Introducing WooReq — Request Network for WooCommerce.
Please note that WooReq is still an (Minimum Viable Product) MVP, features that can be found in the current version may differ from the final product. There are still ongoing tasks which need to be completed prior to launch. This version will be will continuously improved with the official release coming shortly after the Request Network mainnet launch.
What is the Request Network?
Request is a decentralized network that allows anyone to request a payment. It removes the need for trusted third-parties and provides a cheaper and more secure payment solution that works with both crypto and fiat currencies.
What is WooReq?
WooReq is a simple way to accept cryptocurrency payments on your WooCommerce store — all powered by the Request Network. WooReq has no setup fees, no monthly fees and no hidden costs. More information can be found at https://wooreq.com/. The demo store can be seen here.
What is WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is the most popular eCommerce platform on the web. WooCommerce has received almost 40 million downloads since its creation and allows anyone to add ecommerce functionality to their WordPress site. Best of all, it’s free.
On Built With, the current 2018 market share for WooCommerce is an incredibly impressive 42% of the entire internet.
You can view some example WooCommerce sites here.
How to use WooReq?
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to get Ether on testnet and an end-to-end example of WooReq customer flow.
How to get started
For this first test version, you will need to use Metamask.
In the future, you will be able to use all the methods found on https://app.request.network/. The Request team are currently building a payment gateway which will replace my temporary solution (api.wooreq.com).
- Download Metamask at Metamask.io
- Connect to your Metamask account
- Select ‘Rinkeby Test Network’ - you won’t be using real Ether (WooReq mainnet launch will come shortly after the Request Network mainnet launch in Q1 2018)
- Go to https://faucet.rinkeby.io/ and follow the steps to get ETH on Rinkeby, alternatively, you can direct message me on Slack (adm), Telegram (@AdmReq) or Reddit (https://www.reddit.com/user/AdmREQ/) and I’ll send you some test ETH.
You are now able to use your Rinkeby testnet ETH on https://demo.wooreq.com/
WooReq in action
This is an example demo store with some dummy products used for testing. When the customer lands on the site just like any store they add the items they want to purchase to their cart.
On the ‘Checkout’ page there is a section which displays all of the order information in ETH (more cryptocurrencies will be supported in the near future and eventually FIAT), the ETH / FIAT value is automatically calculated via the CryptoCompare API and there is also a ‘Pay with Request’ button.
After the ‘Pay with Request’ button is clicked the customer is redirected to the Request Network payment gateway which handles the transaction. Please note this payment gateway is only a placeholder for now and does not work with the Request Network (yet), the core Request team are working on an official implementation which will replace my version when ready.
The customer is now prompted to pay via Metamask, gas prices / gas limits can be adjusted by the customer. Any orders that don’t get paid at this stage get cancelled after [x] minutes which can be controlled by the shop owner.
After the user has paid via Metamask and the transaction has been sent to the blockchain the gateway will process the transaction and wait for the transaction to get confirmed on the chain.
After the transaction is confirmed the customer will get notified and then the gateway will automatically redirect the customer back to the store.
After redirecting to the store the customer can view the details of the order including the ETH conversion rates, transaction ID (which can be viewed via etherscan) and what time the ETH conversion took place. Please note, all confirmation emails have been disabled on this demo version.
Below is an example order in WooCommerce which the shop/business owner can view. It contains all the order notes at each stage during the order process and additional information such as the ETH conversion rate, transaction ID, date/time of the conversion and the total that was paid in ETH.
Ongoing development work.
- Server-side validation of the transaction.
- Implementing WooReq into the payment gateway that the team is currently developing (expected to be done soon).
- Adding partial payment support.
- Refund functionality built into WooCommerce.
- Crypto metrics added to the cart and confirmation emails.
What’s next?
The first goal is to complete the outstanding development work, after that WooReq will go through strenuous testing to iron out any bugs.
A closed beta will be run for a handful of selected stores (there have already been a number of WooCommerce store owners get in touch) — if you run a WooCommerce store and would like to test the plugin feel free to contact me via https://wooreq.com/contact/ or using the alternative contact methods on that page.
Throughout the closed beta, there will be continuous bug fixing. After the closed beta, there will be a full code audit / review by an independent Wordpress VIP Service Partner. Any final code changes before launch will be done here.
When the Request mainnet launches WooReq will have some final pre go-live checks and then get released publicly. The full plugin source along with some guidelines and best practices for developers will also be released on GitHub.
Frequently asked questions
Will WooReq be open source?
Yes, WooReq will be fully open source and released under the MIT license. Once the plugin is in a suitable state, and the full audit has been completed, the full source code will be released along with guidelines and best practices for developers.
Will you be taking any profit for the plugin?
No, the plugin will be 100% free — no profit will be taken by me or the Request team.
When can I start using WooReq on my store?
There are a few development tasks still outstanding, after that, we will be inviting shop owners to a private beta where we will work together to test the plugin on their setup. The full mainnet launch for WooReq will come shortly after the mainnet release of the Request Network which is planned for Q1 2018.
Will ERC20 tokens be accepted in the future?
Yes, any payment that is accepted by the Request Network will work with the WooCommerce plugin (albeit with some minor code changes) — the code is written in a very generic way which means adding new currencies is incredibly straight forward.
Do you need any help with the plugin?
Not yet, but I will in the near future. From a development perspective when the code is open sourced it would be great to see integrations into other plugins like WPML, WooCommerce PDF Invoices, WooCommerce Product Options, WooCommerce Bookings and others. I will also need help translating the plugin too. I’ll create a Reddit thread asking for translation help when it’s needed.
Conclusion
That’s it! Your feedback is super important — don’t hesitate to reach out via Slack (adm), Telegram (@AdmREQ), Reddit /u/admREQ or via the website https://wooreq.com/contact/ with any feedback, bugs, ideas or thoughts.
I’d also like to say a massive thanks to the Reddit mods (Robbin, mattftw1337, FrozenPhilosopher, AbstractTornado and JuveChr1s), the Telegram mods (John, Roscoe, Alistair, kakarot and Nicky) you guys have been absolutely fantastic keeping the social channels in order and a huge asset to the community.
Finally, a huge thank you to the Request Network team — you guys have been working incredibly hard from the outset and it’s an absolute privilege to be part of this fantastic journey.
