How to Show Wishlist in WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide
So, you’ve set up your WooCommerce store, and you’re ready to let customers add products they love to a wishlist. Great! A wishlist is a powerful tool that can:
* Boost sales: By reminding customers of products they’re interested in.
* Gather valuable data: See what products are popular and trending.
* Improve customer experience: Provide a convenient way to save items for later purchase.
But how do you actually *show* that wishlist on your WooCommerce store? Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through it step-by-step, even if you’re brand new to WordPress and WooCommerce.
Why is Showing the Wishlist Important?
Think of it like this: Imagine walking into your favorite bookstore. You find a few books you like but aren’t ready to buy yet. If the store offered a basket or shelf to temporarily hold those books while you browsed, wouldn’t that be helpful? That’s what a wishlist does for your online store.
If your customers can’t *find* the wishlist, they can’t *use* the wishlist. A visible and easily accessible wishlist button and page are crucial for maximizing its benefits.
Choosing a WooCommerce Wishlist Plugin
First things first, WooCommerce itself doesn’t have a built-in wishlist feature. You’ll need a plugin to add this functionality. There are plenty of great options available, both free and premium. Here are a few popular choices:
* YITH WooCommerce Wishlist: One of the most popular, offering a solid free version and feature-rich premium version.
* TI WooCommerce Wishlist: Another strong contender with a user-friendly interface.
* WooCommerce Wishlist by Axtom: A simpler option, ideal if you’re looking for a lightweight solution.
For this guide, let’s assume you’re using YITH WooCommerce Wishlist because it’s widely used and offers a great balance of features and ease of use.
1. Install and Activate the Plugin:
Go to your WordPress dashboard:
1. Navigate to Plugins > Add New.
2. Search for “YITH WooCommerce Wishlist”.
3. Click Install Now.
4. Click Activate.
Showing the “Add to Wishlist” Button on Product Pages
Once activated, the YITH WooCommerce Wishlist plugin *usually* automatically adds an “Add to Wishlist” button to your product pages. However, it’s good to double-check the settings to make sure it’s displaying correctly.
1. Go to YITH > Wishlist in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Click on the “Add to Wishlist options” tab.
3. Ensure “Enable Add to Wishlist” is checked. This is the most important setting.
4. Customize the button’s appearance (text, icon, position) to match your store’s design. Experiment with the “Add to Wishlist Position” setting to find the best placement on your product pages. Common choices are “Before add to cart button” or “After add to cart button.”
5. Click “Save Changes”.
Now, visit a product page on your site. You should see the “Add to Wishlist” button!
Displaying the Wishlist Page
After a user adds products to their wishlist, they’ll need a way to *view* it. Here’s how to make the wishlist page accessible.
1. The Wishlist Page is Usually Created Automatically:
YITH WooCommerce Wishlist *usually* creates a dedicated wishlist page for you during installation. It’s called something like “Wishlist” or “My Wishlist”.
2. Verify and Customize the Wishlist Page:
1. Go to Pages in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Look for a page titled “Wishlist” or “My Wishlist”. If it exists, great!
3. Open the page and make sure it contains the `[yith_wcwl_wishlist]` shortcode. This shortcode is what tells the plugin to display the wishlist content on that page.
4. You can add other content to this page, like a welcome message or instructions on how to use the wishlist.
5. If the page *doesn’t* exist, create a new page, title it “Wishlist” (or whatever you prefer), add the `[yith_wcwl_wishlist]` shortcode to the content, and publish the page.
3. Linking to the Wishlist Page:
Now that the wishlist page exists, you need to make it easy for customers to find! Here are a few common places to add a link:
* In your website’s menu: This is the most common and effective place. Go to Appearance > Menus, find your main menu, and add the “Wishlist” page to it.
* In your account area: If you have a “My Account” page, add a link to the wishlist there.
* In your site’s footer: This provides a consistent link on every page.
Advanced Customization (For the Tech-Savvy)
If you’re comfortable with PHP code, you can further customize the wishlist functionality. For example, you might want to:
* Change the text of the “Add to Wishlist” button programmatically.
* Add custom CSS styles to match your theme perfectly.
* Integrate the wishlist with other parts of your website.
Here’s an example of how to change the “Add to Wishlist” button text using a PHP snippet (add this to your theme’s `functions.php` file or use a code snippets plugin):
add_filter( 'yith_wcwl_add_to_wishlist_button_label', 'change_wishlist_button_text' );
function change_wishlist_button_text( $label ) {
return __( 'Save for Later', 'your-text-domain' ); // Replace 'your-text-domain' with your theme's text domain
}
Important: Always back up your website before making changes to your theme’s `functions.php` file. If you’re not comfortable with code, it’s best to consult with a developer.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
* “Add to Wishlist” button doesn’t appear: Make sure “Enable Add to Wishlist” is checked in the YITH Wishlist settings (as described above). Also, check for any plugin conflicts.
* Wishlist page is blank: Ensure the `[yith_wcwl_wishlist]` shortcode is present on the Wishlist page.
* Wishlist isn’t saving items: Check your WooCommerce and WordPress error logs for any clues. Make sure your website has enough memory allocated to PHP.
By following these steps, you can easily display a wishlist on your WooCommerce store, enhance your customer experience, and potentially boost sales. Good luck!
