How to Add Custom Product Fields in WooCommerce

Custom fields in WooCommerce allow you to tailor product pages to specific customer needs. By adding custom product fields, you can showcase technical specifications, offer multiple product options for variable products and personalize the shopping experience.

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about adding WooCommerce custom fields using plugins, adding custom code for flexibility and control and organizing field groups to display custom fields effectively. 

What are WooCommerce custom fields?

WooCommerce custom fields are additional input fields that display on your WooCommerce product pages to provide information beyond the default WooCommerce product data.  

With these fields, you can create custom fields that allow for unique specifications, personalized messages, or customized options that make each WooCommerce product page more informative and tailored to customer needs. 

Adding custom fields to WooCommerce can significantly improve the shopping experience by offering detailed product data, custom field values and custom input fields.  

This, in turn, drives informed purchasing decisions. Common applications for WooCommerce custom product fields include: 

• Technical specifications: Add custom fields for extra details such as product dimensions, product attributes, materials or specific instructions. 
• Image swatches and dropdowns: Offer options for product variations like color and size that improve visualization and user experience. 
• File upload fields: Allow customers to upload images or files for customized products, such as engraving or printing. 
• Conditional fields: Use conditional logic to display certain fields only based on user input, such as showing a text field for engraving only when “Add Engraving” is selected. 

By using WooCommerce custom fields effectively, you can enhance your product pages to make products more appealing and interactive for customers. 

WooCommerce custom fields vs. attributes: What’s the difference?

Many people confuse WooCommerce custom fields with attributes, so let’s clarify:

• Attributes are standard characteristics provided by WooCommerce, like size, color or material, which are essential for creating product variations and filters on WooCommerce product pages.
• Custom fields, on the other hand, allow you to add unique, personalized details that go beyond standard product attributes, giving you more flexibility and control over product presentation.

Feature comparison: Custom fields vs. attributes

Both attributes and custom fields for WooCommerce are valuable tools that help improve customer satisfaction in WooCommerce, but they serve different purposes. Attributes help with standard filtering and product variations, while custom fields add personalization and unique data points to WooCommerce products.

Why should you add custom fields to WooCommerce products? 

Adding custom fields to WooCommerce products brings several benefits that improve both the shopping experience and your store’s performance. Here are some reasons why custom fields are essential for WooCommerce products: 

1. Enhanced product information: Custom fields let you add technical specifications, care instructions, or additional product data, making descriptions more comprehensive and helping customers make informed purchasing decisions. 

2. Personalized options: Adding custom fields enables unique choices for customers, such as color pickers, size options and other product variations that allow customers to customize products to their preferences. 

3. Increased conversion rates: Comprehensive product information through custom fields gives customers confidence in their purchases, leading to higher conversion rates and a more satisfying shopping experience. 

4. Time savings: Custom fields consolidate relevant product data in one place, making it easier for store owners to organize and update WooCommerce product data efficiently. This can significantly reduce the time spent managing product pages. 

5. Improved SEO: Custom fields allow you to add keywords and descriptive information that enhance the SEO of your product pages, helping your WooCommerce store appear more prominently in search engine results. 

6. Adaptability: As your business grows, custom fields provide flexibility to add new details and adapt product information based on changing customer needs. 

7. Brand building: Custom fields let you showcase unique features, communicate brand values and highlight special touches that help build a strong brand identity. 

Methods to add custom product fields in WooCommerce 

Here’s how to add custom fields, either by using plugins for ease or by adding custom code if you prefer direct control over customization. 

a. Adding custom fields with plugins 

Using plugins is an easy way to add custom fields to WooCommerce without coding. Here’s how you can do it using some popular plugins: 

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) 

The advanced custom fields plugin lets you create field groups and add fields types, such as text, checkboxes or images, directly on WooCommerce product pages. 

Flexible Product Fields

This plugin allows store owners to add fields like dropdowns, checkboxes and text inputs. It’s user-friendly, offering conditional logic to show fields based on specific selections. 

WooCommerce Product Add-Ons 

This plugin adds custom fields tailored for personalization, such as file uploads, gift messages and extra text fields. 

Steps for adding custom fields using plugins: 

• Install and activate: In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New, search for your chosen plugin and install it. 

• Configure fields: Add new fields through the plugin’s settings. For each field, configure options like field type (text, dropdown, date picker), field label and whether the field is required. 
• Assign fields: Specify which products or categories should include these fields. 
• Save and test: Save changes and preview the fields on product pages, ensuring they display as expected. 

b. Adding custom fields programmatically 

For those comfortable with coding, adding fields manually provides precise control. Below are the steps, based on the WooCommerce documentation: 

Enable custom fields in WooCommerce 

1. Go to Products in the WordPress dashboard and click on Add New (or edit an existing product). 

2. At the top of the product editor, click Screen Options and check Custom Fields to enable them for products. 

Adding custom fields to a product 

After enabling custom fields, scroll to the Custom Fields section on the product edit screen. 

