Sort Product Catalog

Take complete control of your WooCommerce product display with 20+ sorting options, drag-and-drop ordering, scheduling, role-based sorting, and integrated analytics.

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Configuration

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Accessing Settings

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Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Sort Product Catalog to access all configuration options.

Settings Tabs

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Tab	Purpose
General	Enable plugin, set defaults, products per page
Sorting Options	Enable/disable and label each sorting option
Category Rules	Per-category and per-tag sorting overrides
Manual Sorting	Drag-and-drop product ordering
Scheduling	Time-based sorting rules
User Roles	Role-based sorting defaults
Analytics	Sorting usage tracking settings
Appearance	Dropdown styling and display
Advanced	Debug mode, import/export, data management

General Settings

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Setting	Description	Default
Enable Plugin	Master switch to enable/disable all features	Enabled
Default Sort (Desktop)	Default sorting for desktop visitors	Menu Order
Default Sort (Mobile)	Different default for mobile (optional)	Same as desktop
Products Per Page	Number of products shown per page	12
Hide Native Dropdown	Remove WooCommerce’s sorting dropdown	No
Remember Customer Preference	Save visitor’s sorting choice	Yes

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Sorting Options

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Available Options

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Sort Product Catalog includes 20+ sorting options:

Option	Key	Description
Default	menu_order	WordPress menu order
Popularity	popularity	By total sales count
Average Rating	rating	By customer review rating
Newest	date	Most recent first
Oldest	date-asc	Oldest first
Price: Low to High	price	Ascending price
Price: High to Low	price-desc	Descending price
Alphabetical: A-Z	title	Product name A to Z
Alphabetical: Z-A	title-desc	Product name Z to A
SKU: A-Z	sku	SKU ascending
SKU: Z-A	sku-desc	SKU descending
In Stock First	stock_status	Available products first
By Stock Quantity	stock_quantity	Most stock first
On Sale First	on_sale	Sale items prioritized
Featured First	featured	Featured products first
Biggest Discount First	discount	Highest discount percentage
Most Reviewed	review_count	Most reviews first
Random	rand	Randomized order
Recently Modified	modified	Recently updated first
Manual Order	manual	Custom drag-and-drop order

Managing Sorting Options

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1. Go to Sorting Options tab
2. Toggle each option on/off using the switch
3. Customize the label shown in the dropdown
4. Use Enable All or Disable All for bulk actions
5. Click Save Changes

Custom Labels

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Personalize sorting labels to match your brand:

• “Best Sellers” instead of “Popularity”
• “New Arrivals” instead of “Newest”
• “Biggest Savings” instead of “Biggest Discount First”

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Category & Tag Rules

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Create specific sorting rules for individual categories or product tags.

Creating a Category Rule

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1. Go to Category Rules tab
2. Click Add Category Rule
3. Select a Category or Tag
4. Choose the Default Sort for that category
5. Optionally override Products Per Page
6. Click Save Changes

Rule Priority

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When a product belongs to multiple categories with rules:

• More specific rules take priority
• Child categories override parent categories
• Tag rules can be configured with custom priority

Examples

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Category	Default Sort	Products/Page
Sale	Biggest Discount First	24
New Arrivals	Newest	12
Best Sellers	Popularity	16

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Manual Product Ordering

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Arrange products exactly how you want with drag-and-drop ordering.

Accessing Manual Sorting

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1. Go to Manual Sorting tab
2. Select the Scope:

• Shop-wide – Applies to all shop pages
• Category – Specific category only
• Tag – Specific tag only

1. Products load in a sortable list

Ordering Products

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1. Drag and drop products to reorder
2. Use Search to find specific products
3. Filter by category if needed
4. Paginate through large catalogs
5. Changes save automatically

How It Works

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• Manual order is stored as product menu_order
• When “Manual Order” sorting is active, products display in your custom sequence
• Works independently per category/tag when scoped

Tips

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• Pin featured products to the top
• Group related products together
• Move slow-moving inventory up for visibility
• Rearrange after restocking

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Scheduling

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Automate sorting changes for promotions, seasons, or special events.

