WooCommerce online store development for a trading company

An online store for Noliktavu pasaule, the Latvian subsidiary of an Estonian company: the WooCommerce store for metal furniture and shelving built by CREATING.LV replaced the company’s outdated online store.

The company wanted a more convenient store and a stronger online presence. The task was an online store rebuild: rather than patching the old store, we built a new one in which the company manages the catalogue, orders and promotions itself.

CREATING.LV built the new online store on WordPress and WooCommerce to replace the previous one: the visual design, user flow and an adapted mobile version. The project was handed over in 2021. Our work covered:

• a product catalogue, management of orders and customer data, promotions and discounts;
• payment by bank transfer with custom order confirmations;
• collection on site or delivery after the order has been approved;
• language selection with GTranslate.

The home page shows the main product groups with a link to each category, so buyers immediately choose whether they are looking for shelving or metal furniture. The product card shows the size, product code and price excluding VAT — information needed when comparing similar shelving units and calculating the purchase total for a business.

In the project screenshot, the home page shows the following product groups: shelving, metal furniture and cabinets, accessories, pallet trucks and platform trolleys, workplace equipment and promotional prices, and each group has a “View” button. In the product cards, the size is written into the product name, so it can be seen in the product list without opening each product page. A separate group for promotional prices lets buyers find promotional products in one place.

The product code is also useful after the purchase: if a customer later wants to order the same shelving unit or asks about a specific product, the code lets both sides know which product is meant. Prices excluding VAT are standard for businesses that plan purchases without tax.

The main menu has products, completed work, contacts and frequently asked questions, as well as search and a basket. This way the store not only sells but also shows the company’s completed work and answers buyers’ questions in one place. The completed work section lets buyers look at the company’s previous projects before ordering, without leaving the store. Search is the quickest route for buyers who already know what they are looking for, while the frequently asked questions section answers what they would otherwise have to ask by phone or email.

Ordering takes place without online payment, and the company approves each order first:

• the buyer chooses a product group on the home page or finds a product with search;
• in the product card they compare the size, code and price excluding VAT and add the product to the basket;
• at checkout, they choose collection on site or delivery and payment by bank transfer;
• the company reviews and approves the order, and the buyer receives a confirmation with payment information;
• after approval, the product is collected on site or delivered.

The top bar has login and registration, so buyers can create an account in the store.

The company manages products, orders and customer data itself in the WooCommerce admin, and creates promotions and discounts. A new product, a price change or a seasonal promotion can be introduced without a developer’s help. A promotion lets the company, for example, reduce the price of certain products for a set period, and buyers see the new price in the catalogue and basket without any extra explanation. The WooCommerce store for metal furniture is not connected to a warehouse system, so the catalogue and prices are maintained in WooCommerce itself.

Because orders and customer data are in one admin, the member of staff who approves an order sees both the chosen products and the buyer’s contact details and collection method. This matters in a process in which each order is reviewed manually.

Online payments are not integrated in the store — orders are paid only by bank transfer, and the order confirmations are adapted to this payment method. Bank transfer is a standard way for businesses to pay for larger purchases, and a custom confirmation gives buyers the information they need to make the payment. If card or online banking payments are needed later, we have written about the most commonly used options in the article The most popular WooCommerce payment integrations in Latvia.

Buyers choose whether to collect the product on site or have it delivered. Collection on site suits buyers who can take the product away themselves, while delivery suits those who want to receive it at their address. In both cases, handover or delivery takes place only after the company has approved the order. Shelving and metal furniture orders can be large, so approval lets the company check the order before arranging its fulfilment.

The store’s visual design and user flow were our work: product groups on the home page, a product card with the size, code and price excluding VAT, and a short path to the basket. We also built an adapted mobile version so that the catalogue can be browsed and orders placed on a phone. Language selection is in the top bar next to the login and registration links; translations are provided by the GTranslate plugin.

GTranslate translates the page content automatically, and at handover all the languages offered by the plugin were available. So when a new product appears in the catalogue, the company does not have to prepare translations of its description separately. How to choose a multilingual solution is explained in the article WPML or Polylang for a multilingual WordPress website?. The current site is in Latvian only, without language selection.

The new WooCommerce store for metal furniture is built on WordPress, using GTranslate for language versions. This WooCommerce online store for a trading company brings the catalogue, orders, customer data, promotions, payment and the choice of collection into one system that the company manages itself.

For a trading company that wants to replace an outdated online store with a new one in which it manages the catalogue, orders and promotions itself, shows prices excluding VAT and approves each order before payment and fulfilment. The same structure also suits other retailers of technical products whose buyers choose by size and product code. If you are considering an online store rebuild, see our online store development service.

• Online store development
• Web design

noliktavupasaule.lv

This portfolio entry reflects the solution as delivered at handover. The current website may have changed.