What is the difference between this rule and the 'contains virtual item' rule?

The contains-virtual-item rule fires when any virtual item is present, including mixed orders with both physical and virtual products. This rule only fires when the entire order is virtual - no physical items at all.

Will a WooCommerce downloadable product trigger this rule?

Yes, if the product is also marked as virtual in WooCommerce. Downloadable products that are not marked as virtual may still be treated as physical items.

Can I use this to automatically skip the shipping step in WooCommerce?

OrderBadger only applies a badge - it does not modify WooCommerce shipping behaviour. WooCommerce already skips shipping for virtual-only orders by default if products are configured correctly.

What happens if someone adds a physical product to a virtual-only cart at the last moment?

The order will then contain a physical item, so this rule will not fire. The mixed-physical-virtual rule may fire instead, depending on your active rules.

How to skip fulfilment for digital-only orders in WooCommerce | Digital Only rule

The problem

In stores selling both physical and digital products, purely virtual orders can end up in the warehouse pick queue, wasting time as staff search for items that do not exist on the shelves. Without a clear flag, digital-only orders clog physical fulfilment workflows.

The solution

OrderBadger can automatically flag orders that contain only virtual or digital products and need no physical shipment.

Who this is for

Stores selling a mix of physical goods and digital products - software publishers, online course providers, music and ebook retailers, and any WooCommerce shop where virtual products sit alongside shippable merchandise.

At a glance

Must contain at least one virtual item Must contain zero physical items No warehouse fulfilment needed Badge: Digital Only (blue)

People also search for

WooCommerce flag orders that need no physical shipping how to remove virtual orders from warehouse pick queue WooCommerce identify digital-only orders automatically stop virtual products appearing in fulfilment queue WooCommerce separate physical and digital order workflows

How it works

Checks two conditions: the order must contain at least one virtual item, and it must not contain any physical items. When both are true, the order is badged as Digital Only, telling your warehouse team to skip it entirely and ensuring digital delivery is handled through the appropriate channel.

Remove the order from physical fulfilment queues. Verify that download links, licence keys, or access credentials have been delivered to the customer. If your store uses automated digital delivery, confirm the automation completed successfully.

Rule template

Plain English rule Order contains a virtual item and order does not contain a physical item

Write this (or something similar) in the OrderBadger rule builder. The AI compiler turns it into executable logic automatically.

Make it yours

Add or remove conditions

Add 'and order total is over £100' to highlight high-value digital orders that warrant manual confirmation of delivery success. …ns a virtual item and order does not contain a physical item and order total is over £100
Add 'and customer has 0 previous paid orders' to specifically flag first-time buyers receiving digital-only orders, where delivery confirmation is most critical. …ns a virtual item and order does not contain a physical item and customer has 0 previous paid orders

Badge preview

Default: Digital Only

When this rule matches

Virtual Only Single Item

The order contains a virtual item and does not contain any physical item - both conditions satisfied.

Multiple Virtual Items No Physical

All three items are virtual products with no physical items present - the order is entirely digital.

When this rule does not match

Mixed Physical And Virtual

The order contains both a virtual item and a physical item - fails the 'does not contain a physical item' condition.

Physical Only No Virtual

The order contains only physical items with no virtual products - fails the 'contains a virtual item' condition.

Empty Order

The order has no items, so neither virtual nor physical items are present - the virtual item condition is not satisfied.

Good to know

Relies on products being correctly configured as virtual in WooCommerce. A physical product mistakenly left as non-virtual will cause the order to be incorrectly flagged.
WooCommerce Subscriptions or Bookings may or may not be classified as virtual depending on the product settings.
This rule does not verify whether digital delivery actually succeeded - it only identifies that no physical fulfilment is required.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between this rule and the 'contains virtual item' rule?

The contains-virtual-item rule fires when any virtual item is present, including mixed orders with both physical and virtual products. This rule only fires when the entire order is virtual - no physical items at all.
Will a WooCommerce downloadable product trigger this rule?

Yes, if the product is also marked as virtual in WooCommerce. Downloadable products that are not marked as virtual may still be treated as physical items.
Can I use this to automatically skip the shipping step in WooCommerce?

OrderBadger only applies a badge - it does not modify WooCommerce shipping behaviour. WooCommerce already skips shipping for virtual-only orders by default if products are configured correctly.
What happens if someone adds a physical product to a virtual-only cart at the last moment?

The order will then contain a physical item, so this rule will not fire. The mixed-physical-virtual rule may fire instead, depending on your active rules.

How to skip fulfilment for digital-only orders in WooCommerce