Click Add Custom Field. In the Name box, enter field title (e.g., extra_details) and a custom field value, add the desired information (e.g., “Special care instructions”). 

Click Add Custom Field to save it, then update the product to retain the changes.

Displaying custom fields on product pages

• To make the custom field visible on the front end, add it to your theme files:

• Access the appropriate template file, such as single-product.php or content-single-product.php, located in your theme’s WooCommerce folder.
• Insert the following PHP code where you want the field to appear:
• <?PHP
• global $product;$custom_field_value = get_post_meta($product->get_id(), 'extra_details', true);if (!empty($custom_field_value)) { echo '<div class="custom-field">' . esc_html($custom_field_value) . '</div>';}?>
• Replace ‘extra_details’ with the exact name of your custom field.
• Save the changes and preview your product page to ensure the custom field displays correctly.

Managing and displaying custom field data 

Once you’ve added custom fields to your WooCommerce products, managing and displaying this field data effectively is crucial for a seamless shopping experience. 

Accessing custom field data 

To retrieve and display custom field data on your WooCommerce product pages, use the get_post_meta() function in WordPress. This function allows you to fetch the value of a custom field associated with a specific product. 

<?phpglobal $product;$custom_field_value = get_post_meta($product->get_id(), 'your_custom_field_name', true);if (!empty($custom_field_value)) {    echo '<div class="custom-field">' . esc_html($custom_field_value) . '</div>';}?> 

• Replace ‘your_custom_field_name’ with the actual name of your custom field. This code checks for a custom field value and then displays it within a <div> element on the product page. 

Using plugins to display custom fields 

If you’re uncomfortable editing code, plugins like Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) can help manage and display custom fields easily. 

• Install and activate ACF: In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New, search for “Advanced Custom Fields,” and install and activate the plugin. 
• Create a field group: Navigate to Custom Fields > Add New to create a new field group. 
• Add fields: Within the field group, add the custom fields you want to display on your product pages. 
• Set display rules: Define the conditions under which these fields should appear, such as specifying that they should be displayed on product pages. 
• Display fields: ACF provides functions to display custom fields. You can use the_field(‘field_name’) to display the field value in your templates. 

Saving custom field data 

WooCommerce allows you to store custom field data for each product update. Be sure to implement WooCommerce hooks to ensure data is saved properly for future use or reference. 

Custom fields for WooCommerce cart and checkout pages 

Adding WooCommerce custom fields to cart and checkout pages allows you to capture additional information during the purchasing process. Examples include custom cart item data like personalization notes, special delivery instructions, or gift messages. 

Custom fields on cart page 

Use WooCommerce’s hooks to add fields specifically to the cart, allowing customers to enter specific requests before proceeding to checkout. 

Custom fields on checkout page 

Adding fields to the checkout page ensures you collect all necessary customer details, such as billing address or custom preferences. Conditional logic can be applied to show specific fields only when needed. 

Using conditional logic and advanced options 

Plugins like flexible product fields and WooCommerce Product Add-Ons offer conditional logic, enabling customer fields to display fields based on user choices. Examples include: 

• Showing a text input for custom messages only if “Gift Wrap” is selected. 
• Display additional input fields for specific product variations. 

Best practices for adding WooCommerce custom fields 

Adding WooCommerce custom fields can enhance your WooCommerce store’s functionality, but it’s essential to implement them thoughtfully: 

• Use descriptive labels: Label each field clearly to help customers understand what is required.
• Test thoroughly: Check custom fields on different devices and browsers to ensure compatibility. 
• Organize field groups: For products with multiple custom fields, group related fields together to make the page layout clear and easy to navigate.
• Utilize a child theme: If you’re editing theme files, create and use a child theme to prevent your changes from being lost during theme updates. 

Enhancing product pages with additional data points 

Custom fields allow you to provide more than just text inputs. For example: 

• Image swatches: Use images instead of text to represent product variations. 
• Date pickers: Allow customers to select delivery or service dates. 
• File uploads: Useful for stores offering custom orders, such as custom-printed items. 
• Checkboxes and dropdowns: Perfect for adding options like gift wrap or special handling instructions. 

Final thoughts related to WooCommerce custom fields 

Adding custom product fields to WooCommerce is an effective way to enhance product listings, personalize the customer experience and communicate essential product details. Whether you’re using plugins for simplicity or coding custom fields for greater control, WooCommerce custom fields allow you to create interactive, informative product pages that cater to individual customer preferences. 

Incorporating best practices, such as choosing relevant field types, organizing field groups and testing fields across devices, ensures that your custom fields provide value and improve the shopping experience.  

Custom fields not only help to setup WooCommerce store stand out but also boost customer engagement and conversion rates, making them a powerful tool for any online store looking to thrive in a competitive marketplace. 

By leveraging the flexibility of WooCommerce custom fields, you can build a unique online store that meets your customers’ needs, showcases your brand and helps your business grow effectively. 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)