WooCommerce terms, explained simply

A plain-English glossary of common WooCommerce and e-commerce terms, from A to Z.

New to WooCommerce? This glossary explains the most common terms you'll encounter — in plain English, no jargon.

Quick summary

Use this page as a reference whenever you come across an unfamiliar term. Terms are in alphabetical order. Click the related guides links at the bottom for deeper explanations of specific topics.

Abandoned cart

A shopping cart that a customer filled but left without completing their purchase. Every store loses some sales this way. Recent WooCommerce versions include an experimental single recovery email, switched off by default; multi-step reminder sequences still need a plugin or a marketing tool. → See: Understanding abandoned carts

Add to cart

The button customers click to place a product in their shopping cart. This doesn't complete a purchase — it just starts one.

Admin email

The address that receives store notifications (new orders, cancellations, failed orders). There is no single store email field: each of those emails has its own Recipient(s) box under WooCommerce → Settings → Emails, which starts out as the WordPress admin address from Settings → General.

API key

A private code used to connect two systems — for example, your store to Stripe or PayPal. API keys must be kept secret. Never share them publicly.

Attribute

A characteristic of a product — like size, color, or material. Attributes are used to create product variations. Example: a T-shirt might have attributes "Size" (S, M, L, XL) and "Color" (Red, Blue).

BACS (Bank Account Clearing System)

The payment method for direct bank transfers, shown in WooCommerce as Direct bank transfer. Customers pay you straight into your bank account; the order sits at On hold until you confirm the money arrived and update it yourself.

Backorder

When a product is out of stock but customers can still order it. The order is fulfilled when stock is replenished. WooCommerce can be configured to allow or prevent backorders per product.

Billing address

The address associated with the customer's payment method — usually their home or registered card address. May differ from the shipping address.

Bookings

Time-based products that customers reserve — appointments, classes, rentals. Requires the WooCommerce Bookings extension. → See: Selling bookings & appointments (overview)

Cart

The temporary list of products a customer has selected to buy. Contents are not purchased until the customer completes checkout. → See: Cart & checkout pages

Cart abandonment

When a customer adds items to their cart but leaves the site without purchasing. → See: Understanding abandoned carts

Category (product)

A way to group related products. Example: "Women's Clothing," "Books," or "Accessories." Customers can browse by category on your shop page.

Checkout

The process where a customer enters their details, chooses shipping, and pays. It happens on your Checkout page. → See: Understanding the checkout experience

Coupon

A discount code a customer enters at checkout to reduce their order total. The three discount types are a percentage off, a fixed amount off the cart, and a fixed amount off a product. A coupon can also allow free shipping. → See: Creating coupons & discounts

CSV

Comma-Separated Values — a simple spreadsheet file format. WooCommerce has a built-in product CSV importer and exporter, and the Analytics report tables have a Download link for CSV. Exporting orders usually needs an extension.

Currency

The monetary unit your store charges in (USD, GBP, EUR, etc.). Set once under WooCommerce → Settings → General.

Dashboard (WooCommerce)

The main WooCommerce overview screen, at WooCommerce → Home. New stores see a setup checklist there. Once that is done or hidden, it can show things to do next, your inbox, a stats overview, and store management links.

Digital product

A product that is delivered electronically — a PDF, audio file, software, course, etc. No physical shipping required. WooCommerce calls these "downloadable" products. → See: Selling digital & downloadable products

Discount

A price reduction applied to a product or order. Can be automatic (sale price on a product) or code-based (coupon).

Downloadable product

A product that includes a file for the customer to download after purchase. The customer receives a download link by email, and if they have an account on your store they can find it again under My Account.

Extension

An add-on plugin that adds new features to WooCommerce — subscriptions, bookings, new payment methods, etc. → See: WooCommerce extensions explained

Failed order

An order where the customer's payment failed or was declined, so no payment was made. It stays at Failed until the customer pays another way. If stock had been reduced for the order, WooCommerce puts it back.

Flat rate shipping

A built-in shipping method where you set the cost yourself. It can be a flat amount, or a simple formula — for example a base charge plus an amount per item.

Free shipping

A shipping method that charges $0. Can be always-on, triggered by a minimum order amount, or activated by a coupon code. → See: Setting up free shipping

Fulfillment

The process of preparing and shipping an order after payment is received.

Gateway

Short for "payment gateway" — the service that processes card payments. Examples: Stripe, PayPal, Square.

Guest checkout

Allows customers to place an order without creating an account. WooCommerce labels the setting Enable guest checkout (recommended). In recent versions, a customer who makes an account later can verify their email address and link their earlier guest orders to it.

HTTPS / SSL

Secure protocol that encrypts the connection between your website and the customer's browser. Most payment gateways require it, and WooCommerce strongly recommends it. Your URL should start with https://.

Inventory

Your stock of physical products. WooCommerce can track inventory per product and alert you when stock is low.

Invoice

A record of what was purchased. From an order you can send the customer an Order details email with the invoice details and a payment link, but WooCommerce does not produce PDF invoices on its own — that needs a plugin.

