To install the plugin on your WordPress instance, follow these steps:

• Begin by logging in as the administrator to access the Dashboard interface.
• In the Dashboard, navigate to ‘Plugins’ and then click on ‘Add New.’

• Select ‘Upload Plugin,’ and then click ‘Browse’ to locate the plugin archive that you previously saved on your computer.
• After selecting the plugin archive, click ‘Install’ and proceed to ‘Activate’ it.

Repeat the above procedure for all WordPress instances, which are required to use the provided features.

As an alternative method, you can also upload the plugin to your server through FTP (File Transfer Protocol). Here’s how:

• Connect to your server using your preferred FTP client.
• Navigate to the directory where WordPress is installed on your server.
• Locate the ‘wp-content/plugins’ directory.
• Upload the extracted plugin folder into the ‘plugins’ directory on your server.
• Once the upload is complete, return to your WordPress admin dashboard.
• Activate the plugin for the desired site from the ‘Plugins’ section.

By following these steps, you can seamlessly install and activate the plugin either through the WordPress interface or via FTP, depending on your preference and server setup.

As it connects multiple stand-alone WordPress instances by default, it’s essential to have the WooCommerce plugin active on the respective sites for optimal performance.

Our server requirements are deliberately kept minimal. The code is not only compact but also meticulously organized, ensuring lightning-fast processing without demanding excessive server resources. In fact, it operates with the efficiency of a small plugin, thanks to its highly optimized internal code. This translates to a mere fraction, less than 5%, of the total WooCommerce code execution time. Therefore, rest assured that if your server runs WordPress, this plugin will run harmoniously without taxing your resources.

For compatibility, we have set a minimum WordPress version requirement of 4.4, which is readily available to most existing sites. While it can technically work with lower versions, please be aware that the code hasn’t been rigorously tested for compatibility on such revisions, and it’s not actively maintained for them.

The beauty of our plugin is that it doesn’t necessitate any file changes, provided your setup adheres to the WordPress Codex and follows WooCommerce development practices. We’ve designed all of its features and functionality to be achieved through filters and actions, ensuring maximum compatibility with other code bases.

To start with the plugin, follow these steps:

1. Deployment on All WooCommerce Shops:

• The first step is to deploy the WP Global Cart plugin on all WooCommerce shops where you require its features. This ensures that the plugin is available and ready for activation on each shop within your network. Additional description regarding the process can be found at Plugin Installation

Step 2: Activation

2. Activation of the Plugin:

• Once the plugin is deployed across your WooCommerce shops, it’s time to activate it. Activation is a straightforward process and can be completed for each shop individually.
• Navigate to the WordPress dashboard of each shop where you’ve deployed the plugin.
• In the WordPress dashboard, go to “Plugins” and find the WP Global Cart – Single Site plugin.
• Click on “Activate” to activate the plugin for that specific shop.
• After activation, you’ll notice a new section called Global Shops, within your shop’s WordPress dashboard. This is where you’ll manage the plugin’s settings and features, depending on the set-up type for the current site.

3. License Key Activation:

• During the plugin purchase, you’ll receive a license key. This key is essential for activating and unlocking the full potential of WP Global Cart. Make sure you have your license key handy.
• Locate the Global Shops interface within your shop’s dashboard.
• Look for the “Plugin License” section.
• Enter the license key provided to you during the plugin purchase.
• Click on “Activate License” or a similar button to complete the activation process.
• The license key activation is crucial for accessing premium features, updates, and support, so ensure it’s done correctly.

Step 3: Choose Your Setup Type

4. Choose the Set-up Type: Network Server or Shop:

• WP Global Cart offers two primary setup types: Network Server and Shop. Understanding the differences between these setups is essential as there will be a main Network Server Instance and everything else as Shop.

Network Server:

• The Network Server setup is typically your main or central site within the WordPress network. It functions as the hub for managing settings, OAuth data, and other network-related data. It’s the heart of your multi-store setup.
• The Network Server can also operate as a regular shop within your network, allowing you to showcase products and conduct transactions like any other WooCommerce shop.

