How to Order WooCommerce Variation Products by Price
As an eCommerce store owner, the order in which your products are displayed can have a significant impact on your sales and conversion rates. When it comes to WooCommerce, sorting variation products by price is a common challenge that many merchants face.
In this article, we'll explore the steps to effectively order your WooCommerce variation products by price, as well as how to troubleshoot any issues you may encounter with order plugins.
Understand the WooCommerce Product Sorting Hierarchy
WooCommerce has a built-in product sorting hierarchy that determines the order in which products are displayed on your store. By default, the sorting order is as follows:
- Menu Order: The position of the product in the product menu or category.
- Date: The date the product was published.
- Title: The product title in alphabetical order.
- Price: The product price in ascending or descending order.
- Sales: The number of product sales in descending order.
- Stock: The available stock quantity in ascending or descending order.
When it comes to variation products, the sorting hierarchy can be a bit more complex. WooCommerce will first sort the main (parent) products based on the above criteria, and then sort the variations within each parent product.
To sort variation products by price, you'll need to adjust the sorting hierarchy to prioritize the price over other factors.
Sorting Variation Products by Price in WooCommerce
Here's how you can sort your WooCommerce variation products by price:
-
Disable Automatic Sorting: If you have any order plugins or custom code that automatically sorts your products, you'll need to disable this functionality. Some popular plugins, like WooCommerce Product Sort and Display, can interfere with the default sorting behavior.
To disable automatic sorting, go to the plugin's settings and look for an option to turn off the auto-sorting feature. In the case of the WooCommerce Product Sort and Display plugin, you'll need to deselect the "Enable automatic sorting" option.
-
Use the orderby
Parameter: To sort your variation products by price, you'll need to include the orderby
parameter in your WooCommerce product query. Here's an example of how to do this:
$args = array(
'post_type' => 'product',
'posts_per_page' => -1,
'orderby' => 'meta_value_num',
'order' => 'ASC',
'meta_key' => '_price',
);
$products = new WP_Query( $args );
In this example, we're setting the orderby
parameter to 'meta_value_num'
, which tells WooCommerce to sort the products based on the numeric value of the _price
meta field. The 'order'
parameter is set to 'ASC'
to sort the products in ascending price order.
If you want to sort the products in descending price order, simply change the 'order'
parameter to 'DESC'
.
-
Display the Sorted Products: Once you've set up the correct sorting parameters, you can display the sorted products on your WooCommerce store. You can use the standard WooCommerce loop to display the products, like this:
if ( $products->have_posts() ) {
while ( $products->have_posts() ) {
$products->the_post();
wc_get_template_part( 'content', 'product' );
}
wp_reset_postdata();
}
This code will display the variation products sorted by price on your store.
Troubleshooting Issues with Order Plugins
As mentioned earlier, some order plugins can interfere with the default WooCommerce sorting behavior. If you're still having issues with your variation products not displaying in the correct order, here are some troubleshooting steps you can take:
-
Deactivate Order Plugins: Start by deactivating any order-related plugins you have installed, such as WooCommerce Product Sort and Display or Advanced Product Sorting for WooCommerce. This will help you determine if the issue is caused by a plugin conflict.
-
Check Plugin Settings: If you decide to keep using an order plugin, make sure to check the plugin's settings carefully. Look for any options related to automatic sorting or overriding the default WooCommerce sorting behavior.
-
Validate the orderby
Parameter: Double-check the orderby
parameter in your product query to ensure it's set correctly. Remember, you need to use 'meta_value_num'
to sort by the numeric value of the _price
meta field.
-
Verify the Product Data: Ensure that your variation products have the correct price information stored in the _price
meta field. You can use a plugin like Advanced Custom Fields or the WordPress database editor to check and update the product data if necessary.
-
Clear Caching: If you're using a caching plugin or a content delivery network (CDN), make sure to clear the cache after making any changes to your product sorting configuration. Caching can sometimes interfere with the display of sorted products.
By following these steps, you should be able to effectively sort your WooCommerce variation products by price and address any issues related to order plugins.
Conclusion
Sorting WooCommerce variation products by price is an important task for eCommerce store owners who want to provide a seamless shopping experience for their customers. By understanding the WooCommerce product sorting hierarchy and utilizing the orderby
parameter, you can easily customize the order in which your variation products are displayed.
Remember, if you encounter any issues with order plugins, be sure to troubleshoot the problem by deactivating the plugins, checking the settings, and verifying your product data. With the right approach, you can ensure that your variation products are sorted correctly and boost your store's conversion rates.
For more tips and insights on optimizing your WooCommerce store, be sure to check out Flowpoint.ai, a web analytics tool that can help you identify and fix technical issues, improve user experience, and drive more conversions.
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