Can WooCommerce handle 10,000 products? 50,000? 100,000? The answer is yes, but only with proper optimization. Out of the box, WooCommerce will struggle with large catalogs. This guide shows you how to scale WooCommerce for enterprise-level product counts.

Where Large Catalogs Cause Problems

Before we fix problems, let us understand where they occur:

Admin Performance

• Product list page loads slowly
• Search takes too long
• Bulk editing times out
• Import/export becomes impossible

Frontend Performance

• Category pages with many products load slowly
• Filtering and sorting take too long
• Search returns results slowly
• Variable products with many variations cause issues

Database Size

• Post meta table grows very large
• Queries scan too many rows
• Backups take too long

Database Optimization

Enable HPOS (High-Performance Order Storage)

WooCommerce 8.2+ includes High-Performance Order Storage. This moves order data to custom tables instead of using the posts table. For large stores, this is essential.

To enable: WooCommerce → Settings → Advanced → Features → Enable HPOS

Add Custom Indexes

The default WordPress database lacks some indexes that help large product catalogs. Consider adding indexes on:

• wp_postmeta (meta_key, post_id)
• wp_wc_product_meta_lookup (various columns)
• Custom attribute tables if you use them

Use Product Tables Plugin

Some plugins store product data in custom tables instead of post meta. This can significantly improve query performance for large catalogs.

Category and Filtering Optimization

Limit Products Per Page

Do not show 100 products per page. Use pagination with 24-48 products maximum. This reduces database load and page weight.

Use Ajax Filtering

Instead of reloading the entire page when customers filter, use Ajax to load only the product grid. Tools like FacetWP or JetSmartFilters help with this.

Cache Category Counts

Counting products in categories is expensive with large catalogs. Cache these counts and update them only when products change.

Variable Products Strategy

Variable products with many variations are a common problem. A product with 5 attributes and 10 options each could have 100,000 variations!

Limit Variation Count

Keep variations under 50 per product when possible. If you need more, consider splitting into multiple products.

Use Ajax Variation Loading

Instead of loading all variation data on page load, use Ajax to load variation details when the customer selects options.

Consider Product Add-Ons

For products with many customization options, use product add-ons instead of variations. This is more flexible and performs better.

Search Optimization

Default WordPress search does not scale well. For large catalogs, use a dedicated search solution:

Elasticsearch

Use ElasticPress or SearchWP with Elasticsearch backend. This provides fast, relevant search even with 100,000+ products.

Algolia

A hosted search service that provides instant search results. Easy to set up but has ongoing costs based on operations.

Admin Panel Optimization

Disable Auto-Save and Revisions

For products, auto-save and revisions create unnecessary data. Disable them to keep the database smaller.

Use CLI for Bulk Operations

Instead of using the admin panel for bulk updates, use WP-CLI or custom scripts. This avoids timeouts and is much faster.

wp wc product list --format=csv > products.csv
# Edit CSV
wp wc product update [id] --regular_price=19.99

Limit Admin List Queries

Some plugins add columns to the product list that run expensive queries. Remove unnecessary columns to speed up admin pages.

Import and Sync Strategy

For large catalogs that sync with ERP or PIM systems:

• Use background processing – Never run large imports in real-time
• Delta imports – Only sync changed products, not the entire catalog
• Scheduled syncs – Run during low-traffic hours
• Queue systems – Use Action Scheduler or similar for reliable processing

Infrastructure Requirements

For 10,000+ SKUs, you typically need:

• 4+ CPU cores
• 8GB+ RAM (16GB recommended)
• SSD storage
• Separate database server
• Redis for object caching
• CDN for static assets

Conclusion

WooCommerce can absolutely handle large product catalogs, but it requires intentional optimization. Focus on database performance, smart caching, and proper infrastructure. With the right setup, stores with 50,000+ products run smoothly on WooCommerce.

Struggling with a large WooCommerce catalog? Let us help optimize your store for scale.