WooCommerce is the most used eCommerce platform worldwide due to its features and ease of use. One such feature is the ability to create product samples to encourage customers to try your products. 

These samples will allow customers to test your products before purchasing, which will help increase sales and build customer loyalty. 

This article will walk you through creating WooCommerce product samples for your online store with the help of the WooCommerce Min-Max Quantities plugin. I’ll also use the WooCommerce Restriction Rules plugin to restrict the sample product access. 

I will explain everything about the product samples, including their benefits and how to create one. 

This tutorial will help you develop engaging product samples to build your business, whether you’re a tiny business owner or an e-commerce veteran.

What is WooCommerce Product Sample?

It is a product sample that users can add to the cart and complete the checkout process just like other products, but with a different price, usually a lower one.

You can allow customers to buy a limited number of samples to try before comintting to purchasing the full product. 

You will need to create a separate product for each sample you want to offer. 

For example: If you are a manufacturer and want to sell wholesale so you can provide a sample for a product at a low price. This will allow the wholesale customers to purchase it, and test its quality before making a larger purchase.

Why Should You Offer WooCommerce Product Samples?

Offering sample products in your WooCommerce store can be a smart strategy for several reasons:

1. Allows customers to test the products: Samples let buyers try your products before buying them. This can boost their trust in your items, resulting in increased sales.
   
2. Provides value to customers: By offering free samples, you give value to your customers, which can build loyalty and encourage repeat business.
   
3. Helps with product testing and feedback: Samples are also helpful for testing new or updated products. Customer reviews can help you enhance your products.
   
4. Generates buzz and word-of-mouth marketing: Offering samples can create buzz around your products and generate positive word-of-mouth marketing as customers share their experiences with others.
   
5. Increases sales: By offering samples, you can encourage customers to make bulk purchases to sell to their stores, especially if they love the product they tried.

Offering sample products in your WooCommerce store can be a smart way to build customer loyalty, generate buzz, and increase sales.

Now let’s dive in and see how to create WooCommerce product samples. 

How to Create WooCommerce Product Samples?

To create WooCommerce product samples, I’ll be using two different plugins. One is the WooCommerce Min-Max Quantities plugin to limit the sample quantity users can purchase. 

The second plugin is WooCommerce Restriction Rules to restrict the sample products to the customers you want to offer the samples. 

Follow the following steps to create product samples. 

1. Install and Activate the WooCommerce Min-Max Quantities Plugin

Note: You can skip this step if you have already installed and activated the WooCommerce Min-Max Quantities plugin. 

To install the WooCommerce Min-Max Quantities plugin, you will need to install the Woosuite Core plugin and activate it with the help of a license key. We have created a Quick Start Guide for you to figure out how to install and activate the WooCommerce Min-Max Quantities plugin.

2. Create a Sample Product

We need to create a sample product. You can create a new product or duplicate an existing one for which you want to offer samples. 

For this tutorial, I’ll duplicate and edit a product to make its sample product. Follow the following steps. 

2.1. Navigate to Products

To duplicate a product, navigate to Products » All Products from your WordPress admin dashboard. 

2.2. Duplicate the Product

Here, you can see all the products you have added to your store. You can easily duplicate any product you want without installing any duplicator plugin. 

To duplicate a product, hover over your mouse to the product and click the ‘Duplicate’ button. 

2.3. Change the Product Name

Once you click it, you’ll be redirected to the product edit page, where you can make the adjustments you want. 

To change the product’s name, simply enter the name in the ‘Title’ field. 

2.4. Add the Product to the Category

We need to change the product category and add it to a new one. This will help us to keep our products organized. But especially this will be helpful in the next step to limit the purchased quantity. 

We first need to create a new category. To do so, click the ‘Add New Category’ button in the Product Categories section. 

Enter the category name and click the ‘Add category’ button to create and assign the category to the product. 

You can unselect the other categories so the product will be in one category. It will help you to limit the purchased quantity. 

2.5. Change the Sample Price

After that, we need to change the product price. If you have a regular product, you can edit the price from the General tab of the Product Data section. 

But if you have a variable product, you need to scroll to the Product Data section and click the ‘Variations’ tab. 

This will display the product variations. 

Next, you need to expand the variation and enter your desired price. I am keeping it to $5 as we want to offer it as a sample, so it should be priced low so users can purchase it to test its quality. 

2.6. Publish the Sample Product

Once you have changed the price, scroll to the top of the page and click the blue ‘Publish’ button to publish the product. 

3. Limit the Number of Samples Customers Can Purchase

Once you have created the sample product, we need to limit the quantity customers can purchase. It is an optional thing to do, but I recommend doing so. 

It is because customers can place a bulk order unknowingly, and if you cancel it later, it can affect the customer experience. 

Limiting the number of samples customers can purchase is a good practice. To do so, navigate to Product » Categories from your WordPress dashboard. 