License key

A code that activates a paid plugin and its updates. Woo Marketplace products don't work this way: you connect your site to your WooCommerce.com account and the subscription key activates for that site, with nothing to paste in. Plugins bought direct from other developers often do use a license key you enter yourself.

Line item

A single product row on an order. An order with three different products has three line items.

Local pickup

A shipping method where the customer collects their order in person. It is usually free, though you can set a cost.

Meta data

Extra information stored on an order, product, or customer beyond the standard fields. Often added by plugins.

My Account

The customer-facing portal on your store. By default it has Orders, Downloads, Addresses, Payment methods, Account details, and Log out. Extensions can add more, such as subscriptions.

Nexus

A legal term for a business connection to a place (like a state or country) that creates a sales tax obligation. The rules differ by state and country and they change, so check with a tax professional for your situation. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Note to customer

A message you add to an order that emails the customer straight away. The order screen calls this a Public note to customer. Used to send tracking numbers or updates. Deleting the note does not recall the email.

On hold

An order status meaning the order is waiting for payment to be confirmed. Stock has been reduced, but you have to confirm the money arrived. Common with bank transfers.

Order

A completed purchase record. Contains items, amounts, customer details, and order notes. → See: Understanding orders

Order note

A log entry on an order. Can be private (only you see it) or visible to the customer (triggers an email).

Order number

A unique identifier for each order (e.g., #1042). WooCommerce assigns these automatically, but they are not sequential by default — the same pool of IDs is used for other content too, so gaps are normal. An extension can make them sequential.

Order status

Where an order is in its lifecycle: Pending payment, Processing, On hold, Completed, Cancelled, Refunded, or Failed. Block-based checkout also uses a temporary Draft status before an order is submitted. → See: Order statuses explained

Payment gateway

The service that processes card and online payments. Examples: Stripe, PayPal, Square. Connects your store to card networks. → See: Payment methods explained

PCI DSS

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. A set of security requirements for businesses that handle card payments. → See: PCI compliance, in plain English

Pending payment

An order status meaning the order was received but no payment has been made yet. (An order awaiting confirmation of a payment sits at On hold instead.)

Product

An item (physical, digital, or service) that you sell. Products have names, descriptions, prices, and images.

Product gallery

Multiple images shown on a product page for different angles, colors, or views.

Product variation

A specific version of a variable product — for example, "Blue T-shirt, Size L." Each variation can have its own price and stock level.

Refund

Returning money to a customer. Many gateways let you refund straight from the order screen; otherwise you refund in the gateway and record it in WooCommerce by hand. Transaction fees are usually not returned to you. → See: How to refund an order

Rest of the world zone

WooCommerce's catch-all shipping zone for addresses that don't match any named zone.

Sale price

A reduced price you set on a product, displayed alongside the regular price. WooCommerce can schedule sale prices to start and end automatically.

Sandbox mode

A test environment where payments are simulated — no real money changes hands. Used to test your checkout before going live. Also called "test mode."

Shipping class

A label applied to products (e.g., "Heavy" or "Fragile") so a shipping method such as Flat rate can charge them differently. Classes group products; they don't set rates on their own, and each product can have only one.

Shipping method

How you charge for shipping within a zone. WooCommerce has three built in: flat rate, free shipping, and local pickup. Extensions add carrier rates and more.

Shipping zone

A geographic area with its own shipping methods and rates. Example: "United States," "Europe," "Rest of World." → See: Setting up shipping zones & rates

SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)

A unique identifier code you assign to a product or variation to track it. Example: "TSHIRT-BLUE-L."

Slug

The URL-friendly version of a name. For a product called "Blue T-Shirt," the slug might be blue-t-shirt. Appears in the product's URL.

Stock

The number of units of a product you have available. WooCommerce can manage stock and prevent overselling.

Stripe

A widely used payment gateway. With the Stripe extension your store can take cards, plus Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Stripe's own Link checkout. → See: Accepting credit cards (Stripe & more)

Subscription

A recurring payment arrangement. Customers pay weekly, monthly, or annually for ongoing access to a product or service. Requires the WooCommerce Subscriptions extension. → See: Selling subscriptions (overview)

Tag (product)

A keyword label on a product. Helps customers find related items. Less structured than categories.

Tax class

A label applied to products to determine which tax rate applies — Standard, Reduced, or Zero rate.

Transaction fee

The percentage plus flat fee a payment gateway charges on each successful payment. Rates vary by processor, card type, and country, and they change — check the processor's own pricing page for the current rate, for example stripe.com/pricing.

Upsell

A suggestion to buy a higher-priced or related product. You choose upsells on the product's Linked Products tab and they appear on the product page. Cross-sells work the same way but appear in the cart.

Variable product

A product that comes in multiple versions (variations), like a shirt available in different sizes or colors.

VAT (Value Added Tax)

A consumption tax applied in the UK, EU, and many other countries. Different from US sales tax.

Virtual product

A product that is not physically shipped — like a service, consultation, or access pass. WooCommerce skips shipping for virtual products.

Webhook

An automated message sent from one system to another when an event occurs. Payment gateways use webhooks to tell WooCommerce "a payment just succeeded." If webhooks aren't working, the gateway can show a successful charge while the order sits unpaid in WooCommerce.

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