Are you thinking about setting up an e-commerce web site or making goods available for sale online? If so, then here’s a great idea: consider providing users with the convenience of currency conversion on your e-commerce web site.
Currency converting software lets your prospective customers translate international currency transactions to their local currency when checking out products on e-commerce sites. It also lets your visitors view the exact amount their card or PayPal account will be charged, displayed in their home currency.
The obvious benefit of adding currency conversion is that it allows visitors to see and understand prices in foreign countries in their own home currency, and makes it easier for customers to work out their costs and expenses.
Fortunately, if you are a WordPress user, you can add currency conversion via a plugin to WordPress, allowing your customers to quickly and easily perform currency conversions to determine the cost of your goods.
Currencyr – WP Currency Conversion Plugin
Currencyr is a simple yet advanced, intuitive, easy-to-use and complete currency converter WP plugin with a unique converter tooltip. Best of all, it’s free!
Some of the features of this useful plugin include:
- Inline converter
- Supports a number of exchange rates providers, such as Yahoo!, Open Exchange Rates & FoxRates
- Supports Shortcodes
- Currency table and converter widget
- Can be integrated with a number of e-commerce plugins such as WooCommerce & Easy Digital Downloads.
- Automatically detects local currency
- Full translation support
Note: This plugin requires your server to be running PHP 5.3.0 or later. Do not install this plugin if you are running an older version of PHP. Ask your web host to check and upgrade your PHP.
***
You can install the plugin from your WordPress admin area by searching for “currencyr” in the Plugins area and clicking “Install Now” …
After the plugin has been installed and activated, you can configure the plugin’s settings by selecting Currencyr from your admin navigation menu …
This takes you to the plugin settings section …
For example, you can select your base currency from the Base Currency dropdown menu. The default currency is ’US Dollar’ …
You can also select which data provider you want to use from the drop-down menu in the Provider section. The default selection is Yahoo Finance, but you can also choose one of the other options, like FoxRate or Open Exchange Rates …
Note: If you select Open Exchange Rates as your provider, you will need to obtain an API (Application Programming Interface) ID …
You can choose how frequently you would like to update the exchange rates by choosing an option from the Update Rates dropdown menu …
The plugin uses jQuery, which lets web developers add things like animation effects to web applications (like WordPress plugins).
Unless you have a reason to change the jQuery settings, leave these as they are …
Edit the remainder of the plugin settings and don’t forget to click Save Changes when done …
After your plugin settings have been configured, you can start adding currency conversion to any WordPress page or post using shortcodes and widgets.
Refer to the ‘Additional Plugin Notes’ section at the end of this tutorial to learn how to use currency codes (e.g. USD, GBP, ZAR, etc …) with this plugin.
Currencyr Shortcodes
You can insert currency conversion into pages, posts and widgets with no technical skills using shortcodes.
Here are some examples of currency shortcodes that you can add to pages and posts:
Let’s say that you sell goods on your website for a fixed price (e.g. $175) in US Dollars (USD), and you would also like to show the conversion amount in British pounds (GBP) on your page.
All you need to do is insert the shortcode below into your post or page …
Note: You can also add pricing in dollars and cents (e.g. 165.49, 79.45, 129.10, etc …)
The example below shows how the shortcode should look when inserting it into the page or post …
After publishing your post or page, your converted currency will display as you can see below …
Using the above example, let’s also translate the same amount into different currencies.
To do this, use following shortcode (add as many currency symbols as you like by using vertical pipes) …
The screenshot below now shows how the above shortcode looks when you add it to your content …
Once your content has been published, your converted currency will then appear like this …
refer to the ‘Additional Plugin Notes’ section at the end of this tutorial to learn more about changing the currency separator symbol in the Currencyr plugin.
Now, let’s say that you want to use a different base currency than the one you have selected as the default.
For example, if you have specified your default base currency as EUR and you have a section on your website targeted to visitors in countries like Australia or Canada, you can change the base currency using the following shortcode …
Here’s how the above shortcode looks when you add it to a page …
Once your content has been published, your currency conversion will then appear like this …
Widget
You can also add a currency converter to your website or blog’s sidebar menu using a widget.
To add currency conversion to your sidebar area, choose Appearance > Widgets from your WordPress dashboard menu …
In the Widgets > Available Widgets section find the ‘Currencyr’ widget and drag it to an Active Widgets location …
Configure the widget options as shown below (add currency codes separated by commas), and click ‘Save’ to update your settings …
Your currency conversion tool will now appear on the sidebar with the options you have specified …
Additional Plugin Notes
This section contains additional information about using the Currencyr plugin.
Currency Separator
The Currencyr plugin lets you specify the symbol to display as the currency separator when using multiple currencies.
You can select a different symbol in the Multiple Separator settings section.
So, for example, entering the default symbol “/” (forward slash) …
Displays your currency values separated by the forward slash as shown below …
If you choose another symbol and resave your plugin settings …
Your website visitors will see the new symbol display as the currency separator …
Integration With WP e-Commerce Platforms
As stated earlier, the Currencyr plugin can be integrated with various WP-compatible e-commerce plugins like WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads …
(image source: plugin website)
And there you have it! Now you can go and easily add a currency converter to your WordPress web site.
To learn more about WordPress e-commerce plugins, see the tutorial below:
***
"Learning WordPress has been a huge stumbling block for me. I've been looking for something that covers absolutely everything but doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Thank you so much ... you have just provided me with what I have been looking for! Truly appreciated!" - Tanya