YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode

We’ve built countless online stores over the years, and one of the things we’ve learned is that not every business needs a traditional eCommerce setup.

Many store owners, especially those in wholesale or custom manufacturing, need a way to showcase their products without allowing immediate purchases. This is where YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode comes into play.

In this YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode review, we’ll explore how this plugin can transform your WooCommerce store into a flexible product showcase. Whether you’re looking to qualify leads before sales or create a members-only shop, this plugin offers a range of solutions.

Finding the right tools for your online store can be challenging. That’s why in this YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode review, we’ll look at this popular plugin’s features, support, and pricing, to see whether it’s the right catalog mode solution for your business.

YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode: Why Use It in WordPress?

YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode is a WooCommerce plugin that can transform your online store into a product showcase.

Many businesses, especially those in wholesale or custom manufacturing, want to showcase their products without allowing immediate purchases. Unfortunately, standard WooCommerce stores are set up for instant buying, which isn’t always ideal.

That’s where YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode comes in. It allows you to hide prices and add-to-cart buttons, replacing them with custom calls-to-action so that users can contact you directly.

This makes YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode particularly useful for businesses that need to qualify leads or discuss details before a sale.

Other than that, the plugin lets you enable purchases only for registered users. Wholesale businesses can use this feature to display products publicly while reserving purchasing capabilities for approved customers.

Want to hide prices or disable the cart buttons on specific products or categories only? This YITH plugin allows that, too. This flexibility can be useful for online stores that sell both ready-to-purchase and inquiry-only items.

The free version of YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode offers basic features, allowing you to hide prices and add-to-cart buttons across your entire store. However, it lacks some key features that many businesses require for more control.

Meanwhile, the premium version offers more advanced options, allowing you to apply catalog mode selectively. You can enable it for guest users only, specific countries, or schedule it for certain time periods.

YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode: Is It the Right WooCommerce Plugin for You?

When researching catalog mode plugins, we’ve found that flexibility is often lacking.

Many WooCommerce store owners are looking for a solution that can adapt to their unique business needs, whether they’re wholesalers, seasonal businesses, or simply want more control over how their products are displayed.

With that in mind, this plugin might be the answer you’re looking for. Let’s dive into this YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode review and see what the tool can do for your business.

1. Catalog Mode for Your Entire Online Store

A traditional WooCommerce store usually has a cart, checkout, and add-to-cart buttons throughout its website. YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode lets you turn off these buttons on your whole shop with a single toggle.

When you enable product catalog mode, your WooCommerce store becomes a place to display products. People can look at what you sell, but they’ll need to contact you to buy.

You can also hide the product’s prices and variations (e.g. sizes or colors) so that users have to reach out to you for more information.

This works great for businesses that want customers to ask questions before buying.

2. Exclusion List to Enable Catalog Mode for Specific Products, Categories, or Tags

Sometimes you might want to use catalog mode for some products but not others. YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode lets you set up a system for exactly that situation.

You can create an Exclusion List, where you can add products, tags, or categories whose prices and add-to-cart buttons should be hidden.

This feature is really useful when you have some items that are ready to sell, and others that need more discussion first. For example, you might use it for pre-order items or special products that need extra info from the customer.

When you’re adding a WooCommerce product, category, or tag to the Exclusion List, you can choose whether to add an inquiry form right on the page, replace the cart button with a custom call-to-action, or hide the prices from public view.

This way, you can still encourage people to get in touch about these special items.

Plus, you can add products to this Exclusion List right from the regular WooCommerce Product page in your WordPress admin area.

3. Catalog Mode for All or Unregistered Users

With YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode, you can choose whether you want to enable catalog mode for all users or guest users only (people who are not logged in on your site).

This feature is perfect if you run a wholesale business or have a mix of retail and wholesale customers. You can hide prices and buying options from casual visitors, but show them to your registered WooCommerce members.

When customers log in, they’ll see the real prices and be able to place orders. It’s like having a VIP area just for your business partners.

You can even hide the product review tab on product pages from guests. This keeps your discussions private and gives serious buyers another reason to sign up for an account.

4. Geolocation Restrictions for Catalog Mode

Want to control who sees what based on where they’re from? This YITH plugin offers a geolocation feature, letting you set different rules for users from various countries.

This plugin lets you turn catalog mode on or off for specific countries. You can choose whether it applies to all users or just guests from those places. It’s also possible to use a service called MaxMind to figure out where your visitors are from more accurately.

This feature is useful if you only ship to certain countries or have different rules for different regions. For example, you might show prices to customers in countries where you can ship, but hide them for others.

You could also use it if you have different product lines for different parts of the world. Or maybe you need to follow different rules about showing prices in various countries. This tool gives you the flexibility to handle all these situations.

