How to Set Up a Form Shopping Cart on WooCommerce (Even if You’re a Beginner!)
Want to let customers order your WooCommerce products through a simple form instead of the traditional “Add to Cart” button? You’re in the right place! Many businesses, like those selling customized prints or taking pre-orders, find a form-based cart is more efficient and offers a better customer experience.
This guide will walk you through the process of setting up a form shopping cart on your WooCommerce store, even if you’re new to the platform. We’ll break down the steps, explain the reasoning behind them, and provide real-life examples to make it crystal clear.
Why Use a Form Shopping Cart?
Before diving in, let’s understand why you might choose a form-based shopping cart over the standard WooCommerce setup:
* Customization is Key: Imagine you sell custom-printed t-shirts. Instead of just adding a shirt to the cart, you need to collect details like the customer’s desired image, text, size, and color preferences. A form makes this process seamless.
* Pre-Orders and Reservations: If you’re launching a new product or offering limited-time reservations, a form allows you to gather customer information and build anticipation before the official release.
* Complex Product Configurations: Think of selling computer configurations. A form can help customers specify components, RAM, storage, and other options to build their perfect machine.
* Streamlined Checkout: Sometimes, a simplified checkout process focused on gathering essential details is more efficient than the standard multi-page WooCommerce checkout, especially for simpler products or services.
Methods for Creating a Form Shopping Cart
While there isn’t a built-in feature in WooCommerce to directly transform your entire cart into a form, there are several effective methods you can use:
1. Contact Form 7 + YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode: This involves using a form plugin (like Contact Form 7) and a catalog mode plugin to hide the standard “Add to Cart” buttons.
2. Gravity Forms + Gravity Forms WooCommerce Add-On: This is a more robust solution that integrates directly with WooCommerce.
3. Custom Code (Advanced): If you’re comfortable with PHP and WordPress development, you can create a custom solution from scratch.
For this guide, we’ll focus on Gravity Forms + Gravity Forms WooCommerce Add-On as it offers the most flexibility and ease of integration, especially for beginners who want a powerful solution without diving too deep into code.
Step-by-Step: Setting Up Gravity Forms with WooCommerce
#### 1. Install the Required Plugins
* Gravity Forms: You’ll need a valid Gravity Forms license. Purchase and download it from the Gravity Forms website.
* Gravity Forms WooCommerce Add-On: This add-on is typically included in certain Gravity Forms license tiers. Check your license to confirm access and download it.
* WooCommerce: Ensure WooCommerce is installed and activated on your WordPress site.
Installation is simple:
1. Navigate to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress admin panel.
2. Click Upload Plugin.
3. Upload the .zip file for each plugin (Gravity Forms, Gravity Forms WooCommerce Add-On).
4. Click Install Now and then Activate Plugin.
#### 2. Configure the Gravity Forms WooCommerce Add-On
After activating the plugins, you’ll need to configure the Gravity Forms WooCommerce Add-On.
1. Go to Forms > Settings in your WordPress admin.
2. Look for the WooCommerce tab.
3. You may need to enter your Gravity Forms license key if you haven’t already.
4. Set up the Feed Settings to control how Gravity Forms interacts with WooCommerce (more on this later).
#### 3. Create Your Order Form
This is where the magic happens! You’ll design the form that customers will use to “add” products to their cart.
1. Go to Forms > New Form.
2. Give your form a descriptive title (e.g., “Custom T-Shirt Order Form”).
3. Start building your form using the Gravity Forms drag-and-drop editor.
Here’s an example of a form for selling custom-printed t-shirts:
* Product Selection: Use a “Product” field (available with the WooCommerce Add-On) to let customers choose the type of shirt (e.g., “Crew Neck T-Shirt,” “V-Neck T-Shirt”). You can pull product data directly from your WooCommerce catalog!
* Text to Print: A “Single Line Text” field for the customer to enter the text they want on the shirt.
* Image Upload: A “File Upload” field for customers to upload their image.
* Size: A “Radio Button” field or “Dropdown” field with options like “Small,” “Medium,” “Large,” “Extra Large.”
* Color: A “Dropdown” field with color choices.
* Quantity: A “Number” field for the desired quantity.
