=== V7 Product Alternatives ===
Contributors: thevaibhaw
Donate link: https://vaibhawkumar.in/
Tags: woocommerce, out of stock, product recommendation, alternative products, stock management
Requires at least: 6.0
Tested up to: 7.1
Stable tag: 1.1.0
Requires PHP: 8.0
WC requires at least: 8.0
WC tested up to: 10.4.3
License: GPL-2.0-or-later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Suggest in-stock product alternatives for out-of-stock WooCommerce items to boost sales & recover lost revenue. Fully customizable & HPOS ready.

== Description ==

**Don't let out-of-stock products cost you money!** **V7 Product Alternatives** transforms out-of-stock WooCommerce product pages into high-converting recommendation bridges by suggesting relevant, in-stock alternative products directly to your shoppers.

When a customer lands on an out-of-stock product page, instead of bouncing away to a competitor, they are immediately shown curated, in-stock alternative items with instant add-to-cart or view-product buttons. This keeps shoppers engaged, increases average order value (AOV), and **recovers lost sales automatically**.

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### 🔥 Why Store Owners Love V7 Product Alternatives

* **Recover Lost Sales** — Turn "Out of Stock" dead ends into active sales opportunities by showing in-stock substitute products.
* **Automatic & Manual Selection** — Manually pick specific alternative products per item or let WooCommerce suggest related items automatically.
* **Variable Product Support** — Seamlessly handles variable products, attributes, and specific in-stock variations.
* **Full Design Customization** — Easily match your store's branding: customize title text, button text, accent colors, background colors, and border radius from WooCommerce > Product Alternatives.
* **Brand & Price Badging** — Display product brand names, prices, and stock status badges on recommendations for trust building.
* **100% Responsive & Lightweight** — Zero bloat, mobile-optimized, fast-loading recommendation blocks with 0ms impact on site speed.
* **WooCommerce HPOS Compatible** — Declared fully compatible with High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS / Custom Order Tables).
* **WordPress 7.1 & WooCommerce 10.4+ Tested** — Built for modern WooCommerce and fully tested with the latest core releases.
* **GDPR & Privacy Compliant** — No tracking scripts, no external API calls, no cookies, no telemetry.

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### 🎯 Who Is This Plugin For?

1. **WooCommerce Store Owners** — Looking to reduce bounce rates on out-of-stock product pages and capture impulse purchases.
2. **Fashion & Apparel Stores** — Where specific sizes or colors go out of stock quickly, but similar styles are ready to ship.
3. **Electronics & Hardware Retailers** — Where customers need instant substitute model recommendations.
4. **Agencies & Web Developers** — Needing a clean, lightweight alternative product recommendation solution for client stores.

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### ⚡ Key Features at a Glance

* ✅ Instant out-of-stock product alternative recommendation box
* ✅ Per-product custom alternative item selection
* ✅ Variable product & variation stock detection
* ✅ Live color picker for background, text, and accent styling
* ✅ Customizable headline text & call-to-action button labels
* ✅ Optional brand name & price display toggles
* ✅ 100% responsive, mobile-first design
* ✅ WooCommerce HPOS (Custom Order Tables) compatible
* ✅ Translation ready with included POT file
* ✅ 0% bloat — lightweight CSS and clean PHP architecture

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== Installation ==

### Automatic Installation (Recommended)

1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
2. Go to **Plugins > Add New**.
3. Search for "**V7 Product Alternatives**" or "**WooCommerce Out of Stock Alternative**".
4. Click **Install Now** and then **Activate**.
5. Ensure **WooCommerce** is installed and active.
6. Configure your styling settings at **WooCommerce > Product Alternatives**.
7. Edit any product to select its custom alternative items in the product data metabox.

### Manual Installation

1. Download the `v7-product-alternatives.zip` file.
2. Navigate to **Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin** in your WordPress admin dashboard.
3. Select the zip file and click **Install Now**.
4. Click **Activate Plugin**.
5. Configure settings under **WooCommerce > Product Alternatives**.

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== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Does this plugin require WooCommerce? =

Yes. V7 Product Alternatives requires WooCommerce 8.0 or higher to be installed and active.

= Where do I configure the recommendation styling? =

Go to **WooCommerce > Product Alternatives** in your WordPress dashboard. You can customize headline text, button text, accent color, text color, background color, and border radius.

= How do I assign alternative products to an out-of-stock item? =

Edit the product in **Products > All Products**, scroll down to the Product Data section, and select your preferred alternative products under the **Alternative Products** tab/field.

= Does it work with variable products and variations? =

Yes! V7 Product Alternatives checks stock status at both parent and variation levels, suggesting only active, in-stock alternatives.

= Will this plugin slow down my store? =

No. The plugin uses optimized WooCommerce product queries and minimal CSS. It only loads on single product pages when an item is out of stock, adding zero performance overhead.

= Is this plugin compatible with WooCommerce HPOS (Custom Order Tables)? =

Yes! The plugin declares full compatibility with WooCommerce High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS).

= Can I customize the "Alternative Products" headline? =

Yes. You can enter any custom title (e.g. "Looking for something similar?", "In-Stock Alternatives", "You Might Also Like") from the settings page.

= Does this plugin collect any user data? =

No. This plugin is 100% GDPR compliant. It does not collect, store, or transmit any personal data or analytics.

= Is the plugin translation ready? =

Yes. All text strings are properly internationalized with standard `__()` functions and a POT file is included in the `/languages` directory.

= Is it compatible with WordPress 7.1? =

Yes! Fully tested and confirmed working with WordPress 7.1 and WooCommerce 10.4+.

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== Screenshots ==

1. **Frontend Recommendation Box** — Clean, responsive alternative product block on out-of-stock product pages.
2. **Settings Page** — Customization controls under WooCommerce > Product Alternatives.
3. **Product Edit Screen** — Alternative product selector metabox.

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== Changelog ==

= 1.1.0 - 2026-09-01 =
* Full SEO optimization of plugin title, description, and WordPress.org directory page.
* Updated compatibility header to WordPress 7.1 and WooCommerce 10.4+.
* Fixed Author URI metadata.
* Enhanced FAQ section with 10 comprehensive questions.
* Updated high-resolution white circular V7 brand logo assets.

= 1.0.0 - 2026-02-03 =
* Initial public release.
* Full customization via WooCommerce > Product Alternatives.
* Translation ready & GDPR compliant.

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 1.1.0 =
WordPress 7.1 compatibility, SEO enhancements, and updated branding assets. Recommended update for all users.

= 1.0.0 =
Initial public release.

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== Support & Contact ==

* **Author:** Vaibhaw Kumar
* **Website:** [vaibhawkumar.in](https://vaibhawkumar.in)
* **GitHub Repository:** [TheVaibhaw/v7-product-alternatives](https://github.com/TheVaibhaw/v7-product-alternatives)
