Checkout
Reached from any "Checkout" button on the cart. Fields:
| Field | Required? |
|---|---|
| Name | Yes |
| Phone | Yes (accepts local or +country format) |
| Delivery address | Yes |
| No | |
| Order notes | No — collapsed behind "Add special instructions?" |
- Returning customers don't have to retype — name/phone/email/address are remembered in the browser for that store.
- The order summary shows line items, subtotal, a coupon discount line (if applied), shipping, an "Included VAT" footnote, and the total.
- Coupon — collapsed behind "Have a coupon?"; checked live (exists, active, not expired, not maxed out) the moment the customer applies it.
- Minimum order — if the owner set one and the cart is under it, the entire checkout form is replaced with a "minimum order not met" message and a link back to the store — there's nothing to fill in until enough is added.
- Shipping — a flat fee (or none), waived automatically once the post-discount subtotal reaches the owner's free-shipping threshold; while under it, a nudge shows exactly how much more unlocks free shipping.
- Delivery or pickup — if the owner offers pickup, the customer picks "Delivery" or "Pick up" (free, no address asked; the store address from Settings → General is shown as the pickup point).
- Delivery zones — if the owner set zones, the customer chooses their area from a list. Each zone has its own fee, optional "free over" amount and optional minimum order. "My area isn't listed" shows "we don't deliver there yet" and the order can't be placed (except as pickup). The zone and fee appear in the summary, the WhatsApp message ("Postage: $9.00 (Suburbs)"), the order in the dashboard and the customer's tracking page. A zone whose cost is agreed later shows "To be confirmed" with a note that the store will confirm the delivery cost on WhatsApp; the total excludes it.
- Payment — if the owner enabled showing payment methods at checkout, they're listed here (see Settings → Payment). Manual methods (bank transfer, cash, a PayPal link, etc.) are informational details for a settle-up the customer and owner arrange directly. If Stripe Connect is available (Pro, connected, currency + cart meet Stripe's minimum), a "Pay now via Stripe" option appears in the same chooser — picking it turns the sticky CTA into a Stripe redirect. The charge settles into the owner's Stripe account; WAStore never touches the money. The order is created only once Stripe confirms payment (webhook), already marked Paid. Abandoning Stripe Checkout returns the customer to their still-intact cart — nothing is created.
Placing the order
- The order always saves to the owner's dashboard — regardless of whether the owner has WhatsApp connected, regardless of whether the customer has WhatsApp installed, and regardless of whether any WhatsApp message ever gets sent. WhatsApp is a convenience handoff, never a requirement to complete an order.
- If the owner has a WhatsApp number set and hasn't turned off WhatsApp order notifications, submitting also opens a pre-filled WhatsApp message (using the owner's custom template, if they set one) in a new tab for the customer to send — WAStore doesn't check whether they actually send it.
- Stock is double-checked at the exact moment of submission (not just when adding to cart) — if someone else bought the last unit in the meantime, the order is stopped with an error instead of silently overselling.
Order confirmation
Shown in place immediately after submitting (no page reload) — a checkmark, a short order reference, and a recap (items, shipping, total, delivery address, phone). One primary button follows this priority: the order tracking link if tracking is on (which it is by default), else the WhatsApp message if that's set up, else just "Continue shopping" if neither applies.