Creating a Schedule

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1. Go to Scheduling tab
2. Click Add Schedule
3. Configure:

• Name – Descriptive title (e.g., “Black Friday Sale”)
• Sorting – Which sorting to apply
• Scope – Shop-wide, category, or tag
• Start Date/Time – When schedule begins
• End Date/Time – When schedule ends
• Recurrence – One-time or recurring
• Priority – Higher number = higher priority

1. Click Save

Recurrence Options

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Type	Description
One-time	Runs once between start and end dates
Daily	Repeats every day at the same time
Weekly	Repeats every week on the same day
Monthly	Repeats every month on the same date
Yearly	Repeats annually (great for holidays)

Priority System

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When multiple schedules overlap:

• Higher priority number takes precedence
• Equal priority: most recently created wins
• Default sorting applies when no schedule is active

Example Schedules

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Name	Sorting	Dates	Recurrence
Black Friday	Biggest Discount	Nov 24-27	Yearly
Weekend Features	Featured First	Sat-Sun	Weekly
New Month Refresh	Newest	1st-3rd	Monthly
Flash Sale	On Sale First	One-time	One-time

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Role-Based Sorting

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Show different default sorting to different user types.

Configuring Role-Based Sorting

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1. Go to User Roles tab
2. For each role, select the Default Sorting:

• Administrator
• Shop Manager
• Customer
• Subscriber
• Wholesale Customer (if using wholesale plugin)
• Custom roles

1. Set Priority for users with multiple roles
2. Click Save Changes

Use Cases

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Role	Default Sorting	Reason
Wholesale	Price: Low to High	Cost-focused buyers
Customer	Popularity	Social proof browsing
Shop Manager	Stock Quantity	Inventory management
Guest	Featured First	Highlight key products

Priority When Multi-Role

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If a user has multiple roles (e.g., Customer + Wholesale):

• Assign priority numbers to each role
• Highest priority role’s sorting applies

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Analytics

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Track which sorting options your customers use most.

Enabling Analytics

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1. Go to Analytics tab or Advanced tab
2. Enable Track Sorting Usage
3. Analytics begin collecting immediately

Viewing Analytics

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1. Go to WooCommerce > Analytics > Sorting Analytics
2. Select date range using the date picker
3. View data for:

• Shop page sorting usage
• Category pages sorting usage
• Tag pages sorting usage

Analytics Data

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Metric	Description
Page Views	Total views of that page type
Sorting Option	Which sort was active
Usage Count	How many times that option was used
Percentage	Share of total usage

Using Analytics Data

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• Identify popular sorting preferences
• Set better defaults based on actual usage
• A/B test different default sorting
• Optimize for conversion

Privacy

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• Server-side tracking only (no client scripts)
• No personally identifiable information stored
• Session-based tracking
• Can be disabled anytime
• Compliant with privacy regulations

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Appearance Settings

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Customize how the sorting dropdown looks on your store.

Dropdown Styling

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Setting	Description
Text Before Dropdown	Label shown before dropdown (e.g., “Sort by:”)
Text After Dropdown	Text shown after dropdown
Show Result Count	Display “Showing X of Y products”
Dropdown Width	CSS width value (e.g., 200px, auto)

Custom CSS

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Add custom styling in your theme or Customizer:

/* Sorting dropdown container */
.woocommerce-ordering {
    margin-bottom: 20px;
}

/* Dropdown select element */
.woocommerce-ordering select.orderby {
    padding: 10px 15px;
    border-radius: 4px;
    border: 1px solid #ddd;
}

/* Result count text */
.woocommerce-result-count {
    font-size: 14px;
    color: #666;
}

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Mobile-Specific Defaults

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Optimize sorting for mobile shoppers with separate defaults.

Why Mobile Defaults?

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Mobile users may prefer different sorting:

• Smaller screens favor visual browsing
• Different purchasing behavior
• Touch interface considerations

Configuring Mobile Defaults

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1. Go to General tab
2. Enable Different Default for Mobile
3. Select Mobile Default Sort
4. Click Save Changes

Detection Method

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Mobile detection uses WordPress’s wp_is_mobile() function:

• Tablets may be detected as mobile
• Based on user agent
• Server-side detection (no JavaScript)

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Customer Preference Memory

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Remember each visitor’s preferred sorting option.

How It Works

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1. Customer changes sorting on your shop
2. Preference is saved to their browser (localStorage)
3. On next visit, their preferred sorting is automatically applied
4. Works for both guests and logged-in customers

Enabling/Disabling

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1. Go to General tab
2. Toggle Remember Customer Preference
3. Click Save Changes

Technical Details

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• Uses browser localStorage
• No server-side storage for guests
• Logged-in users can optionally save to user meta
• Clears when browser data is cleared

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Import/Export Settings

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Backup and migrate your configuration easily.

