How to setup WooCommerce: 7 Easy steps to open your WooCommerce store in 2025

Setup WordPress

There are two ways to run a WooCommerce store through WordPress, each with its own set of advantages:

Option 1 – Install WooCommerce and run your website through the internal WordPress.com hosting service.

Option 2 – Use the WordPress.org product software to install WooCommerce on a separate hosting service.

We’ll use option two for the purposes of this tutorial as it’s the preferred eCommerce solution. First, let’s fully address the significant differences between the two and what each option offers:

Install the WooCommerce plugin

Naturally, the next part is to install WooCommerce on your new or existing WordPress site. The process is similar to installing any other browser extension or computer software.

WooCommerce Installation process:

1. Find the Plugins section on your dashboard and click the Add New button. Once you’re on the Add New page, locate the search bar and type in WooCommerce. It should pop out as one of the first results.
2. Click the WooCommerce title or the More Details link. Be sure to recap the detailed installation notes and plugin documentation. Then, click on Install Now.
   For a manual installation, download WooCommerce through the WordPress plugin page directly and upload it to your web hosting server with a File Transfer Protocol application (FTP) following the installation instructions set by WordPress.
3. Give it a moment to install and, once done, click the Activate button. Once the plugin has been activated, you can proceed with the WooCommerce setup.

WooCommerce setup

When your WooCommerce plugin is installed and activated, it will prompt you to run the WooCommerce setup wizard. We’ll detail each step separately in the following section. As WooCommerce receives further updates, the setup layout may change.

Setup process:

1. Setup store details

At the start of the setup wizard, you’ll have to add your business address. Fill in your country of operations, address, and postal code. If you’re running an exclusively online business – such as Print on Demand – add your home address instead.

2. Choose industry

In the following section, you will have to choose your retail industry – clothing, electronics, art, etc. Simply check any that apply to your store. If your industry is not listed, you can check Other and write a detailed description of the nature of your service.

Choosing an industry is the first step in defining the theme and identity of your business. It’s a good idea to take a look at the design interfaces of other similar industry providers so that you know what you’re up against.

3. Choose product type

Select the product types you’ll list in your store. Even if you’re still in the idea phase, your choice should be clear between the physical, downloadable, and subscription product types. This choice will help WooCommerce optimize your website functions once you begin filling your catalog.

4. Fill in business details

Specify the number of products you plan to display and whether you have any additional channels – physical or online – you’re already selling on.

Don’t worry if you don’t have the specifics yet. Focus on your current business size and the amount of time you’re planning to invest. You can always change your web page layout later, and it’s natural for businesses to shift in size in response to their niche, outreach, and revenue.

6. Select a theme

Your website will operate under a single theme. WooCommerce themes are categorized for specific industries, which you can easily filter from the available options. A premium theme will enable a lot of new user interface features.

Original WooCommerce themes should work by default, while other customized themes from independent developers might require additional supporting plugins. Be sure to read all installation descriptions and requirements.

1. Products

Select your customer-preferred product measurements and placeholder images. Then, link your main shop page from the drop-down menu. Here, you can also enable product reviews to engage with customers.

2. Tax

WooCommerce has optimized tax integrations. You can enable tax add-ons to your product price. It then bases the final sum on each user’s shipping or billing address.

By including tax to present the net price, your numbers remain consistent from product page to purchase. Inconsistent pricing might drive away customers.

3. Shipping

This section allows you to add a shipping zone to regulate shipping costs. Shipping zones narrow down each customer segment depending on their region. Each location uses a specific shipping method. Add the zones you’re providing your service in, depending on your fulfillment providers or primary customer demographics.

In the shipping options menu, you may also add more visibility by choosing whether to enable a shipping calculator in the checkout or to allow access only when the customer adds their address.

4. Payments

In the payments section, you can see all of your already installed payment options. If you want a payment gateway that isn’t listed, you can search for additional plugins in the WooCommerce extension store.

In this settings menu, you can enable and sort payment gateways you want to be presented first. Customers use card transfers the most, but some might prefer digital wallets or even crypto purchases, depending on your customer niche.

For more customization options, check additional configurations in the setting menu, including email integrations, accounts and privacy, and advanced page setups and features.

Orders

By clicking on the WooCommerce > Orders section in the sidebar, you can view all customer orders and transactions. Each line refers to a unique ID order and includes the date of purchase, status, and total price.

