Wishlist & Product Compare

Wishlist and product comparison features help customers save products for later and make informed purchase decisions by comparing multiple products side-by-side.

Overview

These features allow customers to:

• Wishlist - Save favorite products for future purchase
• Compare - View multiple products side-by-side to compare specifications
• Share wishlists - Generate shareable links to wish lists (optional)

Wishlist Feature

How It Works

For logged-in customers:

• Wishlist is saved to their account
• Accessible across devices
• Persists until manually removed

For guest visitors:

• Wishlist is stored in browser session
• Lost when clearing cookies/browsing data
• Converts to account wishlist upon login

Adding Products to Wishlist

Customers can add products by:

• Clicking the heart/wishlist icon on product cards
• Clicking "Add to Wishlist" button on product detail pages
• Using quick-add buttons in product grids

Behavior:

• First click: Adds product to wishlist
• Second click: Removes product from wishlist (toggle)
• Feedback message confirms the action

Viewing Wishlist

Customers access their wishlist via:

• Wishlist page at /wishlist route
• Wishlist icon in site header (shows count badge)
• Customer account dashboard

Wishlist page displays:

• Product images
• Product names
• Current prices
• Stock status
• Add to cart buttons
• Remove from wishlist buttons

Managing Wishlist Items

Customers can:

• Remove individual items (click X or heart icon)
• Add items directly to cart from wishlist
• Continue shopping to find more products

Wishlist count badge:

• Updates in real-time when items are added/removed
• Displayed in header navigation
• Shows total unique products in wishlist

TIP

Wishlist data is stored in the ec_wish_lists table for logged-in customers, and in the cart session under the wishlist instance for guests.

Shared Wishlist (Public Wishlists)

If enabled in settings, customers can share their wishlists with others.

Enabling Wishlist Sharing

Check your ecommerce settings for the Enable wishlist sharing option (usually in general or shopping settings).

How Sharing Works

1. Customer adds products to their wishlist
2. Customer generates a shareable link
3. Link is copied and shared via email/social media
4. Recipients view the wishlist without logging in
5. Recipients can add items to their own cart

Shared wishlist URLs:

• Format: /wishlist/{unique-code}
• Unique code is auto-generated
• No authentication required to view

Shared wishlist features:

• View-only for recipients
• Cannot remove items from shared list
• Products link to full product pages
• Add to cart functionality available

Lifetime & Cleanup:

• Shared wishlists auto-expire after configured days
• Default lifetime can be configured in settings
• Expired shares are auto-pruned from database

WARNING

Recipients cannot modify shared wishlists. They can only view products and add them to their own cart.

Product Compare Feature

How It Works

Customers can compare up to 10 products side-by-side to evaluate:

• Product specifications
• Prices
• Attributes
• Features
• Images

Compare is session-based (not saved to account, even for logged-in customers).

Adding Products to Compare

Customers can add products by:

• Clicking the compare/scale icon on product cards
• Clicking "Add to Compare" button on product pages
• Using quick-add buttons in listings

Behavior:

• Products are added to compare list
• Compare count badge updates in header
• Duplicate products cannot be added (shows error message)
• Limit: 10 products maximum

TIP

If a customer adds a product variant, the system automatically uses the parent product instead. Variants are not compared individually.

Viewing Product Comparison

Customers access the comparison table via:

• Compare page at /compare route
• Compare icon in site header (shows count badge)
• Notification message after adding product

Comparison table displays:

Column	Description
Product Image	Thumbnail image
Product Name	Clickable link to product page
Price	Current price (with sale price if applicable)
Attributes	Product attribute sets (color, size, material, etc.)
Specifications	Product specifications/features
Add to Cart	Quick add to cart button
Remove	Remove from comparison

Attribute Comparison

The compare table shows attribute sets that exist across the selected products:

Example: Comparing 3 laptops might show:

• Processor - Intel i5 | Intel i7 | AMD Ryzen 5
• RAM - 8GB | 16GB | 8GB
• Storage - 256GB SSD | 512GB SSD | 1TB HDD
• Screen Size - 13.3" | 15.6" | 14"

How attributes are displayed:

• Only common attribute sets are shown
• Each product's value appears in its column
• Missing attributes show as empty cells

TIP

To maximize comparison usefulness, ensure product attributes are properly configured in Ecommerce -> Attributes.