Shop:

• A Shop, on the other hand, is any of the other sites connected to the network. These shops are part of the broader network but can also function independently as standalone WooCommerce stores.
• Each shop within the network can have its unique products, settings, and configurations, but they benefit from the centralized management provided by the Network Server.

Getting started with WP Global Cart for WooCommerce is a straightforward process, involving deployment, activation, and choosing the appropriate setup type. Once you’ve completed these initial steps, you’ll have the foundation in place to efficiently manage multiple WooCommerce stores within your WordPress network.

With WP Global Cart, you can streamline operations, provide a seamless shopping experience for your customers, and unlock the full potential of your multi-store e-commerce strategy. Whether you’re a small business owner or an enterprise-level e-commerce manager, WP Global Cart has the tools you need to succeed in the competitive world of online retail.

Checkout Type

The Checkout Type setting determines how the checkout process occurs within your multi-store network. It affects how payments are collected when customers make purchases across different shops in your network.

• Single Checkout:

  With Single Checkout, customers can complete the checkout process for all cart items independently from where each product originates. This means that all products in the cart will be processed together, and the payment will be collected in full on the checkout site.

• Each Store Checkout:
  Selecting the Each Store checkout type triggers the system to create individual checkout sessions in the shops from where the cart products belong. Each shop will retrieve payment separately for their own products, allowing for more independent transactions.

Cart Checkout Location

The Cart Checkout Location setting becomes relevant when the Checkout Type is set as Single Checkout. It determines where users will be redirected to complete their orders or whether they can proceed to any site within the network.

• Specific Site: Users will be redirected to a specific site designated by this setting to complete their orders when using Single Checkout.
• Any Site: Users have the flexibility to proceed to any site within the network to complete their checkout when using Single Checkout.

Enable Products Synchronization Interface

The Enable Products Synchronization Interface setting is crucial when you’re utilizing the Products Synchronization feature. Enabling this option reveals a new tab within the Product Data interface, providing tools and options to facilitate product replication across your network, including one or more shops.

Replace the Cart Products with Local Version

This feature simplifies the shopping experience for customers. If a product in the shopping cart is also available in the current store, it will be substituted with the local product. This replacement is based on a match identified by comparing the product SKU attribute. It’s important to note that this substitution occurs exclusively for products of the same type.

Synchronization Type

The Synchronization Type setting governs how data is processed across selected shops during the synchronization procedure. This procedure ensures that data is consistent and updated across your multi-store network, particularly in the context of global cart operations.

There are two types of synchronization procedures available:

• Screen (Default):
  • Screen synchronization is the default and easiest to set up. It is compatible with all types of environments.
• Headers:
  • Headers synchronization is a more complex procedure that works through HTTP headers. It operates in the background and is less noticeable to users. However, it may not be compatible with environments that heavily rely on caching systems like Varnish.

The Network Server instance settings in WP Global Cart offer powerful tools for managing and controlling all aspects of your multi-store e-commerce network. These settings determine how the checkout process operates, where users are redirected during checkout, whether product synchronization is enabled, how data is synchronized across shops and so on.

Understanding and configuring these settings effectively is crucial for optimizing the user experience, ensuring consistency across your network, and simplifying the management of multiple WooCommerce shops within your WordPress environment.

The WooCommerce Global Cart – Single Site plugin never stores any sensitive personal information on the server-side or locally using cookies.

To achieve the Global Cart functionality, the plugin creates 2 additional cookies to ensure a WooCommerce session is matched and paired on the server-side.

When the user add a product to the cart, the synchronization routine is triggered and the woogc_session cookie is set to each of the shops/domains that are enabled and included in a network of shops.  The cookie ensure the WooCommerce session remain unitary for the user across the shops in the network. That imply, when the WooCommerce cart session changes at a shop, it will also update on the other sites ( automated, internal server-side process ).

To ensure GDPR compliance, you should update you network Privacy Policy, to include the above cookies notices ( if using explicit names). Also ensure the user is aware of the cookie being set on all shop domains of your network and the existing WooCommerce user cart session maintained unitary across the sites.

If the user rejects the Policy, you can programmatically disable the global cart through the filter woogc/disable_global_cart, in which case everything runs as before with a default WooCommerce cart.