How to Understand and Manage OpenCart Products
You have decided to start your online store, you have a product and you are ready to start selling. Your product is at the heart of your OpenCart shop. You don’t want it to be poorly represented.
This will be a tutorial about uploading and configuring the products in OpenCart. The level of customization you can do is quite extensive and there are many options you can use. Let’s get into it with detailed screenshots and a complete explanation of how each section works.
First, let’s start by showing how to access the product editing fields.
Go to your admin panel, click Catalog and then Products.
This is where all of your products are listed. You have a filter system that lets you find products easier when you have a large number of items in your OpenCart store.
To begin, click on Add New to see where the magic happens.
In this section, the first thing you probably see are the multiple tabs that are filled with all kinds of settings.
Don’t panic, breathe. You don’t have to use all of them.
Let’s just start from the first tab - General.
General
Product Name and Description - these are the fields where you write the basic information about your product. The product name should give users a clear idea of what the item is so they can make quick decisions whether to view it or not.
The description is one of the most important components of a successful product page. Give all the data you can about what you are selling, including technical specifications, requirements, etc. They are configured in Attributes > Attributes / Attribute Groups.
Meta Tag Title and Description - the meta tag title is shown in the browser tab when a page is open. The description is part of the snippet in the Google search results. The ideal length of the meta tag description is about 155 symbols, so make it short and informative.
Meta Tag Keywords - do a search in Google Trends for the keywords that are related to what you are selling and list them here. Mind that the current Google algorithm does not give much weight to meta tag keywords when giving the search results.
Product Tags - the product tags can be related to the product name as well as its purpose. For instance, if you are selling cameras, product tags can include photography, photos, etc.
Data
Image - add a high quality product image. It will be automatically resized to the OpenCart requirements.
Model - if the product has different models and versions, write the exact model in this field.
SKU - Stock keeping unit
UPC - Universal product code
EAN - European article number
JAN - Japanese article number
ISBN - International standard book number
MPN - Manufacturer part number
Note: not all products have requirements for those fields. Only add the ones you need.
Location - add location (this field is optional)
Price - define the price of your product.
Tax Class - define the product tax class: None, Taxable Goods or Downloadable Product.
Quantity - type the quantity of your products. This should be the current stock availability of your items.
Minimum Quantity - this option allows you to force a minimum quantity number.
Subtract Stock - enable or disable the stock subtraction. This means that the product quantity will not be changed when a customer makes a purchase.
Out of Stock Status - choose the status of the product - Out of Stock, In Stock, Pre-Order or 2-3 Days.
Requires Shipping - does the product require shipping or not.
SEO URL - type the words you want for the SEO URL. Separate them with a dash, as seen in the screenshot above.
Date Available - the date when the product will be available, if it’s currently out of stock.
Dimensions - define the product dimensions such as length, width, and height.
Length Class - define the length class of the product, such as centimeter, millimeter.
Weight - define the weight of your product.
Weight Class - choose the weight class, such as Kilogram, Pound, Gram or Ounce.
Links
Manufacturer - the name of the product’s manufacturer (brand name).
Categories - assign the category or categories you want the product to be a part of.
Filters - Add filter groups and filters so you can assign them to layouts. This way, users will be able to find products faster and easier.
Stores - assign the product to multiple OpenCart stores if you have any.
Downloads - choose files that you want to upload to your site so users are able to download them.
Related Products - list the products that are related to your products so customers can receive suggestions for additional items.
Attribute
Your attributes are part of the product description. You can assign multiple attributes after you create them from Attributes > Attributes / Attribute Groups. They are used to list and explain the various product details such as technical specifications and other important data.
The attribute is selected from the small field to the left, and the specifications are written in the Text field.
Option
Options are used when your product can be purchased in different versions. These options can be for different purposes, such as Sizes, Colors, etc.
Some of the options can be mandatory for users to select, such as clothing sizes.
Recurring
Recurring profiles can be assigned to a product so it can be ordered with a subscription. This means recurring payments with specific terms for duration and cycle of payments.
Discount
You can create different discounts for a specific product that you want to sell at a discounted price. OpenCart also allows you to choose separate customer groups that will receive the discount you set for the item.
Special
Specials can be assigned to specific products that you want to be part of a promotion for instance. They can also be used only by customer groups that you create.
Image
Product images are uploaded from this field. Do not worry about resizing the images before you upload them because OpenCart resizes them automatically to match the image requirements of the platform.
Reward Points
The reward points are used if you want to sell a product under specific requirements. These reward points are granted to customers when they make other purchases and aim to collect enough reward points to be able to get a special product.
Design
The design tab lets you assign a layout to your product. This way, the product page will show the data and modules from another layout and display them in the front end of your store.
Summary
Product creation in OpenCart may take some time for items that require more data and modifications before they are ready. We hope this tutorial was a good start for users who are not experienced in the free Ecommerce platform yet. To end, this is how a product looks like in the front end of OpenCart.
