How can you improve your online business with a free plug-in?

These days selling products online is the most convenient way of doing business. It can be done even easier and more efficiently by using dedicated plug-ins. Plug-in is a software component that adds a specific feature to an existing computer program. This is a part of a software that enhances features and expands services, functions and capabilities of an existing application. 
 

Main purpose of using plug-ins is to create more tools and features within your application. It is important to know why a plug-in is needed in your existing application. Basically, it is used for:

• categorising products, 
• setting and customising themes, 
• analyse statistics, 
• payment systems, 
• system integration,
• customer support features.
   

What are the types of plug-ins?

We can distinguish free and paid plug-ins. It is important to check if the plug-in is ready to be used from day one and does not require additional software. What is more, always check if you receive dedicated support for the plug-in integration. That is crucial to fully utilise its functionality from the very first moment.  

There are many types of plug-ins available on the internet. In this article, we will focus on free plug-in for online stores. 

Why are plug-ins so popular?

The usage of plug-ins is an increasingly common practice nowadays in business, especially those, which are based on open source solutions. The advantage of it is the ability to select functionalities desired by the user. By using plug-ins you do not need to code things manually and hire dedicated people for your IT department. In practice, this enables people who do not have programming skills to use advanced, professional software and personalised features.

Plug-ins usage in dropshipping:

In online sales, plug-ins are often used for dropshipping. Dropshipping, is a form of retail business, wherein the seller accepts customer orders, but does not keep goods sold in stock. It is one of the most convenient methods of online selling, because it does not require your financial contribution and space to store products. With a good idea, you can start selling without a financial contribution and develop your business in a dropshipping model.

Kinguin allows you to use such a selling method. You can import stock from a seller, display and sell it as yours in your online store. Many sellers find such a method very convenient, because everyone can earn from it and together develop their business. For that reason numerous companies create plug-ins to help other users establish or evolve their business faster.

Free Kinguin WooCommerce plug-in:

Kinguin created a free of charge plug-in for its customers, called Kinguin API for WooCommerce. WooCommerce is a customizable, open-source eCommerce platform built on WordPress. It is designed for small to large-sized online merchants using WordPress. It is the most popular online selling system, which supports over 5 million online stores around the world. 

You can download our free plug-in here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/kinguin/#description. That will allow you to import over 70,000 digital products to your online store, from video games to computer software and services. You will get instant access to: 

• game keys for numerous platforms, including Steam, Origin, Uplay or GOG. 
• Gift cards for popular CS:GO stores, including Gamdom, DuelBits or CSGO Empire
• Computer software, including Windows, Antivirus or security software   
   

How can you integrate your store with Kinguin’s plug-in?

Below is the 4-steps instruction of how you can use Kinguin’s plug-in and start selling over 70,000 products directly through your online store:

1. Installing plug-in and linking accounts:

1. First of all you need to create an account and submit an application form via Kinguin integration website: https://www.kinguin.net/integration (Kinguin API dashboard)
2. Now, you need a working WooCommerce system set up on the server. If you do not have a WooCommerce (free of charge) set yet, please check this website: https://woocommerce.com/
3. Please download and install the plug-in for Kinguin API in WooCommerce: https://wordpress.org/plugins/kinguin/#description 
4. After the plug-in is installed, you are able to see it in the WordPress administration panel. Click on it and go to the settings tab.
5. In the plug-in settings, you will be asked to provide more details, which you can find in your account in the Kinguin API dashboard.
6. You will be asked to enter an API key* and select the environment you want to work on. Kinguin offers two environments - production and sandbox. Production is the main sales platform where real transactions take place. On the sandbox, you can test the operation of the system and place virtual orders. The link to the sandbox is available at this stage of the plug-in's settings.
    

2. Receiving the API key:

1. Once your application is approved, you can now login.
2. After that please select the "my stores" tab and then create a new store.
3. After creating the store, you will see your API key. Please copy it and paste to the plug-in settings in WooCommerce.
4. Please remember not to share your API key with anyone.
    

3. Webhooks set up:

1. After downloading the API key, click the "webhooks" button in the upper right corner. 
2. Here, by using the data from the plug-in settings, please fill out the following fields: 
   1. PRODUCT UPDATE, 
   2. ORDER COMPLETE, 
   3. ORDER STATUS CHANGE.
   4. And then please follow the instructions.
      
       
3. Save the changes and proceed.
    

4. Importing products

1. Please go to the plug-in tab called "import products".
2. You should see the "import" button. Click on it and wait for all the products to be imported to your store. Do not close the browser tab until the import is completed.
3. After the download is completed, you can manage the products in the "products" tab in your WooCommerce.
    

If you need any support, please feel free to contact us:

[email protected]

Useful links:

https://www.kinguin.net/integration

https://www.sandbox.kinguin.net/integration

https://github.com/kinguinltdhk/Kinguin-eCommerce-API

API key* - the key of the application programming interface, is a piece of software code. Most often it is in the form of a generated string. It allows you to identify the user or machine that is triggering the communication.

WARNING: Never share your API key with anyone!

Webhooks** - are the events that trigger some actions. In most cases, they are used for communication between systems. This is the easiest way to get an alert when something happens in another system. They are called webhooks because they act as software hooked up on the network.