How To Sell Gravity Forms With Woocommerce

How to Sell Gravity Forms with WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide

Want to sell custom forms directly to your customers? You’re in the right place! Integrating Gravity Forms with WooCommerce allows you to do just that. This powerful combination opens up a world of possibilities, from selling custom quote requests to complex order forms. Think of it as selling a personalized experience rather than just a product. This guide will walk you through the process, even if you’re new to both platforms.

Why Combine Gravity Forms and WooCommerce?

Before diving into the “how,” let’s understand the “why.” WooCommerce is an e-commerce powerhouse, excelling at product management, shopping carts, and secure payments. Gravity Forms is a versatile form builder, letting you create custom forms with conditional logic, calculations, and integrations. When combined, they offer a unique solution:

Sell Personalized Products/Services: Imagine a bespoke tailoring service. Customers fill out a detailed form specifying measurements, fabric choices, and design preferences. This form is *the product*. You’re not just selling a suit; you’re selling *a suit designed to their exact specifications.*
Simplify Complex Orders: For businesses with intricate order requirements (e.g., custom software development, specialized equipment), a Gravity Form acts as a guided questionnaire to collect all necessary details before payment. It streamlines the order process and reduces back-and-forth communication.
Quote Requests Made Easy (and Sellable!): Instead of a simple “contact us” form, sell a premium “get a custom quote” service. Customers fill out a detailed form outlining their project requirements, and they pay a small fee upfront for your team to review and provide a tailored quote. This pre-qualifies leads and ensures only serious inquiries are addressed.
Collect Detailed Information: Beyond simple contact forms, get specific data for market research, customer feedback, or event registrations. This information helps you tailor future offerings and improve customer experience.

What You’ll Need:

WordPress: The foundation for your website.
WooCommerce: The e-commerce plugin.
Gravity Forms: The form builder plugin.
Gravity Forms Product Add-ons: This is the key plugin that connects Gravity Forms to WooCommerce. You need a valid Gravity Forms Elite license to use Product Add-ons.

Step-by-Step: Integrating Gravity Forms with WooCommerce

1. Install and Activate the Plugins:

In your WordPress admin area, navigate to “Plugins” > “Add New.”
Search for and install WooCommerce and Gravity Forms.
Activate both plugins.
Install and activate the “Gravity Forms Product Add-ons” plugin. You may need to upload the plugin file, depending on where you obtained it.

2. Create Your Gravity Form:

In your WordPress admin, go to “Forms” > “New Form.”
Give your form a descriptive title (e.g., “Custom Suit Order Form,” “Quote Request Form”).
Add the necessary form fields. Think carefully about what information you need from the customer. Here are some examples:
For a custom suit order form: Name, Email, Measurements (chest, waist, sleeve length), Fabric Choice (dropdown), Lining Choice (dropdown), Style Preferences (textarea).
For a quote request form: Project Description (textarea), Budget (number), Timeline (date picker), Required Features (checkboxes), Attachment Upload (for any relevant files).
Use conditional logic to show or hide fields based on user selections. This makes the form more user-friendly and efficient. For example, if the customer selects “Yes” to needing custom embroidery, show the “Embroidery Details” field.
Configure Notifications: Set up email notifications to be sent to you and the customer upon form submission. Customize these notifications with the data collected in the form.

// Example:  Getting a field value in Gravity Forms
$projectDescription = rgar( $entry, '1' ); // '1' is the field ID
echo "Project Description: " . $projectDescription;

