and color. These variables are setup as attributes and variations.
Variable products are harder to setup and manage than simple products, but they provide more options for your customers and more opportunities for sales.