Tips For Adding Products in Woo: Using Duplicate/Clone

This article is designed to help you enter items quicker. It is not an exhaustive tutorial on how to use every WooCommerce function. If you need additional information please visit: https://woocommerce.com/document/managing-products/

The fastest way to add a new product is usually to duplicate an existing product that is similar. This allows you to reuse product data as a template with settings, images, categories, shipping information, and attributes instead of building everything from scratch.

Following this process will help ensure your products are consistent and reduce the chance of inventory, pricing, or shipping errors.

When would you use this?

🎥See a quick example video here: Duplicate Items As Templates To Save Time

Examples:

• Adding a new beef product? Duplicate an existing beef product.
• Adding a new sausage product? Duplicate an existing sausage product.
• Adding a new dairy product? Duplicate an existing dairy product.

Step 1: To Duplicate A Product

1. Navigate to Products → All Products.
2. Locate a similar product.
3. Hover over the product name.
4. Click Duplicate.
5. Open the newly created copy for editing.
6. Notice the new cloned product will say “(Copy)” in the title.

The duplicated product will contain most of the settings from the original item.

Step 2: Update Basic Product Information

• Update the product title to match the new item
• Update the product permalink with the edit button (also called URL slug); the original slug will have “copy” at the end; this is how the URL will read on the website, so don’t forget this step; this is important for good Google search; make sure each word is separated by a hyphen; don’t let the permalink be too long

Step 3: Update Product Descriptions

Short Description

The Short Description usually appears near the Add to Cart button. However, the field to enter this is at the bottom of the product data entry page.

Keep it concise and focused on the product. Some folks use this area for bullet type descriptions.

Example:

-5 oz. individual patties

-Separated by deli-paper

-3 lb. box

-For those nights where you need to make a quick supper

Long Description

The Long Description provides more detailed information.

Example:

In a box of 3 lbs, these 5 oz patties are separated by deli paper for efficient removal…one patty or four.  Re-tie the bag and toss back into the freezer.  We designed these packages to make quick work of a snack or supper.  Cook your patty from a frozen state. How easy is that?

Step 4: Verify Product Images

Review all images associated with the product.

Check:

• Featured Image
• Product Gallery Images

Replace any images that do not accurately represent the new product.

One of the most common mistakes is publishing a product with photos from the item that was duplicated.

Step 5: Confirm Categories

Categories help customers browse your store.

Review all assigned categories and make sure the product appears where customers would expect to find it.

Examples:

• Beef
• Pork
• Chicken
• Sausage
• Dairy
• Bundles

Uncheck categories that do not apply and add categories that do.

A product copied from another category may still be assigned incorrectly.

Step 6: Review Product Pricing

In the Product data area on the General tab:

Verify all pricing fields.

Regular Price

Ensure the standard selling price is correct.

Sale Price

Remove old sale pricing if it does not apply to the new product.

Step 7: Update the SKU

In the Product data area on the inventory tab:

Every product should have its own unique SKU.

Do not leave the duplicated product using the original product’s SKU. If you do it will have the previous SKU used as a model and append a number to it.

Example: If you are duplicating a Beef Ribeye but changing it to a Beef Sirloin…

Original SKU:
BEEF-RIBEYE

New SKU will have:
BEEF-RIBEYE-1

You need to change it to:
BEEF-SIRLOIN

Duplicate SKUs can create inventory and reporting issues.

Update Inventory & Quantity Settings

• Stock management status: Tells Woo if you want to track quantities if checked, if not, it will just show IN STOCK or OUT OF STOCK
• Quantity on Hand (if using) “
• Manage Stock setting: In stock, out of stock, etc.

If inventory tracking is enabled, confirm the quantities are correct.