WooCommerce Bookings: Appointment & Reservation Extension

WooCommerce Bookings is an extension for WooCommerce stores that introduces a bookable product type, so a shop can sell time- or date-based slots alongside other products. It is published by Woo and listed on the WooCommerce marketplace. The extension covers appointments, reservations, rentals and classes, making it a WordPress appointment booking plugin as well as a tool for rentals and hire.

• Official WooCommerce extension by Woo
• Sells appointments, reservations, rentals and classes
• 20K+ active installs
• Listed at $249 for a 1-year plan
• Available at woocommerce.com/products/woocommerce-bookings/

Bookings supports fixed time slots as well as flexible date or time ranges, so availability can be configured to match how a business sells its time. Pricing can be set for individuals or for groups, and resources — such as staff members — can be attached to bookable products. The extension also syncs with Google Calendar.

• Fixed time slots or flexible ranges
• Individual and group pricing
• Resources, including staff assignment
• Google Calendar sync

Woo first explored a bookings plugin before WooCommerce itself launched, reaching a minimum viable product by December 2011, a couple of months after WooCommerce was released. Development was paused so that the bookings plugin could be integrated with the WooCommerce product roadmap, and the original MVP was later retired. WooCommerce lead developer and plugin creator Mike Jolley rebuilt the extension from scratch, with the release described as a lean version one shaped by extensive beta testing and feedback from WordPress developers, designers and consultants.

• MVP built in December 2011, then paused
• Rebuilt from scratch by Mike Jolley
• Introduced as a new WooCommerce product type
• Shaped by beta testing and community feedback

EYExplore Tokyo, a provider of photography tours and workshops, has used WooCommerce and the Bookings extension since it began in September 2014. The company runs tours and workshops in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and elsewhere, offering street photography, rooftop locations and film photography workshops, and receives bookings from photographers worldwide as well as English-speaking residents in Japan. Founder Axel reports that booking online is quick and easy for customers and for the photographers who guide the tours. Each tour listing carries detailed information — price per person, recommended equipment, tour length, whether it runs by day or night, and the techniques covered.

• Photo tours booked online since 2014
• Tours in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka
• Detailed per-tour information published before booking
• Bookings used alongside other WooCommerce extensions