By clicking on an order, you can do any necessary edits: change the status, issue refunds, edit address and shipping information, and change taxes and pricing.

Make sure these changes are made through the customer’s informed consent or are reflective of their expected outcome.

Coupons

In the Marketing > Coupons section, you can add, edit, and publish coupons to discount your products. They’re a great way to add rewards to drive customer retention.

Click the Add coupon button. Then, generate a name, description (optional), and a unique coupon code. Choose a discount type – fixed, percentage, or free shipping. Finally, set the expiry date, and you should be all set.

Similar to the products page, you will now be able to overview your coupons – type, amount, description, ID, usage, and expiry. Offer your customers a coupon ID through a personalized email or other online channels. Buyers will be able to add it at the checkout page.

Customers

To assess your potential market demographic, it’s essential to know your customers and how to contact them. In the WooCommerce > Customers section, you’ll see a list of all your previous customers and their details:

• Name
• Username
• Last Active
• Date registered
• Email address
• Number of orders
• Total spendings
• Address

You can also view the average order value, which can help you calculate your budget for marketing campaigns and further business growth.

Reports

In the WooCommerce > Reports section, you can see how well your store is doing. View sales numbers, product purchases, and other essential metrics.

Select a specific timeframe and press Go to generate a graph in your selected category. This is an excellent feature to gauge your growth and see which products are doing well or which need to be edited or removed from your store.

Phew, that’s the end of the setup stage. Of course, running a successful store still requires fine-tuning your visibility through marketing and store optimization.

Provide the best possible user experience

An attractive website is not just for show. When a user lands on your store page, the chance that they’ll end up making a purchase is slim – the average conversion rates range from 2% to 4%. 

Most users will abandon your store in the first few seconds if they can’t find what they’re looking for. To increase your chances of driving traffic, a website providing a good user experience should focus on:

• Website load speeds – Google and other search engines prioritize websites that take a minimal time to load. Are your interface, images, and page extensions optimized against delayed load times? If not, check out some of the fastest-loading WooCommerce themes.
• Search capability – is your website visible in organic search results, and does your homepage explain your service clearly and concisely?
• Customer support – do you have active, dedicated channels for your customers to send reviews, recommendations, and testimonials?
• Mobile access – does your website have a functioning mobile interface?

Use social media

Social media marketing dominates how people view and engage with businesses. Social media is a great tool for marketing outreach, generating traffic to your store.

Most online marketing goes through only a few highly popular social media sites. Marketing through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube provides the highest ROI, according to HubSpot.

To fully capitalize on social media marketing, research your customer demographic and their

preferred online channels. Create a store presence through profile building and react to media trends to increase your outreach.

Use Facebook to build your brand, Twitter to engage in public relations, and post updates on Instagram to promote your merchandise. Glue all of it together with a consistent and attractive company style and voice.

Include emails & newsletters

Personalized emails and newsletters are a great way to be active with your store promotion. For your call to action to work, you should provide relevant and timely content.

Your emails should act as a bonus instead of rehashing what’s already available. Offer some kind of advantage for your customers – discounts, rewards, product trends, and promotional materials. Don’t over-sell yourself, but maintain a confident approach when interacting with your existing customer base.

Newsletters can keep your customers up-to-date with new deals and engaging topics. The main difference between social media posts and a newsletter is that newsletters provide a more in-depth and personalized communication method and are a great way to introduce campaigns, events, and seasonal store updates.

Engage in SEO and content creation

Don’t just follow established media trends – lead with your own content.

Organic search is one of the most powerful ways to generate traffic, and good SEO involves maintaining a store with new and consistent content updates. With informative or entertaining topics, you’ll have a higher chance of people finding you without looking for your store directly.

A great potential option is integrating a blog section on your WooCommerce store. Use it to discuss relevant topics and diversify your brand by offering news and information your audience can latch onto before purchase. Create a spotlight for your products beyond just the product descriptions and introduce a story, increasing your perceived value.

Many well-established content creators end up setting up a merchandise store after gaining some popularity, but it can work just as well the other way around. Video content is especially important if you want to give your brand identity that surpasses the product itself.

Marketing and promotion are how your store is kept alive. With enough effort, your potential for long-term growth and business success increases.