WooCommerce: How to Feature a Product First on Your Product Page (Boost Sales!)
Introduction:
Running an online store with WooCommerce means strategically showcasing your products to maximize sales. Sometimes you have a new arrival, a best-seller, or a product you *really* want your customers to see first when they land on your product page. But how do you achieve this in WooCommerce? This article will walk you through several methods to put a product at the Discover insights on How To Set Product To Be Published At Midnight Woocommerce top of your shop page, boosting its visibility and increasing its chances of conversion. We’ll cover everything from simple built-in options to more advanced coding techniques.
Why Prioritize a Specific Product?
Before diving into the “how,” let’s quickly cover the “why.” There are several compelling reasons to highlight a particular product:
- Promote New Arrivals: Drive initial sales and generate buzz around your latest additions.
- Highlight Best Sellers: Leverage social proof by showcasing your most popular items.
- Clear Out Inventory: Push slower-moving products to reduce stock and free up warehouse space.
- Increase Average Order Value: Showcase higher-priced items to encourage bigger purchases.
- Seasonal Promotions: Highlight products relevant to specific holidays or events.
- Set Default Sorting to “Popularity” (if applicable): If Explore this article on How To Remove Woocommerce Cart From Menu WordPress your desired product is already a best-seller, navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Display. Under “Default Product Sorting,” choose “Popularity (sales).” This will naturally push your best-selling items to the top.
- Set Default Sorting to “Rating” (if applicable): If you want to highlight the product with the most and the best reviews, in the same setting menu, select “Average Rating.” This will highlight your products by rating.
- Create a Prominent Category: Create a category specifically for “Featured Products” or similar. Assign your desired product to this category *in addition to* its regular category.
- Feature the Category on Your Homepage: Use WooCommerce shortcodes or your theme’s widgets to prominently display this “Featured Products” category on your homepage or other key landing pages.
- Eye-catching Featured Image: Make sure your featured image for the product is high-quality, visually appealing, and accurately represents the product. A compelling image will grab attention and encourage clicks.
Main Part: Methods for Putting a Product First
WooCommerce offers several ways to prioritize a product’s placement on your shop page. We’ll start with the simplest options and then move to more advanced techniques.
1. Using WooCommerce Product Sorting (Simplest Method)
The easiest method involves manipulating the default WooCommerce product sorting options:
2. Utilizing WooCommerce Product Categories and Featured Images
This method isn’t about strict *first* placement but can significantly increase the visibility of a product.
3. Customizing the WooCommerce Loop with Code (Advanced)
For complete control, you can modify the WooCommerce product loop using code. This involves creating a custom plugin or adding code snippets to your theme’s `functions.php` file (use a child theme to avoid losing changes during updates!). This allows you to force a specific product to appear first, regardless of other sorting criteria.
Here’s a basic example using a `pre_get_posts` filter:
<?php /**
add_action( ‘pre_get_posts’, ‘woo_feature_product_first’ );
function woo_feature_product_first( $query ) {
if ( ! is_admin() && $query->is_main_query() && is_shop() ) {
// Replace ‘YOUR_PRODUCT_ID’ with the actual product ID
$product_id_to_feature = YOUR_PRODUCT_ID;
$args = array(
‘post_type’ => ‘product’,
‘post_status’ => ‘publish’,
‘posts_per_page’ => -1, // Show all products
);
$products = get_posts( $args );
// Find the featured product and move it to the beginning
$featured_product = null;
$other_products = array();
foreach ( $products as $product ) {
if ( $product->ID == $product_id_to_feature ) {
$featured_product = $product;
} else {
$other_products[] = $product;
}
}
// Combine the featured product with the rest of the products
if ( $featured_product ) {
$ordered_products = array_merge( array( $featured_product ), $other_products );
// Set the query to only return the reordered product IDs
$product_ids = array();
foreach($ordered_products as $product){
$product_ids[] = $product->ID;
}
$query->set(‘post__in’, $product_ids);
$query->set(‘orderby’, ‘post__in’); // preserve the order of ‘post__in’
}
}
}
?>
Important Considerations for the Code Snippet:
- Replace `YOUR_PRODUCT_ID`: This is crucial! Find the product ID of the item you want to feature and replace the placeholder. You can find the product ID in the URL when editing the product in the WooCommerce admin panel (e.g., `post=123`).
- Test Thoroughly: Always test code snippets on a staging environment before implementing them on your live site. Incorrect code can break your site.
- Child Theme: Add this code to your theme’s `functions.php` file, but only within a child theme! This prevents your changes from being overwritten during theme updates.
- Performance: Consider the performance implications of this code, especially on large stores. It might be more efficient to use a cached version of the product order if you are not frequently changing the featured product.
- Compatibility: This code is a basic example. It might need adjustments depending on your specific theme and plugin setup.
4. Using Plugins
Several WooCommerce plugins are available that make it easier to feature products. Some popular options include:
- WooCommerce Product Table: This plugin allows you to create custom product tables with advanced sorting and filtering options. You can manually order products within the table.
- WooCommerce Featured Products: Some plugins specifically focus on managing featured products with more advanced options and settings.
- Plugins that enhance product sorting: Look for plugins that add new sorting options to the WooCommerce default sorting dropdown that can prioritize particular products.
Using a plugin is generally the safest and easiest option for non-developers. Remember to research plugin reviews and compatibility before installing any plugin.
Conclusion:
Putting a product first on your WooCommerce product page is a powerful way to boost visibility, drive sales, and achieve your marketing goals. Whether you choose the simplicity of sorting options, the visibility boost from category assignments, the control of custom code, or the convenience of a plugin, remember to prioritize testing and performance. Regularly analyze your sales data to see which methods are most effective for your business and adjust your strategy accordingly. By carefully curating your product presentation, you can create a more engaging shopping experience and increase your bottom line. Good luck!
