How to Put a Category on Sale in WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide
So, you want to boost sales in your WooCommerce store by putting an entire category on sale? Great idea! It’s a powerful marketing tactic that can drive traffic and increase conversions. Don’t worry if you’re new to WooCommerce; this guide will walk you through the process step-by-step, making it super easy to understand.
Why Put a Category on Sale?
Imagine you run an online clothing store. Let’s say your “Summer Dresses” category is underperforming at the end of the season. Putting the entire “Summer Dresses” category on sale helps you:
* Clear out old inventory: Get rid of those summer dresses to make room for new autumn collections.
* Attract new customers: A category-wide sale can entice price-sensitive shoppers who might not have considered your store before.
* Increase overall sales: The sale can generate a buzz and encourage people to browse other products as well.
* Competitive Advantage: If other competitors have similar products you are selling you can grab customers by offering better sale.
Now that you know *why* it’s a good idea, let’s get to *how*.
Method 1: Using WooCommerce’s Built-in Features (For Simple Sales)
This method is perfect for simple, straightforward sales where you want to apply the same discount percentage to all products in a category. It involves manually editing each product. While it might seem tedious, it’s straightforward and doesn’t require any plugins.
1. Identify Your Target Category: Decide which category you want to put on sale. In our example, it’s the “Summer Dresses” category.
2. Navigate to Products: Go to Products > All Products in your WordPress dashboard.
3. Filter by Category: At the top of the page, you’ll find a “Categories” dropdown. Select your target category (“Summer Dresses” in this example) and click “Filter.” This will display only the products in that category.
4. Edit Each Product: Now, this is where the manual work comes in. Click on each product in the filtered list to edit it.
5. Set the Sale Price: On the product edit page, locate the “Product data” metabox (usually below the content editor). If its a simple product, you should see “General” tab.
* Find the “Regular Price” and “Sale Price” fields.
* Enter the regular price in the “Regular Price” field.
* Enter the discounted price in the “Sale Price” field. For instance, if a dress normally costs $50 and you want to sell it for $40, enter $50 Read more about How To Customize The Woocommerce Email Header in “Regular Price” and $40 in “Sale Price”.
6. Schedule the Sale (Optional): Click the “Schedule” link next to the “Sale Price” field. You can then set a start and end date for the sale. This is useful for creating time-limited promotions.
7. Update the Product: Click the “Update” button to save the changes.
8. Repeat: Repeat steps 4-7 for all products in the “Summer Dresses” category.
Why this method? It’s a free, built-in option if you only have a few products in the category, and each product needs slightly different sale prices.
Method 2: Using Plugins (For More Efficient Sales)
If you have a large number of products in your category, or you want more advanced sale options (like percentage discounts), using a plugin is a much more efficient solution. There are several excellent plugins available, both free and paid. Let’s look at one popular option:
1. Install and Activate a Plugin: There are a few plugins available that make this easy. We will use “Discount Rules for WooCommerce” for this example. Navigate to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard and search for “Discount Rules for WooCommerce.” Install and activate the plugin.
2. Access Discount Rules: After activation, you’ll usually find the plugin settings under WooCommerce > Discount Rules.
3. Create a New Discount Rule: Click on the “Add New Rule” button (the exact wording may vary depending on the plugin).
4. Configure the Rule: Now you’ll need to configure the rule to target your category. Here’s a typical configuration:
* Rule Title: Give your rule a descriptive name, like “Summer Dresses Sale”.
* Discount Type: Select the discount type (e.g., “Percentage discount,” “Fixed discount”). Let’s say you choose “Percentage discount” and set it to 20%.
* Conditions: This is where you specify which products the rule applies to. Look for options like “Category,” “Product Category,” or similar.
* Select “Category” (or the equivalent).
* Choose your target category (“Summer Dresses”).
* Apply To: Depending on the plugin, you may have the option to exclude certain products or variations from the discount. If not, the discount will automatically apply to all products in the selected category.
* Schedule (Optional): Set a start and end date for the sale, just like in Method 1.
* Save and Activate: Save the discount rule and make sure it’s activated (usually with a toggle switch or checkbox).
Example using plugin with code:
Let’s pretend this plugin use this code to apply category discounts. The concept would be like this:
<?php /**
- Pseudo-code (example only, not functional).
function apply_category_discount( $product_id, $category_id, $discount_percentage ) {
// Get the product object.
$product = wc_get_product( $product_id );
// Check if the product belongs to the specified category.
if ( has_term( $category_id, ‘product_cat’, $product_id ) ) {
// Get the product’s regular price.
