How to Customize WooCommerce Store with Hooks

Introduction

WooCommerce is a powerful e-commerce plugin for WordPress, offering extensive functionality out of the box. Yet every store has unique requirements: custom product displays, specialized checkout fields, bespoke email templates, or integration with third-party services. Achieving these customizations without modifying core files relies on WordPress hooks—actions and filters.

This article explores how to leverage WooCommerce hooks to tailor your store’s behavior and appearance. We’ll cover:

• Understanding actions vs. filters
• Locating available WooCommerce hooks
• Common customization examples
• Best practices and performance considerations

Understanding Actions and Filters

Action Hook Syntax

add_action(woocommerce_before_shop_loop, my_custom_function, 10)
function my_custom_function() {
  echo ltdiv class=noticegtWelcome to our sale!lt/divgt
}
  

Filter Hook Syntax

add_filter(woocommerce_product_get_price, adjust_product_price, 10, 2)
function adjust_product_price(price, product) {
  return price  0.9 // 10% discount
}
  

Locating WooCommerce Hooks

WooCommerce core files, templates, and documentation list hundreds of hooks. Two primary resources:

• WooCommerce Official Hooks Reference
• WordPress Hooks Documentation

Alternatively, search template files in wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/templates for do_action and apply_filters calls.

Practical Customization Examples

1. Customize the Product Loop

Add a badge to sale items in the shop page:

add_action(woocommerce_before_shop_loop_item_title, add_sale_badge, 15)
function add_sale_badge() {
  global product
  if (product-gtis_on_sale()) {
    echo ltspan style=background:#e54a4acolor:#fffpadding:3px 6pxfont-size:0.9emborder-radius:3pxgtSale!lt/spangt
  }
}
  

2. Modify Checkout Fields

Reorder and rename billing fields:

add_filter(woocommerce_checkout_fields, customize_checkout_fields)
function customize_checkout_fields(fields) {
  // Change label and priority
  fields[billing][billing_phone][label] = Mobile Number
  fields[billing][billing_phone][priority] = 25

  // Remove company field
  unset(fields[billing][billing_company])

  return fields
}
  

3. Add a Custom Fee on Checkout

add_action(woocommerce_cart_calculate_fees, add_custom_handling_fee)
function add_custom_handling_fee() {
  if (is_admin() ampamp !defined(DOING_AJAX)) return
  fee = 5
  WC()->cart-gtadd_fee(Handling Fee, fee)
}
  

4. Customize Email Templates

Inject a message into order emails:

add_action(woocommerce_email_after_order_table, add_email_promo)
function add_email_promo(order, sent_to_admin, plain_text, email) {
  echo ltp style=font-style:italiccolor:#555gtThank you for your purchase! Use code NEXT10 for 10% off next order.lt/pgt
}
  

Advanced Techniques

Removing Core Hooks

To disable a default feature, remove its hook. Example: remove related products:

remove_action(woocommerce_after_single_product_summary, woocommerce_output_related_products, 20)
  

Using Priority to Control Execution Order

Lower priority numbers run earlier. Leverage this to ensure your code runs before or after other plugins:

add_action(woocommerce_before_checkout_form, early_notice, 5)
add_action(woocommerce_before_checkout_form, late_notice, 50)
  

Best Practices

• Use a child theme or custom plugin: Never modify WooCommerce core or parent theme files directly.
• Prefix your functions: Avoid naming collisions by using a unique prefix, e.g., acme_.
• Sanitize and validate: Always sanitize input/output, especially on checkout or user-submitted data.
• Optimize performance: Avoid heavy database queries or loops inside hooks that run frequently.
• Document your code: Add inline comments and maintain a changelog for future reference.

Hook Reference Table

Further Reading

• WooCommerce Hooks amp Filters
• WordPress Plugin Hooks
• WooCommerce Template Structure