How To Manually Sort Products In Woocommerce

How to Manually Sort Products in WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide

Want more control over how your products appear in your WooCommerce store? While WooCommerce offers default sorting options like price and popularity, sometimes you need to manually curate the order to highlight specific items, promotions, or new arrivals. This guide will walk you through how to manually sort products in WooCommerce, making it easy even if you’re a complete beginner.

Imagine you’re running a special summer sale. You likely don’t want your older, out-of-season items showing up first. Instead, you’d want your summer essentials front and center! Manually sorting your products allows you to do exactly that, boosting sales and improving the customer experience.

Why Manually Sort Your Products?

Think of your online store as a physical storefront. You wouldn’t just throw all your products on the shelves haphazardly, would you? You’d arrange them strategically to attract customers and guide them towards specific items. Manually sorting your WooCommerce products lets you do the same:

Highlight New Arrivals: Immediately showcase your latest products to capture attention. Think of a clothing store putting their new season’s collection at the entrance.
Promote Best Sellers: Place your most popular products at the top to encourage more sales. This is like a restaurant featuring their “Chef’s Special” prominently on the menu.
Feature Seasonal Items: Easily display relevant products during specific times of the year (like those summer essentials mentioned earlier).
Improve User Experience: Guide customers to the products they’re most likely to be interested in, making it easier for them to find what they need.
Boost Conversions: Strategic product placement can lead to more sales by drawing attention to key items and encouraging impulse purchases.

Here’s the step-by-step process:

1. Log in to your WordPress Admin Dashboard: This is usually done by going to your website address followed by `/wp-admin` (e.g., `yourwebsite.com/wp-admin`).

2. Navigate to Products: In the left-hand menu, find the “Products” section and click on “All Products”.

3. Choose Your Sorting Method: WooCommerce offers two primary ways to manually sort products:

Default Product Sorting (Globally): This method sets the default sorting order for your entire shop page.
Category Specific Sorting: This method allows you to sort products differently within each product category.

Sorting Products Globally (Default Sorting)

This method affects the order products are displayed on your main shop page and any category pages where you haven’t explicitly set a custom sort order.

1. Go to Appearance -> Customize: In your WordPress admin menu, hover over “Appearance” and click on “Customize”.

2. Find WooCommerce -> Product Catalog: In the Customizer, look for the “WooCommerce” section and then click on “Product Catalog”.

3. Set the Default Product Sorting: You’ll find a dropdown menu labeled “Default product sorting”. Change this from the default (usually “Default sorting (custom ordering + name)”) to another option. Crucially, to manually sort, you need to select “Default sorting (custom ordering + name)”.

4. Go back to Products -> All Products: Now, return to the “Products” section in your admin menu.

5. Use Drag and Drop to Reorder: You should now see a small grid icon next to each product. Click and drag the products to arrange them in your desired order. This is the core of manual sorting! The order you see here is the order your customers will see.

6. Update the Product (If Necessary): In some cases, you might need to open a product and simply click “Update” for the changes to reflect on the front end. This is a good practice if you’re not seeing the changes immediately.

Sorting Products Within a Specific Category

This method allows for more granular control, allowing you to tailor the product order to each category.

1. Go to Products -> Categories: In the WordPress admin menu, find the “Products” section and click on “Categories”.

2. Edit the Category You Want to Sort: Hover over the category you want to adjust and click “Edit”.

3. Set the ‘Default product sorting’: Scroll down on the edit screen and find the “Default product sorting” dropdown. Choose “Default sorting (custom ordering + name)”. Save the category by clicking “Update”.

4. Go to Products -> All Products: Now, return to the “Products” section in your admin menu.

5. Filter by Category: At the top of the “All Products” page, use the “Filter” option to display only the products within the category you’re working on.

6. Use Drag and Drop to Reorder: Just like with global sorting, you can now click and drag the products to arrange them within this specific category.

7. Update the Product (If Necessary): Again, sometimes a quick “Update” on a product will ensure the sorting changes are reflected on the front end.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Changes Not Showing Up?:
Clear your browser cache: Sometimes, your browser might be displaying an older version of your website.
Clear your WooCommerce cache: WooCommerce may use caching plugins to improve performance. Clear the WooCommerce cache (usually found within your caching plugin settings).
Check your theme: Some themes might override the default WooCommerce sorting. If problems persist, consider contacting your theme developer.
Update each product: As mentioned before, sometimes simply opening and updating each product will do the trick!

Drag and Drop Not Working?:
Ensure “Default sorting (custom ordering + name)” is selected: This is the most common cause.
Check for plugin conflicts: Deactivate other plugins temporarily to see if one is interfering with the sorting functionality.

Conclusion

Manually sorting products in WooCommerce gives you a powerful tool to enhance your online store’s presentation and boost sales. By carefully curating the product order, you can guide customers towards key items, promote seasonal offerings, and create a more engaging shopping experience. Don’t be afraid to experiment and see what works best for your business! With a little practice, you’ll be a pro at manually sorting your products in no time.