$regular_price = $product->get_regular_price();
// Calculate the sale price.
$sale_price = $regular_price * (1 – ($discount_percentage / 100));
// Update the product’s sale price.
update_post_meta( $product_id, ‘_sale_price’, wc_format_decimal($sale_price) );
update_post_meta( $product_id, ‘_price’, wc_format_decimal($sale_price) ); // Ensure the main price is updated
}
}
// Example usage (this would be part of the plugin’s logic):
$category_id = 15; // ID of your “Summer Dresses” category
$discount_percentage = 20; // 20% discount
// Loop through all products (this is simplified, in reality, the plugin would do this efficiently).
$args = array(
‘post_type’ => ‘product’,
‘posts_per_page’ => -1, // Get all products
);
$products = get_posts( $args );
foreach ( $products as $product ) {
apply_category_discount( $product->ID, $category_id, $discount_percentage );
}
?>
Important points about using plugin:
* Choose a reputable plugin: Look for plugins with good reviews, high ratings, and active support.
* Test thoroughly: Before launching the sale, test it on a few products to ensure the discounts are being applied correctly.
Method 3: Using Custom Code (For Advanced Users)
This method is for those comfortable with PHP and WooCommerce hooks. It offers the most flexibility but requires coding knowledge.
WARNING: Editing core WordPress and WooCommerce files can be risky. Always back up your site before making any changes.
1. Access Your Theme’s `functions.php` File: You can access this file via FTP or through the WordPress theme editor (Appearance > Theme Editor). Important: It’s best practice to use a child theme to avoid losing your changes when the theme is updated.
2. Add the Code Snippet: Insert the following code into your `functions.php` file (or your child theme’s file):
<?php
add_filter( ‘woocommerce_get_price_html’, ‘wdm_change_product_price_display’, 99, 2 );
function wdm_change_product_price_display( $price_html, $product ) {
// Replace ‘your_category_id’ with the actual ID of your category
$category_id = ’15’;
if ( has_term( $category_id, ‘product_cat’, $product->get_id() ) ) {
$regular_price = $product->get_regular_price();
$sale_percentage = 0.20; // 20% discount
$sale_price = $regular_price * (1 – $sale_percentage);
$sale_price = wc_price($sale_price); // Format the price with currency symbol.
$price_html = ‘‘ . wc_price( $regular_price ) . ‘ ‘ . $sale_price . ‘‘;
return $price_html;
}
return $price_html;
}
?>
3. Customize the Code:
* `$category_id = ’15’;`: Replace `’15’` with the actual ID of your target category. You can find the category ID by going to Products > Categories, hovering over the category name, and looking at the URL in your browser’s status bar. It will usually look something like `taxonomy=product_cat&tag_ID=15`.
* `$sale_percentage = 0.20;`: Change `0.20` to your desired discount percentage (e.g., `0.30` for a 30% discount).
4. Save the Changes: Save the `functions.php` file.
Explanation:
* The code hooks into the `woocommerce_get_price_html` filter, which is responsible for displaying the product price on the product page.
* It checks if the product belongs to the specified category using `has_term()`.
* If the product is in the category, it calculates the sale price based on the discount percentage.
* It then replaces the original price HTML with a new HTML that shows both the regular price (strikethrough) and the sale price.
Important Considerations:
* Caching: If your website uses caching, you may need to clear the cache to see the changes.
* Theme Compatibility: This code may not work perfectly with all themes. You might need to adjust it slightly depending on your theme’s structure.
* Advanced Features: For more advanced features like scheduling or excluding products, you’ll need to extend the code further.
Why this method? Maximum control, custom discounts, and the ability to integrate with other custom functionality, but it requires significant technical expertise.
SEO Tips for Your Category Sale:
* Update Category Descriptions: Add keywords like “sale,” “discount,” and the name of your category to the category description. For example: “Shop our amazing sale on Summer Dresses! Get discounts on all your favorite styles.”
* Use Relevant Read more about How To Understand You Are In Checkout Woocommerce Keywords: Use keywords naturally in your product titles and descriptions. Think about what customers would search for to find products in your category.
* Promote on Social Media: Share your sale on social media platforms, using eye-catching visuals and compelling text.
* Use High-Quality Images: Make sure your product images are clear, well-lit, and accurately represent the products on sale.
By following these steps, you can easily put a category on sale in WooCommerce and attract more customers to your store. Remember to choose the method that best suits Discover insights on How To Edit Woocommerce Theme your technical skills and the complexity of your sale. Good luck and happy selling!
