How to change the WooCommerce default quantity [Tutorial]

Do you want to change the number of pre-set units in the quantity field on your store’s product pages? In this in-depth tutorial, I’ll walk you through the steps to change the WooCommerce default quantity settings in your store, zero coding knowledge required.

If you’re looking for a guide on how to modify the WooCommerce default quantity settings in your online store, this tutorial has your back. We’ll discuss everything you need to know, including:

• What the default WooCommerce product quantity setting means.
• Key reasons for changing the default product quantity in your WooCommerce store.
• Top use cases for modifying the default quantity.
• A rundown of Min/Max Quantity for WooCommerce, the best WooCommerce plugin to modify the default quantity in an online store.
• A step-by-step guide to changing the WooCommerce default quantity in your store.

A quick note: Min/Max Quantity for WooCommerce is our very own hand-crafted plugin. Launched in 2020, it is now used by thousands of stores to change the default quantity, set minimum and maximum product quantity rules, modify the style of the quantity picker, add step quantity increments, and more. Check out the demo or get started with the free or pro version now.

First things first, let’s answer the most important question:

What is the default quantity in WooCommerce?

In WooCommerce, the default product quantity refers to the number of units that are pre-filled in the quantity field when a customer visits a product detail page.

By default, WooCommerce sets this value to 1. This means when a customer clicks on the “Add to cart” button, WooCommerce will add a single unit of the product to their cart unless they manually adjust the quantity first.

Benefits of changing the WooCommerce default quantity

It may seem standard to leave the default quantity in an online store as “1”. However, if you dig a bit deeper, you’ll find that it often means your business is missing out on several key advantages.

Below, we’ll discuss the merits of modifying the default product quantity in WooCommerce.

Better user experience (UX)

Every unnecessary click stands in the way of the most important step in the buyer’s journey: placing their orders.

For products usually bought in sets (for example, packs of protein bars in packs of 6), setting the default quantity as “6” saves customers from having to manually adjust the product quantity before adding the item to their shopping carts.

Modifying the default product quantity to match customers’ buying behavior simplifies the ordering process and eliminates extra clicks so customers can check out faster.

Increased revenue

A higher default quantity subtly encourages customers to buy more per order. This is because many customers simply add products to their cart without adjusting the quantity. When the quantity field is pre-filled with a reasonable, higher number, many customers will proceed to checkout with that amount rather than reducing it.

Use cases for changing default product quantity in WooCommerce

There’s no limit to the scenarios for which you can modify the default quantity in WooCommerce. However, they are most commonly used for stores that sell:

• Low-value items. Fulfilling orders with a single $0.50 item might not be worth the transaction fees, shipping costs, or handling costs and time. Adjusting the default quantity to match your minimum order quantity (MOQ) prevents customers from ordering low-cost items in unprofitable amounts.
• Products sold in pre-defined packs and bundles. For items that customers typically buy in higher quantities — think: skincare products, packaged food, bottled water, etc. — changing the default quantity to align with how the product is usually bought eliminates unnecessary steps and reduces error in the ordering process.
• Products in wholesale quantities. Unlike retail customers who buy single units, wholesale buyers tend to order in larger quantities which justifies lower product prices (especially if there’s an MOQ restriction). Setting a default quantity that reflects typical wholesale orders makes the purchasing process faster and more intuitive.

The best plugin for changing the default quantity in WooCommerce

Min/Max Quantity for WooCommerce gives you complete control over your store’s product quantity settings. You can use it to change the default quantity for specific products and categories.

1. For specific products. Individual products will have different default quantities, e.g. a store that sells hair accessories might choose to adjust the default quantity for combs as 3 and hairpins as 6.
2. For specific categories. Items in a particular category will have different default quantities, e.g. a wholesale clothing store with a default quantity of 8 for all outerwear and 3 for all bottomwear.

Launched in 2020, thousands of WooCommerce stores use Min/Max Quantity for WooCommerce to modify default quantities, set minimum and maximum quantity limits, change quantity input buttons, and much more.

Best of all, it is packed with heaps of features, while being easy to use for site admins and customers.

Top features

Modify the WooCommerce default product quantity

Instead of always starting at 1, you can adjust the default quantity for any product and set it to start at a higher number to subtly nudge customers to buy more in a single order from your store.

Set minimum and maximum quantity rules

A minimum quantity limit helps prevent small-sized orders. Whereas, a maximum limit prevents stockouts by restricting the number of products customers can buy per order.

Set minimum and maximum amount restrictions

Instead of limiting the number of products per transaction, it’s sometimes better to control the total cart value by setting a minimum or maximum order amount limit.

Define step quantity rules

Step rules make sure customers buy in specific quantity increments. If, for example, you sell candles in sets of 3, 6, 9, etc., you can enforce default and step quantities of 3 to prevent customers from selecting any other quantity.

Modify the style of the quantity selector button

Instead of WooCommerce’s standard + / – quantity buttons, you can change it to a dropdown menu with preset quantity options (e.g., 10, 20, 30) or radio buttons to better match your site’s theme.

How to change the default product quantity in WooCommerce

For this tutorial, I’ll walk you through detailed steps to change the default product quantity from “1” to “6” in an online clothing store.

Note that depending on the specific scenario, you may want to make the following additional configurations too:

• Set a minimum product quantity restriction to prevent customers from buying less than a specific number of items.
• Change the quantity increment. If you want to only sell products in pre-defined packs.
• Change the style of the quantity selector button. Customers can enter their desired numbers in a quantity input field interface. Modifying it to a layout with pre-set options ensures customers can only select from a range of options you set.

Tutorial: How to change the WooCommerce default quantity

1. Download and install the Min/Max Quantity for WooCommerce plugin on your website.
2. In your WordPress admin dashboard, go to Dotstore Plugins → Min/Max Quantity → Add New to create a new rule.
3. Add a name for this rule (for internal reference only).
   
4. Navigate to the Advanced Rules section and open the first collapsible panel.
5. Define conditions to determine when the rule applies. To change the default quantity for:
   • For specific products, choose Product from the left-side dropdown. Then select the relevant products from the right-side dropdown.
     
   • For specific product categories, select Category from the left-side dropdown. Then choose the categories where this rule should be enforced from the right-side dropdown.
6. If needed, you can add extra conditions such as user roles, shipping zones, or stock levels from the same section.
7. Now to the part you’ve been waiting for: Under the “Action” section, change the default quantity as needed. You can also specify minimum and maximum quantity limits, adjust the step quantity, and customize the quantity selector button from here.
8. Once done, click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

Here’s how the modified WooCommerce default quantity looks on the front end of a demo store:

Modify the WooCommerce default quantity in your store

Changing the starting product quantity from “1” in your online store can lead to a more user-friendly shopping experience and increased revenue.

WooCommerce doesn’t include the option to adjust the default quantity, so we modified it using our very own plugin, Min/Max Quantity for WooCommerce.

Min/Max Quantity for WooCommerce is a simple-to-use plugin that enables you to change the default WooCommerce product quantity, add minimum and maximum quantity limits, set step quantity increments, modify the quantity button styles, and more.

To join the thousands of stores that use it to customize their product quantity settings, check out the plugin demo or get started with the free or pro version now.