In eCommerce, the way your products are displayed can significantly impact your store’s overall performance. One essential element of product display is the products per row layout, which determines how many products appear in each row on your shop, category, or product listing page. A clean, organized layout can make your store more visually appealing, easier to navigate, and ultimately lead to increased customer engagement and conversions.
If you’re running a WooCommerce store, you’re likely looking for ways to improve the user experience and encourage customers to browse your products. In this post, we’ll walk you through why adjusting the number of products per row is important, how to customize it on your WooCommerce store, and the benefits of doing so.
Why Adjusting Products Per Row Matters
When it comes to the layout of your WooCommerce product pages, spacing and presentation are crucial. The number of products displayed per row can affect how clean, organized, and aesthetically pleasing your store looks. But there’s more to it than just aesthetics. Let’s dive into why this setting matters:
1. User Experience (UX)
A good user experience is paramount when it comes to eCommerce. If products are overcrowded in a single row, it can be overwhelming for visitors to navigate and find what they’re looking for. Conversely, too few products in each row might make the page feel empty and lead to unnecessary scrolling. Finding the perfect balance is key to ensuring visitors stay engaged and enjoy shopping on your site.
2. Mobile Responsiveness
With an increasing number of people shopping from mobile devices, optimizing your product display for different screen sizes is essential. By adjusting the number of products per row, you can ensure that your WooCommerce store is responsive and offers a smooth browsing experience, whether on desktop, tablet, or mobile. Mobile-friendly layouts with the right number of products per row ensure that customers won’t need to zoom in or scroll horizontally.
3. Improved Conversion Rates
A well-organized product page can lead to better sales. By customizing the products per row, you can create a layout that makes it easier for customers to find and view products, thus encouraging them to add products to their cart. This is particularly important for high-traffic categories or when promoting specific products.
4. Branding and Aesthetics
Every store has its own unique branding and design style. The way you present your products should reflect your brand’s identity. Adjusting the products per row can help you maintain the visual harmony of your website. Whether you prefer a minimalistic layout with fewer products per row or a more dense display with more products, finding a layout that aligns with your brand can make your store stand out.
How to Customize WooCommerce Products Per Row
WooCommerce allows you to easily customize the number of products shown per row using several methods. Let’s go over the most common ways to make these adjustments.
1. Using Theme Settings
Many modern WordPress themes, especially those designed specifically for WooCommerce, come with built-in options to customize the number of products displayed per row. These settings can be found in the theme’s Customizer or Theme Settings. Here’s how you can check:
- From your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance > Customize.
- Look for an option like WooCommerce or Product Catalog. This may vary depending on the theme you are using.
- Find the setting for Products per Row or Product Columns.
- Use the slider or input box to select the number of products you want to display per row (e.g., 3, 4, 5, or more).
- Save and publish your changes.
2. Using a Plugin
If your theme does not provide the ability to adjust the number of products per row, you can use a plugin to achieve this customization. One popular plugin is WooCommerce Customizer. This plugin adds additional customization options to your WooCommerce store without requiring any coding knowledge.
Here’s how you can adjust the products per row using a plugin:
- Install and activate the WooCommerce Customizer plugin from the WordPress plugin repository.
- Once activated, go to WooCommerce > Customizer in your dashboard.
- Look for the setting to control the number of products per row. You should see options for setting the number of products to display on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
- Adjust the settings and save your changes.
3. Customizing via Code (For Developers)
If you are comfortable working with code, or if you have a developer helping you, you can directly modify your theme’s CSS or functions.php file to adjust the number of products per row.
Here’s how you can do it:
- First, create a child theme (if you haven’t already) to ensure that any changes you make are not lost during future theme updates.
- Open your functions.php file and add the following code snippet to modify the number of products per row:
phpCopy codefunction custom_products_per_row() {
return 4; // Change 4 to the number of products you want to show per row
}
add_filter('loop_shop_columns', 'custom_products_per_row');
This code will set the number of products per row to 4. You can adjust the number as needed. If you want different settings for mobile or tablet devices, you can add custom CSS rules using media queries.
4. Using a Page Builder
If you are using a page builder like Elementor, you can take advantage of its visual editor to customize the WooCommerce product grid. Elementor allows you to adjust the layout and display settings for your products easily:
- Open the product page or shop page with Elementor.
- Select the WooCommerce product widget.
- In the settings panel, look for the layout options where you can customize the number of products displayed per row.
- Drag and drop the product widget and adjust the number of columns.
Best Practices for Setting Products Per Row
While it’s easy to adjust the products per row setting, it’s essential to do so strategically to ensure an optimal shopping experience for your visitors. Here are a few best practices to consider:
1. Prioritize Readability and Navigation
The goal is to create a clean and organized product page that allows customers to easily browse products. Avoid overcrowding your pages with too many products in a single row. A row of 3-4 products is often ideal, as it provides enough space for images and descriptions while keeping the page neat.
2. Responsive Layouts for Different Devices
With more customers shopping on mobile devices, it’s crucial to have a responsive layout. Most WooCommerce themes and plugins allow you to set different products per row for mobile, tablet, and desktop. Typically, you’ll want fewer products per row on smaller devices. For example:
- Desktop: 4-6 products per row
- Tablet: 3 products per row
- Mobile: 1-2 products per row
3. Test Different Layouts
Don’t be afraid to experiment with the number of products per row. Conduct A/B tests with different layouts to see what resonates best with your audience. You may find that a denser layout works well for certain product categories, while a more spacious layout works for others.
4. Consider Product Size and Quality
The size of the product images plays a big role in determining the number of products you can display per row. Larger, high-quality product images may require fewer products per row to ensure the images remain crisp and clear. Smaller product images can often be displayed in larger quantities per row without affecting the quality.
Conclusion: Optimize Product Display for Better User Engagement
Customizing the number of products displayed per row is a simple yet impactful way to enhance the user experience on your WooCommerce store. By adjusting this setting, you can create a visually appealing, responsive, and easy-to-navigate layout that encourages customers to browse and ultimately make a purchase.
Whether you use your theme’s built-in settings, a plugin, or custom code, taking control of your product grid layout can significantly improve your store’s design and performance. Make sure to test different layouts, prioritize mobile responsiveness, and create a shopping experience that aligns with your brand’s identity.
By optimizing the number of products per row, you’ll provide a better shopping experience and potentially increase your store’s conversion rates. Start customizing your product display today and watch your WooCommerce store thrive!
