Using a Currency converter on WordPress is not as easy as it should be.
Using a Currency converter on WordPress is not as easy as it should be. Even though there are multiple Currency Converters for WordPress, this is not the best solution for selling products in multiple currencies. In this post, we explore some reasons why currency converters are not a viable solution.
Common issues with WordPress Currency Converters
The problem with these solutions is that they only work well on their own. This leaves you in very dangerous and buggy territory. These plugins are often incompatible with other plugins and themes, such as subscriptions and the majority of the payment gateways.
Payment gateways are generally limited to processing payments in a single currency. This means that while the user might be able to view an estimate of the converted currency, the checkout will still take place in the main currency. The conversion will preview at standard global conversion rates. It’s important to note that these currency converters don’t allow different prices to be set for different currencies. In other words you don’t have any control over the rate at which the currencies are converted at any given time.
There is a payment gateway that works for multiple currencies, although unfortunately, this doesn’t work with Rands or RSA Bank accounts. Internationally one could achieve this is by using Stripe and the Multi-currency plugin.
Alternatives to Currency Converters
Having multiple currencies on a single WordPress installation is not the correct way of selling your product in multiple countries. The right way of achieving this is to have separate stores for each currency. This is the best option as there is a separate website, for a separate country, running its own currency, dealing with its own tax liabilities, and that has its own customers. Gap and Amazon are a few of the companies that run their sites this way.
This does require having separate sites for each currency. These sites don’t have to be hosted on separate domains so you could consider running a Multisite. You can read more about Multisites here.
While using a currency converter may seem like a simple solution it does not eliminate the red tape that comes with international trade. Running multiple websites at the same time increases the amount of admin and time that goes into copy and pricing edits. You will also need to purchase an extra domain and hosting package for each site.
In short, there are 2 options available to you :
- Have clients preview estimates of your prices in various currencies but keep checkout to your main currency.
- Have a different site and payment gateway for each currency and limit shipping to that country.
There are significant costs involved in either of these options. Always discuss possible options and pitfalls with your web developer before deciding on a course of action for your project.