WooCommerce: How to Change Variation Order for a Better Customer Experience
Introduction
WooCommerce variations are incredibly powerful for selling products with different attributes like size, color, or material. However, the default order in which these variations are displayed might not always be the most logical or customer-friendly. If your customers are struggling to find the specific variation they’re looking for, it’s time to learn how to change the variation order in WooCommerce. This article will guide you through the process, explaining why it’s important and offering different methods to achieve the desired order. Ultimately, optimizing your variation display will improve the shopping experience and potentially boost your sales.
Main Part: Changing the Variation Order in WooCommerce
There are several ways to change the order of your WooCommerce product variations. We’ll explore the most common and effective methods, ranging from simple drag-and-drop to more advanced coding solutions.
Why Change the Variation Order?
Before diving into the methods, let’s understand *why* you might want to change the default order:
- Improved User Experience: Logical ordering (e.g., from smallest to largest size, or alphabetical order of colors) makes it easier for customers to find what they need quickly.
- Highlighting Popular Options: You can prioritize popular variations to increase their visibility and encourage sales.
- Marketing and Sales Strategies: Strategically ordering variations can highlight specific features or promote new offerings.
- Brand Consistency: Consistent ordering across your product catalog creates a more professional and trustworthy brand image.
- Sort terms alphabetically.
- Sort by a custom order (often using drag-and-drop).
- Sort by term ID.
Method 1: Drag-and-Drop Sorting (Default WooCommerce Feature)
The simplest method is using WooCommerce’s built-in drag-and-drop functionality. This is ideal for quick adjustments and works best when you only need to reorder a few variations.
1. Go to Products: In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Products -> All Products.
2. Edit the Variable Product: Find the product whose variations you want to reorder and click “Edit”.
3. Go to Variations Tab: Scroll down to the “Product data” section and select the “Variations” tab.
4. Expand Variations: Make sure each of your variations Learn more about How To Change Woocommerce-Price-Currencysymbol is expanded. If not, click the downward arrow to the right of each variation to expand it.
5. Drag and Drop: Click and hold the three horizontal lines (the handle) to the left of each variation, then drag it to the desired position. The order you see here will be reflected on the product page.
6. Save Changes: Click “Update” to save your changes.
Method 2: Using the “WooCommerce Attribute Swatches” Plugin
Many plugins enhance the functionality of WooCommerce variations. “WooCommerce Attribute Swatches” (or similar plugins offering attribute sorting) often include options for sorting attributes and their terms (which translates to variation order).
1. Install and Activate the Plugin: Install and activate a WooCommerce attribute swatches plugin from the WordPress plugin repository (or a premium plugin if you have one).
2. Navigate to Attributes: Go to Products -> Attributes.
3. Edit the Attribute: Select the attribute related to the variations you want to reorder (e.g., “Color”, “Size”).
4. Configure Sorting: Look for sorting options within the attribute settings. The plugin might allow you to:
5. Save Changes: Save the changes to the attribute. The plugin will handle applying the new order to your product variations.
Method 3: Custom Code (For Advanced Check out this post: How To Get Woocommerce_Init Users)
For more granular control and dynamic sorting, you can use custom code to modify the variation order. This method requires some PHP knowledge.
Important Note: Always back up your website before modifying theme files or adding custom code.
1. Access your theme’s `functions.php` file: You can access this file through your WordPress dashboard by going to Appearance -> Theme File Editor (ensure you’re using a child theme to avoid losing changes during theme updates). Alternatively, you can use FTP to access the file.
2. Add the following code:
add_filter( 'woocommerce_get_product_terms', 'custom_variation_order', 10, 5 );
function custom_variation_order( $terms, $taxonomy, $args, $product_id, $query_args ) {
if ( $taxonomy == ‘pa_your-attribute-name’ ) { // Replace ‘pa_your-attribute-name’ with your actual attribute slug. e.g. pa_color
// Define your desired order. This is an array of term IDs.
$desired_order = array( 3, 1, 2 ); // Example: Term IDs 3, 1, and 2
$ordered_terms = array();
// Add terms in the desired order.
foreach ( $desired_order as $term_id ) {
foreach ( $terms as $key => $term ) {
if ( $term->term_id == $term_id ) {
$ordered_terms[] = $term;
unset( $terms[$key] ); // Remove the term from the original array to prevent duplicates.
break; // Stop searching the inner loop after a match is found.
}
}
}
// Add any remaining terms (that weren’t in the $desired_order array) at the end.
$ordered_terms = array_merge( $ordered_terms, $terms );
return $ordered_terms;
}
return $terms;
}
3. Customize the Code:
- Replace `’pa_your-attribute-name’`: Change this to the *slug* of the attribute you want to reorder. You can find the attribute slug on the Products -> Attributes page.
- Modify `$desired_order`: Replace the term IDs in the `$desired_order` array with the IDs of your attribute terms in the *order you want them to appear*. You can find the term IDs by hovering over the “Edit” link for each term on the attribute’s page, or by inspecting the URL of the edit page.
4. Save the File: Update the `functions.php` file.
5. Test: Clear your WooCommerce cache, and verify that the variations are displayed in the correct order on the product page.
Explanation of the code:
- The `woocommerce_get_product_terms` filter allows us to modify the terms associated with a product.
- The code checks if the current taxonomy (attribute) matches the one you want to reorder.
- It then creates an array `$desired_order` containing the term IDs in the desired sequence.
- The code iterates through the desired order and finds matching terms in the original list.
- These matching terms are added to a new `$ordered_terms` array.
- Finally, any terms not included in `$desired_order` are appended to `$ordered_terms` to ensure all variations are still displayed.
Important Considerations for Custom Code:
- Child Theme: Always use a child theme. Changes to `functions.php` in the parent theme will be lost during theme updates.
- Term IDs: Ensure you use the *correct* term IDs. Incorrect IDs will lead to unexpected results.
- Performance: Complex or poorly written custom code can impact site performance. Test thoroughly.
Conclusion
Changing the variation order in WooCommerce is a valuable optimization that can improve user experience, boost sales, and enhance your brand’s professionalism. Whether you choose the simple drag-and-drop method, a plugin solution, or custom code, the right approach depends on your technical expertise and the level of control you require. Remember to test your changes thoroughly to ensure the variations are displayed correctly and that your customers have a smooth and intuitive shopping experience. Prioritize user experience by keeping your variations organized.
