WooCommerce allows you to create External/Affiliate Products, which are products displayed in your store but sold on another website. Instead of adding the product to the cart, customers are redirected to an external URL, typically an affiliate or partner website.
This feature is useful for affiliate marketing, dropshipping partnerships, comparison websites, and product catalogs.
Table of Contents
What Is an External Product?
An external product is a product displayed in your WooCommerce store that links customers to another website for purchase.
Common examples include:
- Affiliate products from partner programs.
- Products sold through marketplaces.
- Third-party services.
- Products available on another online store.
Instead of showing:
Add to Cart
WooCommerce displays a custom button that redirects visitors to the external website.
Creating an External Product
Step 1
Log in to your WordPress administration panel.
Step 2
Navigate to:
Products → Add New
or edit an existing product.
Step 3
Enter the product information:
- Product name
- Product description
- Product images
- Categories
- Tags
Step 4
Scroll down to the:
Product Data
section.
Step 5
From the product type dropdown menu, select:
External/Affiliate Product
Additional settings specific to external products will appear.
Product URL
The most important field is:
Product URL
Enter the destination URL where customers will purchase the product.
Examples:
https://partnerwebsite.com/product
or
https://affiliate-network.com/referral-link
In affiliate marketing scenarios, this is typically your affiliate tracking link.
Button Text
The:
Button Text
field allows you to customize the button displayed on the product page.
Examples:
Buy Now
View Product
Go to Store
Check Availability
When customers click this button, they are redirected to the URL specified in the Product URL field.
Pricing and Promotions
External products support pricing information just like regular products.
Regular Price
Enter the standard product price.
Example:
€99.99
Sale Price
Enter a discounted price if the product is currently on promotion.
Example:
€79.99
WooCommerce will display:
- The original price crossed out.
- The promotional price highlighted.
Sale Schedule
You can automatically start and end promotions by clicking:
Schedule
and selecting:
- Start date
- End date
Once the end date is reached, WooCommerce automatically restores the regular price.
Product Images and Descriptions
External products support all standard WooCommerce content options.
You can add:
- Product image
- Product gallery
- Short description
- Full description
- Categories
- Tags
- Related products
This allows your store to display products professionally even though the purchase occurs elsewhere.
Inventory Management
Unlike standard WooCommerce products, external products do not include inventory management settings.
The following options are unavailable:
- Stock quantity
- Stock status
- Backorders
- Inventory tracking
This is because the inventory is managed by the external website rather than your WooCommerce store.
Best Practices
Use Descriptive Button Text
Instead of generic text such as:
Buy Product
consider using:
View on Partner Website
or
Buy on Amazon
to provide additional context.
Keep Pricing Updated
If the external retailer changes prices frequently, review and update the displayed pricing regularly.
Use High-Quality Images
Even though the purchase occurs elsewhere, professional product images improve click-through rates.
Disclose Affiliate Relationships
If affiliate links are used, ensure compliance with local regulations and advertising guidelines by providing appropriate disclosures where required.
Summary
To create an external product in WooCommerce:
- Navigate to:
Products → Add New
- Select:
External/Affiliate Product
- Enter the destination URL in the:
Product URL
field.
4. Configure the button text.
5. Optionally add pricing and promotional pricing.
6. Add images and product descriptions.
7. Publish the product.
Customers will be able to browse the product within your WooCommerce store and then click through to the external website to complete their purchase.