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Updated: 03/31/2020
( 18 minutes reading )
X-Cart supports several product types:
With this in mind, the application provides broad opportunities for multiple business models. You have the option to select the most suitable product type considering the nature of the goods you are selling.
In this tutorial, we are going to step-by-step guide you on the process of creating products in X-Cart. This task could be slightly different depending on the product type you are adding. In the following lines, we are going to introduce the specifications of each product type and how to achieve the intended result.
For a start, please log in to your X-Cart Admin Area and navigate through the left-hand side menu bar to Catalog > Products.
In this section, you can create new products and manage your existing products.
Note that there are a few ways of adding products in X-Cart. You are allowed to import your products using a CSV file. This could be done by going to Catalog > Import and uploading the CSV file from your local computer. In this tutorial, our primary focus is on the process of creating products manually from the X-Cart Admin Area.
The first step of creating a new product is clicking on the "Add product" button.
Afterward, you are redirected to the product creation section, which, as you can see, is divided into a few sections. To keep it consistent, we are going to review the settings one by one following the same order they appear on your end.
Let's start with the first section, where you have to specify the general product details.
Following is the "Prices & Inventory" section.
Next is the "Shipping" section.
Last is the "Marketing" section.
When you are ready with all of the product details, please click on the Add product" button to create your new product.
These are the initial steps required to add all product types. Once the product is created, you have to edit it further to achieve the intended result, i.e., to configure the required product type.
Downloadable are products that are provided in a virtual file format, such as digital products like audiobooks, photos, videos, music, games, etc. In X-Cart, the downloadable product type is empowered by the File Attachments and E-goods Addons.
The process of creating Downloadable Products is pretty much the same with two main exceptions.
First, you have to disable the "Requires shipping" option since downloadable products do not require to be shipped. If this is not done, additional shipping charges are going to be calculated and applied unnecessarily. You can do that on the go while initially creating the product. Alternatively, you can do it later on when configuring the product - the "Requires shipping" option is located under the first "Info" tab.
Second, when you access the product details page to configure the product further, please switch to the last "Attachments" tab. Under it, you have to click on the "Add file" button. It presents three options to upload file(s) of your downloadable product. You can directly upload them from your local computer, you can upload them from the local server, or you can provide a source URL address.
When the file is successfully uploaded, you can customize it depending on your requirements.
Once you are ready, please click on the "Save changes" button, and your downloadable product is going to be successfully updated.
Variable are products with different versions and variations. You can set up the price, SKU, stock levels, etc. individually for each variation. For example, if you sell clothing and you offer different colors and sizes of a T-shirt, with the Variable product type, you can add and customize each of the variations of your product. In X-Cart, the variable product type is empowered by the Product Variants Addon.
To create a variable product, first, create a regular product, as shown previously. Afterward, please access the product details page and switch to the "Attributes" tab ("Global" subtab). Under it, you have to select the product class applicable to this product. In case you have not yet created your product classes and attributes, you can find detailed instructions in our guide on How to create Product Classes and Attributes in X-Cart.
When there, please select the desired class holding the relevant attributes from the "Product class" dropdown and click on the "Save changes" button. Alternatively, you can create the attributes on the go by clicking on the "Add attributes" button.
Afterward, you have to select the applicable attribute values under the "Class_name attributes" section below.
If the attribute has more than one value and you want to select them all, please make sure to tick the "multi value" checkbox.
When you are ready, please click on the "Save changes" button and switch to the "Variants" tab.
Once there, please select the attributes your product variations to be based on and click either on the "Create all possible variants (x)" or "Create variants one by one" button. In our case, we are going to use the first option as we want product variations to be created based on all possible combinations.
When the variations are created, you can see them all listed in the table, and you can further configure each of them depending on your necessities. If you are planning to set up different prices or stock quantities for your variations, please ensure the "Price" and "Quantity in stock" fields under the "Info" tabs are empty.
When you perform the desired changes, please do not forget to click on the "Save changes" button to apply them.
The Pin Codes product type is intended for merchants selling PIN codes, Serial Numbers, License Keys, Activation Codes, and similar products. In X-Cart, they are empowered by the PIN codes Addon.
As usual, to configure a Pin Codes product, you have to create a new product. Note that you need to disable the "Requires shipping" option since PIN Code products do not require to be shipped. Once it is created, please access the product details page, switch to the "PIN Codes" tab, and set the "PIN codes enabled" toggle switch to "Yes".
X-Cart allows you to either generate the PIN codes manually or automatically.
In the first case, you have to either add them manually ("Add pin codes" button) or import them from a CSV file ("Import from CSV file" button). Note that these two fields are going to be missing when you initially access the tab. After you select the manual generation option and save the setting, you can see them displayed. Also, bear in mind, manually created PINs are limited to 64-digit alphanumeric codes.
If the automatic generation option is selected, X-Cart is going to generate 16-digit numeric codes on demand.
In this section, you can also manage and track any future purchases of your PIN code products.
In X-Cart, you can sell Subscription products that require periodic recurring payments. The X-Payments subscriptions Addon empowers this product type.
To configure a Subscription product, please create the product as a regular product. While doing that, you can ignore the price, as you are going to define it later. Once you are ready, please access the product details page and switch to the "Subscription plan" tab.
When there, please set "This is subscription product" to "Yes" and configure the rest of the settings per your requirements.
When you are ready, please click on the "Save" button to apply your configuration.
You are now familiar with the process of creating every product type available in X-Cart. We trust you are ready to add all your products and start making online sales. We would like to wish you good luck with your store and thank you for trusting our guidance. As usual, we welcome you to reach our Support Team in case any further instructions are needed.
Sebahat is a young and bright woman who has become an invaluable part of our team. She started as a Customer Care Representative, mastering that role and, along the way, growing into a tech-savvy individual who is well acquainted with every support layer of the company. Driven by her aim to improve our customers’ experience constantly, she is committed to enhancing the extraordinary support we deliver.
Learn more about X-Cart in the other tutorials that we have:
