Tutorials

Are you a graphic designer, web designer, architect, interior designer, electrician, builder or from another profession? Either way, you can use your previous projects to attract new clients. A password protected portfolio lets you publish examples of your work on a WordPress website, while hiding parts or all of it from public view.

You can give potential clients the password to your portfolio, while maintaining the confidentiality of your projects and previous work.

Lots of people have a public WordPress website and use a third party portfolio provider to securely share examples of their work online. Hosted third party portfolios are expensive. They're also less professional because they don't match your website. You can save money and get a better result by creating a password protected portfolio in WordPress. Your main website content and your portfolio will be managed via the same WordPress admin area. It's simple, efficient and works a treat!

The ultimate guide to WordPress password protected portfolios

This is the complete guide to creating a WordPress password protected portfolio. I'll talk you through 3 easy ways to protect your whole portfolio or just parts of it. The rest of your website will remain available for anyone to view, but your portfolio projects will be hidden and password protected.

Use these links to jump to the 3 types of password protected portfolio:

1. Password protect individual portfolio posts
2. Password protect your entire WordPress portfolio
3. Create a public portfolio in WordPress with a password protected category

And here's a fun quiz to help you decide which method is best for you.

Should I password protect my portfolio?

Let's start with the question of whether password protected portfolios are actually a good idea. There are plenty of people in both camps. Some want to keep parts or all of their portfolio private, protected from public view. Others prefer a public portfolio that anyone can see. Here are the main reasons for and against - read these and decide whether or not to password protect your portfolio.

Reasons to have a private or password protected portfolio

• You might have confidential, white label or proprietary projects under an NDA. Or maybe you have clients who aren't happy for the world to know that they use your services. Either way, a password protected portfolio lets you showcase your work to potential clients without compromising your existing clients' confidentiality.
• If you're concerned about copyright issues or people stealing your work, a password protected portfolio keeps your content safe.
• Password protecting your portfolio hides your work from competitors. They can't see your methods or try to compete by copying your style.

Tip: A password protected portfolio isn't a guaranteed way to protect your clients' confidentiality. You should still get their agreement to be included in your private portfolio, even only people with the password can see it.

Reasons to have a public portfolio

• Your portfolio is a way to showcase your work to the world. This adds credibility to what you do, reassuring people about your skills and ability. This makes them more likely to use your services. Password protecting a portfolio hinders this, as new visitors to your WordPress website can't see your work.

The best of both worlds

The decision on whether to create a password protected portfolio depends on the nature of your work and your clients. If your work isn't commercially sensitive then you should ask certain clients if they're happy to be included in your public portfolio. If this isn't appropriate, create a WordPress password protected portfolio instead.

The ideal compromise is to have a public portfolio to showcase your non-sensitive projects or case studies, with a password protected section for work you can't share publicly. That way, new visitors can see your fantastic work. After they make an enquiry and progress further towards becoming a client, you can share the password protected portfolio projects with them too.

#1 - Password protect individual portfolio posts

All WordPress websites include a feature to password protect individual pages or posts. This includes 'Portfolio' posts, if you have them.

1. Go to the 'Edit' screen for the portfolio item you wish to password protect.
2. Find the 'Publish' box in the top right corner.
3. Click the 'Edit' link next to 'Visibility'.
4. Choose 'Password protected', add a password and click 'Ok'.
5. Click Update/Publish to save the portfolio post.

When anyone tries to view the password protected project in your portfolio, they will be prompted for the password.

The downside

This is a simple method for password protecting parts of a WordPress portfolio without any extra plugin. However, there are downsides:

• While you can password protect as many portfolio posts as you like, they all work independently. This means that even if you choose the same password for each one, your clients will have to enter a password EVERY time they want to view a protected portfolio project. If they're viewing multiple projects then this creates a bad user experience.
• Password protecting a portfolio post in WordPress doesn't affect its visibility on your public website. Anyone can see it (including the title, which may include your clients' name) but they have to enter the password to view the content within. Your password protected portfolios will appear in search results, the built-in WordPress search, and on your main portfolio page if you have one. The whole reason for password protecting parts of your portfolio is to protect client confidentiality, so this is counter-productive.
• Mixing up public and password protected portfolio projects also creates bad user experience for your public visitors. Imagine if you were a normal visitor to your website looking for examples of your work. Sometimes, you would click on a portfolio item and be able to see it. Other times, you would be asked for a password. You would have know way of knowing what to expect. This would be quite off-putting and would deter potential new clients.

So, this is a simple way to create a password protected portfolio. However, the results aren't ideal for any of your visitors. It's worth spending a few extra minutes implementing methods 2 or 3. We'll look at these next.

#2 - Password protect your entire WordPress portfolio

Methods 2 and 3 both use the same plugin. They're just set up in different ways depending on whether you want to hide some or all of your portfolio.

The plugin to use is WordPress Password Protected Categories. This simple but effective plugin lets you password protect any category of WordPress content, including portfolio categories.

Password protecting a portfolio category is better than protecting individual posts (see method 1) because entering a single password will unlock all projects within a category. The plugin lets you hide your protected portfolio projects and categories from other parts of your site, so public visitors won't accidentally end up on the password entry page. By using Password Protected Categories, you won't fall foul of any of the downsides of method 1.

How to create a private WordPress portfolio

1. Get Password Protected Categories, download the files and copy your license key.
2. In the WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New.
3. Upload the files and activate the plugin.
4. Go to Settings → Password Protected Categories, enter your license key and change any settings. For example, you can customise the wording on the password entry page. You can show or hide your protected content in public areas of your site. I recommend hiding it for a WordPress password protected portfolio.
5. Go to Portfolio → Categories (or wherever you edit your WordPress portfolio categories).
6. Next, go to add or edit your main portfolio category. Your entire portfolio - including any sub-categories - will sit under this password protected category. You'll see a new 'Visibility' section added by the Password Protected Categories plugin. Click 'Password Protected' and choose a password. Add 1 password if you want everyone to share a password. Add multiple passwords if you want each visitor to have a unique password which you can then revoke after a limited period to remove their access to your protected portfolio.
7. (Optional) If you need to divide your portfolio into sub-categories, create them now. Leave the Visibility set to 'Public' and set your password protected category as the 'Parent'. The plugin will automatically protect your portfolio sub-categories and their posts with the same password.
8. Finally, go to the 'Portfolio' section in WordPress (or wherever you edit portfolio posts). Use 'Quick Edit' to add each post to your password protected category or one of its sub-categories.
9. (Optional) Add links to your password protected portfolio category.

How the private portfolio works

Anyone who visits your website can see your normal pages. If they click a link to your password protected portfolio category - or of its posts or sub-categories - they will be prompted for the password. After entering the password, they can navigate to other portfolio pages without having to re-enter the password.

The Password Protected Categories knowledge base contains more information about the options for your password protected portfolio. For example, if the people accessing your portfolio already have user accounts on your WordPress site, then you can bypass the password protection and restrict the category to specific users or roles instead.

#3 - Create a public portfolio in WordPress with password protected categories

Method 3 also uses the Password Protected Categories WordPress plugin and has the same benefits. The difference is that I'll show you how to set it up in a way that hides specific areas within your portfolio, while leaving others public. This is a good option if most of your portfolio can be public, but you want to add a few projects that need to remain private.

I'll show you how to set it up so that you can have public and private areas within your portfolio, without compromising on user experience.

How to create a public and private WordPress portfolio

1. Buy Password Protected Categories, download the plugin files and copy the license key.
2. Go to Plugins > Add New in the WordPress admin.
3. Upload the plugin files, install and activate it.
4. Navigate to Settings > Password Protected Categories. Enter your license key and change any settings, such as customising the password entry page. Choose the setting to hide your protected portfolio content in the public areas.
5. Next, go to Portfolio > Categories (or whichever section you edit your portfolio categories in WordPress).
6. Create 1 or more categories for your public portfolio. Leave the 'Visibility' option set to 'Public'.
7. Now create 1 or more categories for your private portfolio. Set the 'Visibility' to 'Password protected' and choose 1 or more passwords.
8. Go to the 'Portfolio' section in WordPress (or wherever you edit portfolio posts). Use the 'Quick Edit' option to categorise your projects.
9. Finally, go to Appearance > Menus and add links to your portfolio categories as required. You'll definitely want to link to the public portfolio, and may or may not link to the private area. See the below tips on linking to your private portfolio.

Tips on structuring your public/private WordPress portfolio

These tips will help you to use the Password Protected Categories plugin to its full potential:

• To protect multiple portfolio categories within a single password, create a password protected 'Parent' category. Add as many sub-categories as you like. Leave the Visibility of the sub-categories as 'Private' as they will automatically be protected using the same password as a the parent. That way, visitors can navigate between multiple categories without having to re-enter any passwords.
• Alternatively, you might want to create separate password protected portfolio categories which different people can access. For example, you might create a password protected portfolio for each industry that you cover, and give potential clients access to the portfolio for their specific industry. To do this, create several standalone categories and password them all individually.
• If you accidentally add a project to a public and a private category, it will be password protected. It's best to avoid doing this - keep your public and private case studies separate.

Bonus content - how to create a WordPress portfolio

So far, I've shared 3 ways ways to password protect a portfolio in WordPress. That may be all you need, in which case you can stop reading now. Or if you need extra tips on how to create a WordPress portfolio, keep reading.

How to create portfolio posts in WordPress

There are 4 main ways to create a portfolio for your WordPress website:

1. Use normal WordPress posts If you're not using the 'Posts' section of your WordPress website for anything else (e.g. Blog or News) then you can use it for your portfolio. Add each project as a separate post. You can then use the blog layouts available in your theme to present your portfolio in eye-catching ways. You can also divide the portfolio into categories etc.
2. Use your theme's 'Portfolio' post type Most WordPress themes come with a 'Portfolio' post type, which you can find by looking for the 'Portfolio' link in the left of the WordPress admin. This will be designed to specifically to work as a portfolio, with one or more layouts for showing off your work.
3. Use a portfolio plugin If your theme doesn't come with a portfolio layout then you can add this using a plugin. Elegant themes have written an excellent article on the best WordPress portfolio plugins. The disadvantage is that the portfolio layouts may not match your theme, so a bit of custom styling may be needed.
4. Create a 'Portfolio' custom post type You can also create a 'Portfolio' post type yourself using a plugin such as Easy Post Types & Fields (or programmatically if you're a WordPress developer). This is a nice lightweight option as you'll only end up with the features you actually need. You can then use the Posts Table Pro plugin to display the portfolio posts on your website.

Whichever of these methods you choose, you can use them all with any of the password protection options mentioned in this article.

How should I link to my WordPress password protected portfolio?

If you're password protecting individual portfolio posts then this doesn't apply. If you're protecting parts or all of your portfolio then you need to decide how to include it in your website navigation structure.

You want to achieve the right balance between making it easy for people to login, and good user experience for public visitors. Normal visitors without the password will find it off-putting to click on a link and be asked for a password. The usual options are:

• Link to your private portfolio from the menu. If you've unticked the box to show your protected portfolio content in the public areas of your site, you need to do this by adding a custom link. Don't select the category from the list in Appearance > Menus as the plugin will hide it until someone enters the password! A custom link will appear to public users so get the link for your protected portfolio category and add it in this way instead.
• Add a login form somewhere on your public site, for example the sidebar. If you're using the Password Protected Categories plugin then you can do this by adding [category_login] to any text area on your website.
• Add a subtle text-based link to your password protected portfolio category or private portfolio page anywhere on your website. For example, you might add it to the header or footer.
• Keep your private portfolio hidden from public view. When you want to give someone access, email them a direct link to your password protected category along with the password. They can view your hidden portfolio without anyone else knowing it exists.

Finally, it's worth noting that since you create the passwords on the Portfolio Categories page, the usual tricks to recover a lost password in WordPress don't apply. This is because the portfolio passwords are linked to the category, not individual WordPress user accounts. If you feel you need a lost password link, add this to the password entry page so that people can contact you to request a password.

Displaying your portfolio posts

Once you've finished password protecting your 'Portfolio' custom post type, you need to display it on your website. That way, people who have logged in or entered the password can see the portfolio posts.

The best way to do this is using the Posts Table Pro plugin. This is especially useful if you have a lot of portfolio posts because the built-in search box and filter dropdowns make it easy for people to find what they're looking for.

Posts Table Pro displays your private portfolio posts in a structured table view, complete with an image column plus whatever information you want to display about each item:

It's time to create your WordPress password protected portfolio

I hope this article has helped you to decide the best way to create a password protected portfolio in WordPress. We've covered easy ways to make your whole online portfolio private or just parts of it.

You're not limited to using Password Protected Categories plugin for a private portfolio. You can protect any type of WordPress content that uses categories. Experiment with creating a password protected blog, protect e-commerce products using plugins such as Easy Digital Downloads, and more.

Do you have hidden portfolio projects on your WordPress website? Which method do you use? Do you think that private portfolios give customers a good or a bad impression? Leave your comments below.

This tutorial will show you how to create a WordPress audio library or MP3 player using the Document Library Pro plugin. Your visitors will be able to find and play audio tracks directly in a searchable and sortable table. They can play individual audio tracks or even complete audio playlists.

Audio galleries are a popular feature of many websites. There are lots of reasons for wanting to know how to create a filterable music library or audio track directory. You may be a band, artist, composer or musician and want to display your music or sound effects on a single directory page with embedded audio. Maybe you're a CD and want to include a track listing with samples.

You might need to provide samples as part of an audio or music catalogue or directory. Perhaps you're a voiceover artist and want to create an audio track library with examples of your work. Alternatively, your site might feature audio learning materials such as recorded tutorials or lectures, foreign language classes, or podcasts.

Whatever your reason for creating a WordPress audio library, this tutorial will show you how to do it using the Document Library Pro plugin.

The perfect WordPress audio library plugin

The Document Library Pro plugin has everything you need to create a WordPress audio library. While it has 'Document' in the name, it's perfect for listing any type of resource - including audio.

You add your audio files to the WordPress media library (or host it elsewhere, e.g. on Spotify), and the plugin displays them in a searchable table or grid. It contains embedded music tracks or MP3 players which you can listen to directly from the audio library page:

It's a really neat way of displaying audio tracks. People can listen to them, play, pause and fast forward directly within the table.

Document Library Pro also works as a WordPress audio playlist plugin. It creates a container for playlists by listing them in a table-like directory structure. You can listen to playlists and navigate between the tracks from the table. People don't have to click through to a separate page to listen to them - it's all on one page.

You can use Document Library Pro to display audio players and playlists created using the audio shortcodes that come with WordPress itself. I'll also share some third party WordPress audio plugins that can be used to display more fancy audio players.

Read on to learn how to create a searchable, filterable WordPress audio library.

What type of audio can you include in a WordPress audio library?

These days, people use audio files for a huge variety of purposes. The good news is that you can publish any of these in a WP audio library. This includes:

• Multiple audio file formatsMP3, WAV, MPEG and more.
• Types of audio recordingAudiobooks, bands, choir music, foreign language lessons, karaoke backing tracks, orchestra music, relaxing background music, samples, singles and albums, podcasts, stock music (e.g. corporate background music, royalty free music, sound effects, etc.).
• Audio from third party websitesIf you host your audio files externally, that's fine. The WordPress audio library also supports embeds from other platforms such as Mixcloud, ReverbNation, SoundCloud and Spotify.

How to set up your digital WordPress audio library

Now, we get to the tutorial part of this article. Keep reading to learn how to set up a WordPress audio library.

1. Add the audio files to WordPress

To get started, you need a WordPress website with the Document Library Pro plugin installed.

First, you need to add each audio item to WordPress as a 'Document' post. Each 'Document' will appear individually in your front end audio library. You need to do this even if your actual audio files are hosted outside of WordPress.

There are several ways to do this:

• Option 1: Add document manuallyGo to Documents → Add New in the WordPress admin and add all the information you want to display about each document. Don't worry about uploading the actual audio file yet - we'll do this in Step 2.
• Option 2: Use drag and drop file uploadGo to Documents → Import and drag and drop the audio files into WordPress. Then, go to Documents and manually edit each one as needed. For example, the name will be the same as the filename, and you can change this to make it more user-friendly.
• Option 3: Upload from CSVYou can also go to Documents → Import and upload a CSV file. This should contain all the information that you want to display for each audio track, as well as the URL where the audio file is hosted (e.g. in the WordPress Media Library or on another website).

2. Add embedded audio players

The next step is to add an embedded audio player to each of the audio items (i.e. 'Documents') that you added in Step 1. For each one, you can add either a standalone audio track or a full audio playlist.

Initially, we'll use the native WordPress audio and playlist shortcodes. Later, I'll show you how to create even more impressive-looking audio embeds using other plugins which work with the WordPress audio library.

1. Go to the Documents section of the WordPress admin and click on one of the documents.
2. Add an audio player to the main content area using one of these methods:
   • If you plan to store the audio files in the WordPress Media Library, then you should click the 'Add Media' button and upload the file. When you insert it into the document content, WordPress will automatically convert it into a full functional audio player. It must be a valid audio file type such as MP3, AAC, WAV or FLAC.
   • To embed audio files hosted on Mixcloud, ReverbNation, SoundCloud or Spotify, simply paste the URL into the content area. Again, WordPress will display this as an embedded audio player.
   • If your audio files are hosted on another third party platform then you need to get an embed code. To add it, go to the 'Text' tab and paste the embed code there.
3. Click 'Update' to save the document post.

Adding audio playlists

You can also add complete playlists to the WordPress audio library. If you're planning to treat the entire table as a playlist then you should add each embedded audio track as a separate 'Document' as described above. This would look like this:

Alternatively, it's also possible to add actual playlists which appear in a single row of the table like this:

To add a playlist to one of your 'Documents' - like in the second screenshot above:

1. Edit the document.
2. Click 'Add Media'. Instead of adding an individual MP3 file or similar, click 'Create Audio Playlist'. If you can't see this link, it's because you haven't uploaded any audio tracks to your WordPress media library yet. Once you have uploaded some audio tracks, this link will appear.
3. Select all the audio or music tracks that you want to include in the playlist and click 'Create a New Playlist'.
4. On the next page, you can add the track name underneath. This will appear on your playlist so make it as descriptive as possible - e.g. the song name. There are also some settings on the right, for example whether to display the artist name.
5. Finally, click 'Insert Audio Playlist'. WordPress will automatically create and embed your playlist.
6. Click 'Update'.

3. Create a front end WordPress audio library

Now it's time to list the audio files on the front end of your website so that everyone can see (and hear!) them.

Document Library Pro has already created a main audio library page for you. To find it, go to the Pages section in the WordPress admin and find the page called 'Document Library'. Rename this to something more relevant such as 'Audio Library' (remember to change the permalink too).

View the page and you'll see your audio files listed in a table or grid view with one on each row. However, it may not have the information that you want to display yet.

To customize it to your requirements, go to Documents → Settings. Read through the page and change the settings as needed.

Recommended settings for an audio library

Document Library Pro has over 50 options and you can set it up however you like. In particular, I recommend that you use the following options:

1. Layout - Choose between a table layout with 1 audio track per row; or a grid layout with a tile for each document (like Netflix).
2. Content - There are lots of available content types to choose from. For a WordPress audio library, add something like: title, content, excerpt. This will display the title, the content field (which contains your embedded audio player or playlist), and an excerpt (which is useful for showing a brief overview of the audio file). You can rename the columns by adding a colon after each one like this: title: Song, content:Listen Now, excerpt:Description.
3. Shortcodes - Enable this option. This tells Document Library Pro to display the embedded music players in the main audio library, instead of the unrendered shortcode which WordPress has created behind the scenes.
4. Links - By default, people can click on the title column to access a separate page for each audio item. The separate page will have the name at the top with the embedded audio player underneath, and any other data you've entered on the right (e.g. the file size). If you don't need these pages then add none to the Links option.
5. Filters - If you have added categories or tags to your audio items, then add some filter dropdowns so that people can find then more easily.
6. Lazy load - Enable this if you will be listing lots of audio files. This tells the plugin to load one page of the audio library at a time, speeding up the load times.

4. View the audio library

Your finished audio directory will look something like this:

This has created a professional-looking WordPress audio library listing all your music tracks. You can add as many as you like.

If you have lots or music tracks or audio playlists then the plugin will add pagination buttons at the bottom.

Restyling the audio player

So far, I've shown you how to display the built-in audio and playlist shortcodes in a searchable WordPress audio library.

Use it to create a very simple audio player, which appears as a small play button in a circle. When you click on the circle, the audio track plays and a pause icon appears within the button instead. If space is at a premium in your WordPress audio library, then this is an ideal plugin to add small audio players.

To display a compact audio player in the audio library, just install the plugin. Next, add the shortcode [sc_embed_player fileurl="URL OF THE MP3 FILE"] to the content field for each document.

Need to add download links?

Some WordPress audio libraries simply embed the audio files on the page, like the examples above. This is very secure because visitors can listen online but can't download the files.

If you want people to be able to download the audio files, then that's fine too. You can add download links, buttons or file type icons. Visitors click on these to download the audio file to their computer.

1. Go to Documents and click to edit a document.
2. Find the 'Document Link' option in the top right hand corner. Use it to either select the audio file from the WordPress Media Library, or add the URL where it is hosted on another website.
3. Go to Documents → Settings and add a 'link' column to your list of columns.
4. Use the other link-related settings on the page to choose a style for the download links.

This will add a download column to the WordPress audio library.

Need to sell audio online?

If you want to sell audio files in your WordPress audio library then you need an e-commerce plugin. You can sell audio files using either WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads.

Either way, you can use our other plugins to list the audio products in a searchable table. Your audio store will look like the other screenshots in this article, but will also have 'Buy' buttons so that people can make purchases.

Selling audio with WooCommerce

The free WooCommerce plugin lets you sell absolutely anything online. Use it with our other plugin, WooCommerce Product Table, to create a searchable audio library.

For example, Dosado used WooCommerce Product Table to sell audio files with embedded music players in the table.

Read our tutorial about how to create a WooCommerce audio store.

Selling audio with Easy Digital Downloads

If you only sell digital audio files then you can also sell them using the Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) plugin.

EDD is a bit simpler than WooCommerce because it doesn't have any options you don't need, such as Shipping.

For example, Fascinated Sound use EDD with our Posts Table Pro plugin to sell royalty-free sound effects and music tracks. They list over 600 downloadable audio products in their WordPress audio library.

Each audio download is listed in a table with columns for audio player, title, description, category and add to cart button. You can click on a category in the table to filter by that category. There's also a category filter dropdown above the WordPress audio library.

Customers can listen to each track by clicking on the embedded play buttons. The play buttons were created using the free Compact WP Audio Player plugin, which works perfectly in the audio library.

We love Fascinated Sound's WordPress audio library because it's such a user-friendly way to list and sell music and other audio products.

Read our tutorial about how to list products (including audio products) with Easy Digital Downloads.

It's time to create a WordPress audio library!

So now you know how to create an audio library in WordPress. Now it's your turn. Follow the steps in this tutorial to create your own WordPress audio library or music directory. To get started, download Document Library Pro today - it's one of the best WordPress audio plugins around.

Are you thinking about creating a WooCommerce shop only for registered users? Looking for a way to limit access to your online store so that only logged in users or those with a password can browse and make purchases? You've come to the right place!

In this article, we'll guide you through the process of hiding your WooCommerce shop from guests with the easy-to-use WooCommerce Private Store plugin.

This powerful yet simple plugin enables you create a secret WooCommerce shop only for registered users. It keeps your store exclusive by hiding its pages from the public eye. This ensures that only logged-in users or those with the correct password can access and order your products. It maintains the privacy and exclusivity of your store - an ideal solution for businesses that cater to a specific clientele or want to offer special deals for registered customers.

We'll start by introducing you to the WooCommerce Private Store plugin, its features, and its benefits. Next, we'll take you step by step through the catalog visibility process, ensuring that you're able to set up your private store with ease. We'll also provide tips and best practices for managing your private store and creating a seamless experience for your registered customers.

By the end of this article, you'll have all the information you need to build a WooCommerce shop only for registered users. So, buckle up and get ready to start a journey to learn how to set up and manage your very own private eCommerce store.

How does it work?

When you install the Private Store plugin, you instantly have a WooCommerce wholesale store that is only available to logged in users. Simply choose how your customers will unlock the hidden store, and you're done!

Maybe you're setting up a WooCommerce shop only for registered users and want to hide it from non-members. Maybe you're building a B2B wholesale store. Whatever your reason, you can easily hide WooCommerce from non-registered users and guests.

3 steps to access your hidden store

It works like this to make sure your WooCommerce products are only for registered users:

1. A guest user visits your website They can see all your main pages but none of the WooCommerce content. If you have links to the Woo shop page, category pages, product pages, etc. in the menu then these will be hidden from public view. Any WooCommerce sidebar widgets are hidden too. The same applies to other WooCommerce elements such as the cart. The guest user has no idea that your WooCommerce shop exists. Even if they try to access a WooCommerce page directly (e.g. if they know the URL of a product), they will be asked to enter a password.
2. The user either enters a password or logs into their account Some visitors to your membership site will have an account, which they can log into. They can log in using the usual WordPress/WooCommerce login page. (This might be /wp-login, the WooCommerce 'Account' page, or a front-end login such as Theme My Login. Or if you want people to log in with their Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ account, use the WordPress Social Login plugin.) If you like, then you can also let non-registered users enter a password to unlock the store.
3. The hidden WooCommerce shop is unlocked After logging in, all the WooCommerce content becomes visible to the specific user. This might include links to the main shop page in the menu, WooCommerce widgets, and all the individual pages within WooCommerce. The logged in user can browse your ecommerce store and buy products with no restrictions.

Alternative option: Want to restrict certain products to registered users, but not your whole store? Checkout the WooCommerce Protected Categories plugin instead.

How to make your WooCommerce shop only for registered users

If you like what I've described above, the good news is that it's really easy to set up. Here's how to set up product visibility for your whole store. I have assumed that you already have a WP website with WooCommerce set up, and you're ready to hide your WooCommerce for logged-in users and visitors only.

1. Buy WooCommerce Private Store. Download the plugin files and license key from the order confirmation page or the email receipt.
2. Log in to the WordPress admin and go to Plugins → Add New.
3. Click 'Upload' and then 'Browse' and upload the plugin files you downloaded in Step 1.
4. Install and activate WooCommerce Private Store.
5. Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Private Store. Enter your license key and configure the other plugin settings. Make sure you tick the 'Logged In Users' box. (You can ignore the 'Login Form' settings as you won't be using password protection for your store. Instead, you will use the WordPress user login.) If you like, then you can also choose which user roles will have access.
6. Click 'Save'.

And that's it! Your WooCommerce shop is now completely hidden from public view. Guests can see your normal web pages but none of the WooCommerce content. Once they log in to their account, the whole of WooCommerce is instantly unlocked for them. Simple!

Can I hide the links to my hidden WooCommerce store?

By enabling the log in to see add to cart and prices in the WooCommerce feature, you can restrict access to your WooCommerce shop only for registered users and visitors. This means that all links to your main Shop page, product categories, individual products, and even the WooCommerce widgets that showcase your products, categories, and other relevant information will be hidden.

Furthermore, elements such as the shopping cart icon and other call-to-action buttons will also be concealed. In essence, any content related to your WooCommerce store, including the links to access it, will be inaccessible to guest users.

This feature provides an additional layer of security and privacy to your online store, as it ensures that WooCommerce products only for registered users with valid login credentials can view and purchase your hidden products. It also helps prevent unauthorized access to your store's pricing and other confidential information, which can protect your business from potential threats.

Can I force users to register before they can access my WooCommerce store?

Yes, you can use the WooCommerce Private Store plugin to hide your online store and restrict access to WooCommerce products only for registered users. To do this, you can use the built-in 'Account' page of the plugin or a front-end registration plugin like Theme My Login.

Theme My Login offers various options to moderate new registrations, including the ability to require administrator approval for new accounts. Alternatively, you can use a free plugin like New User Approve to approve new user accounts before they can access your private store. This ensures that only authorized users have access to your store.

When using a registration plugin, customers will need to create an account and have it approved before they can log in and access your hidden store. Once approved, they can log in and browse your products, add items to their cart, and check out just like a regular online store.

What if I don't want my customers to have individual user accounts?

If you want to keep your WooCommerce store private and only accessible to a select few, you may consider using a plugin that allows you to hide your store behind a password. This is a great option for businesses that want to keep their products and pricing information secure and confidential.

The plugin makes it easy to set up a private store login page where your customers can enter a password to access your store. Unlike requiring customers to log in to their accounts, the password option offers a simpler and more straightforward process. Customers enter the password on the login page. If it's correct, they are granted access to the hidden WooCommerce shop.

Once customers have entered the correct password and unlocked the private store, they will have full access to all the main WooCommerce Shop pages, including your products, categories, and product tags. Customers can search for a single product, add them to their cart, and proceed to the checkout page in the usual way.

Here's a review from a customer using WooCommerce Private Store to create team and school stores behind a common password:

Buy Plugin

How can I hide the login page after people login?

If you use the built-in WooCommerce Account page as your register/login page, then you don't need to worry about this. That's because the same page will show a registration and/or login form to guests, and the 'My Account' area for logged in users. This makes it relevant to all types of users like subscribers, whether or not they're logged in.

If you use WooCommerce Private Store with a login plugin such as Theme My Login, then you need to structure your store in an intuitive way. Think about each step of the user journey. For example, you want to add a prominent login link for logged out users. But once people are logged in, then the login page is no longer important to them.

You can add a link to the user login page anywhere you like. For example, you can add it to the menu or header (depending on your theme). This link will be subtle, so it won't bother logged in users. You could also ask your developer to dynamically change it to a logout link for logged in users.

Setting the login page as the homepage might seem like a logical step. However, this can be confusing for users, as even when they're logged in, they'll see the login page with a message indicating they're already logged in. Instead, set another page such as the main 'Shop' page as the homepage. When guest users visit the homepage, they will see a user login form. But when WordPress only for logged in users visit, they will see the shop page. This is a more user-friendly way to set it up.

I just want to hide parts of WooCommerce

If you want to hide parts of WooCommerce membership but not your whole shop then I'd recommend our other plugin, WooCommerce Password Protected Categories.

This lets you lock down specific categories within a Woo store, and hide products within them. Your other categories and main Shop page remain public. This means that you can have public and hidden areas within a single WooCommerce shop.

See also: How to Build a Private WooCommerce Members Only Shop

Do you have a hidden WooCommerce shop?

If you have a WooCommerce store that you want to keep private and accessible to WooCommerce products only for registered users, then using a WooCommerce Private Store or a similar solution can be a great option for you. By hiding your WooCommerce shop only for registered users, you can ensure that your specific products and pricing information are secure and protected.

Deciding between password-protecting or hiding your WooCommerce store until users log in depends on your specific needs and security requirements. If you have a small number of users who require access, password protection may be the better choice. For larger user bases, hiding WordPress only for logged in users may be more efficient.

Some other features that you might expect from a private WooCommerce plugin could include the ability to customize the login page and set up user roles and permissions. As well as track user activity within your store. These features can help you manage your WordPress only for logged in users more efficiently. As well as ensure that your products and pricing information are only accessible to the intended audience.

Please leave your comments below.

If you run a WooCommerce store where you deliver different items or quantities depending on the day of the week, you might want to create a WooCommerce daily order form. I'm going to show you how to set one up.

Customers can select multiple quantity inputs per product for each day of the week. This makes it easy to create their entire weekly order on either a one-off or recurring basis.

This approach is something you'll commonly see with delivery food services. For example:

• Bakeries Customers might want to set up a recurring order for a certain baked food, with different values each day.
• Coffee deliveryIf you deliver coffee to businesses, you might need a system where businesses can choose how many containers they want to be delivered each day.
• Meal delivery services Whether you sell to individuals, schools or offices, you might want to let customers order a certain quantity for each day in advance or on a subscription basis. This works for normal restaurants, as well.

In this article, you're going to learn how you can use a WooCommerce daily order form using a choice of two plugins – WooCommerce Product Table and WooCommerce Bulk Variations.

The daily order forms will have multiple quantity inputs per product to let your customers choose how many items they want to order for each day of the week. You'll also be able to make these either one-off orders or ongoing subscriptions, depending on your needs.

But first, I'll explain how your customers will use your days-of-the-week order form to place a one-off or regular order for each day.

2 plugins for creating a daily order form

There are two easy ways to create a WooCommerce daily order form for your e-commerce store.

1. The WooCommerce Product Table plugin works with the Product Add-Ons plugin to list multiple products in a table with a quantity box for each day of the week. This method works for one-off purchases and on-going subscriptions. It's ideal if you want to list multiple products in the same order form. For example, in the 'Method 1' screenshot above, we can see two separate products - each with a quantity box for each weekday.
2. The WooCommerce Bulk Variations plugin, on the other hand, creates a grid showing the variations for a single product. This method works for one-off purchases. It's ideal if you want to set up all the options in the daily order form as variations of a single product. For example, in the 'Method 2' screenshot above, we can see one product with two attributes which are used for variations: one for 'Day of the week', and one for the different food items.

With both approaches, you create the daily order form by adding each food item as a different product or option, and then list them on the front-end each with their own quantity selectors. Customers can enter the quantity they’d like to purchase for each day of the week and place their orders.

Method 1: WooCommerce Product Table

Here, we'll explain how you can create daily order forms using the WooCommerce Product Table plugin. This is perfect for anyone looking to accept one-off orders or offer ongoing subscriptions.

How your WooCommerce daily order form will work

Your order form will feature a separate quantity field for each product for each day of the week. Here's how your customers will use it...

First, they'll use the form to enter the quantity they want for each day. As they add a quantity to each day, the order form will automatically add up the total for their order:

Once they click Add to Cart, or Set Up Weekly Delivery, they'll be able to view their cart. In their cart, they'll see a summary of their order (note the difference between one-off orders and subscriptions):

And then they can complete the checkout process as normal.

Next, I'll explain exactly how you can create a weekly order form to take daily orders from your own WooCommerce store. I'll reveal which plugins you need, with full step-by-step instructions on how to set it up.

Let's get started!

How to create a WooCommerce daily order form with multiple quantity inputs

Since this article is about WooCommerce, we'll assume that you already have WordPress and WooCommerce installed on your site.

Beyond those bare minimums, here's what you'll need to create a WooCommerce daily order form:

• WooCommerce Product Table - required This plugin lets you create a flexible table that includes any of your WooCommerce products. It's what you'll use to create the actual order form so that shoppers can see multiple products on one page.
• WooCommerce Product Add-ons - required You'll use this plugin to create a separate text entry field for each day of the week so that customers can choose a daily quantity for each product.
• WooCommerce Subscriptions - optional If you want to let customers set up automatic recurring orders, you'll need WooCommerce Subscriptions. But if you're ok with having your customers manually place their order each week, you don't need it.

Now, I'll show you step-by-step how to create the order form the example above. The only thing I will assume is that you already have WooCommerce installed and configured, as well as the required plugins from the list above.

Step 1: Add products and configure them the right way

Ok, the first step is to add your offerings as Woo products and get them properly configured.

To begin, go to Products → Add New as normal. Fill in the core details just like you would any other product. That is, enter the product:

• Title
• Image
• Description
• Etc.

Once you've filled out all the basic information, it's time to configure the Product data box. This is where you'll need to do things a little differently to make things work.

Configuring the product data box

For this first example, I'm going to show you how to configure things for a one-off order. In the next section, I'll share how to adapt it to subscription orders.

First, choose Simple product from the dropdown. Then, set the Regular price equal to 0. Yes - zero. Don't worry - you'll hide the price column on your order form so that shoppers never see this information:

Because you're making the product's price 0, it's important that you don't display the normal WooCommerce catalog so shoppers can't access the 0 price item. Or, if you do still need to use the regular catalog, you can hide these products from the public parts of your store. For example, schools might need to create a private area for taking orders for school dinners. 

Next, go to the Inventory tab and check the box for Sold individually. This will remove the quantity field for the Woo product itself so that your shoppers only see the add-on quantity fields for each day of the week:

Then, go to the Add-ons tab in the Product data box and click New add-on (you'll only see this tab if you've activated the WooCommerce Product Add-ons plugin):

Then, select Quantity from the dropdown and add the price for each item. This will multiple up depending on the quantity selected. So, if the item price is '$5' and the customer selects 2, then the price will be multiplied up to '$10':

Once you've done that:

• Enter something like "Day Of The Week" for the Name (this will display on the checkout page, but not on the weekly order form).
• Do not check the Required Fields option (unless you want to force customers to purchase this product each day).
• Enter something like "Choose which days you would like this product delivered" in the Description field. (This message will display on your order form.)
• Use the New Option button to create an option for each day of the week.
• Enter the unit price of your item in the Price column for each day of the week.
• Enter 0 in the Min column for each day of the week.

It should look something like this:

And that's it! Make sure to publish your product. Then, repeat the process for all the items you want to include in your WooCommerce weekly order form.

What if you want people to order on a recurring basis?

If you want to have people sign up for a recurring subscription instead of a one-time purchase for each week, the process is almost identical. You just need to change one thing.

Remember - you will need the WooCommerce Subscriptions plugin to do this.

Once you have that installed, all you need to do is change the Product type to Simple Subscription. Then:

• Enter 0 for the Subscription price (when users choose the day of the week, it will add that price to the subscription charge).
• Use the dropdowns to choose the duration of the subscription.
• Enter 0 for the Sign-up fee.

It should look something like this:

Then, perform the other steps shown in the section above.

I would also recommend that you go into the WooCommerce Subscriptions text and change the Add to Cart Button Text to something like "Set Up Weekly Delivery", as it will be more user-friendly for your shoppers:

Step 2: Create a daily order form with WooCommerce Product Table

At this point, you've already done the heavy lifting! Now, to finish things out, you just need to create the actual WooCommerce daily order form using WooCommerce Product Table.

To do that, all you need is to add the WooCommerce Product Table shortcode to the page where you want your order form to appear. If you go to the plugin settings page at WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Product Tables, you'll find dozens of options to configure your weekday order forms. Check out this article to learn about all the available options:

See all WooCommerce Product Table shortcode options

But to save you time, here's a quick shortcode that you can use to create the exact order form shown in my screenshots:

[product_table category="bread" columns="image:Product,name:Product Name,buy:Delivery Schedule" show_quantity="true" page_length="false" sort_by="date" sort_order="asc" widths="25,15,60" image_size="medium" links="false"]

Make sure to change category="bread" to the actual category of products you want to display. Or, if you want to display all products, you can remove this parameter.

If you want to divide your order form into different sections, you can include multiple shortcodes on the page, with each shortcode displaying a different category of products:

If needed, you can also edit the columns option to include more, or less, information in the daily order form. Similarly, you can change the column headings.

Learn more about column options

To finish things out, make sure to Publish your WP page.

Method 2: WooCommerce Bulk Variations

Here, we’ll show you how to create a daily order form using the WooCommerce Bulk Variations plugin. This is perfect if you’re looking to create an order form for one-off purchases.

How your WooCommerce daily order form will function

Customers can use the quantity selectors to enter the quantity they require of each attribute or variation. Once that’s done, they click the Add to Cart button to add the selected product variations in the correct quantities to their shopping cart and place their order.

Displaying product variations in a grid layout simplifies the user flow allowing users to quickly place their orders.

How to create a WooCommerce daily order form for one-off purchases

For this tutorial, we’ll assume you already have the WooCommerce plugin installed on your website. Aside from that, you’ll need to get the WooCommerce Bulk Variations plugin and install it on your website. This plugin lets you display product variations in a user-friendly grid layout. It also makes it easier to manage and edit variations in the WordPress admin.

Step #1: Create product attributes

The first thing you need to do is create attributes. Head over to Products → Attributes from the WordPress admin panel to get started. Since we want to create a daily order form, we’ll create two attributes – Lunch and Days of the Week. If you offer breakfast and dessert options then you can create an attribute for that, as well.

Once that’s done, configure the terms for both attributes. For Lunch, you’ll need to add the food items you want to offer as lunch meals as individual terms. It will look something like this:

Similarly, configure the terms for the Days of the Week attribute. Add the days of the week you will deliver food on.

Step #2: Add a new WooCommerce product

Create a new WooCommerce product for presenting the different meal options for lunch. You might call it something like Lunch Menu. Scroll down to the Product data section and select the Variable product option using the dropdown.

Click on the Attributes tab and add both the Lunch attribute and the Days of the Week attribute. Click the Save attributes button to proceed.

Next, go to the Variations tab and use the dropdown to select the Create variations from all attributes option. Click the Go button.

You’ll notice that all of the product variations will be added automatically. You can expand each variation and enter a price for each food item. You can also offer special pricing on certain days of the week. For example, you can offer all meals for a special price on Fridays only. This is a great way to boost orders.

To apply the same pricing and other data to multiple variations at once, you can use the bulk management features in WooCommerce Bulk Variations:

1. Use the 'Filters' bar to select the variations you want to edit together. For example, select the 'Friday' attribute if you want to add the same price for all meals on a Friday.
2. Next, use the 'Add variations' dropdown above the filters bar to apply the bulk actions.

Step #3: Configure bulk variations settings

Click on the Bulk Variations tab to configure the WooCommerce Bulk Variation plugin's settings for the product.

Tick the checkbox next to the Enable variations grid option. Set the Horizontal option to Days of the Week using the dropdown and Vertical to Lunch.

Step #4: Display the WooCommerce daily order form on the front-end

Head over to Pages → Add New from the WordPress dashboard to create a new page and give your page a title. Next, use the shortcode [bulk_variations include="2662"] to add the WooCommerce product you created in Step #2 to your order form. Simply replace 2662 with the product ID of the WooCommerce product you created.

This will generate a grid showing the variations for the lunch product on the front-end.

If you want to let customers place orders for breakfast items or desserts, then you can add shortcodes for their corresponding WooCommerce products in the same way.

Bonus - Set min & max quantities

Sometimes, you need to control how many items your customers can select from the daily order form. For example, if you're using it to take orders for staff lunches, then there may be a limit to what's included.

You can easily do this by installing the WooCommerce Quantity Manager plugin. Use it to add minimum and/or maximum quantities to the products in the daily order form.

Create your WooCommerce daily order form today!

By using multiple quantity fields for each day of the week, you can make it easy for customers to order different quantities depending on the day of the week.

For one-off weekly orders or on-going subscriptions, all you absolutely need is WooCommerce Product Table and WooCommerce Product Add-ons - plus WooCommerce Quick View Pro, if required. And if you want to enable recurring orders, then you can add WooCommerce Subscriptions.

Alternatively, you can use the WooCommerce Bulk Variations plugin to create a grid showing the variations for a single product.

Have any other questions about implementing a WooCommerce daily order form like this? Let us know in the comments!

If you run a pizza delivery, Chinese, Indian, or other types of fast food restaurant, you know how important a quality takeaway ordering system is. A huge variety of paid services exist to help you accept takeaway orders. But if you're looking to cut costs, consider using a WooCommerce takeaway plugin for your WordPress site. This plugin allows you to handle everything in-house and avoid paying commissions to third-party platforms.

If you've peeked at a third-party takeaway service like Uber Eats or Grub Hub, then you've probably seen that using one of those tools will cost you at least ~$100 per month, plus a hefty setup fee. For example, ChowNow costs $149 per month plus a $399 setup fee for every single location. Yikes - hopefully you're selling a lot of takeaway food!

If you run a restaurant with a takeout business - e.g. pizza shops, sandwich shops, etc. - you need a better option. It must be convenient for your customers, and profitable for your takeaway restaurant.

To make that happen, we're going to show you how to use the WooCommerce Restaurant Ordering plugin to create your own WooCommerce takeaway plugin setup with no monthly fees or commission to pay. You'll have full control to customize it, and it costs a fraction of what you'd pay for ChowNow's setup fee alone. In the end, it will look something like this:

Importance of having a restaurant takeaway ordering system

Having a restaurant take away system is crucial for any restaurant that wants to offer takeout or delivery options services. It allows customers to browse the food menu, place their order, and pay online, all from the comfort of their homes or office. Here are some reasons why having a restaurant take away ordering system is important:

1. Convenience: Customers can place their order whenever they want, without having to wait on hold or in a long line. They can also choose to pick up their order at the restaurant or have it delivered to their door.
2. Increased Sales: A take away system can help increase sales for restaurants by making it easier for customers to order food. Customers are more likely to order online than over the phone, which can lead to more orders and higher revenue.
3. Order Accuracy: With a take away system, there is less room for error when taking orders. Customers can select their items and customize them as they like, which reduces the chance of miscommunication or mistakes.
4. Customer Loyalty: Offering a convenient and efficient ordering experience can help build customer loyalty. When customers have a positive experience, they are more likely to return to the restaurant and recommend it to others.
5. Data Collection: A take away system can also provide valuable data to the restaurant, such as popular menu items, peak ordering times, and customer feedback. This information can be used to improve the restaurant's menu, marketing, and overall operations.

Using WooCommerce to create a restaurant takeaway ordering system

By using WooCommerce takeaway plugin, You can take advantage of its robust features, customization options, and flexibility to build an online food ordering system tailored to their specific needs.

It offers a wide range of features that make it easy to manage orders, track inventory, accept different payment gateways, and even set up shipping options. This means that restaurant owners can have all the tools you need to manage you online ordering system in one place.

Restaurant owners can also easily customize your online ordering system to match your brand and the specific needs of your business. You can choose from a wide range of templates and themes to create a unique look and feel for your online ordering system. You can also add custom fields to your order forms to collect specific information from customers, such as dietary restrictions or special requests.

All you'll need is a WordPress website and the WooCommerce takeaway plugin. And the best news is that it only takes a few minutes to set up your WordPress takeaway order system!

What you need for a WooCommerce takeaway system, plus how much it will cost

This is a more condensed, takeaway-focused version of our bigger guide on how to create a WooCommerce restaurant ordering system. If you want more detail, that tutorial covers everything you ever need to know about using WordPress with your restaurant.

To create a successful WordPress takeaway order system, there are a few tools you'll absolutely need. There are others that are optional and can help you refine how the WordPress takeaway plugin functions.

On the must-have front, you'll need:

• WooCommerce - free WooCommerce will handle organizing your different menu items. It can also let you accept online payments if desired. But, most people will probably pay for take away orders in person anyway, so you can skip the payment functionality if you want to accept payments in person.
• WooCommerce Restaurant Ordering - premium By default, the way WooCommerce displays items isn't good for a takeaway menu. The WooCommerce Restaurant Ordering plugin fixes that by listing your entire takeaway menu on one organized page, divided by food category. It also has other essential features such as setting delivery times and preventing customers from ordering while you're closed.

Those two plugins comprise the core of your WordPress takeaway plugin stack. Later in this article, I'll tell you about some extra plugins you might like for adding extra features such as opening hours, delivery slots, and automatic order printing.

Here's how to put it all together…

How to create a WooCommerce takeaway order system

Below, you'll find a full written tutorial about how to take fast food orders online with WordPress takeaway plugin or WooCommerce takeaway plugin. Alternatively, watch this video and watch me set it up in 10 minutes, or sign up for my free online course for restaurants.

You can divide the process into three rough steps:

1. Adding your menu items to WooCommerce
2. Creating your takeout order menu with WooCommerce Restaurant Ordering
3. Extending your WooCommerce takeaway system with other plugins (optional)

Step 1: Add your menu items as WooCommerce products

To get started, make sure you've installed and activated the free WooCommerce takeaway plugin, as well as configured basic information using the plugin's setup wizard. During the setup wizard, either follow the onscreen instructions to set up PayPal or Stripe (credit/debit card) payments, or just choose 'Local Pickup' and have customers pay when they pick up their order at the restaurant or curbside.

If you need help with the WooCommerce basics, here's a good basic tutorial.

Once you have WooCommerce running, you'll need to add each item on your menu as a WooCommerce product.

To do that, go to Products → Add New in your WP dashboard. Because WooCommerce is a general eCommerce plugin, not all of the settings here will apply to your takeaway order system.

Essential product data

• Title - the name of the food item as it appears on your menu.
• Long description (optional) - the full description of that menu item if you want to display extra text in a lightbox popup for each product.
• Product data - this is where you'll add the price and, if needed, let people customize the dish with their own toppings, substitutes, etc. (more on this in the next section).
• Short description (optional) - if you want, you can create a separate shorter description that will appear on the fast food ordering system page.
• Category - this helps you divide your menu into different categories. For example, you could have one category for "Pizza", another for "Subs", etc.
• Image (optional) - the image for your menu item. Make it as mouth-watering as possible!
• Publish - once you finish configuring everything, you click this button to save your menu item and make it live.

Once you're done, you'll need to repeat the process for all of your takeaway food items. And you can also give your customers options, which we'll talk about next...

Use product variations or add-ons to let shoppers customize their food choices

You'll probably have some menu items where your customers get to pick different toppings or sizes as part of their takeaway orders. Or, you might even have items where a customer needs to pick both.

For example, if you're setting up a WooCommerce pizza ordering online, then customers will want to:

1. Choose what size pizza they want
2. Add their own toppings (for an extra cost)

To give customers the power to customize their own orders, you can use two more options called variations or add-ons:

• Variations - variations are good for core options - like a food item's size. Variable product are built into the free WooCommerce plugin.
• Add-ons - product add-ons are better for upgrades - like toppings to add on to a pizza. You'll need the official Product Options plugin to add these extra options to your takeaway meals.

You can see the difference between variations and add-ons in the screenshot below:

Learn how to set up variations and add-ons in the WooCommerce Restaurant Ordering plugin knowledge base.

Step 2: Create your WooCommerce takeaway order form with the Restaurant Ordering plugin

Once you've added all of your takeaway food items as WooCommerce products, you need a user-friendly way to display them. This makes it easy for your shoppers to browse your entire takeout menu and build their order without needing to click around to different pages.

That's where WooCommerce Restaurant Ordering comes in. It will let you:

And your customers will be able to:

To get started, make sure you've purchased and installed the WooCommerce Restaurant Ordering plugin:

Configure the takeaway order form

When you install WooCommerce Restaurant Ordering, it instantly creates a food ordering page listing all your products. The page is structured by category.

You can customize this page on the plugin settings page. For example, you can choose which information to display about each food item, and change the order form layout to 1, 2, or 3 columns.

For even greater flexibility, the takeaway plugin comes with a shortcode that you can use to add different food order forms anywhere on your restaurant online store. This is handy if you want each category to be displayed differently, or on different pages.

Customers can click on each food item to add it instantly to the cart, or if you prefer then they can open up a lightbox to view more information, select options and add to the cart from there.

Add a cart to the takeaway ordering page

Most online takeaway order forms show the contents of your cart on the page.

While you could add a sidebar to the page and add the standard 'Cart' widget, this wastes valuable real estate. Most takeaway food order forms look best if they take up the full width of the page. Installing WooCommerce Fast Cart is a better solution.

A fast cart pops up on the page - either automatically, or when the customer clicks on the floating cart icon. Either way, hungry shoppers can quickly review their selections, pay and order takeout food without leaving the page.

Add any type of extra options using WooCommerce Product Options + filter plugin

You can create a seamless restaurant takeaway ordering system with the help of two WooCommerce plugins. The WooCommerce Product Options plugin is the perfect choice for adding extra options to restaurant menu items, with the ability to create and manage customizable product options in various formats, including checkboxes, radio buttons, clickable images, and text boxes. It works by adding groups of options globally to selected products or categories, streamlining the process of creating combinations of options, and eliminating the limitations of creating variations.

In addition, the WooCommerce Product Filters plugin can enhance the browsing experience for customers by allowing you to create filters for menu items based on categories like appetizers, entrees, desserts, or dietary restrictions like gluten-free or vegetarian. The plugin offers the flexibility to create multiple filter layouts, including display filters above the list of products or as sidebar widgets, with filter visibility options and mobile-friendly slide-out panels.

With the ability to customize the filter styles and layouts, you can create a seamless ordering experience that matches your restaurant's branding and WordPress site design. Together, these two plugins can help you create a streamlined and efficient restaurant takeaway system like a WooCommerce pizza ordering system.

Step 3: Extend your Woo ordering system (delivery slots, order notifications to the kitchen, etc.)

At this point, you have a working WooCommerce takeaway ordering system. But there are still a few potential problems:

• People will always receive their takeout order as soon as it's ready - they can't schedule an order in advance.
• You have to pay attention to your email or refresh the website to see when a new takeaway order comes in.

To refine your WooCommerce takeaway system's functionality and fix some of these issues, you can optionally use some of the plugins we discussed earlier to change how things work.

Again, consider:

• WooCommerce Delivery Slots to let customers choose when they want to pick up or collect their order.
• Twilio SMS Notifications to receive SMS notifications whenever a customer places a new takeaway order. Or, optionally, to send automatic SMS notifications to customers when their order is ready to be picked up.
• WooCommerce Automatic Order Printing prints takeaway orders direct to the kitchen.
• If you have a smartphone or tablet, you can also install the free WooCommerce iOS mobile app. This app allows you or your staff to mark orders as fulfilled when the customer picks the order up without needing to hop on your computer.

Bonus: Increase your average order value by taking tips on your WooCommerce takeaway website!

When you accept takeaway orders online via WooCommerce, it's easy to miss out on tips. This is because ordering and paying in person is personal and people are in the habit of adding a tip to their order. To increase the average order value from your takeaway restaurant customers, you need to replicate this on your website.

Fortunately, you can do this using the WooCommerce Donation Or Tip On Cart And Checkout plugin. It adds a 'Tip' field, pre-filled with a suggested tip amount, to the checkout page. This is a great way to increase your revenue and accept tips from your online takeaway orders.

Save money with this WordPress takeaway plugin stack today

By creating a WooCommerce takeaway system, you both gain the flexibility to create a truly custom takeaway order system and bypass huge setup fees and monthly fees for other restaurant ordering systems.

That means happier customers and a better bottom line for your restaurant! Whether you need a WooCommerce pizza ordering and food delivery system or automated ordering for Chinese fast food, it's the perfect solution.

Get started today with WooCommerce and WooCommerce Restaurant Ordering.

If you want a more in-depth look at any of the topics we touched on in this post, be sure to read our complete guide to creating a restaurant ordering system with WordPress takeaway plugin.

If you use WordPress.org to build your website, one of the things you’ll benefit from is its inherent flexibility. In other words, you can use WordPress to do a lot of things that aren’t apparent at first glance. This includes the ability to create a forum for your website or online community.

WordPress is a powerful platform, but creating a forum in WordPress requires extra tools. The platform doesn't come with built-in forum functionality. However, with the right tools, you can create a functional and attractive forum on your WordPress site. One of the easiest methods for how to create a forum page in WordPress is to use the Posts Table Pro plugin. This WordPress forum plugin allows you to organize your forum threads, topics, and replies in a table layout, making it especially easy for your users to navigate.

Different ways to create a forum with WordPress

There are two main methods you can use when you want to know how to create a forum page in WordPress. The first method involves using basic WordPress features such as custom post types, custom taxonomies, and custom fields to create the necessary components for your forum. The second method involves using a dedicated WordPress forum plugin such as the BuddyPress or bbPress plugin. Both methods have their pros and cons, but the Posts Table Pro plugin is a versatile solution that improves the presentation of your forum with either method.

How to add a forum to WordPress

In this tutorial, we will show you two ways to create a search engine-optimized (SEO-friendly) forum using Posts Table Pro. But first, let's explore the reasons why you might want to create a forum in the first place.

Online forums are a great way to create a community around your website or business. They allow you to engage with your audience, provide them with a platform to share ideas and feedback and offer them valuable resources. Moreover, forums can help drive traffic to your site, increase engagement, and boost your SEO efforts by providing fresh and relevant content. Add a forum to WordPress with Posts Table Pro, and you can organize and display all your forum threads, topics, or replies in an easy-to-use table format.

Advantages of a WordPress forum

Online forums such as StackOverflow and Quora have been an integral part of the internet for quite some time now. Despite newer social networks and social media tools taking over the internet, forums are still very much relevant today. They also offer a unique platform for users to interact, ask questions, share knowledge, and build a sense of community around a particular topic or niche.

With forums, users can easily search for and find answers to specific questions or topics and especially engage in discussions with other like-minded individuals. They also provide a space for users to express their opinions, share their experiences, and learn from others.

What are the benefits of adding a forum to my WordPress site?

While social media platforms have replaced forums in some areas, they remain useful in a variety of website types. Below are some reasons why you may want to consider creating a forum for your WordPress website:

• Forums enable you to communicate directly with your site’s users through a message board (also called a discussion forum). You can answer their questions, provide advice, solicit opinions, and even just chat.
• In addition, forums let your community members interact with each other. They can form connections, help one another out, and build a sense of community.
• If you provide products or services, you can even create a support forum so customers can get help quickly.

When it comes to learning how to create a forum website with WordPress, the platform itself is a great option to consider. Not only is it beginner-friendly, but it's also a powerful platform that can handle a wide range of needs. Moreover, if you want to add features that aren't built into WordPress, you can use plugins to get the job done.

Can I create a forum in WordPress without a plugin?

Creating a forum in WordPress without a plugin is possible, but it requires some technical knowledge and coding skills. It involves creating a custom post type, custom taxonomies, and custom templates to display the forum threads and replies. This method is more time-consuming and may not be the best forum plugin for WordPress, especially for those who are new or don't have experience with coding.

Alternatively, you can use a plugin like Posts Table Pro to add a forum to WordPress quickly and easily. This plugin allows you to display posts, pages, or custom post types in a table format, making it ideal for displaying forum threads. Additionally, you can customize the table to include specific columns, search and filter options, and more. With Posts Table Pro, you can have a fully functional forum up and running in no time.

How to create a forum in WordPress using Posts Table Pro (2 methods)

While there are several dedicated plugins that can help you create a forum on the WordPress site, many of them offer only limited customization options. If you want more control over how your forum looks and functions, you may want to consider using the Posts Table Pro plugin.

Posts Table Pro allows you to create custom tables to display your forum topics and replies in a way that's easy to navigate and visually appealing. With this plugin, you can customize the layout, columns, and filters to create a forum on WordPress that meets your exact needs. Whether you're creating a forum for your online community or for customer support, Posts Table Pro can help you create a more user-friendly and engaging experience for your visitors.

How Posts Table Pro can help you create an easy-to-navigate forum in WordPress

Posts Table Pro is a flexible and powerful tool that allows you to create customizable tables and embed them anywhere on your WordPress site. With this plugin, you can display information in a table format that is easy to read and navigate, and you have complete control over how it appears and functions.

One of the key features of Posts Table Pro is the ability to enable forum users to search, sort, and filter the table to quickly find the information they need. This can be particularly helpful when managing a forum with a large number of threads, topics, or replies.

If you want to get a better idea of what Posts Table Pro can do, we recommend checking out the demo site dedicated to this plugin. There, you can see how the tables can be customized to fit your needs and how they can especially be used to display various types of content.

Visit the Posts Table Pro demo!

Right now, we’re going to focus on how it can be used to create an SEO-friendly forum in WordPress. First, we’ll explore how to turn your entire site into a forum using the platform's built-in features. Moreover, we’ll walk through how to use Posts Table Pro in combination with the best forum plugin for WordPress.

Method 1: Turn your WordPress site into a forum

Let's start with the simplest way to create a forum on WordPress (or WordPress multisite), by using regular pages and/or posts as forum topics. You can do this using only Posts Table Pro and WordPress’ built-in functionality. You don't even need a complicated WordPress forum plugin. This method works well if you want to turn your entire WordPress site into a forum or add a forum to WordPress.

How it works

1. You'll add each forum 'topic' or 'thread' as a separate page, post, or custom post in WordPress.
2. Users will interact with the forum by adding comments at the bottom of each topic/thread. This uses the comments system that comes with WordPress itself. You get all the benefits of WordPress comments, such as nested comments, Gravatar images, and more. (Or if you prefer, then you can replace this with a dedicated comments system such as Disqus (free version).)
3. Your forum will be displayed in a table layout, with each topic or thread listed on its own row in the table. You can choose what other information to display on the forum page, such as the date you created the thread, categories, tags, etc. This way, people will be able to find the topics you cover through search engines like Google.

It's straightforward to set up, and simple to use.

Setup instructions

To begin, you’ll want to purchase the Posts Table Pro plugin. Then you can install and activate it on your WordPress site, following this setup guide. Don’t forget to activate your license key as well.

Get Posts Table Pro!

After the plugin is installed, you will be guided through an automatic setup wizard to help you create your initial table. Nonetheless, if you are already acquainted with the plugin or would like to start right away, you can generate new tables anytime by going to Post Tables → Add New.

To create a forum using the plugin, follow the instructions below:

1. To begin, provide a name for your table and choose the post type you want to showcase.
2. Next, pick the posts or pages you want to include in the forum. You have the option to select from posts, pages, and custom post types. Posts are usually the better option, given their inherent flexibility and the fact that they have comments turned on by default. However, either content type will work. Or if you're already using posts and pages for something else, follow this guide to create a dedicated custom post type for your WordPress forum. To add a new column, select the column type from the dropdown menu and click "Add."

   

3. Here, you can choose exactly what information about each forum topic will appear in the table. Personalize the table according to your preferences. For example, you can have a column for thread, topic, last post, posters, categories, and tags. You can also choose which columns to show and in what order.
4. Next, customize the sorting options for your table by selecting the default sorting option and the sorting direction. This gives you control over how the table is presented to your audience.
5. Enable lazy loading to improve the table's performance, especially when it contains hundreds or thousands of items.
6. Then, select how you want to sort your database. You can set the default sorting option and the sorting direction.
7. Now you're ready to display your forum on your website.

Now list your forum content in a table

Then, create a new page and give it a title. This will be the ‘home’ for your new forum table.

After you have finished creating your table with the Post Table Pro plugin, the setup wizard will verify that you have completed the process and offer instructions for displaying the table on your WordPress site. There are two methods for displaying the table:

• Using the "Post Table" block in the Gutenberg editor
• Copy the shortcode from the table builder and paste it wherever you desire on your site. This enables you to place the table on any page, regardless of its content, providing you with greater flexibility.

How to create starter topics

After configuring all the settings for your new forum, both methods require you to place a shortcode on the page to generate a table. Once done, you now know how to make a forum page on your website. From here, you can either save the page as a draft or publish it to make your forum live and start engaging with your audience.

However, you need to create a few starter topics to get your forum going as the table won't show any content until you add topics to it. You can do this easily by creating a few posts or pages, which will automatically appear in your table. Once you have added the necessary content, your forum will start to take shape. On the front end, it will look something like this:

You can control the topics that are allowed, or let logged-in WordPress users create their own by integrating with a WordPress plugin such as Gravity Forms with the Gravity Forms with user-submitted content extension (see our tutorial on how to set this up). Either way, forum members can simply click on each topic in the table to visit its actual page. Then, they can use WordPress’ built-in comments system to interact with each other and you.

The individual forum topic pages will look something like this, depending on your WordPress theme:

Method 2: Combine Posts Table Pro with a WordPress forum plugin

The technique described above has simplicity on its side. It is a bit limiting, however, since WordPress doesn’t have a built-in way for people to view comments, respond to one another within forum threads (outside of the comments feature at the bottom of the page for each topic), or set up user profiles or user roles (like moderators).

Therefore, you may want to consider getting your hands on a dedicated WordPress forum plugin or add-on as well. There are a lot of options, such as free plugins like BuddyPress, bbPress, and Discussion Board Pro. These plugins particularly add basic (and sometimes more advanced) forum features to your WordPress site. For e.g. the individual topic and thread pages are more interactive. Additionally, a WordPress forum plugin comes with built-in custom post types which you can display using Posts Table Pro, so you don't need to create your own.

What is the advantage of using Posts Table Pro with a forum plugin?

As you might be able to create a forum using one of the top WordPress forum plugins, you may be curious about why you should still consider using Posts Table Pro. The main advantage is that you will have a more streamlined and structured approach to presenting threads compared to what most WordPress forum plugins provide by default. For instance:

• Users can perform a keyword search, sort by any column, or filter by category, filter, or any custom taxonomy. This makes it much easier for people to find new topics they're interested in.
• Plus, you can fully customize what information appears on your forum page, which isn't an option with most forum plugins.
• A Posts Table Pro forum layout will also look more modern and interactive than most forum plugins, straight out of the box.

Setup instructions

To get started, you’ll need to set up your free WordPress forum plugin first. We’ll use bbPress as our example, so first install and activate it. Then, purchase and install Posts Table Pro as well. Again, make sure to activate your license key.

After that, go to Post Tables → Settings. As in the previous section, you’ll want to check out the Post type option. However, this time you'll have a few more choices:

Configuring the post type and settings for displaying forum threads with Posts Table Pro

To showcase forum threads with Posts Table Pro, you can generate a table for each forum. To create a new table, navigate to Post Tables → Add New and follow the step-by-step process, ensuring you select the correct post type. In this case, you'll want to select the "reply" post type.

You can customize the rest of the settings to your liking. For specific recommendations on which options to check out, refer to the previous method. The important settings will be the same.

To add the completed table to your website, there are two simple methods available:

1. Use the Gutenberg editor to insert a 'Post Table' block.
2. Copy the shortcode from the last page of the WordPress table builder and paste it anywhere on your website.

Users will then be able to select individual threads in order to see their contents and post responses:

How to add a bbPress forum topic filter

If you have a forum with a large number of topics, adding a 'Topics' filter dropdown above the table of bbPress forum topics is an excellent option. You can do this by adding tax:topic-tag to the 'Filters' option on the Posts Table Pro plugin settings page.

Normally, it's not possible to filter by topic in bbPress straight out of the box, but with this feature, users can quickly and easily find the topics that interest them. It's equally a useful addition that makes it much easier to navigate large forums, and it can enhance the user experience by allowing them to find the content they want without needing to spend too much time searching.

How to list bbPress replies

In the previous section, we discussed how to list bbPress topics in a table format. However, there's another approach that you can consider. I instead of displaying topics, you can display the actual replies in a table layout. This can be useful if you want to show all the replies in a specific forum or thread in one place, without requiring users to click through to each individual topic.

To set this up, you'll still need to use Posts Table Pro and configure the appropriate settings. Make sure to select the "Reply" post type instead of "Topic". Once you've done this, the table will display all the replies in your selected forum or thread, along with their corresponding details.

This approach can be especially useful if you have a very active forum with a lot of replies. Here's an example of what the table might look like:

With that, you’ve successfully learned how to create and how to add forum in WordPress!

Conclusion

Forums are a handy feature on just about any small business or community-focused website. Additionally, their simplicity makes them a versatile tool – you can use your forum for support, and feedback, or also simply help your audience connect with one another and new members.

While WordPress doesn't include the functionality you’ll need out of the box, you can create your own forum easily using Posts Table Pro. You can use it in one of two ways:

1. Turn your WordPress site into a forum, using posts and pages as topics.
2. Combine Posts Table Pro with a dedicated WordPress forum plugin such as bbPress.

If you are still unsure about how to use Posts Table Pro to create and how to add forum in WordPress, don't hesitate to ask for help. Moreover, we understand that creating a forum can be a daunting task, especially if you are new to WordPress. Our team is here to help you every step of the way.

Feel free to leave a comment in the section below if you have any questions on how to add a forum to WordPress. We are especially committed to providing you with the support and guidance you need.

Image credit: Neal Stimler.

If you use your WordPress website to sell upcoming events, you’ll need an effective way to display them. While you can use a dedicated WooCommerce events plugin, these can be complex and weigh down your site – which is the last thing you want. Keep reading to learn the pros and cons of both options, and how to set them up.

Are you looking to create an events page for your WooCommerce store but not sure where to start? Look no further! In this comprehensive guide, I'll walk you through the process of creating a dynamic and engaging events page, with or without using an events plugin.

Surprisingly, there are several ways to add events to WooCommerce. Some involve using a fully featured events plugin, and others are simpler alternatives which achieve a similar result. You can either:

• Add a date picker to a WooCommerce product with the WooCommerce Product Options plugin, or;
• Use a traditional WooCommerce events plugin like Events Calendar with the Tickets add-on.

Whichever method you use, you can then list your events in a searchable table to help people find them more easily. The best way to do this is by installing the WooCommerce Product Table plugin.

In this post, I'm going to tell you all about both ways to create a WooCommerce events page. I'll also show you how to list your events in a table so that more people will find and book your events.

Let's get started!

Method 1: Add an event date field to your WooCommerce products

The easiest way to convert any WooCommerce product into an event is to add a simple date field to it. The WooCommerce Product Options plugin is perfect for this because it lets you add a wide range of extra fields to your products.

You can add a date field where customers choose a date and time from a calendar. In addition, you can add lots of other event-related fields, for example to collect extra information from attendees.

Using this method to create a WooCommerce events page is much simpler than using a dedicated events plugin. However, it's surprisingly powerful because you get everything you need to manage and sell events. For example, you can choose which dates and time slots are available. You can choose how far in advance people can book an event.

While the simple date picker field is missing some options such as setting a maximum number of attendees, it's ideal if you want a simple solution.

How to add a date field to a product

1. First, create the products that you will be adding the event date field to (Products → Add New).
2. Next, install the WooCommerce Product Options plugin.
3. Go to Products → Product Options in the WordPress Dashboard.
4. Create a new options group and give it a name that you will remember. Select the product(s) that you want the date field to appear on, or leave this field blank to add it to all products.
5. Next, click 'Add Option'. Choose the 'Date' option type.
6. Fill in all the options for your event date field.
7. Finally, visit the product page. You will see the event date field above the add to cart button.

Now go back and add any other fields that you need for your event pages. This is an excellent way to collect information about the people who will be attending your events. You can also sell extras, such as training handbooks or lunch.

Method 2: Use a WooCommerce events plugin

As we have seen, adding date calendar fields to your event products can be surprisingly sophisticated. However, if you want extra features such as managing availability and full ticket management, then you'll need a WooCommerce events plugin.

The Events Calendar is widely regarded as the best plugin to add and manage events in WooCommerce. This is thanks to its robust features, user-friendly interface, and seamless integration with the WooCommerce platform. The plugin has been designed with both simplicity and flexibility in mind, making it suitable for both novice and advanced users. When paired with the Event Tickets add-on, you can not only create and display events but also sell tickets for those events directly through your WooCommerce store.

Features

The main features of The Events Calendar include:

• Easy event creation: With a simple and intuitive interface, creating events becomes a breeze. Add details such as event name, date, time, location, description, and organizer information.
• Calendar view and list view: Display your events in a visually appealing calendar view or a straightforward list view, depending on your preferences and website design. These are ok if you just have a few events, but I recommend using Events Calendar with the WooCommerce Product Table plugin for a more structured and searchable display. We'll cover this later in this article.
• Responsive design: The Events Calendar is fully responsive, ensuring that your events page looks great on all devices, including desktop, tablet, and mobile.
• Customizable templates: Customize the look and feel of your individual events pages using pre-built templates, or create your own with custom CSS.
• Integration with Google Maps: Easily add location information to your events, and automatically display a Google Maps view for easy navigation.
• Recurring events: Schedule events that occur regularly, such as weekly or monthly, without having to create each event individually.
• Import and export functionality: Import events from other sources or export your events for use in other platforms.
• Event Tickets add-on: This powerful add-on allows you to sell tickets for your events, manage attendees, and even offer multiple ticket types (e.g., general admission, VIP, etc.).

Using Events Calendar to create WooCommerce events

1. Install and activate The Events Calendar plugin: Navigate to the 'Plugins' section in your WordPress dashboard. Click 'Add New', search for 'The Events Calendar', and then install and activate the plugin.
2. Install and activate the Event Tickets add-on: Similarly, search for 'Event Tickets' in the 'Add New' plugin section, then install and activate the plugin.
3. Now you need to purchase and install the premium version of Event Tickets. This is what adds the WooCommerce integration for selling access to your events.
4. Configure plugin settings: Go to Events → Settings in your WordPress dashboard to configure the plugin settings, such as your preferred calendar view, timezone, currency, and more.
5. Create an event: Click on Events → Add New to start creating your first event. Fill in the required event details, such as title, date, time, location, and description.
6. Add tickets to your event: With the Event Tickets add-on installed, you can add tickets to your events by scrolling down to the 'Tickets' section on the event editing page. Set ticket prices, quantity, and any other relevant details. This creates a WooCommerce product, which is your 'ticket'.

As you can see, Events Calendar requires a lot more setup than simply using WooCommerce Product Options to add an event date field to your products. However, this is the best option if you need the extra features that come with a dedicated WooCommerce events plugin.

Why you need a better way to display WooCommerce events on your website

A WordPress website is a fantastic way to showcase events and gather an audience for them. You can promote them to existing customers and new visitors, provide all the information they’ll need, and let them buy tickets or make reservations online.

Whichever of the above methods you use to turn WooCommerce products into bookable events, they involve setting up a dedicated page (i.e. a product) for each event. This is the best way to add and manage events. However, it does mean that visitors will need to navigate through a lot of different pages to see all your WooCommerce events, which isn’t ideal. The default WooCommerce store layout simply isn't appropriate for selling courses or events.

The solution to this problem is to create a searchable table-based WooCommerce events page like this:

Why list events in a WooCommerce table?

There are lots of reasons why a product table is ideal for creating a WooCommerce events page:

This plugin lets you create a product table organizing all your WooCommerce events into one place. You can include whatever information you like about each event. It’s a fantastic way to peak your visitors’ interest and encourage them to sign up for more events.

How to create a WooCommerce events page

Putting together a WooCommerce events table is simple. Before you do this, make sure you have created your events using one of the methods described above. WooCommerce Product Table works with either method.

Follow the simple steps below to display your WooCommerce events effectively. The end result will look similar to our events list demo page.

Step 1: Install the WooCommerce Product Table plugin

Naturally, the first thing you’ll need to do is get your hands on WooCommerce Product Table.

When you purchase the plugin, you’ll be provided with a zip folder containing all its files. You’ll want to save this to your computer. Then, in your WordPress dashboard, click on Plugins → Add New, select Upload Plugin, and use the Choose File button to locate that zip folder:

After that, select Install Now to add the plugin to your site. When you see a link labeled Activate, click on that as well.

Next, navigate to WooCommerce → Settings → Products, and click on Product tables. 

Here, enter the license key you were given in your purchase confirmation email. This will get WooCommerce Product Table fully set up on your site.

Step 2: Create your WooCommerce events page

Now, it’s time to create the page where your WooCommerce events will be displayed. To do that, just navigate to Pages → Add New:

The next step depends on whether you're using the Classic Editor or Gutenberg:

• Classic Editor - Click the 'Insert Product Table' toolbar button. This adds a [product_table] shortcode to the page.
• Gutenberg - Add the [product_table] shortcode to a 'Shortcode' block.
  

You’ll see a shortcode added into your page. This is a small snippet of code that tells WordPress to display a product table wherever it’s placed. It will automatically apply any settings you’ve configured as well (more on this in the next step).

For now, you can select Preview to see your WooCommerce events page in action:

It may look a little bare-bones right now, and some of the labels used don't quite make sense (for example, the Buy column will need to be renamed). However, don't worry! Next up, we’re going to show you how to customize your WooCommerce events list.

Note: If you're using WooCommerce Product Table with the Events Calendar plugin, then these instructions will list your tickets in a table - not the actual events. If you want to list the events instead of the tickets then we have another tutorial on how to do that.

Step 3: Configure your WooCommerce events table

At this point, save your new WooCommerce events page as a draft. You may want to keep it open in its own tab, so you can refresh it to see the effects of the changes you’ll be applying. Then, navigate back to WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Product tables.

On this page (where you entered your license key earlier), you’ll find lots of settings that let you customize exactly how your product table looks and functions. You can check out all the options in the plugin’s documentation, and find instructions for how to configure them.

For now, let’s touch on the settings that are most important when building a WooCommerce events table. Your first stop should be the Columns option:

Here, you can list out each column you want in included in your table. Try to strike a balance between providing all the necessary information, and not overwhelming your visitors. For an events table, we’d recommend the following columns at a minimum: image, name, summary, categories, price, and buy.

Right below that, you’ll definitely want to check the Quantity selectors box. That way, if people want to bring along friends or family to the event, they can reserve multiple places at once.

Next, check out the Add to cart button option:

If you choose Button and checkbox, customers will be able to purchase tickets for more than one event at a time, and add everything to their cart with a single click. This is a smart way to streamline their experience.

Then, take a look at the Filter dropdowns field:

You may want to select Show based on columns in table here. This will place one or more drop-down menus above your WooCommerce events table. Especially if you offer more than a few events, this makes your page much more user-friendly.

Finally, you may want to rename some of the labels in your events table. For instance, instead of using Buy above the final column, you could use something more events-specific, such as Book Now. To do that, scroll back up to the Columns field, add a colon after buy and then type in whatever label you'd like to use:

This same method will work for any column you want to rename. You can also change the label for the button that will appear above the table, enabling customers to 'purchase' more than one event at a time. Simply find the 'Add Selected to Cart' text field, and rename it something like Book Selected Events instead.

Change the add to cart button text

Last but not least, you can also change the text on the actual Add to Cart buttons. For that, you'll need the free WooCommerce Custom Add to Cart Button plugin:

Install and activate the plugin on your site, and then navigate to WooCommerce → Customize. There, select WooCommerce, and then Add to Cart Buttons. There, you can include any text you'd like to use for these buttons in your events table. Don't forget to hit the Publish button when you're done.

With that, your WooCommerce events table should be looking much more professional, and will have a lot of new features. You can check it out by reloading or re-opening the page you created earlier:

You can continue to customize your product table settings as much as you’d like. When you’re done, simply publish the WooCommerce events list page. Visitors to your site will immediately be able to use it to reserve their spot in your upcoming events!

Step 4 (optional) - Add quick view to the list of events

So far, I've shown you how to list events in WooCommerce with all the information and purchase options in a table. If you want to display extra information that won't fit neatly into a table option, then you can send customers to the single product page for each event. However, this loses momentum and makes the customer less likely to book multiple events. It's better to keep them on a single page while they're choosing their events.

The solution is to add quick view buttons to your list of events. You can do this with the WooCommerce Quick View Pro plugin, which is designed to work with WooCommerce Product Table. This adds lots of flexibility to your WooCommerce event listings. For example:

• If you want to show multiple images from previous events, you can show the full product image gallery in a quick view lightbox. This really brings the event to life, making people more likely to book a place. There are 2 options for how to display the image gallery (thumbnails or bullet navigation).
• Customers can buy product variations directly from the quick view popup. For example, they can choose different ticket options for each event and add them to the cart.
• You can show extra information such as the event short description and price.

What types of event can I sell in WooCommerce?

The fantastic thing about this method is that you can use it to sell literally any type of events. For example:

• Live in-person events Admissions tickets, live music or comedy events, charity events, concerts, conferences, dating events, festivals, meet-ups, performances
• Online events Livestreams, live coaching, online conferences, webinars.
• Courses Bootcamps, classes, crash courses, test preparation or interview training, training courses, webinars.

Now let’s see what a lightweight list of WooCommerce events looks like in action.

Case study: Using WooCommerce to sell event tickets

To get a taste for what you can accomplish using the WooCommerce Product Table plugin, you can check out the website Weave The Ring:

Here, you’ll find a well-designed WooCommerce events product table. Each event is listed on its own row, along with key details such as its description, category, price, and even a featured image.

Customers can scroll through the table to see all the events on offer, or use the filter at the top to sort the table by a specific category. This helps them find what they’re looking for more quickly. They can also click on each event’s title to visit its dedicated page, in case they want more information.

When a visitor knows what event they want to see, they can use the quantity selector to choose how many people will be attending. Then, they can click on the handy Add to cart button to make their purchase. If they’re interested in multiple events, they can even select everything at once using the checkboxes under the Buy column, then use the Add Selected to Cart button at the top of the table.

You may want to visit this site yourself, in order to try out the table and get a better sense for its functionality. Then, come back here to learn how to create your own WooCommerce events page!

Case study - Selling WooCommerce events imported from Moodle

Tallahassee Christian College and Training Center use WooCommerce to register for their higher education and training courses. They use the free Edwiser Bridge plugin to integrate their WordPress WooCommerce website with Moodle, automatically importing their courses as WooCommerce products.

They use WooCommerce Product Table to list the courses in a table layout. Students can quickly filter the table by category or tag, and click through to the single product page to register.

Bonus: How to sell entry tickets in WooCommerce

You can use the techniques discussed in this tutorial to sell entry tickets to a range of locations including museums, art galleries, tourist attractions, or events. Again, you only need WooCommerce and WooCommerce Product Table, and don't need an events plugin.

Simply add each type of entrance ticket as a product (with variations, if required) and list them using WooCommerce Product Table. Activate user-friendly features such as add to cart checkboxes so that visitors can select multiple ticket types and add them to the cart together. For example, a parent might select 2 child tickets and 2 adult tickets before purchasing them all together.

Bonus: Set the default ticket quantity to zero

In WooCommerce, the default quantity for buying products is always 1. This applies to any type of products, including events and entrance tickets. However, a default quantity of 0 is actually more appropriate when selling tickets, seats for theatre shows, or places on courses or events.

You can easily change the default quantity to zero by installing the WooCommerce Default Quantity plugin. That way, shoppers can change the required quantity for each ticket to any number they choose before adding them to the cart.

Where to get the plugins

In conclusion, creating a dynamic and engaging events page for your WooCommerce store doesn't have to be a daunting task. This guide has outlined two primary methods to achieve this goal:

• Using the WooCommerce Product Options plugin to add a date picker field to your products, or;
• Opting for a traditional WooCommerce events plugin like Events Calendar with the Tickets add-on.

To further enhance your events page, you can use the WooCommerce Product Table plugin for a searchable and user-friendly event listing experience.

By carefully considering the pros and cons of each option and assessing your specific needs, you can make an informed decision that best suits your website. Whichever method you choose, remember that the ultimate goal is to create an events page that is both visually appealing and functional. It must make it easy for your customers to discover and book your events. With the right tools and strategies, your WooCommerce events page can become a valuable asset for promoting your upcoming events and driving sales.

Do you have any questions about how to set up the perfect WooCommerce events page? Ask away in the comments section below!

Schools are one of the biggest users of the WooCommerce Protected Categories plugin. Distributors and edtech companies use this amazing tool to sell uniforms, stationery, and other branded outreach products to parents and schools. Other startups sell booklists, webinars, and professional development courses to schools they supply. Only authorized people can access the hidden store for each school, and it's completely hidden from public view.

And the schools?

School boards, colleges and universities can create hidden and safe areas themselves to sell products for pupils, parents, and alumni.

What is WooCommerce Protected Categories?

WooCommerce Protected Categories is basically a tool to sell anything to anyone in a secure and private way. You can use this WordPress plugin to make your whole online store private, with a separate private area for each stakeholder or user group. Or alternatively, you can use it alongside a public shop, selling a mix of public and school-only products.

With so many educators - from individual K-12 schools and higher education colleges to entire school districts -  using the plugin, you can rest assured that it's fully optimized for your use case.

Whether you wish to sell branded products or books to schools, the plugin allows you to create private categories for each school. You can hide each category behind a simple password and give the password to parents, teachers and other customers. Or for added security, you can restrict the category to specific users on your WordPress website, or even entire user roles.

Educators and their suppliers use the WooCommerce Hide Categories plugin to keep information safe and make sure their products are facing the right audience to fit in with their overall marketing strategy. Its central login page gives each school access to their own hidden category. There is no longer a need to create a separate shop and sales process for different clients or schools.

This plugin is easily the most versatile WooCommerce protection suite on the market.

Benefits of the plugin

Undoubtedly, one of the main benefits of the WooCommerce Protected Categories plugin is the opportunity to create one or more hidden areas to sell to each school.

You aren’t just limited to a single product category for each school. That would be confusing and might limit you in terms of setting pricing. You can create multiple categories with different passwords. This allows you to manage and oversee products for different customers (school leaders and decision-makers, parents, alumni, or students).

How to create hidden WooCommerce categories for schools

Setting up your own store for selling to schools - or setting up a store if you are a school - takes less time than you think. Let's take a look at how to do it in a few simple steps:

Step 1: Get the WooCommerce Protected Categories Plugin

Download the plugin to start creating the hidden stores for schools or school suppliers.

Step 2: Install the Plugin

Once you have downloaded the plugin, install it and enter the license key you received in the confirmation email.

Step 3: Fill in the plugin settings page

When you open the plugin settings page, stay away from the boxes that show the products and protected categories in the public parts of your WooCommerce store. This keeps the shop for each school secure and hidden from everyone else.

Change any other settings to configure the plugin in the way that best suits your sector of the education industry, be it high school, college, or universities. For example, if you're using it to create WooCommerce password protected categories then you can change the wording on the password login form. If you're restricting each school's category to specific WordPress user roles or users, then you can choose what happens when they're not logged in.

Step 4: Visit WordPress Admin > Products > Categories

Open the Categories page and create a new category for each school or group you want to sell to. You can make structures based on category and sub-category levels. There is literally no limitation as to how you can organize these - by school age, at the district level, or by some other metric; it's up to you

Step 5: Select ‘Protected’ and choose a protection option

Select 'Protected' to hide the main category for each school or group. You can find this in the Visibility section of the page where you add or edit the category.

For each protected school category, choose whether you want to password protect it, or automatically unlock it for individual logged in users or specific user roles. You can also mix and match these options as needed.

Note: When you add sub-categories, make sure to leave these child categories set to ‘Public’. The main password you set for the ‘Parent’ category will apply to the sub-categories, too.

Step 6: Add the Products

Next, add the products to the category for each school. Keep the default visibility settings of the individual product, as the WooCommerce Protected Categories plugin will protect them automatically under the parent category. The product will be secure and hidden even if an unauthorized user tries to access it directly.

Step 7: Add the Shortcode

If you're using the options to unlock the school shops for logged in users or roles, then add each school's category to the navigation menu (Appearance > Menus). Logged out users won't be able to see this menu link. When a school or parent logs into their account, the link will appear so they can access their hidden shop.

Finally, if you're using password protected WooCommerce categories for schools, then you need to create a central school login page. Add the following shortcode wherever you want schools to login:

[category_login]

When a school, organization or parent enters a correct password, the plugin will automatically direct them to the category that matches their password.

That’s all! These really simple steps will give you access to everything you needed to sell securely to schools and parents with WordPress and WooCommerce.

How to create a WooCommerce private store for a single school

So far, we've talked about the WooCommerce Protected Categories plugin because it's the only way to create multiple hidden shops - one for each school. If you need a single hidden school shop that is completely hidden to the outside but open to everyone inside, you need the WooCommerce Private Store plugin instead.

WooCommerce Private Store is even easier to use. It will let you use passwords and user logins to hide the school's shop from your website. Your remaining pages will be public, such as the school homepage and other public information.

For example, if you're an individual school then you might want to add a hidden WooCommerce store to your school website. You want to protect all your products so that only authorized parents and teachers can see and buy them. If you want all authorized users to see all your school's products, then WooCommerce Private Store is a quick and simple solution.

Get WooCommerce Private Store

Related tutorial: How to Create a WooCommerce Pay Later System for Schools & Other Repeat Customers

How to take orders for school dinners online

While we're talking about using WooCommerce to sell to schools, you might like our other tutorial about how to take school dinner orders online. Parents can select the quantity of each food that is required on each day of the week, and pay online using WooCommerce. It works beautifully with Password Protected Categories, providing an easy way to securely receive orders for school dinners.

Where to get the plugin

The WooCommerce Protected Categories plugin is hugely popular among companies and organizations that sell to schools, as well as schools themselves. Don't miss out - get the plugin today!

E-commerce is big business. It's also incredibly competitive, which means you need to take advantage of proven techniques to give yourself the best chance for success and make money by selling online. Rarely is this more true than when you’re trying to sell clothes online, given the saturation of the online fashion market.

To encourage customers to choose you over the competition, you’ll want to make buying clothes on your website a convenient and streamlined experience. This means finding a way to display your clothing products and options effectively, such as by using a customized product table.

Or perhaps you need a quick and easy way for customers to choose clothes sizes, colors and other options?

Best plugins for selling clothes online

In this guide, we’ll introduce you to the best plugins for selling clothes online with WooCommerce. This includes:

• WooCommerce Product Table - List clothing products in a quick order form layout which is perfect for one-page shopping. (Learn more.)
• WooCommerce Product Filters - Add advanced filters so that customers can quickly find closed based on size, color, price, and more. (Learn more.)
• Bulk Variations - Display all of the options for an item of clothing in a quick buying grid, so that customers can purchase multiple sizes and colors with ease. (Learn more.)
• Quick View Pro - Let customers preview products and add to the cart without leaving the shop page. (Learn more.)
• WooCommerce Fast Cart - And finally, provide the fastest possible way for customers to review and complete their order. (Learn more.)
• Product Options - Add extra options in order to sell customizable products. For example, add file upload fields for a logo, or text message fields for a custom message. (Learn more.)

All of these amazing plugins make it easier for customers to browse and buy clothing such as t-shirts, shoes or accessories. They are all either developed by the same company or guaranteed to be compatible. As a result, you can mix and match them to create a robust clothing store that meets your exact business needs. You can either buy them individually or save money with an All Access Pass.

Let’s get started!

Plugin 1: Why your clothing store can benefit from a customized product table

Some online consignment shops (like Etsy, thredUP or Poshmark) sell products that require a lot of detailed information. For instance, an online electronics shop will usually merit dedicated pages to explain the ins and outs of each item.

However, a clothing store is a little different as is the case with thredUP, Tradesy, and Poshmark. If you're running this kind of e-commerce site, chances are your products are pretty simple to grasp. Most customers won’t need a lot of information in order to know whether they want to buy a particular shirt, for example. They’ll just want to know what it looks like, and see the options when it comes to colors and sizes.

Therefore, making visitors navigate to a bunch of individual product pages – as in a traditional e-commerce store layout – can be counterproductive when you’re trying to sell clothes online. Some customers might like this extra information, but most want a quick buying process. Instead, you can show off everything you have to offer in a concise product table.

Keep in mind that you don't need to compete with high-end brands that sell luxury items like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, or Prada right off the bat.

This lets customers view all the clothing options in one place. They can compare products easily, and add everything they want to their carts from a single page. Once they're done, they can proceed to checkout and make the payment through the payment options you offer (such as PayPal). It's just like buying in a physical clothing store! What’s more, it's simple to set up if you have the right plugin.

Introducing WooCommerce Product Table

While WordPress and WooCommerce are the perfect foundation to sell clothing online, they're missing some essential features. For example, they don't provide a way to show off all your items on a single organized page, similar to eBay. Luckily, you can easily listing clothing products with the WooCommerce Product Table plugin:

This plugin helps you create a customized product table to display any or all of your clothing products. Among its many features, this plugin:

Best of all, WooCommerce Product Table is simple to use and only takes a few minutes to set up.

Try out the WooCommerce Product Table clothing store demo for yourself!

How to sell clothes online with WooCommerce Product Table

In the following tutorial, we’re going to assume that you already have a WooCommerce store set up to sell clothes online. If you’re creating a brand-new e-commerce site, therefore, you'll want to do three things before proceeding:

1. Set up a basic WordPress website.
2. Install WooCommerce, and go through its setup wizard to configure your store.
3. Add all your clothing and other items as individual WooCommerce products.

Once those tasks are out of the way, you’re ready to get started.

Install and activate WooCommerce Product Table

First up, you’ll want to get the WooCommerce Product Table plugin running on your clothing website. To do that, you’ll need to purchase the plugin online.

You’ll be provided with a zipped folder containing all the files necessary for the plugin to work. Log in to your WordPress dashboard, and upload this folder via Plugins → Add New:

After the plugin is installed, don’t forget to activate it. Next, the plugin setup wizard will open. It tells you to paste in the license key you were sent via email at the time of purchase. It also walks you through the main settings for your product tables. This will get WooCommerce Product Table fully up and running, ready to start selling clothes online.

Popular settings for selling clothes online

Here are some tips on which settings to choose in the setup wizard:

Display - Where to display product tables

Tick all these boxes if you want to use the product table layout throughout your clothing store. This replaces the default layout in your theme with the order form view.

WooCommerce Product Table also comes with a shortcode which you can use to manually insert product tables into other pages on your site. However, most clothing stores will want to use the automatic method.

Table content

Next, use the Columns field to specify what information will appear in the product tables.

You’ll probably want to include images, as well as a few details about each item such as its category, description, and sale price. And don't forget to include the product name and a 'Buy' column!

You can read up on all the column options in the plugin’s documentation.

On this page, you can also enable the lazy load option. I recommend doing this if you have more than a couple of dozen clothing products in your store.

Adding to the cart

The add to cart method controls what appears in the 'Buy' column of the table. If your customers are likely to choose one clothing item at a time then use the 'Button' method. Alternatively, select 'Checkbox' (or 'Both') to allow customers to use multi-select to add multiple clothing products at once.

Right below that, you probably want to check the 'Quantities' box. This will enable customers to purchase more than one of each item directly from the product table page. That's a useful feature for a clothing store to have, as it's quicker than visiting a separate page for each product.

Most importantly, you’ll want to choose one of the latter two options under Product variations:

This setting displays your items’ variations right within the table. In other words, customers will be able to see and select all clothing options, such as colors and sizes. You can either display these variations as dropdown menus, or on their own rows.

Product filters

Nearly all stores that use WooCommerce to sell clothes online need some sort of filtering. This allows customers to select details about what they're looking for (e.g. their size or preferred colors) and quickly narrow down their selections.

WooCommerce Product Table comes with some basic filter dropdowns which you can enable above the table. You can enable them on the next page of the setup wizard. Alternatively, leave this option empty if you want to add more advanced features. We'll look at how to do that a bit later.

Preview your WooCommerce clothing store

Now, the basics are in place to sell clothes online in WooCommerce. You can see what it looks like so far by viewing your main shop page on the front end. Depending on your settings, it might look something like this: 

You can continue to make changes – anything you alter in the settings will be instantly applied to your product tables. When you’re happy with the way your table looks and functions, you're done!

Your site is now ready to publish. However, you might want to add some extra features to truly supercharge your WooCommerce clothes website. We'll look at these next.

Plugin 2: Use advanced product filters to help customers find specific clothes more easily

In step 1, we learned how to use the basic filter dropdowns that come with WooCommerce Product Table. For more advanced filtering, you can use the WooCommerce Product Filters plugin instead.

As you can see in the screenshot above, this is perfect for helping customers to find exactly what clothes they like. They can filter by category, color, size, price, rating, and any other data you have added for your clothing products. They look great and you can choose from various filter styles, such as images, color swatches, checkboxes, sliders, and more.

If you have a lot of clothing products then advanced WooCommerce filtering is a must for selling clothes online.

How to add filters to your WooCommerce clothes store

1. Install the WooCommerce Product Filters plugin.
2. Activate your license key in the setup wizard, and choose how you want your filters to behave. One of the options in the wizard allows you to display the default filter group at the top of all your shop pages. Select this if you want to show filters above the list of clothes in your store. Or if you want the filters to appear in the sidebar on the left or right of the list of clothes, then ignore this.
3. Next, go to Products → Filters and add all the ways that you want your customers to be able to filter products.
4. If you selected to display the default filter group at the top of your clothes shop in Step 2, then ignore this step. Alternatively, go to Appearance → Widgets and use the Product Filters widget to display the filters in your store sidebar.

Plugin 3: Create a grid of color and size options

Have you used product variations to sell different size and color options of the clothes in your store (or any other type of option)? If so, then WooCommerce will normally display each option as a dropdown for customers to choose from. Once they select a size and color (for example), the price appears and they can add it to the cart. They then repeat the process for each combination of options they want to order.

That's not ideal for selling clothes in WooCommerce because customers tend to order multiple sizes and colors to try. It's much better if customers can see all the options and prices at once.

You can do this by installing the WooCommerce Bulk Variations plugin. To help you decide if you need it, then see whether you answer 'Yes' to any of these questions:

• Would you like a faster way to add and edit variations in bulk. For example, do you want to be able to instantly add an image of a blue t-shirt to all the blue variations on your t-shirt product? Or do you want to be able to quickly set the price of all the 'Large' size t-shirts at once?
• Do you want people to be able to select clothing sizes and other options in bulk on the single product page?

Instead of having to select their clothes size from a dropdown, WooCommerce Bulk Variations displays all the options in an eye-catching grid or matrix.

A WooCommerce bulk variations form is ideal for selling clothes in larger quantities. For example, you'll need this if you're selling clothes for parties or corporate events, branded workwear, or wholesale.

The variations are displayed in two dimensions within the matrix-style order form. The customer can enter the quantity that they require for each option, and quickly add them all to the cart.

Case study: Elite Teamsport

Elite Teamsport uses WooCommerce Bulk Variations to sell teamwear kits and training wear on their online store.

From the single product page, customers can choose to either buy one variation at a time or select multiple options and add them all to their cart at once. The WooCommerce Bulk Variations plugin displays all of the available variations in a grid layout with size and color attributes. This makes it easy to buy multiple variations of a product and reduces friction in the buying process.

Customers can use the quantity selectors to specify how many units of each product. They can then click the Add to Basket button to add them to their shopping cart in one go.

How to set up WooCommerce Bulk Variations

1. Install WooCommerce Bulk Variations on your site.
2. The setup wizard will open. Use this to set up the plugin, including enabling it on your variable products.
3. To edit variations in bulk, go to the 'Variations' tab on the 'Edit Product' screen. Use the 'Filters' bar to select which variations you want to edit. Next, use the bulk actions dropdown above to apply changes in bulk.

Tip - WooCommerce Bulk Variations lets you edit and display variations. If you want one of these features but not both, that's fine - just activate the ones you need. 

Plugin 4: Add quick view to your clothes store

You can take your store to the next level by combining the table layout with product quick view.

Think about when you've bought high-quality clothing or handbags online from leading fashion websites like Etsy, thredUP, Tradesy, and Poshmark. You've probably noticed that nearly all of them offer some sort of quick view function. This is where you can see extra pictures and buy without having to visit a separate page for each garment. There's a reason for this - it's because quick view is a much more user-friendly way to sell clothes online.

That's why you need the WooCommerce Quick View Plugin. This handy tool adds - you guessed it - quick view links or buttons to your WooCommerce clothing store. Customers can use these to view more photos of each clothing item, zoom in on images, view the selling price, and buy directly from a quick view popup. You can also show the short description in the quick view, which is a useful place to add size charts, washing instructions and other useful information.

If you're selling customized clothing, then quick view is ideal for this too. Use it with the Product Options plugin to add text input boxes. This is where customers can upload a logo or enter a personalised message to be added to their custom clothing product.

You can use quick view with product tables. Alternatively, it also works as a standalone product that adds quick view buttons to the default WooCommerce store layouts.

If you're using the WooCommerce Bulk Variations plugin, then the variations matrix can appear in the quick view lightbox. That way, people can select variations and buy in bulk without having to access a separate page for each garment.

How to add quick view to your WooCommerce clothes store

As we saw earlier, the WooCommerce Quick View Pro plugin is a must if you're selling clothes with WooCommerce and WordPress. This how to set it up:

1. Install and activate WooCommerce Quick View Pro.
2. Go to the plugin settings page at WooCommerce → Settings  → Products → Quick view.
3. Enter your license key and choose what you want to appear in the quick view lightbox. For selling clothes, you'll probably want the full product image gallery, image zoom, and possibly the short description and add to cart options.
4. If you're using WooCommerce quick view with product tables, then you should also go back to WooCommerce → Settings  → Products → Product tables. Add quick_view to the list of product table columns, or tick the option further down the page to replace links to the single product page with quick view.

Plugin 5: Speed up ordering with an on-page cart and checkout

Plugins like Product Table, Product Filters and Quick View Pro make it quicker and easier for customers to find and add products. In contrast, the WooCommerce Fast Cart plugin speeds up the final stages of the ordering process.

Normally, WooCommerce makes customers visit separate cart and checkout pages to complete their order. That's quite time-consuming, and your WooCommerce clothes store will convert better if they can complete their order on the same page.

WooCommerce Fast Cart adds a popup cart and/or checkout to your store. As soon as customers add clothes to their cart, the popup cart either launches automatically or a floating cart icon appears. They can use this to review their selections, make changes, add related products, and even pay and check out - without ever leaving the page.

Plugin 6: Sell customizable clothes with product add-on options

The above three steps are sufficient for creating a fully-featured and compelling product table. However, there’s one more tool you may want to consider adding to your site: Product Options.

This add-on lets customers further personalize their purchases. You can enable them to add on items to their orders, via input boxes, drop-down menus, and checkboxes. If you offer personalized clothing and accessories, this extension will also make it easy for customers to request custom messaging.

For example, if you want to sell personalized custom t-shirts online then Product Add-Ons is a must. You can use it to add check boxes for optional extras, and a text entry box to add a personalized message. It's even possible to include a File Upload field (e.g. to upload a custom logo or design), although customers will need to click through to the single product page to use this.

As you can see, Product Add-Ons is a valuable addition that helps you sell clothes online more effectively. The extra product options appear on the single product page and also in the 'Buy' column of the product table.

Where to get the plugins

If you’re looking to sell clothes online, you’ll need to use the most effective strategies in order to stand out. This includes finding a way to show customers everything you have to offer – and all the relevant variations – in one convenient place.

Fortunately, this is a simple matter with the plugins featured in this article:

• Product Table - perfect for listing clothes in a flexible order form layout.
• Product Filters - ideal for helping customers to find products more quickly.
• Bulk Variations - perfect for letting customers choose sizes and other options in bulk on the product page, and for bulk editing variations.
• Quick View Pro - perfect for speeding up shopping.
• Fast Cart - ideal for speeding up the final stages of the customer journey.
• Product Options - essential for selling customizable clothing products.

Use the plugins alone or together to create a professional clothing store that will be a pleasure to use. You can save money with an All Access Pass. They all come with full support, documentation and a full 30-day money back guarantee.

Do you have any questions about how to sell clothes online with WooCommerce? Let us know in the comments section below!