How to Sort WooCommerce Products: A Beginner’s Guide

Running a WooCommerce store means managing a potentially large catalog of products. Organizing those products effectively is crucial for a good customer experience and ultimately, increased sales. This guide will show you how to sort your WooCommerce products in various ways, making it easier for your customers to find what they’re looking for.

Why Sort Your WooCommerce Products?

Imagine walking into a supermarket where everything is randomly placed. Finding what you need would be a nightmare! The same applies to your online store. Proper product sorting improves:

• User experience: Customers find products quickly and easily.
• Sales conversion: Happy customers are more likely to buy.
• SEO: Search engines reward well-organized sites.

Methods for Sorting WooCommerce Products

WooCommerce offers several ways to sort your products, both in the backend (for you) and on the frontend (for your customers).

1. Sorting in the WooCommerce Backend (Admin Panel)

This is where you control the order of your products in lists within your WordPress admin area. It doesn’t directly affect how your customers see the products on the storefront, but it can improve your workflow.

• Default Ordering: WooCommerce usually defaults to sorting products by date, with the newest products appearing first. This is great when you’re just starting, but might not be ideal as your catalog grows.
• Manual Ordering: You can manually drag and drop products to reorder them. This gives you complete control but can be time-consuming for a large catalog. Go to Products > All Products in your WordPress dashboard. You’ll see a drag-and-drop interface to rearrange.

2. Sorting on the WooCommerce Frontend (Customer View)

This is how your customers see your products organized on your website. You control the options available to them through WooCommerce settings and potentially with plugins.

• Using WooCommerce’s Built-in Sorting Options: WooCommerce provides default sorting options which appear on your shop pages. These usually include:
• Default sorting: Often set to “Sort by popularity” or “Sort by latest”.
• Sort by price: Allows customers to sort from low to high or high to low.
• Sort by rating: Orders products from highest to lowest rating.
• Sort by newest: Shows the latest added products.
• Sort by popularity: Displays products based on the number of sales or views.
• Example: Let’s say you sell clothing. Customers can sort your “Dresses” category by price (low to high), allowing them to quickly find budget-friendly options. Or they might choose to sort by rating, seeing the best-reviewed dresses first.
• Customizing Frontend Sorting: You can customize these options and even add more with plugins or by directly editing your theme’s functions.php file (proceed with caution and back up your files first! If you’re not comfortable with coding, hire a developer).

3. Using Plugins for Enhanced Sorting

Several plugins offer advanced sorting features, including:

• Sorting by attributes: Allow customers to sort by color, size, brand, etc.
• Sorting by custom fields: Enables sorting based on your unique product data (e.g., material, weight).
• More control over default sorting: Some plugins offer more control over the default sorting order, allowing you to prioritize specific products.

Remember to research plugins carefully before installing them. Read reviews and check compatibility with your current WooCommerce version and theme.

Conclusion

Effective product sorting is a key element of a successful WooCommerce store. By understanding the different methods available, from simple backend reordering to advanced plugin usage, you can create a user-friendly shopping experience that boosts conversions and improves your overall store performance. Start with the basic options and gradually explore more advanced techniques as your needs grow.