3.1. Edit the Sample Category

We have already created the category from the product edit page, so now we just need to edit that category. 

To edit it, hover over your mouse and click the ‘Edit’ button. 

3.2. Set Maximum Purchase Quantity

Once you are on the category edit page, we need to set the purchase limit. The WooCommerce Min-Max Quantities plugin will help you with this. 

Once you install and activate the plugin, it will create a rule in the category that will allow you to set the minimum and maximum purchase quantity from the category. 

For example: If you have set the maximum quantity to 4 on the category level, then the users can purchase 4 items of any product from that category. 

Enter the quantity in the ‘Maximum Quantity’ field to set a maximum purchase quantity. Remember, you can only do this if you have activated the WooCommerce Min-Max Quantities plugin in your store. 

3.3. Select the User Role

Next, you need to select the user role for which you want to apply this rule. It means the users within the selected roles can purchase the maximum quantity set in the previous step. 

Remember that the users with the other user roles can purchase the product in bulk (more than the maximum quantity).

For this tutorial, I am selecting the ‘Wholesale Customers,’ which means the maximum purchase quantity is only set for wholesale customers. In contrast, other users with user roles can still purchase more. 

Note: We will solve this issue in the next step. So please continue to read. 

3.4. Select the Quantity Based On

From the ‘Counting the quantity base on,’ select the ‘Cart total (by this category)’ option. It will count the quantity from the whole category. 

For example, as we have set the maximum purchase quantity to 4, the total cart option will allow customers to purchase 4 products or items from the whole category. 

3.5. Update the Category

Once you are done with the settings, click the blue ‘Update’ button at the bottom left corner of your screen to save the settings. 

4. Install and Activate the WooCommerce Restriction Rules Plugin

Next, we need to add the restriction, so the selected category is only visible to the user roles you want, which in my case is ‘wholesale customers.’ To add restrictions, we need to install the WooCommerce Restriction Rules plugin. 

Note: You can skip this step if you have already installed and activated the WooCommerce Restriction Rules plugin. 

To install the WooCommerce Restriction Rules plugin, you will need to install the Woosuite Core plugin and activate it with the help of a license key. We have created a Quick Start Guide for you to figure out how to install and activate the WooCommerce Restriction Rules plugin.

5. Navigate to Restriction Rules

Once you have installed and activated the plugin, navigate to Woosuite » Restriction Rules plugin from your WordPress dashboard. 

6. Restrict the Category

We need to add restrictions to the sample category so it can only be accessible by the users you allow. 

To do so, please follow the following steps.

6.1. Expand the Post/Page Rules

You need to expand the post/page rule’s tab by clicking the down arrow (▾).

6.2. Select the Category

From the ‘Filter By’ dropdown, select ‘Product Categories.’ You can also explore the other options to make more advanced-level restrictions. 

Note: If you want, you can select the user role for which you want to apply this rule. But for this tutorial, I want to ensure that the guests won’t be able to see the sample product, so I am keeping it to the ‘Guests’ option. 

A new ‘Choose product categories’ field will add. You need to select the sample category from it. 

6.3. Enter Redirection URL

You can also add a redirect link if users try to access the category via a direct URL. In the ‘Redirect to’ field, enter the URL. 

7. Save Changes

Once you have created the rule, click the ‘Save Changes’ button at the top right corner of your screen to save all the settings. 

8. Final Results

Now, let’s test the final results. 

To test it, I tried visiting the sample product page as a guest, but as you can see in the screenshot below, I was redirected to the home/shop page. It is because I have added the redirection link. 

When I log in to my store as a wholesale customer and visit the product page, I can see the sample product page.

To test the maximum purchase quantity, I tried adding five items of the sample product to my cart, but I was getting the following error on the cart page:

“The samples category only allows a maximum of 4 item(s) in the cart – please decrease the quantity in your cart.”

Conclusion

I hope this article was helpful to you and you were able to create WooCommerce product samples. It is essential to offer product samples to run a successful WooCommerce store. 

It can help users to make informed purchases, and it will positively affect your sales. Here’s a revised and short version of the steps that you need to follow to create WooCommerce product samples. 

1. First, you need to create a product and assign it a new category or a tag.
   
2. Now you must ensure customers know they are purchasing a sample product. You can change the product name and label it as a sample product.
   
3. You should limit the sample product quantity purchase using the WooCommerce Min-Max Quantities plugin. It will help you to avoid any misunderstandings in the future.
   
4. Next, ensure you restrict the category or product access, which is only accessible by the user roles you allow. You can do this using the WooCommerce Restriction Rules plugin and other restrictions. 

I have covered everything you need to know to create high-quality product samples to help your customers make informed purchasing decisions. 

Remember, it’s important to provide accurate and detailed information about your sample products and ensure they’re clearly labeled as samples. 
Ready to get started? Download the WooCommerce Min-Max Quantities and WooCommerce Restriction Rules plugin to take your store to the next level!