Before you connect WooCommerce to Xentral, you set up a few basics in your shop and install the suitable plugins if needed. Only then can Xentral transfer stock levels, retrieve orders with payment and shipping information, and report tracking numbers back. If you are just getting started with WooCommerce, we would like to refer you to the WooCommerce getting started guide. Here, we only describe what is important for the connection to Xentral.
Step |
Required for the integration |
Why Xentral needs it |
|---|---|---|
|
Choosing suitable hosting |
yes |
Stable and fast connection to the shop |
|
Creating the shop |
yes |
Basis of the integration |
|
Activating inventory management |
yes |
Transferring stock levels |
|
Creating a payment method |
yes |
Transferring payment status and payment method |
|
Creating a shipping method |
yes |
Transferring shipping method and shipping costs |
|
Installing the Yoast SEO plugin |
only for meta texts |
Transferring meta title, description, and keywords |
|
Installing the Shipment Tracking plugin |
only for tracking |
Reporting tracking numbers back |
|
Generating a REST API key |
yes, when adding |
Access from Xentral to the shop |
For WooCommerce, you need a web hosting provider. The hosting package must match the traffic of your shop and scale well if needed. Xentral accesses your shop regularly; a package that is too small leads to slow or interrupted transfers. You find help with your decision under Choosing hosting for WooCommerce.
For the initial setup, follow the step-by-step guide from WooCommerce. This way, you do not miss any step.
So that Xentral can transfer stock levels, you activate inventory management in WooCommerce. You find more information under Inventory settings in WooCommerce.
So that Xentral can adopt the payment status and the payment method, you need at least one payment method. You find more information under Payments in WooCommerce.
How you handle your logistics in detail can be a complex topic. At this point, we would like to refer you to the WooCommerce shipping help. At least one shipping method is required for the integration.
Xentral transfers some data only to the fields of specific WordPress plugins:
-
Yoast SEO: Install the plugin if Xentral is to transfer the meta title, meta description, and meta keywords of your products.
-
Shipment Tracking: Install the plugin if Xentral is to report tracking numbers back to WooCommerce. Without the plugin, Xentral only reports the completion and cancellation of orders back.
Xentral accesses your shop via the WooCommerce REST API. It is best to generate the key for this directly when you add the integration, because WooCommerce only displays the Consumer Key and Consumer Secret until you leave the page, see the article Adding WooCommerce.