Important: Use the “Product” field (provided by the Gravity Forms WooCommerce Add-On) to link your form to actual WooCommerce products. This will automatically update the price and inventory based on the selected options.
#### 4. Configure the WooCommerce Feed
The WooCommerce Feed connects your Gravity Form to your WooCommerce store. It tells Gravity Forms how to convert the form submission into a WooCommerce order.
1. Go to Settings within your newly created form.
2. Click on WooCommerce.
3. Click Add New.
4. Give your feed a name (e.g., “WooCommerce Order Feed”).
Here’s how to configure the feed settings:
* Action: Select “Create Order” or “Add to Cart.” “Create Order” will directly create a WooCommerce order upon form submission. “Add to Cart” adds the configured product to the user’s cart, allowing them to continue shopping. For a form-based cart, “Add to Cart” is usually the better choice.
* Product: Map the fields in your form to the corresponding WooCommerce product data. This tells Gravity Forms which form fields represent the product name, price, quantity, etc. The “Product” field you added to your form should be mapped here.
* Order Total: Configure how the order total is calculated. Gravity Forms can automatically calculate the total based on the selected product options and quantity.
* Customer: Map the form fields to the customer’s billing and shipping information (e.g., name, address, email).
* Order Meta: You can add custom meta data to the order based on the form submission. For example, you could store the custom text and image uploaded by the customer as order meta.
Example: Let’s say your “Product” field is labeled “shirt_type.” In the WooCommerce Feed settings, you’d map “shirt_type” to the WooCommerce product. If your “quantity” field is called “shirt_quantity”, map it to the product quantity.
#### 5. Embed the Form on Your Product Page (or Elsewhere)
Now, embed the form on the product page where you want customers to use it.
1. Edit the product page where you want to display the form.
2. Use the Gravity Forms block (available in the WordPress block editor) or the Gravity Forms shortcode to embed the form. The shortcode will look something like `[gravityform id=”1″ title=”false” description=”false” ajax=”true”]` (replace `id=”1″` with the actual ID of your form).
#### 6. Hide the Default “Add to Cart” Button (Optional)
If you want to *completely* replace the standard WooCommerce “Add to Cart” button with your form, you’ll need to hide it. You can achieve this with CSS or a plugin.
Using CSS (Simple but Limited):
Add the following CSS to your theme’s stylesheet or using a custom CSS plugin:
.woocommerce div.product form.cart .single_add_to_cart_button {
display: none !important;
}
Using a Plugin (More Control):
Plugins like “WooCommerce Catalog Mode” or “Remove Add to Cart Button” allow you to selectively hide the “Add to Cart” button on specific products or categories.
#### 7. Test Thoroughly!
Crucially, test your setup thoroughly. Place a test order using your form to ensure that:
* The correct product is added to the cart.
* The price is calculated correctly.
* All customer information is captured.
* Order meta is stored correctly.
Troubleshooting Tips
* Product Field Issues: Double-check that the “Product” field in your form is correctly configured to pull products from your WooCommerce catalog.
* Price Discrepancies: Verify that the price calculation in the WooCommerce Feed is accurate. Make sure you’ve mapped the correct form fields to the product price.
* Form Not Submitting: Ensure that all required fields in your form are filled out correctly. Check your Gravity Forms settings for any validation errors.
* Conflicts: Sometimes conflicts with other plugins can cause issues. Try deactivating other plugins temporarily to see if that resolves the problem.
Beyond the Basics
Once you have a basic form shopping cart set up, you can explore advanced features:
* Conditional Logic: Use conditional logic in Gravity Forms to show or hide fields based on customer selections. For example, show an “Image Upload” field only if the customer chooses a “Custom Print” option.
* Inventory Management: Integrate with inventory management plugins to automatically update stock levels when orders are placed through your form.
* Payment Gateways: Configure payment gateways (e.g., PayPal, Stripe) to accept payments directly through your form.
Conclusion
Setting up a form shopping cart on WooCommerce allows you to provide a more personalized and efficient ordering experience for your customers, especially when dealing with customized products, pre-orders, or complex configurations. By using Gravity Forms and the WooCommerce Add-On, you can create powerful and flexible forms that seamlessly integrate with your WooCommerce store. Remember to test thoroughly and iterate on your design to create the perfect form shopping cart for your business!
