How to Resubmit an Order in WooCommerce: A Comprehensive Guide
Introduction:
WooCommerce is a powerhouse for online stores, but sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned. Customers might encounter payment failures, accidental order cancellations, or simply want to reorder a previous purchase. In these scenarios, the ability to resubmit an order becomes crucial for both customer satisfaction and boosting sales. While WooCommerce doesn’t offer a native “resubmit” button out-of-the-box, several methods can be employed to achieve this functionality. This article will explore the various ways you can empower your customers to easily resubmit orders in your WooCommerce store, enhancing their shopping experience and reducing friction.
Why Enable Order Resubmission?
- Improved Customer Experience: Allows customers to quickly reorder items they’ve previously enjoyed without going through the entire checkout process again.
- Reduced Cart Abandonment: By simplifying the reordering process, you minimize the chances of customers abandoning their carts due to frustration.
- Increased Sales: Streamlining the process of repeat purchases leads to more conversions and ultimately, more revenue.
- Enhanced Customer Loyalty: Showing that you value their time and make their shopping experience as convenient as possible fosters loyalty.
- WooCommerce Order Again: A simple and free plugin that adds a “Order Again” button to the order details page.
- YITH WooCommerce Order Tracking: While primarily for order tracking, it often includes a reordering feature as a bonus.
- WooCommerce Repeat Orders: This plugin offers advanced features, including customizable button text, and the ability to choose which order status allows reordering.
Implementing Order Resubmission Functionality
There are several approaches to enabling order resubmission in WooCommerce. We’ll explore the most common and effective methods:
1. Using a WooCommerce Plugin
The easiest and most user-friendly way to implement order resubmission is by using a dedicated WooCommerce plugin. Several plugins are available that add a “Reorder” or “Repeat Order” button to the customer’s order history page. Here are a few popular options:
Steps for using a plugin (example using WooCommerce Order Again):
1. Install and Activate the Plugin: Navigate to *Plugins > Add New* in your WordPress dashboard, search for “WooCommerce Order Again,” install, and activate the plugin.
2. Configure (Optional): Some plugins may offer configuration options under *WooCommerce > Settings*. Review and adjust these options to suit your store’s needs.
3. That’s It! Customers can now view their past orders and click the “Order Again” button to quickly add the same items to their cart.
2. Custom Code Snippet (Advanced)
For those comfortable with coding, you can add a custom code snippet to your `functions.php` file or use a code snippet plugin. This provides greater control over the functionality and appearance of the reorder button.
/**
function add_reorder_button_to_order_details( $order_id ) {
$order = wc_get_order( $order_id );
if ( $order ) {
echo ‘
‘ . __( ‘Reorder’, ‘woocommerce’ ) . ‘
‘;
}
}
/
* Add order items to cart when reorder button is clicked.
*/
add_action( ‘wp’, ‘reorder_add_to_cart’ );
function reorder_add_to_cart() {
if ( isset( $_GET[‘reorder’] ) ) {
$order_id = absint( $_GET[‘reorder’] );
$order = wc_get_order( $order_id );
if ( $order ) {
foreach ( $order->get_items() as $item ) {
$product_id = $item->get_product_id();
$quantity = $item->get_quantity();
$variation_id = $item->get_variation_id();
if ( $variation_id ) {
WC()->cart->add_to_cart( $product_id, $quantity, $variation_id );
} else {
WC()->cart->add_to_cart( $product_id, $quantity );
}
}
wp_safe_redirect( wc_get_checkout_url() );
exit;
}
}
}
Explanation of the code:
- The first function, `add_reorder_button_to_order_details`, adds a “Reorder” button to the order details page. It creates a link that includes a `reorder` parameter with the order ID.
- The second function, `reorder_add_to_cart`, checks for the `reorder` parameter in the URL. If present, it retrieves the order details and adds all the items from that order to the customer’s cart. Finally, it redirects the customer to the checkout page.
Important Considerations:
- Error Handling: This code snippet is a basic example. You might want to add error handling (e.g., checking if a product still exists) to make it more robust.
- Theme Compatibility: Ensure the code is compatible with your theme to avoid any conflicts.
- Variable Products: The code already handles variable products. Ensure product variations are still available and in stock.
3. Manually Assisting Customers
While not an automated solution, manually assisting customers with reordering is a viable option, especially for complex or infrequent situations. You can:
- Duplicate an Order: As an administrator, you can duplicate an existing order in the WooCommerce backend and assign it to the customer. This creates a new order with the same items, allowing the customer to complete the checkout process. This requires a plugin like “Order Copy”.
- Guide the Customer: Walk the customer through finding their previous order in their order history and re-adding the items to their cart.
Considerations and Potential Issues
Before implementing any reordering method, consider the following:
- Product Availability: What happens if a product is no longer available or out of stock? Ensure your solution handles these scenarios gracefully, perhaps by displaying a message or removing the unavailable item from the reorder list.
- Pricing Changes: If product prices have changed since the original order, the new price should be reflected in the reordered cart.
- Coupon Codes: How will existing coupon codes be handled? Will they be automatically applied to the reordered cart?
- Inventory Management: Ensure your inventory is accurately tracked to avoid overselling products.
- Shipping Costs: Recalculate shipping costs based on the current cart contents and the customer’s shipping address.
- Subscription Products: Reordering functionality should consider subscription renewals and not duplicate the subscription if it is active.
Conclusion:
Enabling order resubmission in WooCommerce is a valuable investment that can significantly improve the customer experience, reduce cart abandonment, and ultimately boost sales. Whether you opt for a dedicated plugin or a custom code solution, carefully consider the potential issues and ensure your implementation aligns with your store’s specific needs and workflow. By providing a seamless and convenient reordering process, you can foster customer loyalty and drive long-term growth for your online business.
