# How to Display Specific Category Products in WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide
WooCommerce is a powerful platform, but sometimes even simple tasks can seem daunting. One common question is: how do I display products from a *specific* category on my website? This guide will walk you through several methods, from simple solutions to more advanced techniques. We’ll use real-life examples to make it clear and easy to follow.
Why Display Specific Product Categories?
Before diving into the “how,” let’s understand the “why.” Displaying specific product categories is crucial for:
- Improved User Experience: Customers shouldn’t have to sift through hundreds of products. Categorizing and displaying relevant products makes navigation easier and increases the chance of a sale. Imagine an online bookstore – wouldn’t you appreciate a dedicated section for “Science Fiction”?
- Targeted Marketing: Showcasing specific product categories allows for targeted marketing efforts. For example, you can highlight your “Summer Sale” products in a dedicated section.
- Enhanced Website Design: Categorizing products improves the overall aesthetic and structure of your website, making it more professional and user-friendly.
Method 1: Using WooCommerce’s Built-in Category Pages
This is the simplest and often the best approach. WooCommerce automatically creates category pages when you create a new product category.
How it works: When you create a new product category (e.g., “T-shirts,” “Shoes,” “Electronics”), WooCommerce automatically generates a page that displays all products assigned to that category.
Real-life example: Let’s say you sell clothes. Creating a “Women’s Dresses” category automatically generates a page like `yourwebsite.com/product-category/womens-dresses/` which displays all dresses you’ve assigned to that category.
Method 2: Using a WooCommerce Shortcode
Shortcodes offer a quick and Read more about Paypal.Com How To Set Up For Woocommerce easy way to embed specific category products within a page or post.
How it works: The `[product_category]` shortcode allows you to display products from a specific category. You’ll need the slug of your category (the part of Read more about How To Setup Product Tax Class In Import File Woocommerce the URL after `/product-category/`).
Example:
Let’s say your “T-shirts” category slug is `t-shirts`. The shortcode would be:
[product_category category=”t-shirts”]
This will display all products from the “T-shirts” category on the page where you insert this shortcode. You can customize the shortcode further with attributes like `per_page`, `columns`, and `orderby`. Refer to the WooCommerce documentation for a full list of attributes.
Real-life example: You could use this on a blog post about summer fashion to showcase your summer T-shirts.
Method 3: Using a Widget (For Sidebars and Footers)
WooCommerce widgets allow you to display specific product categories in your sidebar or footer.
How it works: Go to Appearance > Widgets in your WordPress dashboard. Drag the “Product Categories” widget to your desired sidebar or footer area. You can select the categories you want to display and choose how many products to show.
Real-life example: You could display your “Best Sellers” category in your sidebar to highlight top-performing products.
Method 4: Customizing the WooCommerce Template Files (Advanced)
This is the most complex method and requires some coding knowledge. It gives you the most control, though.
How it works: You can create a custom template file to display specific products based on your requirements. This involves editing WooCommerce’s template files, which can be risky if not done correctly. Always back up your files before making any changes.
Example (PHP – Requires Understanding of PHP and WooCommerce Template Hierarchy): This is a simplified example and might need adjustments based on your theme:
term_id; // Get the category ID from the slug $args = array( 'post_type' => 'product', 'tax_query' => array( array( 'taxonomy' => 'product_cat', 'field' => 'id', 'terms' => $category_id, ), ), ); $products = new WP_Query($args); if ($products->have_posts()) : while ($products->have_posts()) : $products->the_post(); // Display your product here using WooCommerce functions like wc_get_template_part endwhile; wp_reset_postdata(); endif; ?>
This code retrieves products from the “t-shirts” category and then you would need to add the code to display each product’s details. This method offers extreme flexibility but requires coding proficiency.
Conclusion
Displaying specific product categories in WooCommerce doesn’t have to be difficult. Choose the method that best suits your technical skills and needs. Start with the built-in category pages or shortcodes for a quick and easy solution. If you need more control, consider widgets or even custom template files – but always back up your website first! Remember to always consult the official WooCommerce documentation for the most up-to-date information and best practices.
