How To Show Different Currencies In Woocommerc

How to Show Different Currencies in WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide

Selling products globally with WooCommerce? Fantastic! But your customers prefer to see prices in their own currency. Displaying the correct currency builds trust, reduces confusion, and ultimately boosts sales. This guide will walk you through how to show different currencies in your WooCommerce store, even if you’re a complete beginner.

Think of it this way: imagine you’re shopping on a US-based website, and everything is priced in USD. If you live in the UK, you need to constantly convert the prices to GBP. That’s frustrating and a barrier to purchase. Showing GBP directly simplifies the process and makes you more likely to buy. That’s the power of multiple currencies!

Why Offer Multiple Currencies in WooCommerce?

Improved User Experience: Customers feel comfortable and understood when they see prices in their local currency.
Increased Sales: Eliminating the need for manual conversions removes friction and encourages purchases.
Broader Market Reach: Expand your customer base by catering to international shoppers.
Enhanced Trust and Credibility: Showing you understand your international audience builds confidence.

Methods for Displaying Multiple Currencies in WooCommerce

There are two primary methods:

1. Using a Plugin: This is the most common and easiest way for beginners. Plugins handle the complexities of currency conversion and display.

2. Custom Coding (Advanced): This offers more flexibility but requires coding knowledge. We’ll touch on this briefly, but the focus will be on plugins.

We will cover the plugin approach in depth.

Using a Plugin: The Easiest Approach

Several excellent plugins are available for displaying different currencies in WooCommerce. Some popular options include:

WooCommerce Currency Switcher: A widely used and feature-rich plugin.
Currency Switcher for WooCommerce: Simple and effective, often a good starting point.
Aelia Currency Switcher for WooCommerce: Designed for more complex multi-currency setups, especially with subscriptions.

For this guide, we’ll use the WooCommerce Currency Switcher by realmag777 as an example, due to its popularity and feature set. (The steps are similar for other plugins).

#### Step 1: Install and Activate the Plugin

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New.

2. Search for “WooCommerce Currency Switcher”.

3. Locate the plugin by realmag777 and click Install Now.

4. Once installed, click Activate.

#### Step 2: Configure the Plugin Settings

1. After activation, you’ll typically find the plugin’s settings under WooCommerce > WC Currency Switcher.

2. The General tab is where you’ll configure the basics.

Enabled Currencies: This is the most important part. Here you’ll add the currencies you want to display. Click “Add New” and select the currencies from the dropdown (e.g., USD, EUR, GBP). You can add as many as you need.

Base Currency: Choose the primary currency of your store (usually where your business is based).

Currency Position: Decide where you want the currency symbol to appear (e.g., left, right, left with space, right with space).

Price Format: Configure how prices are displayed (e.g., number of decimal places, thousands separator).

Auto Update Rates: This is crucial. Enable this to automatically update currency exchange rates. The plugin will fetch rates from a service like Yahoo Finance or Google Finance (you can usually choose). Set the update interval (e.g., daily, weekly).

Is multiple allowed: Enable this to let customer choose which currency they would like to use.
Show on Front: Defines where to show the switcher, it can be shortcode, Widget or menu item

Show flags on front: Enable this if you want to show the flag of country in switcher.

3. Exchange Rates Tab: This is where you can manually adjust the exchange rates if needed. However, it is strongly recommended to rely on the auto-update feature.

4. Options Tab: Here you can customize the appearance of the currency switcher, such as its colors and style.

#### Step 3: Display the Currency Switcher on Your Website

The WooCommerce Currency Switcher offers several ways to display the currency switcher on your site:

Widget: Add the “WC Currency Switcher” widget to your sidebar or other widget area via Appearance > Widgets.
Shortcode: Use the shortcode `[wccs]` in any page or post content. This is very flexible. For example, you could add it to your shop page description or a dedicated currency selection page.
Menu Item: The plugin may allow you to add the currency switcher directly to your website menu. Check the plugin’s documentation for specific instructions.

Example: If you want to put the currency switcher in your footer, you would go to Appearance > Widgets, drag the “WC Currency Switcher” widget to your footer widget area, and save. Now your customers will see the currency options in the footer of every page.

Example using Shortcode: You could create a page called “Currency Selection” and add the shortcode `[wccs]` to the content. Then, add a link to that page in your website menu.

#### Step 4: Test and Refine

1. Visit your website and check that the currency switcher is displaying correctly.

2. Switch between currencies to ensure the prices are updating accurately.

3. If you notice any issues, double-check your plugin settings and the exchange rates.

Custom Coding (Advanced) – A Brief Overview

If you have coding experience, you *could* implement currency switching without a plugin. This involves:

1. Storing the user’s selected currency (usually in a cookie or session).

2. Fetching exchange rates from an API (e.g., Fixer.io, Open Exchange Rates).

3. Modifying the WooCommerce price display using WooCommerce hooks and filters (e.g., `woocommerce_get_price_html`).

// Example (simplified - not production-ready)

add_filter( ‘woocommerce_get_price_html’, ‘custom_currency_price_html’, 10, 2 );

function custom_currency_price_html( $price, $product ) {

// Get user’s currency from cookie or session

$user_currency = $_COOKIE[‘user_currency’] ?? ‘USD’; // Default to USD

// Fetch exchange rate (implementation omitted for brevity)

$exchange_rate = get_exchange_rate( $user_currency );

$original_price = $product->get_price();

$converted_price = $original_price * $exchange_rate;

// Format the converted price (implementation omitted)

$formatted_price = format_currency( $converted_price, $user_currency );

return $formatted_price;

}

Important Note: This is a *very* simplified example. Custom coding requires significant knowledge of PHP, WooCommerce hooks, and API integration. Using a plugin is almost always the better option for beginners and even many experienced developers due to the complexity of maintaining accurate exchange rates and handling different currency formats.

Best Practices for Multi-Currency WooCommerce Stores

Accurate Exchange Rates: Ensure your exchange rates are updated regularly. Use the auto-update feature of your chosen plugin.
Clear Communication: Clearly state your store’s base currency and the currencies you support.
Transparent Pricing: Be upfront about any conversion fees or charges.
Test Thoroughly: Test the currency switcher with different products and currencies to ensure everything is working correctly.
Consider Geo-Location: Some plugins offer geo-location features, automatically displaying the user’s local currency based on their IP address. This is a great way to enhance the user experience.
Payment Gateways: Make sure your chosen payment gateways support the currencies you offer. Some gateways only support specific currencies.

By following these steps and best practices, you can seamlessly offer multiple currencies in your WooCommerce store, providing a better experience for your international customers and ultimately driving more sales. Good luck!