5. Business Hours for Catalog Mode

If you’ve ever wished you could set ‘Open’ and ‘Closed’ hours for your online store, YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode makes that possible. You can schedule when your shop accepts orders and when it doesn’t.

This feature is perfect if you have limited staff or specific processing times. It helps manage customer expectations and prevents order overload during times when you can’t process them.

You set the times using a 24-hour clock. So if you don’t want orders from 8 PM to 8 AM, you’d put in 20:00 to 08:00. During these ‘closed’ hours, customers can look but can’t buy.

But it’s not just about daily hours. You can also disable ordering for specific dates.

This is great for holidays or times when you can’t fulfill orders from your WordPress website.

6. Custom Calls to Action for Users to Contact You

When you hide the add-to-cart buttons, you’ll need a new way to encourage customers to get in touch. YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode has you covered with custom calls to action.

The plugin comes with a user-friendly visual editor where you can create your own messages. You can add text, change colors, and even include little icons from Font Awesome. You control how the button looks, including its size and what happens when someone hovers over it.

You might use these buttons to ask for more info or invite customers to send an inquiry. For example, you could add a ‘Request Quote’ button or a ‘Contact Us for Pricing’ link. This way, even without direct purchases, you’re still guiding visitors toward contacting you.

Need to make multiple custom calls-to-action? Don’t worry, the plugin lets you make as many as you need, and there’s a handy dashboard that you can use to manage them all.

7. Custom Product Inquiry Form

Want to make it easy for customers to ask about your products? YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode includes a built-in inquiry or contact form feature.

The plugin comes with a basic form you can quickly set up. It includes fields for first name, last name, email, and a message, all of which can be activated or deactivated. You can also add a checkbox for terms acceptance and a reCAPTCHA to prevent spam.

If you need more advanced forms, no problem. The plugin works well with popular form builders like WPForms and Formidable Forms, allowing you to create a more customizable inquiry form.

You get to choose where this form appears. You can show it on all products or just the ones in your exclusion list.

You can also decide if it shows up right under the product description or in its own tab in the product page.

By adding an inquiry form, you’re making it simple for interested customers to reach out. This can help you start more conversations and potentially make more sales.

8. Integration with Other YITH WooCommerce Plugins

One of the major perks of using YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode is that it plays well with other YITH plugins. This means you can easily combine it with tools like Multi Vendor, Product Add-Ons, Deposits or Down Payments, and more.

This integration opens up a lot of possibilities. For example, you could use it with Multi Vendor to create a catalog-style marketplace. Or, use the Deposits or Down Payments so that customers can pay for their items in installments.

By working together, these plugins can help you create a more powerful and flexible online store. You can customize your shop to fit your exact business needs, whether you’re selling products, services, or both.

9. Community and Professional Support

When you buy YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode, you’re not just getting a plugin. You’re also getting a year of updates, bug fixes, and technical support. This means you’ll have access to new features as they’re added, and help if you run into any problems.

There are different ways to get help when you face a WordPress error with the plugin. You can read through the full documentation, which explains all the plugin’s features. Or, if you need more specific help, you can submit a support ticket directly to the developers.

The YITH team offers support 7 days a week, from 8:00 to 16:00 UTC+1. They usually respond to support tickets within 12 to 24 hours. So if you need help installing the plugin or using it, you won’t be left waiting long.

YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode: Pricing and Plans

YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode offers a straightforward pricing structure with a single premium plan at $79.99 per year. This plan includes a full year of updates and support, ensuring you always have access to the latest features and expert help when you need it.

It’s perfect for small businesses on the rise that offer custom pricing, or online marketplaces with lots of vendors.

If you’re unsure about committing, YITH provides a 30-day money-back guarantee. This allows you to explore all the premium features risk-free for a month, giving you plenty of time to see if it’s the right fit for your online store.

YITH does offer a free version of the plugin. However, it doesn’t have catalog mode rules only for guest users, time-based restrictions, or an Exclusion List for certain products. If you need these features, then we recommend upgrading to the premium version.

YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode: The Right WooCommerce Plugin for You?

To conclude this YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode review, we can safely say that it’s an excellent plugin for adding a product catalog function to your online store.

It offers powerful features that allow you to hide prices and add-to-cart buttons, replacing them with custom calls-to-action that encourage users to contact you right away.

What’s more, we were impressed by the plugin’s ability to selectively apply catalog mode – whether for guest users, specific countries, or during certain time periods. This makes this YITH plugin versatile enough to meet a wide range of business needs.

Whether you only accept wholesale orders, manage a seasonal store, or simply need more control over how customers interact with your products, YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode provides the tools you need.

We hope this YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode review has helped you decide whether it’s the right WooCommerce plugin for you. You may also want to check out our guide on how to create a WooCommerce popup to increase sales and our expert picks of the best social proof plugins for WordPress and WooCommerce.

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