Proper product sorting in WooCommerce plays a crucial role in enhancing user experience, improving sales, and making it easier for customers to find what they need. Whether you want to customize sorting options, change default product order, or use a plugin for advanced sorting features, WooCommerce provides multiple solutions.

In this guide, we’ll explore different methods to sort products efficiently and enhance your store’s navigation.

1. WooCommerce Default Product Sorting Options

WooCommerce comes with built-in sorting features that allow customers to organize products based on their preferences. The default sorting options include:

  • Default Sorting (Custom + Popularity + Rating + Price) – A combination of multiple sorting factors.
  • Sort by Popularity – Arranges products based on the number of sales.
  • Sort by Average Rating – Displays products with the highest customer ratings first.
  • Sort by Latest – Shows the newest products first, ideal for stores that frequently update inventory.
  • Sort by Price (Low to High or High to Low) – Allows customers to browse products based on pricing preferences.

These sorting options can be enabled from WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Display in the WordPress dashboard.

2. Customizing Product Sorting in WooCommerce

If you want to modify the default sorting behavior, Product Sorting WooCommerce allows store owners to define custom sorting preferences. This is useful for highlighting bestsellers, featured products, or specific collections.

How to Set Custom Product Sorting:

  1. Go to WordPress Dashboard → Products → All Products.
  2. Click "Sorting" at the top.
  3. Drag and drop products in the desired order.
  4. Save changes to apply custom sorting.

By manually reordering products, you can prioritize high-converting or trending products to appear at the top of category pages.

3. Using WooCommerce Product Ordering to Improve Navigation

Customizing product order enhances usability, making it easier for customers to browse efficiently. Here are some ways to adjust product ordering in WooCommerce:

  • Feature Bestselling Products First – Showcase products that sell the most.
  • Highlight Seasonal or Limited-Time Offers – Place promotional products at the top.
  • Organize Products by Category or Tags – Make navigation easier for customers.

For advanced ordering options, you may need to customize sorting rules using a WooCommerce sorting plugin.

4. WooCommerce Product Sorting Plugins for Enhanced Control

If default WooCommerce sorting options aren’t enough, specialized plugins offer advanced sorting and filtering capabilities. Some of the best WooCommerce sorting plugins include:

  • WooCommerce Extra Product Sorting Options – Adds more sorting methods like alphabetical order, stock availability, and more.
  • Product Sorting for WooCommerce – Allows you to create custom sorting rules based on attributes, categories, or sales performance.
  • Advanced AJAX Product Filters – Provides instant sorting and filtering without page reloads.

These plugins help store owners create a seamless shopping experience with enhanced sorting options.

5. Sorting Products in WooCommerce with Custom Code (For Developers)

For those with coding knowledge, WooCommerce provides hooks and filters to modify sorting behavior programmatically. Adding custom sorting functions to the functions.php file can enhance product display.

Example: Remove Unwanted Sorting Options

To remove specific sorting options, add this code to your theme’s functions.php:

php
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function custom_remove_sorting_options( $options ) { unset( $options['popularity'] ); // Removes "Sort by popularity" unset( $options['rating'] ); // Removes "Sort by average rating" return $options; } add_filter( 'woocommerce_catalog_orderby', 'custom_remove_sorting_options' );

This method allows you to streamline sorting choices based on your store’s needs.

Conclusion

Optimizing product sorting in WooCommerce enhances the shopping experience and boosts conversions. Whether using built-in sorting, custom ordering, plugins, or coding solutions, adjusting how products are displayed can help customers find what they need faster.

By implementing the right sorting strategies, you can create a more intuitive and user-friendly WooCommerce store that drives more sales!