Running an online store in 2025 is all about giving your customers better ways to shop. If you sell variable products like clothing, shoes, or anything with different styles and colors, then showing swatches can change the way people interact with your store.
Instead of clicking into each product page just to pick a color, size, or pattern, swatches let shoppers see options right on the shop and product pages. That saves time and makes decision making faster. WooCommerce gives you a basic setup for variable products but it does not really cover swatches in detail.
This is where plugins come in. By using a WooCommerce swatches plugin, you can show variation options in a visual way with colors, images, or labels. It improves the overall look of your catalog and makes shopping simpler for your customers. In this blog we will go over what variation swatches are, why they matter, and how to display them properly on shop and archive pages.
What are Variation Swatches in WooCommerce
Variation swatches for WooCommerce are basically the replacement for dropdowns. Instead of asking customers to select a size from a boring dropdown menu, you show it as clickable buttons.
It could be colors, images, or text labels depending on what you sell. Shoppers just click and see the option change instantly. For example, if you sell t-shirts, instead of a dropdown with Red, Blue, and Green, you can show color boxes. If you sell shoes, you can show sizes in neat circles.
If you sell something like phone cases, you can use images as swatches to show designs. This type of presentation not only looks professional but it also reduces the number of clicks needed to add products to cart.
Why Use Swatches on Shop and Product Pages
Adding swatches to single product pages is common. Most store owners already know about it. But when you take it a step further and add them to shop and archive pages, that’s when you make a big difference. Customers browsing through your store can make choices without going inside every single product page.
Here’s why this feature matters:
- Saves customer time by letting them pick product variations on the spot
- Reduces clicks and makes shopping flow faster
- Improves conversions since buyers do not leave mid process
- Looks better visually than dropdown menus that feel outdated
- Increases trust as customers feel they can view options instantly
A store with hundreds of products benefits greatly from swatches. It cuts down on bounce rate and creates a more efficient catalog browsing experience.
How to Display WooCommerce Swatches on Shop Pages
Now let’s get into the part most store owners want. How do you actually display swatches on shop and product pages? WooCommerce alone does not provide this, so you need a plugin built for it.
One of the tried and tested options is variation swatches for WooCommerce by Extendons. It lets you set up swatches quickly and gives you the control to decide where they show up.
Here’s the process step by step:
Step 1: Install and Activate the Plugin
Go to your WordPress dashboard and upload the plugin file. Once activated you will find new settings under the WooCommerce section.
Step 2: Configure General Settings
Inside the plugin settings, you can pick whether to show swatches on product pages, shop pages, or both. To display them on shop and archive pages, enable the option specifically for those layouts.
Step 3: Create Attribute Swatches
Head over to Products > Attributes. Here you can add attributes like color, size, material. Once added, you assign them as swatches. The plugin gives you the choice to set them as color boxes, image swatches, or label buttons.
Step 4: Apply Attributes to Products
After setting attributes, go to each variable product and assign them. For example, assign the Red, Blue, and Green swatches to a shirt. These will now show directly on the shop or archive page as clickable options.
Step 5: Customize the Look
The plugin lets you adjust swatch shape, size, and styling so it matches your store theme. You can also control how many swatches are shown before they collapse into a “view more” option.
Key Features of Variation Swatches for WooCommerce
When looking at what this plugin offers, here are some of the main features that stand out:
- Show swatches on shop and product pages not just on single products
- Choose between color swatches, image swatches, or text labels
- Customize design with different shapes and sizes for swatches
- Set tooltip hints so customers know what each swatch means
- Control stock visibility to show if a variation is out of stock
- Quick setup with no coding required
- Compatible with most WooCommerce themes so it works out of the box
These features make it easy for store owners to bring swatches to the front catalog pages without hassle.
Benefits of Using WooCommerce Swatches
There are several reasons why using WooCommerce swatches by Extendons is worth the effort. Beyond making things look better, they have real business value:
- More clicks turn into purchases since buyers can interact right away
- Customers understand product variety quicker, which reduces confusion
- Products look more attractive when variations are displayed visually
- Time on site increases since shoppers explore more options
In today’s ecommerce space, presentation matters almost as much as product quality. If your store looks outdated with dropdowns, you risk losing customers to competitors who use modern layouts.
Final Thoughts
If you run an online store with variable products, you cannot ignore swatches. Dropdown menus feel outdated in 2025 and customers expect a quicker way to choose. By adding variation swatches for WooCommerce by Extenonds on shop and archive pages, you give your buyers a smoother shopping journey.
The Extendons plugin makes this setup simple, giving you full control over how swatches appear. Whether you sell clothes, shoes, or gadgets, adding swatches can help your store stand out. It’s a small upgrade that carries big results for conversions and customer satisfaction.
Common Questions About Swatches
- Can I show swatches only on shop pages and not single product pages?
A. Yes, you can control exactly where swatches display. - Do swatches work with custom product attributes?
A. Yes, you can create any attribute and assign it swatches. - Will swatches slow down my site?
A. No, the plugin is lightweight and optimized to handle catalogs of any size. - Can I show tooltips with swatches?
A. Yes, tooltips are available so you can display labels when customers hover.
Source: FG Newswire