WooCommerce can start and end a sale automatically at the dates you choose. No need to stay awake at midnight to change prices: you prepare everything in advance. Here is how to do it, for one product or for many.
Schedule a sale on one product
- Edit the product and open the General tab of the product data box.
- Enter the Sale price.
- Click Schedule next to the sale price.
- Choose the start and end dates.
- Update the product.
The sale price applies from 00:00 on the start date and ends at 23:59 on the end date, in the time zone set in Settings › General. Check that time zone first.
Variable products
For variable products, the sale price and schedule are set on each variation. Open the Variations tab, expand each variation, and set the sale price and dates. To save time, use the bulk actions in the Variations tab to set sale prices and dates for all variations at once.
Many products at once
- Bulk edit in the Products list lets you set a sale price (for example “decrease regular price by 20%”) on many products, but not the schedule dates.
- CSV export and import: export products, fill the “Sale price”, “Date sale price starts” and “Date sale price ends” columns in a spreadsheet, and import again with “Update existing products”.
- Coupons: for a site-wide discount, a coupon with an expiry date can be simpler.
Show the deadline to customers
A scheduled sale is the perfect base for an honest countdown: the timer reads the real end date and disappears when the sale ends. See WooCommerce sale countdown timers and how to choose a countdown plugin.
Common mistakes
- Wrong time zone: the sale starts hours early or late.
- Page caching: cached pages may show old prices for a while after the start or end. Clear the cache at those moments.
- Forgotten variations: some sizes stay at full price.
- Unrealistic reference prices: the regular price should be the price you actually charged.
Checklist before the sale
- Time zone checked.
- Sale prices and dates set on all products and variations.
- Test with a product scheduled for the next hour.
- Countdown and announcement bar ready.
- Cache clearing planned at start and end.
For the full Black Friday preparation, see the Black Friday WooCommerce checklist.
Frequently asked questions
At what time does a scheduled WooCommerce sale start?
At 00:00 on the start date and it ends at 23:59 on the end date, in your site time zone.
Can I schedule a sale for a specific hour?
Not with the default fields, which use whole days. Some plugins and coupons allow precise hours.
Why does my sale not start?
Check the time zone, the dates, the variation prices and your page cache.