By default, your WooCommerce store displays a lot of information about each product that you publish. You can show prices, descriptions, reviews, and more. All of those elements can help drive sales. However, in some cases, you might want to display a WooCommerce product catalog instead.
With a WooCommerce product catalog, you can hide prices so customers will have to reach out directly for a quote. That can be particularly useful for wholesale stores since you may need to negotiate different prices depending on the size of each order.
In this article, we’ll show you how to enable WooCommerce catalog mode in only a few minutes. First, let’s talk about some other situations where using a WooCommerce product catalog can come in handy, though.
Why Use a WooCommerce Product Catalog
Using WooCommerce, you can create all sorts of online stores, process orders and payments through your website. Traditionally, online stores display clear pricing alongside each product. However, if you’re running a wholesale operation, pricing can be a bit more complex.
In a lot of cases, wholesale prices can vary from one customer to another. Some examples include:
- Offering different wholesale prices depending on order volume
- Different prices for specific wholesale customer roles
- One-time offers that apply to new wholesale customers, such as coupons
In all of those cases, displaying prices can be problematic. If a customer sees a price but then they get a different one, they’re prone to be displeased.
Moreover, by using WooCommerce catalog mode, you get to process each order manually. Wholesale customers can get in touch with you and get personalized attention each and every time they make an order. Sometimes, that personal touch can help you drive more sales than a quick checkout process.
How to Enable WooCommerce Catalog Mode
There isn’t a built-in WooCommerce product catalog mode feature within the plugin. If you want to display a WooCommerce product catalog, you’ll need to look elsewhere for that functionality.
One plugin that does offer that feature is WooCommerce Wholesale Prices. Using this plugin, you can create a custom wholesale customer role and set specific prices for those users.
When a wholesale customer visits your store, they’ll see a different set of prices than regular users. It’s a simple functionality that enables you to cater to a wholesale audience.
However, displaying a different set of prices doesn’t solve the problems that we outlined earlier. That’s why Wholesale Prices also includes a feature to enable a WooCommerce product catalog mode.
To get started, install and activate the plugin. Once that’s done, go to WooCommerce > Settings > Wholesale Prices. Here you’ll find all the configuration options that the plugin offers.
Jump to the Price section and you’ll see several options to configure the way that the plugin displays prices. One of those settings is Hide Price and Add to Cart button, which transforms your store into a WooCommerce product catalog:
Here’s what WooCommerce Wholesale Prices will show visitors once you hide prices and add to cart buttons:
That’s a great start, but if you want users to contact you directly for prices, you’ll want to replace the “Login to see prices message”. You can do that by returning to the WooCommerce > Settings > Wholesale Prices > Prices section.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and look for the Price and Add to Cart Replacement Message option. Here you can decide what message to show alongside items in your product catalog:
Keep in mind that any message that you set will show up alongside each product in your catalog. If you’re logged in as an administrator, you’ll still see regular prices and Add to Cart buttons, though.
Ideally, you’ll provide a quick way for wholesale customers to reach out to you so you can discuss pricing. If customers can’t find prices or how to contact you, they might get frustrated and look elsewhere for their needs.
Conclusion
Enabling WooCommerce catalog mode can make your online store much more wholesale-friendly. Hiding prices is not the best move if you also want to target retail customers. Without prices or Add to Cart buttons, customers will have to reach out so you can discuss prices on a case-by-case basis.
The easiest way to display a WooCommerce product catalog is to use the WooCommerce Wholesale Prices plugin. The free version of the plugin includes all of the features that you need. However, if you want to offer an even better wholesale experience, you should look into the full Wholesale Suite of plugins.
Do you have any questions about how to enable WooCommerce catalog mode? Let’s talk about them in the comments section below!
