WordPress Simple Paypal Shopping Cart is a free WordPress plugin that lets you insert an “Add to Cart” button into any post or page. The simple system transforms your website into a basic eCommerce website.
The plugin was developed by Tips and Tricks HQ. You will recall that I recently reviewed their gallery plugin Simple Photo Gallery.
Their PayPal cart plugin adopts the same principle of simplicity. This makes it one of the easiest eCommerce plugins available to WordPress users.
Let us take a closer look at what the plugin can do.
Selling Products with WordPress Simple Paypal Shopping Cart
WordPress Simple Paypal Shopping Cart has three settings pages. I am going to show these settings pages in full to help you see the customisation options the plugin offers. However, before I do, I would like to show you how simple the plugin is to use.
At the top of the general settings page you will find a quick usage guide that highlights two shortcodes that can be used.
The first shortcode is wp_cart_button. You can use the attributes name and price with this shortcode in order to add an item to a post or page. For example, if I was selling an eBook, I could use something like [ wp_cart_button name=”My Fantastic eBook” price=”9.95″ ].
The second shortcode is show_wp_shopping_cart. Adding this shortcode to your page will display your shopping cart. The great thing about the shopping cart shortcode is that it will not be displayed until a visitor has added an item to their cart.
If you do not want to display the shopping cart in a post or page, you can display it using a widget. If you are selling multiple items on your website on unique pages, you may find it more practical to display your cart in your website sidebar.
Since the plugin uses PayPal, it can be used to sell any type of item. You can sell digital items such as eBooks, banner ads, and services. You can also sell physical items such as t-shirts, gifts, etc.
The ease in which WordPress Simple Paypal Shopping Cart can be used to sell items needs to be stressed. Say you have written a book and want to sell digital and copies through your website. All you need to do install the plugin on your website and insert the wp_cart_button into a post or page with the name and price of your item. The whole process takes less than a minute.
Configuring WordPress Simple Paypal Shopping Cart
There are a number of configuration options available for WordPress Simple Paypal Shopping Cart; however you will not find them overwhelming.
Two of the most important fields to complete are PayPal email address and currency. The plugin also allows you to change the phrases that are used for your shopping cart.
A standard shipping cost can be added to items. You can also offer free shipping to orders over a specific cost.
You can return customers to a specific page after they have completed their purchase. You can also create a dedicated products page that lists all of your items for sale. This page can be linked from your shopping cart widget.
I noted earlier that the checkout shortcode can be inserted into any post or page. In my previous screenshot, I displayed the shopping cart directly underneath the item that I listed for sale. However, the shopping cart shortcode can be used in a dedicated page. You can then choose to redirect customers to that page whenever a customer adds an item is added to their cart.
Customised notes can also be displayed to buyers through PayPal and you can style your checkout page using a specific CSS class. There is support for Tips & Tricks’ affiliate program plugin too.
Debugging and sandbox testing are also available to help you test you have configured PayPal correctly.
The email settings page allows you to customise the email that is sent to buyers after purchase. The email address, email subject, and the body of the email, can all be changed.
You can also send a confirmation email to yourself whenever someone purchases an item. This notification will ensure you always know when a sale takes place.
A coupon field can also be displayed to customers. This is useful if you want to run seasonal promotions or offer discounts to return customers.
To add a coupon, all you need to do is specify the coupon code, coupon discount rate, and the expiration date of the coupon.
Unfortunately, there is no option available to add a fixed discount. That is, you can add a discount code for 10% but not $10. There is no way to limit the number of times a coupon is used either.
For such a basic eCommerce plugin, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of configuration options available. Most basic PayPal WordPress plugins do not include email customisation and coupon options. Nor do they allow you to redirect customers to specific pages.
Final Thoughts
WordPress Simple Paypal Shopping Cart is a great solution for anyone who wants a fast and user-friendly way of selling products and services through their website.
The plugin is not a complete eCommerce solution, but it was not designed to be. Tips & Tricks have developed a more feature rich plugin entitled eStore for those that need more.
WordPress Simple Paypal Shopping Cart was designed with simplicity in mind and it certainly excels in that area. Hopefully, they will improve the coupon system to allow fixed price coupons and an option to limit coupons. Though I do not believe they need to add many more features as the plugin will lose its simplicity.
I recommend checking WordPress Simple Paypal Shopping Cart out if you are looking for a simple way of selling items through PayPal on your website.
Good luck,
Kevin
