A partner website should not need to become a full online store simply to promote products sold elsewhere. Installing WooCommerce on every publisher, affiliate, event, membership or content website adds product management, checkout settings and database overhead that the display site may never use.
PI Remote WooCommerce Product Display WordPress Plugin separates the store from the presentation layer. A WooCommerce source website publishes an authenticated product feed. A second WordPress website retrieves that feed and presents selected products in responsive grids, lists or masonry layouts. Customers browse on the partner website and follow the product button to the original store to complete the purchase.
The remote product model
The plugin supports three site roles:
- Publish turns a WooCommerce store into a protected product source.
- Display shows remote products on a WordPress site that does not require WooCommerce.
- Publish + Display gives a WooCommerce website both capabilities.
This model keeps ownership clear. Prices, sale status, stock information, product images, categories, tags, ratings and product URLs originate at the source store. The display site controls how products are selected and presented. It does not duplicate checkout or become responsible for order processing.
What the display website can show
The product feed contains useful WooCommerce data including product name, description, SKU, regular and sale prices, stock status, rating, image, gallery images, categories, tags and the original product link. Each page placement or shortcode can decide which of those details should appear.
For example, an editorial landing page may show an image, title, price and Buy Now button. A trade directory may also show category, SKU and source label. A campaign page can feature only products on sale and hide descriptions to keep the layout compact.
Basic setup workflow
- Install and activate the plugin on the WooCommerce source store and the WordPress display site.
- Select Publish on the source store and Display on the partner site.
- Activate the appropriate plugin licence on each site.
- On the source store, generate a domain-bound API key for the display website.
- Copy the Source API URL and API key to the display website.
- Add the connection under Remote API and use Test to verify it.
- Create a placement under Display on Pages, or insert a product shortcode.
WooCommerce is required only for a site using Publish or Publish + Display. A Display-only site can remain a lightweight WordPress publication.
A practical partner-site example
Imagine a regional events website working with several independent stores. The event site can create a “Festival Essentials” page and display selected products from a partner store’s festival-gear category. It can add its own editorial introduction above the catalog, choose a four-column grid, show prices and sale badges, and use a tracking query on outbound links.
The visitor experiences a coherent landing page. When they choose a product, they continue to the partner’s WooCommerce website. The store retains its product page, cart, payment gateway, tax rules and fulfilment process.
Why this is better than manually copying products
Manual product cards become outdated. A changed price, discontinued product or new sale requires someone to edit every partner website. A remote catalog reads the current source data and can cache it locally for performance. Filters and reusable placements also make it possible to launch new pages without rebuilding every card.
The result is a cleaner division of responsibility: the store manages commerce, while the partner site manages discovery and audience context.
Start with one focused catalog
Begin with one source store and one landing page. Choose a narrow category, confirm product links, decide which metadata genuinely helps visitors, and check the mobile layout. Once that workflow is proven, add more sources and placements as needed.
Explore the complete feature set, licence tiers and setup workflow on the PI Remote WooCommerce Product Display product page.
