WooCommerce: How to Enter Check Payment (Manual Order Creation)
Introduction:
WooCommerce, the leading e-commerce platform built on WordPress, provides a powerful suite of tools to manage your online store. While most transactions flow through automated payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe, there are situations where you might need to manually enter a check payment. This is particularly useful for offline orders, B2B transactions where checks are common, or when offering specialized payment arrangements. This article will guide you through the process of manually creating an order and marking it as paid by check within WooCommerce, ensuring accurate record-keeping and efficient order fulfillment. We’ll cover the step-by-step process and highlight the benefits and potential drawbacks of using check payments.
Main Part: Manually Entering a Check Payment in WooCommerce
Here’s how to manually add an order in WooCommerce and mark it as paid via check:
Step 1: Creating a New Order
Since the customer isn’t completing the order online, you need to create the order yourself within WooCommerce:
1. Log in to your WordPress admin area.
2. Navigate to WooCommerce > Orders.
3. Click the “Add Order” button at the top of the page.
Step 2: Filling Out the Order Details
This is where you input all the relevant information about the order. Accurate data entry is crucial.
1. Customer Details:
- Start by assigning the order to an existing customer. You can search for them using the customer lookup, or create a new customer if they’re not already in your system. This allows you to track their purchase history.
- Add the products the customer is purchasing. Use the “Add item(s)” button to search for and add products to the order. You can adjust quantities and even apply discounts per item.
- Enter the shipping address. If it’s different from the billing address, use the “Ship to different address?” option. Double-check the address to avoid shipping errors.
- Enter the billing address for the customer.
- Verify the subtotal, shipping costs (if applicable), and total amount due. You can manually adjust these fields if needed.
2. Order Items:
3. Shipping Address:
4. Billing Address:
5. Order Totals:
Step 3: Selecting “Check Payments” as the Payment Method (This is the crucial step)
The most important step is to emulate the check payment in WooCommerce:
1. Scroll down to “Order Actions” panel.
2. Click the dropdown “Email invoice / order details to customer” or “Regenerate download permissions” (depending on your setup).
3. Click “Create order” button.
4. Select the order you’ve just created.
5. At the top, click “Order Actions” dropdown, select “Email invoice / order details to customer”, then click the arrow. This step lets you send the customer an invoice with the order details and payment instructions.
Step 4: Marking the Order as “Processing” or “Completed”
Once you’ve received the check and the funds have cleared, you need to update the order status:
1. Go back to the order you just created.
2. In the “Order Actions” box at the top, change the order status to “Processing” (if you’re still preparing the order for shipment) or “Completed” (if the order has been shipped and fulfilled).
3. Click the blue “Update” button to save the changes.
Step 5: Adding an Order Note (Highly Recommended)
It’s always a good practice to add a note to the order indicating that the payment was received via check:
1. In the “Order Notes” section, type a note such as “Check received on [Date] for $[Amount]”.
2. Choose whether the note is visible to the customer (“Note to customer”) or only for internal use (“Private note”). Using a private note for payment information is recommended.
3. Click “Add Note”.
Here’s an example of how you might add a note using code (although you wouldn’t directly interact with code for adding a manual order note through the WooCommerce admin):
// This code would be used programmatically, not through the admin panel
$order_id = 123; // Replace with the actual order ID
$note = “Check received on 2023-10-27 for $100.00”;
$is_customer_note = false; // Private note
wc_add_order_note( $order_id, $note, $is_customer_note );
Benefits of Allowing Check Payments:
- Expanded Customer Base: Attract customers who prefer or require check payments, particularly in B2B scenarios.
- Increased Sales: Accommodate larger purchases that customers might be hesitant to pay for online.
- Flexibility: Offer customized payment plans or arrangements.
Cons of Allowing Check Payments:
- Increased Processing Time: Checks take time to arrive, clear, and be processed.
- Risk of Bounced Checks: There’s always a risk that a check will bounce, leading to delays and potential losses.
- Manual Management: Requires manual order creation and status updates, which can be time-consuming.
- Security Concerns: Handling physical checks involves security risks.
Conclusion:
Manually entering check payments in WooCommerce is a valuable technique for businesses that need to accommodate offline orders or offer alternative payment options. By carefully following the steps outlined above, you can accurately record these transactions and maintain a comprehensive overview of your sales activity. However, it’s essential to weigh the benefits against the drawbacks, such as increased processing time and the risk of bounced checks. Consider implementing safeguards like requiring checks to clear before shipping products and thoroughly vetting new customers who choose to pay by check to mitigate potential risks. Properly managed, allowing check payments can broaden your customer base and contribute to your overall business success.
