Getting PaidAndrew Wikel - WooThemes

@slash1andy

About WooThemes

• We make the #1 e-commerce

plugin for WordPress.

• We currently power approx.

25% of every online store.

I Like Legos.

And Star Wars.

And Star Wars

Legos.

My Background

• I love WordPress

• I’ve been working with it since 2008

• I worked for a non-profit for 7 years before coming to

WooThemes

• I have a huge passion to help non-profits excel online

• I work in Payment Gateways Support for WooThemes

The #1 tip to get people to give you money is this:

Make it as easy as possible for them.

–Chris Lema

“You need more than a website. You need a platform.”

It Typically Happens Like This:

• Someone (a user or a boss, or somewhere in

between) looks at you and says “We need a

website”.

• So you go build one or hire someone to build one.

• Then you start to realize that there is so much more

that you want it to do than what it does.

Then Someone Says This:

• “Why don’t you have a store online?” (Or “Why can’t

I donate online?”)

• So you start doing research on e-commerce, but you

get kind of intimidated when you read about VAT

collection in the EU, and PCI compliance, etc.

Then It’s All Downhill From There

• Should you use this software?

• What about this one?

• What about selling digital content? Physical

products? Donations?

Think About It This Way:

• You have a message that you want to share with

anyone that will listen.

• That message takes many forms, and you need a

system that will allow you to harness as many of

these as possible.

Your E-Commerce

Platform is Just the Start

Why One Platform is Better

• Compatibility

• Maintenance

• Ease of finding someone to maintain/modify

You Have Options:

• A Blog

• Digital Downloads - Images, etc.

• Physical Goods - Swag

• Donations (one-time and recurring support)

Remember that when you

say “We need a website”.

Think About This:

• Whatever you need, and whether or not you hire

someone to build it, there’s one thing that you need

to know:

You need to plan out what you need, and then

express what you need clearly.

• Sooner is better than later. It will affect everything

that happens to your platform.

Here are Some Ideas:

• Blog

• Event Calendar and Ticketing

• Free and Paid Downloads

That’s in Addition to This:

• Selling Physical Items

• Donations

Now, For Some

Practical Tips

What are Customers Looking

For?

• They are looking for ease of checkout

• Reasonable shipping with alternatives

• Multiple Payment options (PayPal, Credit Cards,

Amazon, etc.)

• A mobile friendly experience

User Trust

• This is huge. If you don’t have

the users’ trust, they won’t give

you money.

• There are many factors, and

not all of them are technical

Do

• Have a clear, user-friendly privacy policy

• Make your email lists strictly opt-in

• Use an SSL on EVERY SINGLE PAGE that has a

checkout form, log in form, etc. There are no

exceptions.

• Foster trust in other methods of communication as

well

Don’t

• Don’t obscure your return policy or privacy policy

• Don’t ever have a credit card form on a plain HTTP

page. Please just don’t.

• Don’t mail people without their permission or sell or

give their info to others.

Cart Abandonment

• Approx. 42% of customer on average never get past

the 1st part of checkout

• There is a huge barrier in getting customers to

checkout

Optimize Checkout Process

• Tear down the “sign-in” barrier - don’t disconnect your

customer from giving you money. Customers can resent

being forced to create an account.

• Provide a progress indicator - just let people know how long

the process is, and where they are in it.

• Match the checkout with your site’s look and feel

• Never send your customer outside the checkout process

once they are there.

• Visually reinforce all sensitive fields on the payment page

Smashing Magazine Study

• There is a clear divergence between the

customer’s mental model of form-field security

and the actual security.

• Many test subjects didn’t think about security

until they had to enter their credit card details.

• As one test subject who had just abandoned

their purchase said, “It didn’t look safe

enough.” Her reaction wasn’t based on the

technical security of the website, but rather on

the perceived security of the fields.

• Source:

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/04/0

6/fundamental-guidelines-of-e-commerce-

checkout-design/

Payment Options

• I recommend three

payment gateways:

A. Stripe

B. PayPal

C. Amazon

Shipping

• Have a few different options

• People want to see calculated rates

• People *really* like free shipping. They are willing to

jump through hoops, add more to their cart, wait for

promos, etc.

Taxes

• Don’t mess with the government. (As much as you

might want to, it’s just not going to turn out well)

• It should be fairly straightforward to figure this out. If

not, ask your accountant.

• TaxJar is a great service for managing tax rates.

• I’m not giving tax advice. :)

Store Design

• Pick a theme that supports your e-commerce plugin

or pay someone to make it for you.

• Make sure that you pick a developer that is

reputable and supports their product well. It’s critical.

• If you have questions, ask the e-commerce software

maker. Their recommendations are probably better

than a theme maker (when it comes to your store).

Pay Someone

• If you set this up yourself, give yourself a pat on the

back. Then hire someone.

• Hire someone to look over your work and test

everything before it all goes live. This can save your

bacon.

The #1 tip to get people to give you money is this:

Make it as easy as possible for them.

@slash1andy

@WooThemes