Converting WooCommerce into a QuoteOnly Store the Smart Way

September 28, 2016 Plugins

Setting up a shop on WooCommerce and managing it is no child’s play. More so if you offer custom­made products like indigenous artifacts, jewelry, assorted goods, flowers, furniture or any client­specific commodities; and unlike regular stores, you can’t even fix a definite price for your goods, because let’s face it, there IS no static price for made­to­order products!

What with varying order quantities, the manufacturing, packing and shipping costs and miscellaneous charges, it is difficult to name a round figure for the total expense, off the top of your head.

A better way would be to know the exact demands of the customer and then work out a quotation that satisfies these demands feasibly.

For example, consider you are selling a car. There are multiple permutations and combinations, depending on the model, configuration, year of manufacture, engine capacity, fuel type and economy rate, which your customers can choose from. Given this situation, fixing upon a specific cost, even for all the versions of one particular model would be downright ridiculous!

The more fiscally responsible option would be to generate the overall cost dynamically and send a quotation of the same to the customer. And since you’re not dealing with direct sales from your store, you can simply cut out the purchase option and convert WooCommerce into a quote only store.

Still not persuaded?

Let’s have a look at the advantages of a Quote­Only shop.

Advantages of a Quote Only store

• Create Custom Pricing

A Quote Only Store lets you customize product prices as per the order quantity, design cost, labor charges, transportation and shipping expenses and any additional costs that might be incurred. This helps you maintain a flexible range of prices as opposed to stating a rigid amount.

• Easy Negotiations

Utilizing your marketing skills to their fullest potential is possible in a Quote Only store. Here, you can negotiate with a customer to broker a better deal, instead of them having to accept or reject the product outright.

• One­to­One Communication

Moving ahead from a stoic, impersonal buyer­seller relationship, you can build a rapport with your customers so that they remember you the next time they want to purchase something similar.

• Increased Sales

Quote only stores help boost sales since you can cater to each customer specifically instead of having to please the entire market. Offering customized solutions keeps the customer happy and coming back for more.

Converting your WooCommerce Shop into a Quote Only Store

WooCommerce does not have an in­built functionality that lets you selectively enable product purchasing. To convert your existing WooCommerce shop into a full­fledged request based store, you need to incorporate various plugins for managing the different functionalities.

The conversion takes place in three stages.

1. Setting­up a Quote Form

First and foremost, you need to create a ‘Request a Quote’ form that includes fields to be filled by the purchaser when asking for a quotation. Your form can have basic fields, such as name, contact information and a message field, where the customer can add notes if needed.

2. Adding the Form to Each Product

The Quote form needs to be embedded into the product pages for which quotations are to be requested. Consequently, since you are looking to make your shop into a quote only store, the form will have to be added to every page.

You will have to go about customizing your WooCommerce single product page to add the form.

3. Controlling Purchase Option

Lastly, you need to control which of your products can be directly purchased or need a quote to be requested. To use your shop as a quote only store, you will have to restrict purchase access completely by disabling the ‘Add to Cart’ option through and through.

Now, WooCommerce and WordPress does provide you several plugins you can use to add the needed functionality. But installing and working with several plugins at once can be rather frustrating though. And if that weren’t enough, there is the added responsibility of maintaining a comprehensive list of all the quotations sent, resent and sent again that needs to be maintained by the store owner. Ergo, more plugins!

A better option would be to have a plugin that has all these functionalities rolled into one; this allows you to sidestep the hassle of having to install and maintain a bunch of different plugins for a simple functionality.

Working to this end is QuoteUp, the quotation plugin that lets you convert your regular WooCommerce store into an exclusive, quote­only shop.

There are plugins galore out there that let you add quote requests to your products. QuoteUp differs in the way that it allows you to lock down the pricing of your entire site, in just a click.

Converting your WooCommerce Shop into a Quote­Only store using QuoteUp

WooCommerce has the inbuilt ‘Add to Cart’ option for every product. QuoteUp lets you replace this with an ‘Add to Quote Cart’ button which enables quote requests for the given product. Optionally, you can setup the plugin to add a ‘Request a Quote’ button for individual products if needed.

• To convert your store into a quote only store, disable the ‘Add to Cart’ option for all products.
• In case you need the prices to be hidden, QuoteUp provides an option to hide product prices for all products.
• Now the only option visible is the ‘Request a Quote’ button. This makes it mandatory for all customers to ask for a quotation before they can purchase the product.
• As the shopper surfs through your store, he/she can add various products to the Quote Cart and keep track of these using the floating form that provides a quicklink to the Cart.
• QuoteUp then lets you send the quote from your admin panel using a robust quotation management system.
• A quote PDF is generated and sent to the customer, who then has a one­click option to accept the quote and complete the purchase!

The Verdict

Setting up a quote only store can help you develop your shop in a more directional manner and cater to specific solutions for your clientele.

To achieve this you can either invest in different plugins with specific functionalities or a single, all­in­one solution, like QuoteUp, that modifies your shop into a Quote Only Store and makes managing your proposals a breeze.

A straightforward quotation plugin for WooCommerce, QuoteUp lets you control which product prices can be displayed and which can be requested for.

Using QuoteUp already? Let us know how you find it to be, in the comments section below!