Get Ready for this WooCommerce Update: High-Performance Order Storage Update
In August 2023, an exciting change is coming to WooCommerce – High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS). This new feature will significantly speed up your WooCommerce store’s checkout experience and order processing, ensuring a better experience for both you and your customers.
Bottom Line: With HPOS, your eCommerce business can expect faster and better store management, leading to increased customer satisfaction.
What is High-Performance Order Storage?
High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS) is a revolutionary database improvement that WooCommerce has been developing since January 2022, designed specifically to enhance the online store experience. The update will deliver:
- Up to 5x faster order creation
- Up to 1.5x faster checkout
- Up to 40x faster order retrieval
Currently, order information is stored using the same database technology employed for WordPress posts. HPOS will shift this data into a commerce-first storage system, enabling much faster processing and scalable growth for your store.
Targeting a general availability date in August 2023, HPOS will be the default experience for new WooCommerce stores. Existing stores will still function, but WooCommerce encourages them to test HPOS and enjoy its benefits of faster checkout and order processing.
How to Enable High-Performance Order Storage
For WooCommerce 7.1 or later stores, HPOS is available to try now under your advanced settings. However, be aware that it is still experimental – read through WooCommerce’s documentation before deciding to enable HPOS.
Keep in mind that some extensions may not yet be compatible with HPOS. WooCommerce is working with third-party developers to ensure compatibility but relies on them to update their extensions. You can check the HPOS compatibility of your extensions in your extension screen once the feature has been enabled. If you find an incompatible extension, you can reach out to the developer and ask them to update it.
Creating a New WooCommerce Store with High-Performance Order Storage
If you’re creating a new store after the release of HPOS, it will automatically be the default database structure. However, note that some extensions may still be incompatible and will be removed from the Woo Marketplace to minimize the risk of using incompatible extensions on new stores. All new stores will enjoy the full benefits of HPOS, including the faster checkout experience and improved operational performance.
High-Performance Order Storage FAQs
How does High-Performance Order Storage work?
HPOS works by adding database storage tables specifically for orders to the existing WordPress database. This means your orders will be stored in a new table structure designed for WooCommerce. For more technical information, refer to the HPOS documentation.
What if I do not want to try High-Performance Order Storage right away?
While not immediately required, WooCommerce encourages users to switch to HPOS at their convenience to enjoy a faster checkout experience and better store management.
How can I encourage a developer to update their extension for High-Performance Order Storage compatibility?
Contact the developer’s support team and request that they update their extension. Extensions that do not update by the release date will be removed from the WooCommerce marketplace.
What if I need help transitioning my store to High-Performance Order Storage?
If you work with a developer, ask them to assist you in migrating your store. If you do not work with a developer, you can reach out to the WooCommerce support team or consider hiringWooExpertsfor help with your store.
Who will benefit from High-Performance Order Storage?
Businesses of all sizes will benefit from HPOS.
Will existing stores be automatically migrated over to High-Performance Order Storage?
Existing stores will not be automatically migrated to HPOS, but this update is recommended for all stores. WooCommerce will notify stores when the transition to HPOS is required.
How can I check compatibility with specific extensions?
Enable HPOS under advanced settings, then check your plugins tab in /wp-admin. Incompatible extensions will show a message in this screen.
Are there any hosting restrictions?
Any host that can run WordPress should be able to accommodate HPOS without issue.
