WooCommerce wishlists with guest support: how shoppers save products for later

A shopper who is interested but not ready to buy needs somewhere to put a product so they can come back to it. Without that, they have to remember the item or search for it again, and many never return. A wishlist closes that gap. This guide explains what a WooCommerce wishlist is, what to look for in one, and how Shortlist handles it.

What a Wishlist Is and Why It Matters

A wishlist is a simple promise: save this product, find it again later. For considered purchases like electronics, furniture or gifts, the decision rarely happens on the first visit. A wishlist gives the shopper a low-commitment way to hold onto items between sessions, which is far better than abandoning the browse entirely.

The value is in returning customers. If a saved list is waiting when a shopper comes back, the path to purchase is already half built. The risk is that a wishlist is only useful if the shopper can actually save to it and find it again, which is where the details matter.

What to Look For in a WooCommerce Wishlist

Not every wishlist plugin treats the basics the same way. A few things are worth checking before you commit:

• Guest support. Many shoppers are not logged in when they browse. A wishlist that only works for account holders misses them entirely. Look for a list that works for guests and merges into the account on login, so nothing is lost.
• A light front end. Some wishlist plugins load a heavy script on every page of the store. That slows the whole site, not just the wishlist. A plain-JavaScript front end with no jQuery dependency keeps the store fast.
• Variation accuracy. On variable products, a wishlist should save the exact variation the shopper chose, not just the parent product, so the saved item matches what they wanted.
• Easy ways to view the list. A My Account tab, a dedicated page and a shortcode each suit a different store layout. Having all three means you can put the wishlist wherever your menu and pages need it.

How Shortlist Does It

Shortlist for WooCommerce is a free, open-source wishlist built around exactly these basics.

Shortlist adds an accessible add-to-list button on both shop listings and the product page, and each placement can be toggled on independently. Adding and removing happens over AJAX without a page reload, and every button for the same product is kept in sync so the state never looks wrong.

Guests are first-class. A guest’s list is saved in a browser cookie and merged into their account the next time they log in, so a shopper who saves items before signing in does not lose them. On variable products, the shopper picks their options first and Shortlist saves the specific variation, just like add to cart.

Shoppers can view their list in three places: a Wishlist tab added automatically to WooCommerce My Account, a dedicated wishlist page you pick or create in a click, and the [shortlist] shortcode that renders the current shopper’s list on any page. The whole front end is plain JavaScript with no jQuery, loaded in the footer, with accessible buttons and ARIA attributes.

The free edition is one complete wishlist. If you need more, Shortlist Pro is a separate add-on that adds multiple named lists, public share links, wishlist analytics with CSV export, and email alerts for price drops or back-in-stock. Pro is delivered through Freemius and requires the free plugin.

Shortlist Versus Default WooCommerce

WooCommerce has no built-in wishlist. Here is the difference for saving products for later specifically:

Capability	Default WooCommerce	Shortlist (free)
Save a product for later	None built in	Add button on listings and product page
Guest wishlist	None	Browser cookie, merged into account on login
View the saved list	n/a	My Account tab, dedicated page, or [shortlist] shortcode
Variable products	n/a	Saves the exact chosen variation
Add and remove	n/a	AJAX, no reload, buttons kept in sync
Front-end weight	n/a	Plain JavaScript, no jQuery, loaded in footer
Cost	Free (core has none)	Free; Pro adds multiple lists, sharing, analytics, price alerts

The Short Version

A WooCommerce wishlist lets shoppers save products for later so they come back instead of losing track. The basics that matter are guest support that merges on login, a light front end that does not slow the store, accurate saving of variations, and flexible ways to view the list. Shortlist covers all of these in a free, open-source plugin, with multiple lists, sharing, analytics and price alerts available in Pro.