How to Use the PayPal Chip and Swipe Reader with WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide
So, you’re running a WooCommerce store and want to offer in-person payment options using a PayPal Chip and Swipe Reader? Great choice! Accepting card payments directly can boost sales at markets, pop-up shops, or even in your physical store. This guide will walk you through the process, step-by-step, making it easy even if you’re a tech newbie.
Imagine this: You’re at a local farmer’s market selling your amazing homemade jams. A customer wants to buy three jars but doesn’t have cash. If you only accepted online payments, you’d miss that sale! With the PayPal Chip and Swipe Reader, you can easily take their card payment and close the deal. Offering more payment options means more customers and more revenue!
What You’ll Need
Before we dive in, let’s make sure you have everything ready:
- A WooCommerce Store: Obviously! Make sure your online store is set up and running.
- A PayPal Business Account: You’ll need a PayPal Business account to process payments.
- A PayPal Chip and Swipe Reader: You can purchase one from PayPal’s website or authorized retailers. Choose one that fits your needs and budget.
- A Compatible Device: A smartphone or tablet (iOS or Android) with Bluetooth connectivity. This will be your “point of sale” device.
- The PayPal Here App: Download this from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android). This app is the bridge between your reader and your PayPal account.
- A Plugin (Optional, but Recommended): While you *can* use the PayPal Here app independently, integrating it with WooCommerce makes things significantly smoother. We’ll discuss this later.
- Open the PayPal Here app on your smartphone or tablet.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to connect your reader via Bluetooth. You’ll likely need to put the reader into pairing mode (usually by holding down a button).
- The app will guide you through the pairing process and ensure the connection is secure.
- Inventory Management Plugins with Manual Order Creation: Look for plugins that excel at inventory management and allow you to *manually create orders* in WooCommerce. This is the most common workaround.
- Point of Sale (POS) System Integration: Some POS systems integrate directly with WooCommerce. These are often more robust and expensive but offer a seamless experience. Examples include Square (which you might consider if PayPal’s solution isn’t ideal) or specialized WooCommerce POS plugins.
- Setting up categories for offline sales.
- Mapping product SKUs.
- Configuring tax settings.
Setting Up Your PayPal Chip and Swipe Reader
1. Charge the Reader: First things first, make sure your reader is fully charged. This will prevent interruptions during your sales.
2. Pair the Reader with Your Device:
3. Test the Connection: Run a small test transaction (like $1.00) on your own card to ensure everything is working correctly. This is crucial to avoid problems when dealing with real customers!
Integrating with WooCommerce (Recommended)
While you *can* use the PayPal Here app standalone, it’s much more efficient to integrate it with your WooCommerce store. This means sales made through the reader are automatically reflected in your inventory and order management within WooCommerce.
Here’s how:
1. Choose a Plugin: Unfortunately, PayPal doesn’t offer a direct, official WooCommerce plugin for *using the Chip and Swipe reader in-person*. However, the key is to get your offline sales *recorded* within WooCommerce. Here are a couple of strategies and plugin types to consider:
2. Install and Activate the Plugin: Once you’ve chosen a plugin, install and activate it within your WordPress dashboard.
3. Configure the Plugin: Follow the plugin’s instructions to connect it to your PayPal account (if applicable) and configure its settings. This might involve:
Example Scenario: Using an Inventory Management Plugin
Let’s say you’re using a plugin that allows manual order creation. Here’s how a sale would work:
1. Customer Selects Items: A customer at your farmer’s market booth picks out two jars of Strawberry Jam and one jar of Raspberry Jam.
2. Process Payment with PayPal Here App: You use the PayPal Here app on your tablet to process their card payment using the Chip and Swipe Reader.
3. Create a Manual Order in WooCommerce: In your WooCommerce dashboard, you create a *new* order. You add the Strawberry Jam (x2) and Raspberry Jam (x1) to the order.
4. Mark the Order as “Paid”: Because you already received payment through PayPal Here, you manually mark the order as “Paid” in WooCommerce.
5. Inventory Updates Automatically: The plugin will automatically deduct the sold items from your WooCommerce inventory.
While this involves manual order creation, it keeps your inventory accurate and centralizes all your sales data within WooCommerce.
// Example: Imagine this is part of the plugin's code for inventory update
function update_inventory_after_offline_sale( $product_id, $quantity_sold ) {
// Get the current stock quantity
$current_stock = get_post_meta( $product_id, ‘_stock’, true );
// Calculate the new stock quantity
$new_stock = $current_stock – $quantity_sold;
// Update the stock quantity
update_post_meta( $product_id, ‘_stock’, $new_stock );
}
// Usage (example):
// update_inventory_after_offline_sale( 123, 2 ); // Product ID 123, quantity sold: 2
Taking Payments with the PayPal Read more about How To Center Woocommerce Product Images Chip and Swipe Reader
1. Open the PayPal Here App: Launch the app on your device.
2. Enter the Amount: Enter the total transaction amount.
3. Select Payment Method: The app will prompt you to select a payment method. Choose “Card.”
4. Swipe, Dip, or Tap: Instruct the customer to swipe their card, insert the chip, or tap for contactless payment, depending on their card type.
5. Follow On-Screen Prompts: The app will guide you through the payment process, including prompting for a signature (if required).
6. Payment Confirmation: Once the payment is processed, you’ll see a confirmation screen. You can optionally email or text the customer a receipt.
Key Considerations
- Fees: Be aware of PayPal’s transaction fees for in-person card payments. These are typically different (and sometimes higher) than online payment fees.
- Security: Always ensure your device and the PayPal Here app are secure. Use strong passwords and keep your software up-to-date. Never leave your device unattended!
- Customer Support: If you encounter any issues, consult PayPal’s help documentation or contact their customer support for assistance.
- Reporting: Regularly review your PayPal transaction reports to track your sales and manage your finances.
Troubleshooting
- Reader Won’t Connect:
- Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your device.
- Ensure the reader is charged.
- Try restarting both the reader and your device.
- Forget the device in your Bluetooth settings and re-pair it.
- Payments Not Processing:
- Check your internet connection.
- Verify your PayPal account has sufficient funds.
- Contact PayPal support if the issue persists.
By following these steps, you can seamlessly integrate the PayPal Chip and Swipe Reader with your WooCommerce store, providing a better customer experience and boosting your sales. Good luck! Remember, practice makes perfect! Try out the process a few times before your first real customer.