Exporting Settings

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1. Go to Advanced tab
2. Click Export Settings
3. A JSON file downloads with all settings:

• General settings
• Sorting options
• Category rules
• Schedules
• Role-based sorting
• Appearance settings

Importing Settings

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1. Go to Advanced tab
2. Click Import Settings
3. Select a previously exported JSON file
4. All settings are restored
5. Reload the page to see changes

What’s Included

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Included	Not Included
All plugin settings	Analytics data
Category rules	Manual product orders
Schedules	Transients/cache
Role sorting config

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Elementor Integration

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Sort Product Catalog works with Elementor product widgets.

Supported Widgets

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• Products widget
• Archive Products widget
• WooCommerce Products widget (Pro)
• Loop Grid with products

How It Works

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The plugin hooks into Elementor’s query system:

• elementor/query/{query_id} filter
• elementor_pro/products/query filter

Your sorting rules automatically apply to Elementor product displays.

Configuration

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No special configuration needed. Just:

1. Set up your sorting rules normally
2. Elementor widgets will respect those rules
3. Category-specific rules apply when viewing categories

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Troubleshooting

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Sorting Not Working

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1. Check plugin is enabled – General tab > Enable Plugin
2. Check sorting option is enabled – Sorting Options tab
3. Clear caches – Plugin cache, page cache, browser cache
4. Check for conflicts – Disable other sorting plugins
5. Enable debug mode – Advanced tab for error logging

Manual Order Not Applying

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1. Ensure “Manual Order” sorting is enabled in Sorting Options
2. Verify products were reordered in Manual Sorting tab
3. Check if category rule is overriding shop-wide order
4. Clear all caches

Schedule Not Activating

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1. Verify start/end dates are correct
2. Check timezone settings in WordPress
3. Ensure schedule is enabled (not paused)
4. Check priority if other schedules overlap
5. Verify WordPress cron is working

Analytics Not Showing Data

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1. Ensure analytics tracking is enabled
2. Visit shop pages to generate data
3. Check date range includes recent visits
4. Verify WooCommerce Analytics is accessible

Theme Compatibility

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If sorting dropdown doesn’t appear:

1. Theme must use woocommerce_catalog_orderby hook
2. Check theme isn’t removing the hook
3. Contact theme developer if needed

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FAQ

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How many sorting options are available?

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Sort Product Catalog includes 20+ sorting options, more than any other solution. This includes unique options like “Biggest Discount First” (discount percentage).

Can I use different sorting for different categories?

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Yes! Use the Category Rules tab to set specific default sorting for any category or product tag.

Does it work with WooCommerce Blocks?

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Yes, the plugin is fully compatible with WooCommerce’s block-based shop templates and archive pages.

Will it slow down my site?

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No. All sorting is applied at the database query level, not in PHP. This ensures optimal performance with no additional load time.

Can wholesale customers see different sorting?

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Yes! Use the User Roles tab to configure different default sorting for any user role, including wholesale roles from plugins like B2B plugins.

How does scheduling work with overlapping times?

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When multiple schedules overlap, the one with the highest priority number takes precedence. You can set priority when creating each schedule.

Is analytics GDPR compliant?

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Yes. Analytics tracking is server-side only, stores no personally identifiable information, and can be disabled anytime. The plugin integrates with WordPress’s Privacy Policy Guide.

Can I hide the sorting dropdown?

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Yes. Enable “Hide Native Dropdown” in General settings to remove WooCommerce’s sorting dropdown while still applying your default sorting rules.

Does it work with Elementor?

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Yes, Sort Product Catalog is fully compatible with Elementor’s product widgets, including the Pro Products widget and Loop Grid.

Can customers save their preference?

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Yes. Enable “Remember Customer Preference” to save each visitor’s sorting choice in their browser. It will be applied automatically on their next visit.

How do I backup my settings?

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Use the Export function in the Advanced tab to download all settings as a JSON file. Import the file on another site or after reinstalling.

What happens when I uninstall?

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By default, settings are preserved. Enable “Remove Data on Uninstall” in Advanced settings if you want all data deleted when uninstalling.