Managing Comparison

Customers can:

• Remove individual products from comparison
• Clear entire comparison list
• Add products directly to cart from comparison table
• Return to shopping to add more products

Compare count badge:

• Updates in real-time
• Shows total products in comparison
• Displayed in header navigation

Login Requirements

Feature	Guest Access	Customer Login Required
Wishlist (view)	✓ Session-based	✓ Account-based
Wishlist (persist)	✗ Lost on logout	✓ Saved permanently
Shared Wishlist (view)	✓ Public link	✓ Public link
Shared Wishlist (create)	✗ No	✓ Yes
Product Compare	✓ Session-based	✓ Session-based

WARNING

Guest wishlists are stored in browser sessions and will be lost if the customer clears cookies or switches devices. Encourage customers to log in to save their wishlist permanently.

Configuration

Wishlist Settings

Navigate to Ecommerce -> Settings to configure:

Setting	Description
Enable wishlist sharing	Allow customers to generate public wishlist links
Shared wishlist lifetime	Days before shared wishlist links expire (default: varies)

Compare Settings

Compare attributes are automatically detected from:

• Product attribute sets configured in Ecommerce -> Attributes
• Product specifications (if using product specification plugin)

No additional configuration required - the compare feature works out-of-the-box once products have attributes assigned.

Technical Details

Data Storage

Wishlist:

• Logged-in customers: ec_wish_lists table (customer_id, product_id)
• Guest visitors: Cart session with wishlist instance
• Shared wishlists: ec_shared_wishlists table (code, product_ids JSON array)

Compare:

• All users: Cart session with compare instance
• Session-based only (not persisted to database)

Session Cleanup

Wishlist:

• Guest wishlist sessions follow cart expiration settings
• Customer wishlists persist indefinitely
• Shared wishlists auto-expire per configured lifetime

Compare:

• Compare lists expire with browser session
• Cleared when customer logs out or clears cookies

Frontend Integration

Theme Requirements

Your theme must include:

• Wishlist page template
• Compare page template
• Add to wishlist buttons/icons
• Add to compare buttons/icons
• Wishlist/compare count badges in header

Default templates:

• plugins/ecommerce::themes.wishlist - Wishlist page
• plugins/ecommerce::themes.compare - Compare page

Theme can override these templates in:

• platform/themes/{your-theme}/views/ecommerce/wishlist.blade.php
• platform/themes/{your-theme}/views/ecommerce/compare.blade.php

JavaScript Events

The system uses AJAX for wishlist/compare actions. Typical flow:

1. Customer clicks wishlist/compare icon
2. JavaScript sends AJAX request
3. Server updates wishlist/compare data
4. Response includes updated count
5. UI updates icon state and count badge

Frequently Asked Questions

Can customers name or organize wishlists?

No. The system supports a single wishlist per customer. Multiple wishlists or wishlist folders are not supported.

Do wishlists sync across devices?

Yes, for logged-in customers. Guest wishlists are session-based and do not sync.

Can I see customer wishlists in admin panel?

Yes. View customer details at Ecommerce -> Customers -> select customer. The wishlist is shown in customer profile (if implemented by theme/customization).

How many products can be in a wishlist?

No hard limit. Customers can add as many products as they want to their wishlist.

Can customers receive notifications when wishlist items go on sale?

Not by default. This requires custom development or a third-party plugin.

Can customers add out-of-stock products to wishlist?

Yes. Wishlist does not check stock status when adding products.

What happens to wishlist when product is deleted?

Wishlist entries are automatically removed when associated products are deleted.

Can I disable compare but keep wishlist?

Yes. Simply don't display compare buttons in your theme. The backend supports both features independently.

How do I customize compare attributes shown?

Attributes are auto-detected from product attribute sets. Configure these in Ecommerce -> Attributes and assign them to products.

Best Practices

1. Encourage login - Prompt guest users to create accounts to save wishlists permanently

2. Wishlist reminders - Consider setting up email reminders for items left in wishlists (requires custom development)

3. Compare limits - The 10-product limit prevents overwhelming customers with too many options

4. Stock alerts - Integrate wishlist with inventory notifications to alert customers when items are back in stock

5. Share wishlists - Encourage wishlist sharing for gift registries or wedding registries

6. Mobile optimization - Ensure wishlist and compare pages are mobile-friendly for on-the-go browsing

7. Clear UI - Make wishlist and compare icons easily discoverable on product listings and detail pages