WooCommerce: Mastering Product Order – Rearrange Your Store for Optimal Sales
Introduction:
In the competitive world of e-commerce, presentation is key. A well-organized online store can significantly impact customer experience and, ultimately, sales. WooCommerce, the leading WordPress e-commerce plugin, offers flexibility in managing your products, but the default product order might not always align with your marketing strategy or customer preferences. This article will guide you through various methods to rearrange your product order in WooCommerce, empowering you to showcase your bestsellers, promote specific items, and optimize your shop for maximum conversions. Learn how to take control of your product display and create a more appealing shopping environment for your customers.
Main Part: How to Rearrange Product Order in WooCommerce
WooCommerce provides several options for reordering your products. We’ll cover the most common and effective techniques:
1. Using WooCommerce’s Default Sorting Options
WooCommerce’s built-in sorting functionalities offer a quick and easy way to reorder products, although with limited control. This is a good starting point for basic adjustments.
#### 1.1. Default Sorting via the WordPress Admin Panel
This method is straightforward and involves changing the default sorting setting globally for your shop.
1. Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Display.
2. Find the “Default product sorting” option.
3. Choose from the available options:
- Default sorting (custom ordering + name): Allows manual reordering using the drag-and-drop method (covered in the next section).
- Popularity (sales): Orders products based on the number of sales.
- Average rating: Sorts by average customer review rating.
- Most recent: Displays the newest products first.
- Price (low to high): Orders products from the lowest to the highest price.
- Price (high to low): Orders products from the highest to the lowest price.
4. Save changes.
#### 1.2. Customer-Facing Sorting Options
Customers can also choose how they want to sort products on your shop page, provided these options are enabled. These options are generally available in a dropdown menu on the shop page Learn more about How To Set Up Free Shipping Coupon In Woocommerce itself. The settings control which options are available.
To show all available sorting options to your visitors, navigate to Appearance > Customize > WooCommerce > Product Catalog. Then, set “Default product sorting” option to “Default Sorting (Custom ordering + name)”.
2. Manual Product Ordering: The Drag-and-Drop Method
When you select “Default sorting (custom ordering + name)” as your default sorting option, you unlock the ability to manually rearrange products using the drag-and-drop interface. This provides precise control over product placement.
1. Navigate to Products > All Products in your WordPress admin panel.
2. Ensure the “Sorting” tab is visible. If not, check “Screen Options” at the top right and ensure “Sorting” is checked.
3. Click the “Sorting” tab.
4. Use the drag-and-drop handles (the four-arrow icon) to rearrange the products in your desired order. Simply click, hold, and drag the product to its new position.
5. The changes are saved automatically.
3. Using Plugins for Enhanced Product Ordering
Several plugins offer more advanced features for reordering WooCommerce products, especially for managing large product catalogs or complex sorting rules. These plugins often provide category-specific ordering, scheduling, and other advanced options.
* Examples of popular plugins:
* Product Sort and Display for WooCommerce: Offers category-specific sorting, drag-and-drop, and display customization.
* Category and Product Sorting: A simpler plugin focused on drag-and-drop sorting within categories.
While the installation process might vary, the core principle remains the same: Install and activate the plugin, then configure its settings to rearrange your products. Refer to the plugin’s documentation for specific instructions.
4. Custom Code Snippets (Advanced)
For developers or users comfortable with code, custom code snippets can provide granular control over product ordering. This method requires adding code to your theme’s `functions.php` file or using a code snippets plugin.
Example code to modify the default WooCommerce query:
add_filter( 'woocommerce_get_catalog_ordering_args', 'custom_woocommerce_get_catalog_ordering_args' );
function custom_woocommerce_get_catalog_ordering_args( $args ) {
$orderby_value = isset( $_GET[‘orderby’] ) ? wc_clean( $_GET[‘orderby’] ) : apply_filters( ‘woocommerce_default_catalog_orderby’, get_option( ‘woocommerce_default_catalog_orderby’ ) );
if ( ‘custom_order’ == $orderby_value ) { // Replace ‘custom_order’ with your desired orderby value
$args[‘orderby’] = ‘meta_value_num’;
$args[‘order’] = ‘ASC’;
$args[‘meta_key’] = ‘_your_custom_meta_key’; // Replace ‘_your_custom_meta_key’ with the meta key you want to sort by
}
return $args;
}
add_filter( ‘woocommerce_default_catalog_orderby_options’, ‘custom_woocommerce_catalog_orderby’ );
add_filter( ‘woocommerce_catalog_orderby’, ‘custom_woocommerce_catalog_orderby’ );
function custom_woocommerce_catalog_orderby( $sortby ) {
$sortby[‘custom_order’] = __( ‘Custom Order’, ‘woocommerce’ ); // Replace ‘Custom Order’ with your Learn more about How To Change The Breascrumbs In Woocommerce desired label
return $sortby;
}
Explanation:
- This code adds a custom sorting option to the WooCommerce product catalog dropdown.
- It sorts products based on a custom meta key (`_your_custom_meta_key`). Replace this with the actual meta key Explore this article on How To Add Schema To Woocommerce you want to use for sorting. The meta key should contain a numeric value.
- You would need to create the custom meta field for each product using the woocommerce functions to manage product meta data.
Important: Always back up your site before adding custom code. Code should be tested in a staging environment before implementing it to a live site. If unsure, consider consulting with a WordPress developer.
Conclusion:
Rearranging your product order in WooCommerce is crucial for optimizing your online store’s visual appeal and enhancing the customer experience. Whether you choose the simplicity of the default sorting options, the precision of the drag-and-drop method, the advanced features of plugins, or the customizability of code snippets, the key is to select the approach that best aligns with your specific needs and technical expertise. By taking control of your product presentation, you can effectively highlight your bestsellers, promote key items, and drive conversions, ultimately leading to increased sales and customer satisfaction. Experiment with different strategies to find the optimal product arrangement for your WooCommerce store and continuously monitor its impact on your business metrics.
