Structural constraints
- WooCommerce templates tightly coupled to page-builder layouts over time.
- Each new SKU increased admin friction instead of scaling linearly.
- 2GB server storage limit triggered by unattached media duplication.
- Product specs locked behind login, but client needed "teaser" visibility.
Leverage moves
- Consolidated 400+ products into ~20 variable product groups.
- Implemented
fp-product-query-coreto bypass heavy Woo queries for filtering. - Created custom "Guest Mode" logic: Price HTML swapped for Login link ($0.00).
- Decoupled freight data from layout to ensure accurate shipping calcs.
Custom engineering: Removing plugin-driven fragility
The Problem
Standard WooCommerce patterns and plugins would have increased fragility, query cost, and long-term maintenance risk when handling complex B2B gating and flattened variations.
The Fix
We built a bespoke query engine (fp-product-query-core) to drive this interface. It exposes child variations as first-class citizens, allowing specific attribute filtering (Material, Color) and enforcing server-side price removal for guests—all without the performance hit of standard loops.
Evidence
- Pricing edits triggered layout breakage in live templates.
- SKU-level changes required developer intervention.
- Storage ceilings reached due to duplicated media artifacts.
Ruled out
- Heavy membership plugins (MemberPress) for simple price gating.
- Full custom Laravel build (timeline/budget mismatch).
- Leaving legacy SKU structure (maintenance cost too high).
Before / After
- Before: 400+ loose pages, broken layouts on edit, unverified freight data.
- After: 20 structured parent products, variations grouped by attribute, safe admin edits.
Maintenance delta
- Ops team can update pricing without developer intervention.
- Stock status linked to single source of truth.
- Update surface reduced from 400+ pages to 20 templates.
Decision log
- Child theme isolation preferred for critical Woo templates.
- Custom widgets preferred over plugin bloat for catalog navigation.
- Unused image sizes disabled to strictly bound storage growth.
Irreversible outcomes
- Freight data normalized (weight/dims), unblocking shipping automation.
- Gated pricing logic hard-coded into the stack (guests cannot buy).
- Single source of truth established for product taxonomy.
Intentionally boring
- No new framework.
- Standardized variable products.
- Native Elementor widgets where possible.
- PHP-based price hiding (no JS hacks).
Update discipline
- Staged migration to keep cache warm.
- Media library scan and thumbnail regeneration.
- Rewrite rules flushed on plugin activation only.
Status
Stabilization and migration complete. Platform now supports incremental catalog expansion without reintroducing structural risk.
Role: Technical Lead / Developer. Mandate: Fix the catalog, gate the pricing, ensure scalability.