If you’re running a WooCommerce store, providing an excellent shopping experience is crucial for retaining customers and boosting sales. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through proper product sorting. WooCommerce product ordering allows you to control how your products are displayed, helping customers find what they’re looking for faster and more easily. In this guide, we’ll walk you through different ways to sort products in WooCommerce, how to make the most of WooCommerce product sorting plugins, and why optimizing product sorting is essential for your store’s success.
Step 1: Understand Default Product Sorting Options
Before diving into customization, familiarize yourself with the default sorting options WooCommerce provides. These can be easily set from your WooCommerce settings:
- Default Sorting: Products can be displayed based on your custom settings or alphabetically.
- Popularity: Sorts products by most popular items based on sales or ratings.
- Average Rating: Displays products based on customer reviews.
- Price Sorting (Low to High/High to Low): Allows customers to filter by price.
- Newest to Oldest: Shows the latest added products first.
These basic sorting options are useful but might not be enough as your store grows.
Step 2: Customize Product Sorting to Fit Your Needs
If you want more control over how products are displayed, customization is key. Here’s how you can do it:
- Custom Sorting with Code: If you’re comfortable with coding, you can modify the
functions.phpfile of your theme to create custom sorting rules, such as sorting by custom fields, SKU, or product variations. - Categorizing and Tagging: Group products into relevant categories or use tags to help customers filter products based on specific attributes like size, color, or style.
- Advanced Sorting Logic: Use WooCommerce’s built-in hooks to create custom sorting based on stock status, sale status, or other product attributes.
Step 3: Install a WooCommerce Product Sorting Plugin
For a more user-friendly experience, consider using a WooCommerce product sorting plugin. Plugins expand the sorting functionality without requiring coding. Here’s what they offer:
- Custom Sorting Options: Sort by various attributes such as SKU, weight, or variations.
- Drag-and-Drop Sorting: Easily reorder products with a drag-and-drop interface, which saves time and gives you more flexibility.
- Page-Specific Sorting: Apply different sorting settings for different pages, such as category pages, product search results, or the homepage.
- Sales or Stock Sorting: Sort products by bestsellers, sales volume, or stock levels to highlight popular or limited-stock items.
Plugins like Product Sort and Display for WooCommerce or WooCommerce Customizer are good choices for simplifying the sorting process.
Step 4: Use Sorting to Promote Key Products
Proper WooCommerce product ordering can help increase your sales by highlighting key products. Here’s how to make the most of sorting:
- Highlight Bestsellers: Show your most popular products first to increase visibility and drive sales.
- New Arrivals: Use the “Newest to Oldest” sorting option to feature new products and keep your store looking fresh.
- Price-based Sorting: Allow customers to sort by price, making it easier for budget-conscious shoppers to find affordable items or premium products.
By focusing on these sorting techniques, you guide customers to the products that are most likely to convert.
Step 5: Monitor and Adjust Product Sorting Over Time
Once you’ve set up your sorting options, it’s important to periodically review and adjust them based on customer behavior and sales trends. For example, you may notice certain products perform better when sorted by price, while others sell more when sorted by ratings. Stay flexible and adjust sorting as needed to match your store’s evolving needs.
Conclusion
Optimizing WooCommerce sort products can greatly improve the shopping experience and help you increase sales. By following this step-by-step guide, you can take full advantage of the default sorting options, customize your product display, or use a WooCommerce product sorting plugin to make your store more user-friendly. With these strategies in place, you’ll create a more organized and efficient shopping experience for your customers, ultimately boosting conversions and customer satisfaction.
