How to Reorder Featured Products in WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide
So, you’ve got a WooCommerce store filled with awesome products, and you’ve even marked some as “Featured”! That’s fantastic! But what if those featured products aren’t showing up in the order you want? Maybe your newest, shiniest gadget is buried beneath last season’s leftovers. Don’t worry, you’re not alone, and it’s a surprisingly easy fix. This guide will walk you through reordering your featured WooCommerce products like a pro, even if you’re a complete newbie.
Why Reordering Featured Products Matters
Think of your featured products as your store’s A-list. They’re the products you *want* customers to see first. Carefully curating their order can significantly impact:
- Conversion Rates: Highlighting your best-selling or highest-profit margin products first can drive sales.
- User Experience: Showing relevant and enticing items right away keeps visitors engaged and reduces bounce rates. Imagine walking into a physical store and seeing the “clearance” section right at the entrance! Not ideal, right?
- Marketing Campaigns: If you’re running a special promotion on a specific product, featuring it prominently ensures maximum visibility. Think of it like this: you’re launching a new gaming console, you would want it at the top, instead of old games.
- “Dark Roast Beans”
- “Reusable Coffee Filter”
- “Espresso Machine”
- “Travel Mug”
- Manual Drag & Drop: A more organized drag-and-drop interface.
- Sorting by ID: You can manually assign an order number to each product.
- Sorting by Popularity (Sales): Automatically order products based on sales data.
- Sorting by Date: Order products by newest or oldest published.
- Sorting by Name: Alphabetical order.
- Use a manual sorting based on categories, so all shirts are together, and all the jackets are in the other place.
- Sort by ID, creating a list of items with ID 1,2,3 and so on to be shown in correct order.
The Standard WooCommerce Featured Product Display
By default, WooCommerce displays featured products based on their publish date (newest first) or potentially in a random order (depending on your theme). This isn’t always ideal. We need to take control!
Method 1: The Manual Drag-and-Drop Method (Best for Small Catalogs)
This is the easiest method, perfect if you only have a handful of featured products.
1. Log in to your WordPress Admin Panel: You know the drill: `yourdomain.com/wp-admin`.
2. Navigate to Products: In the left-hand menu, click on “Products” > “All Products.”
3. Filter by Featured: At the top of the page, click the “Featured” filter link. This shows you *only* your featured products.
4. Enable Drag & Drop Sorting: Look for a “Sorting” tab at the top right (usually next to the screen options). If not, go to ‘Screen Options’ and make sure that sorting is activated.
5. Drag and Drop!: Now, you can simply click and drag the products to reorder them as desired. The order is saved automatically! It’s just like rearranging icons on your phone screen.
Example:
Let’s say you sell coffee. You have these featured products:
You might want to display them in this order:
1. Espresso Machine (High-value, eye-catching)
2. Dark Roast Beans (Complementary product, high margin)
3. Reusable Coffee Filter (Eco-friendly, attracts conscious consumers)
4. Travel Mug (Impulse purchase, lower price point)
Method 2: Using a Plugin (Best for Large Catalogs & More Control)
If you have a ton of featured products, the drag-and-drop method can become tedious. A plugin offers a more streamlined approach and often provides additional sorting options.
Recommended Plugin: ‘Product Sort and Display’
While there are several plugins available, “Product Sort and Display” is a popular choice known for its ease of use and functionality.
1. Install and Activate the Plugin: Go to “Plugins” > “Add New” in your WordPress admin. Search for “Product Sort and Display” (or your preferred sorting plugin), install, and activate it.
2. Access Plugin Settings: After activation, usually you’ll find plugin settings in WooCommerce settings or under its own dedicated menu item.
3. Configure Sorting Options: The plugin will usually offer several sorting options:
Example:
Imagine you’re selling clothing. You have hundreds of featured items. Manually dragging and dropping them all would be a nightmare! With “Product Sort and Display”, you could:
Code Example (If you REALLY want to customize):
If you’re comfortable with code (proceed with caution!), you can modify your theme’s `functions.php` file (or a custom plugin) to define a custom sorting function. This requires more technical knowledge and is best left to experienced developers.
is_main_query() && is_shop() ) { // Only affect the shop page on the front end
$query->set( 'orderby', 'menu_order' ); // Order by menu order (manual sorting)
$query->set( 'order', 'ASC' ); // Ascending order (lowest number first)
}
}
add_action( 'woocommerce_product_query', 'my_custom_featured_product_order' );
?>
Important Notes on the Code:
- Backup your files before making changes. Errors in `functions.php` can break your site.
- This code snippet orders ALL products on the shop page by menu order (the order you set in the drag-and-drop method). You might need to adjust it to specifically target *only* featured products, depending on your theme’s structure.
Choosing the Right Method
- Small Catalog, Simple Needs: Manual drag-and-drop is perfect.
- Large Catalog, More Control: A plugin like “Product Sort and Display” is the way to go.
- Advanced Customization, Coding Skills: Custom code is an option, but only for experienced developers.
Testing and Refining
Once you’ve reordered your featured products, don’t just set it and forget it! Monitor your sales, track your click-through rates, and adjust your product order as needed to optimize your store’s performance. A/B testing different orders can provide valuable insights.
By taking control of your featured product order, you can create a more engaging shopping experience for your customers, boost your sales, and ultimately grow your WooCommerce business. Good luck!
