When vendors edit a product, they can choose from your store’s existing attribute values, but by default they can’t add new ones. If your vendors need to list a color, size, or material that isn’t in your store yet, you can let them add it themselves without contacting you. The Attribute Terms setting in WC Vendors Pro turns this on with a single checkbox.
Before you start
- WC Vendors Pro installed and active
- At least one product attribute already set up in your store (for example “Color” or “Size”)
What attribute terms are
WooCommerce product attributes are store-wide properties you define, such as “Color”, “Size”, or “Material”. The individual values under each attribute, such as “Red”, “Blue”, “Small”, or “Extra Large”, are called attribute terms.
By default, vendors can only select from the terms that already exist. Once you enable Attribute Terms, vendors can add new values to those attributes directly from the product editing form in their dashboard. This only applies to the taxonomy attributes you’ve defined in your store. It doesn’t let vendors create entirely new attribute types.
How to enable attribute terms for vendors
- In your WordPress admin, go to WC Vendors > Settings.
- Click the Forms tab.
- In the section navigation below the tabs, click Product.
- Find the Attribute Terms checkbox and tick it.
- Click Save changes.
What vendors see
Once the setting is on, vendors see an Add new button in the attributes section of their product editing form. Clicking it opens a small input where they can type a new term and save it. That term is then available for that attribute across your store. Because the new term is global, you can rename or delete it under Products > Attributes > Configure terms.
The button only appears for WooCommerce-managed attributes, which are the “select” type attributes you’ve set up in your store. It doesn’t show up for custom text attributes.
Troubleshooting
If vendors don’t see the Add new button, check these causes.
No attribute shows the Add new button
Go to WC Vendors > Settings > Forms > Product. Tick Attribute Terms. Click Save changes. The button only shows when this setting is on.
An attribute shows a text box instead of a list of values
Use a global attribute of the “select” type, set up under Products > Attributes. The button only shows for select-type attributes. Text-type attributes and custom attributes added to a single product don’t get it.
Vendors don’t see the attributes tab at all
Go to WC Vendors > Settings > Capabilities > Products. Remove “Attributes” from the Product Data Tabs field. Click Save changes. Any tab selected in that field is hidden from the vendor’s product form.
If the tab is still missing, go to WC Vendors > Settings > Forms > Product. In the Attributes row, untick Hide. Click Save changes. When Hide is ticked, the attributes section does not show on the vendor’s product form.
An attribute is missing from the vendor’s attribute list
Go to WC Vendors > Settings > Forms > Product. Remove the attribute’s ID from the Hide Attributes field. Click Save changes. Attributes listed in that field don’t appear in the vendor’s attribute dropdown, so vendors can’t add terms to them.
Frequently asked questions
Can vendors create entirely new attribute types?
Not with the Attribute Terms setting. Only a store admin can add a new global attribute like “Occasion” or “Fit” to your store. But vendors can create their own custom attributes with the Vendor Attribute Library. See the next question for how the two settings differ.
What’s the difference between Attribute Terms and the Vendor Attribute Library?
Attribute Terms lets vendors add new values to your marketplace’s existing global attributes, and those values are available to every vendor. The Vendor Attribute Library lets each vendor save and reuse their own custom attributes, and those stay private to their store. You can turn on either setting, or both. To set up the library, see How to let vendors build their own attribute library.
What if I want to hide the attributes section from vendors instead?
Go to WC Vendors > Settings > Capabilities > Products, then select “Attributes” in the Product Data Tabs field. This hides the entire attributes tab from the vendor’s product form.
Need help?
If you have a question or run into any issues, we’re here to help.
- Premium users: Open a support ticket
- Free users: Visit our community forum