WooCommerce: How to Set a Featured Product (and Why You Should!)
Want to give a specific product the spotlight on your WooCommerce store? Learning how to set a featured product is a simple yet powerful way to boost sales and highlight your best offerings. This guide will walk you through the process step-by-step, even if you’re brand new to WooCommerce.
Why Feature Products? The Power of the Spotlight
Imagine walking into a real-life store. What immediately catches your eye? Probably the items displayed prominently at the entrance or in eye-catching displays. Featured products in your online store Read more about How To Replace Category Pages In Woocommerce With Actual Pages serve the same purpose. They’re the “display window” of your website.
Here’s why featuring products is a smart move:
- Increase Visibility: Featured products are often displayed in prominent locations on your site, like the homepage or sidebar. This instantly draws attention to them.
- Boost Sales: By highlighting desirable or popular items, you encourage customers to purchase them, leading to increased sales.
- Promote New Arrivals: Got a hot new product? Make it a featured product to generate buzz and drive initial sales.
- Showcase Best Sellers: Highlight products that are already popular. This reinforces their appeal and encourages new customers to see what the hype is about. Think of Amazon’s “Best Seller” badge – it works!
- Clearance and Discounts: Trying to move slow-moving inventory? Featuring discounted products can entice customers with a good deal.
- Seasonal Promotions: Promote products related to specific holidays or seasons. For example, feature Christmas decorations in December, or beach gear in the summer.
- WooCommerce Shortcodes: WooCommerce provides a shortcode that lets you display featured products anywhere on your site (pages, posts, etc.). Here’s the basic shortcode:
How to Mark a Product as Featured in WooCommerce
The process is surprisingly straightforward:
1. Log in to your WordPress Admin Dashboard: This is where you manage your entire website.
2. Navigate to Products: In the left-hand menu, find and click on “Products”.
3. Find the Product You Want to Feature: You can either browse the list of products or use the search bar to quickly locate the item.
4. Quick Edit or Edit the Product Directly:
* Quick Edit: Hover over the product title. You’ll see a menu appear beneath the title. Click on “Quick Edit”.
* Edit: Click directly on the product title to open the product editor.
5. Mark as Featured:
* Quick Edit: In the Quick Edit panel, find the “Featured” checkbox. Check the box.
* Edit: In the product editor, you’ll find a “Publish” module on the right-hand side (usually above the “Categories” and “Product Tags” sections). Look for the “Catalog visibility” option and ensure it’s set to “Shop & search results”. If it’s already set to that, you can skip this step. Then, in the product data section, go to “Inventory” and check ‘Sold Individually’ if you want one and only one per order of this specific product. Also, in the product data section, go to ‘linked products’ and check ‘upsells’ or ‘cross-sells’ with other products of your store.
6. Update the Product:
* Quick Edit: Click the “Update” button.
* Edit: Click the “Update” button.
That’s it! You’ve successfully marked your product as featured.
Displaying Your Featured Products
Now that you’ve marked a product as featured, you need to actually *display* it on your website. How you do this depends on your theme and any plugins you might be using. Here are a few common methods:
[featured_products per_page="4" columns="2"]
* `per_page`: Specifies the number of featured products to display.
* `columns`: Determines the number of columns to arrange the products in.
You can add this shortcode directly to a page or post using the WordPress editor. Simply create a new block and search for “Shortcode”. Paste the shortcode into the block. Experiment with different `per_page` and `columns` values to achieve the desired layout.
- WooCommerce Blocks: WooCommerce provides specific blocks in the WordPress editor for displaying different types of products, including featured products. Search for “WooCommerce” when adding a new block. You’ll find blocks like “Featured Product,” “Featured Category,” or “All Products.” Use these to design product showcases.
- Theme Options and Widgets: Many WooCommerce themes come with built-in options for displaying featured products on the homepage or in sidebars. Check your theme’s documentation or customizer (Appearance -> Customize) for these options. You might find a widget specifically designed to show featured products. Drag and drop this widget into a sidebar or other widget area.
- Plugins: Several WooCommerce plugins offer advanced features for displaying featured products, such as creating custom carousels or galleries. Examples include “WooCommerce Product Slider” or similar plugins focusing on product display.
Example: Creating a “Deals of the Week” Section
Let’s say you want to create a “Deals of the Week” section on your homepage, showcasing featured products with special discounts.
1. First, mark the products you want to feature as “featured” using the steps outlined above.
2. Then, add the following shortcode to your homepage (where you want the section to appear):
[featured_products per_page="3" columns="3"]
3. Now, add a headline above the shortcode to make it clear what the section is about. For example, “Deals of the Week – Limited Time Only!”.
4. (Optional) Consider adding a brief description above the products explaining the promotion.
This setup will display the three products you’ve designated as featured in a neat 3-column layout. Customers visiting your homepage will immediately see these deals, encouraging them to make a purchase.
Tips for Choosing Featured Products
- Consider your target audience: What are they most likely to be interested in?
- Analyze your sales data: Which products are already selling well?
- Highlight seasonal items or promotions: Keep your featured products relevant to the current time of year or any ongoing sales events.
- Don’t overcrowd: A small, carefully curated selection of featured products is more effective than a large, overwhelming display. Focus on quality over quantity.
- Regularly update your featured products: Keep your homepage fresh and engaging by changing your featured products regularly. This encourages repeat visits. Perhaps rotate them weekly or monthly.
By understanding how to set a featured product in WooCommerce and strategically using this feature, you can significantly improve your store’s visibility and boost your sales! Good luck!
