Adding a buy now button to your WordPress site can be a great way to increase sales and conversions. When customers don‘t have to go through a multi-step checkout process, it reduces cart abandonment rates and encourages impulse purchases.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll show you three different methods for adding a buy now button in WordPress. After 15 years as a webmaster, these are the techniques I‘ve found to be most effective:
- Using a WordPress plugin like WP Simple Pay
- Integrating with an eCommerce plugin such as Easy Digital Downloads
- Adding a buy now button to WooCommerce product pages
Let‘s take a closer look at each option and I‘ll share my insights on the pros and cons of each method.
Contents
The Benefits of Buy Now Buttons
But first, let‘s look at why buy now buttons are so valuable for maximizing revenue:
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Reduce abandoned carts: Over 75% of online shoppers abandon their carts without completing a purchase. Buy now buttons help cut down on drop-off by letting customers checkout faster.
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Encourage impulse buys: With a prominent buy now button, customers are more likely to purchase on a whim before the excitement wears off.
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Simplify mobile purchases: Buy now buttons provide a fast track checkout on mobile, where typing on small keyboards can be frustrating.
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Speed up the sales process: Every extra step you remove from the checkout process increases conversion rates.
As you can see, buy now buttons attack cart abandonment from multiple angles. Now let‘s see how to actually implement them.
Method 1: Add a Buy Now Button with WP Simple Pay
WP Simple Pay is a popular WordPress plugin that allows you to easily accept one-time payments on your site using Stripe. It‘s a great option for bloggers, coaches, consultants, and other small business owners who want to add a buy now button without installing a full shopping cart.
Pros
- Extremely quick and easy to set up
- No monthly fees or transaction charges
- Can be used on any type of site, not just eCommerce
- Large selection of customizable form fields
Cons
- Limited to selling one product or service at a time
- Doesn‘t include full eCommerce features and reporting
- Must have a Stripe account connected
Here are the simple steps to add a buy now button with WP Simple Pay:
Step 1: Install and Activate WP Simple Pay
First, install and activate the WP Simple Pay plugin. You can find it by searching for "WP Simple Pay" in the WordPress plugin repository.
Once activated, the plugin will guide you through connecting your Stripe account. If you don‘t have one yet, you can sign up for a Stripe account directly through the plugin.
Step 2: Create a New Payment Form
In your WordPress dashboard, go to WP Simple Pay > Add New to create a new payment form. Give your form a title and make sure the template is set to "Payment Button".
Step 3: Configure Your Payment Details
Under the Payment tab, set the one-time payment amount you want to charge.
You can also choose whether to use test mode or go live with real payments. I recommend starting in test mode so you can test transactions before going live.
Step 4: Customize the Button Text
Under the Form Fields tab, edit the button text to say whatever you want like "Buy Now" or "Purchase". You can also customize the processing text customers see during checkout.
Step 5: Get the Shortcode
Once you publish your payment form, you‘ll get a shortcode like [wpsimplepay_payment_button id="123"]. Use this shortcode on any page, post or widget where you want the buy now button to appear.
That‘s it! WP Simple Pay makes adding a fast checkout button super easy. Now let‘s look at integrating with eCommerce plugins.
Method 2: Add a Buy Now Button with Easy Digital Downloads
Easy Digital Downloads is the most popular WordPress plugin for selling digital products like ebooks, courses, music, and software.
With over 700,000 active installs, EDD is the top choice for bloggers, course creators, and digital entrepreneurs looking to monetize their sites.
Pros
- Specifically built for selling digital downloads
- More advanced sales reporting and analytics
- Coupons, bundled products, and other powerful eCommerce features
- Large library of add-ons for additional functionality
Cons
- Primarily for digital products, not physical items
- More complex setup and configuration required
- Transaction fees apply unless using Stripe
Here‘s how to seamlessly integrate buy now buttons into your EDD store:
Step 1: Set Up Your Payment Gateway
Under Downloads > Settings > Payments, activate either Stripe or PayPal as your single payment gateway. This is required to use buy now buttons.
Step 2: Make Your Product a Buy Now
When editing a product, go to the Button Options section and set the Purchase Button Behavior to "Buy Now". This will replace Add to Cart buttons with a buy now button.
Step 3: Use the Buy Now Block (Optional)
The EDD Buy Now block allows you to add a buy button for any product to any page or post. Just search for "EDD Buy Now" in the block inserter.
Whether you use the built-in buy now option or the block, Easy Digital Downloads makes adding fast-track checkout buttons a breeze.
Now let‘s move on to WooCommerce stores.
Method 3: Add Buy Now Buttons to WooCommerce
For self-hosted WooCommerce stores, you can add buy now buttons with a free plugin called WooCommerce Buy Now Button.
With over 5+ million active installations, WooCommerce is the most popular eCommerce platform for WordPress.
Pros
- Seamlessly integrates into WooCommerce product pages
- Instantly works on all existing and new products
- Large user base provides extensive documentation
Cons
- Only works for self-hosted WooCommerce sites
- Limited customization options
- Doesn‘t support variable or grouped products
Here‘s how simple it is to set up:
Step 1: Install and Activate the Plugin
Search for "WooCommerce Buy Now Button" and install the plugin by TechLabPro. After activation, buy now buttons will be automatically added to all products.
Step 2: Customize the Button Text (Optional)
To change the default button text from "Buy Now" to something else, go to WooCommerce > Settings > Buy Now.
And that‘s all there is to it! The plugin seamlessly integrates buy now buttons into your existing WooCommerce product pages with just a few clicks.
Maximizing Your Buy Now Buttons
Now that you know how to add buy now buttons in WordPress, here are some tips from my experience to increase their effectiveness:
Prominent Positioning
Place buy now buttons prominently above the fold on product pages. This improves visibility and leads to higher click through rates.
Homepage and Landing Pages
On your homepage or landing pages, add buy now buttons next to popular products to encourage impulse purchases.
Action-Driven Wording
Use action-driven button text like "Buy Now" instead of just "Purchase" or "Checkout".
Attention-Grabbing Design
Make the buttons large, colorful, and high-contrast to capture attention.
Payment Plan Options
For high-ticket products, consider adding monthly payment options to improve affordability.
Testing and Optimization
Continuously test different button locations, designs, and wording options to maximize conversions.
Here are some sample buy now button styles that have worked well on my own sites:
Following these best practices will ensure you get the most out of your investment in buy now buttons.
Final Thoughts
Adding buy now buttons is one of the best things you can do to increase sales and revenue for your WordPress site. Simplifying the checkout process leads to higher conversion rates across the board.
WP Simple Pay, Easy Digital Downloads, and WooCommerce Buy Now Button make it easy to quickly add buy now functionality.
So give one of these plugins a try and let me know if you have any other questions!