3. Configure the Gravity Forms Product Add-on:

After creating your form, go to the “Settings” tab of your form.
Click on “Product.”
Enable the “Product” Feed. This is the core of the integration.
Map the form fields to WooCommerce product properties:
Name: Choose a form field (usually a Hidden field) to dynamically set the product name in WooCommerce. You can even create a product name from multiple fields, such as “Custom Suit – [Fabric Choice] – [Lining Choice]”.
Description: Choose a form field (typically a textarea) to populate the product description with information from the form.
Price: This is crucial. You can set a fixed price or, more powerfully, calculate the price dynamically based on form selections using calculations within Gravity Forms. For instance:
Fabric Type A: $100
Fabric Type B: $150
Lining Type X: $50
*Gravity Forms calculation:* [Fabric Price] + [Lining Price] = Total Price
Quantity: Allows the user to specify the quantity of the item.
Image: Allow the user to upload an image related to their order.
Categories/Tags: Assign WooCommerce categories and tags to the dynamically created product.
Variations (Advanced): Use this to create product variations based on form selections. For example, the user can choose the colour and sizes in the form.
Set the “Product Type.” Choose “Simple Product” or “Variable Product” based on your needs. If you’re selling a straightforward service (like a quote request) with a fixed price, “Simple Product” is fine. If you have multiple options (fabric choices, sizes), use “Variable Product”.

4. Create the WooCommerce Product (The Container):

In your WordPress admin area, go to “Products” > “Add New.”
Give the product a general title (e.g., “Custom Suit Order,” “Quote Request”). This title is mostly for internal organization. The *actual* product name the customer sees will be dynamically generated from the Gravity Form.
Set a *base price* to 0 or any starting price of the product. The final price will depend on the value selected on the Gravity form.
Add a short description to explain to the customer the service and benefits.
In the “Product data” meta box (usually below the editor), choose “External/Affiliate product” from the “Product type” dropdown.
In the “Product URL” field, enter `?gf_product=[YOUR_FORM_ID]`. Replace `[YOUR_FORM_ID]` with the ID of your Gravity Form. You can find the form ID in the Forms list in your wordpress dashboard.
Set the product to “Virtual” so shipping is not calculated.
Publish the product.

5. Test Thoroughly:

Visit the WooCommerce product page you just created.
Fill out the Gravity Form and submit it.
Check your email inbox for the notification.
Verify that the product is added to the WooCommerce cart with the correct details and calculated price.
Complete the checkout process.
Confirm that the order details in WooCommerce match the form submission data.

SEO Considerations:

Product Page Content: While the actual product details will be dynamically generated from the form, optimize the initial WooCommerce product page content for relevant keywords. For example, if you’re selling custom suits, use keywords like “custom suit order online,” “bespoke tailoring,” and “made-to-measure suit.”
Form Field Labels: Use clear and descriptive labels for your Gravity Form fields. These labels help users understand what information is needed and can indirectly contribute to SEO.
Alt Text for Uploaded Images: If you allow users to upload images, encourage them to provide descriptive alt text for those images. This improves accessibility and provides search engines with more context.
Long-Tail Keywords: Target long-tail keywords (longer, more specific search phrases) in your product descriptions and form field labels. For example, instead of “suit,” target “custom navy blue pinstripe suit London.”
Schema Markup: Implement schema markup on your product pages to provide search engines with structured data about your products and services.

Common Issues and Troubleshooting:

Price Not Displaying Correctly: Double-check your Gravity Forms calculations and ensure the “Price” field in the Product feed is mapped correctly.
Form Not Adding to Cart: Verify that the “Product URL” in your WooCommerce product is correct and includes the correct Gravity Form ID.
Notifications Not Sending: Check your Gravity Forms notification settings and ensure your email server is properly configured.
Conflicts with Other Plugins: If you experience unexpected behavior, try deactivating other plugins one by one to identify any potential conflicts.

Real-Life Example: Selling Custom Wedding Invitations

Imagine you sell custom wedding invitations. You can create a Gravity Form that allows customers to choose:

Paper Type: (Dropdown – with associated prices per quantity)
Font Style: (Dropdown)
Ink Color: (Color Picker)
Number of Invitations: (Number Field)
Addressed Envelopes: (Yes/No Checkbox – with a price per envelope if “Yes”)
Upload Design: (File Upload)

Using the Product Add-ons, you map these choices to create a dynamic product in WooCommerce. The final price is calculated based on the paper type, the number of invitations, and whether they want addressed envelopes. This provides a personalized and professional experience for the customer.

By following these steps, you can successfully combine the power of Gravity Forms and WooCommerce to sell custom products and services, providing a unique and tailored experience for your customers. Good luck!