How to Automatically Assign Product Categories Based on Delivery Options
As an ecommerce store owner, managing your product catalog can be a time-consuming task, especially when it comes to categorizing your products. Manually assigning categories to each product can be tedious and prone to errors. Fortunately, there's a way to automate this process based on the delivery options associated with your products.
In this blog post, we'll explore how you can use WordPress and WooCommerce to automatically assign product categories based on the delivery option selected for a product. This code, when placed in your functions.php file, will ensure that your products are accurately categorized, saving you time and improving the overall organization of your online store.
Understanding the Code
The code we'll be using is as follows:
add_action('save_post_product', 'update_product_category', 20, 3);
function update_product_category( $post_id, $post, $update ) {
$product = wc_get_product( $post_id );
$delivery_methods = array( 'pick-up', 'postal', 'post', 'parcel' );
$delivery_option = get_post_meta($post_id, 'delivery_option', true);
if( ! empty( $delivery_option ) ) {
$product_cats = $product->get_category_ids();
foreach( $delivery_methods as $delivery_method) {
if( $delivery_option === $delivery_method ) {
$pickup_cat_id = get_term_by('slug', $delivery_method, 'product_cat')->term_id;
if( $pickup_cat_id && ! in_array( $pickup_cat_id, $product_cats) ) {
$product_cats[] = $pickup_cat_id;
$product->set_category_ids($product_cats);
$product->save();
}
}
}
}
}
Let's break down the code to understand how it works:
- The
add_action()
function hooks into the 'save_post_product'
WordPress action, which fires whenever a product is saved or updated in the WooCommerce store.
- The
update_product_category()
function is defined, and it takes three parameters: $post_id
, $post
, and $update
.
- Inside the function, we first retrieve the product object using the
wc_get_product()
function, passing the $post_id
as an argument.
- We then define an array of delivery methods that we want to use for categorization:
'pick-up', 'postal', 'post', 'parcel'
.
- Next, we retrieve the delivery option for the current product using
get_post_meta()
with the 'delivery_option'
key.
- If the
$delivery_option
is not empty, we proceed with the categorization process.
- We first get the current product categories using the
get_category_ids()
method of the product object.
- We then loop through the
$delivery_methods
array and check if the $delivery_option
matches any of the delivery methods.
- If a match is found, we use the
get_term_by()
function to retrieve the term ID of the corresponding product category, using the delivery method as the slug.
- If the category ID is found and the product is not already assigned to that category, we add the category ID to the
$product_cats
array.
- Finally, we update the product's category IDs using the
set_category_ids()
method and save the product using the save()
method.
This code ensures that the product is automatically assigned to the correct category based on the delivery option, and if the product is already assigned to other categories, those categories will be retained.
Real-World Example and Statistics
Let's consider a real-world example of how this code can be beneficial for an ecommerce store.
Suppose you run an online store that sells various products, and you offer different delivery options such as pick-up, postal, parcel, and post. Without this automatic categorization, you would need to manually assign each product to the correct category based on the delivery option, which can be a tedious and time-consuming task.
According to a study by the Baymard Institute, users expect a well-organized and easy-to-navigate product catalog, with 43% of users saying that poor categorization is a major pain point when shopping online. By automating the product categorization process based on delivery options, you can ensure that your products are accurately organized, making it easier for customers to find what they're looking for.
Furthermore, a study by McKinsey & Company found that companies that use advanced analytics and automation to improve their product data management and categorization can see a 5-15% increase in revenue. This is because a well-organized product catalog can lead to better product discovery, increased conversion rates, and enhanced customer satisfaction.
Implementing the Solution
To implement this solution, follow these steps:
- Copy the code provided at the beginning of this article and paste it into your WordPress functions.php file.
- Make sure that you have the necessary product categories set up in your WordPress admin panel, with the same slugs as the delivery methods you want to use (e.g., 'pick-up', 'postal', 'post', 'parcel').
- Ensure that the
'delivery_option'
custom field is being saved for each product in your WooCommerce store.
- Test the functionality by creating or updating a product and verifying that the product is automatically assigned to the correct category based on the delivery option.
By implementing this solution, you can streamline your product management process, improve the organization of your online store, and provide a better shopping experience for your customers.
Flowpoint.ai can help you identify all the technical errors that are impacting conversion rates on your website and directly generate recommendations to fix them, including issues with product categorization and organization
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