Getting Started

Install BoxCart on your WordPress site and have your first click & collect store up and running in under 10 minutes.

Requirements

Requirement	Minimum Version
WordPress	6.0 or higher
PHP	7.4 or higher
MySQL / MariaDB	5.7+ / 10.3+

Installation

Upload the plugin

In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin. Select the boxcart.zip file and click Install Now.
Activate

Click Activate Plugin. BoxCart will automatically create its database tables and register necessary post types.
Navigate to BoxCart settings

A new BoxCart menu item will appear in the WordPress admin sidebar. Click it to access the settings dashboard.

Screenshot: BoxCart menu in the WordPress admin sidebar after activation

Quick Setup Walkthrough

Follow these steps to get your store running. Each step links to its detailed documentation page.

Create your pages

BoxCart needs four WordPress pages — one each for Products, Basket, Checkout, and Account. Create these pages and add the corresponding BoxCart shortcode or Gutenberg block to each one:
- Products page: Add [boxcart_products] or the BoxCart Products block
- Basket page: Add [boxcart_basket] or the BoxCart Basket block
- Checkout page: Add [boxcart_checkout] or the BoxCart Checkout block
- Account page: Add [boxcart_account] or the BoxCart Account block
Then go to BoxCart → Settings → General and assign each page in the Page Setup section.

Screenshot: BoxCart page setup settings panel showing Products, Basket, Checkout, and Account page assignments
Add a collection location

Navigate to BoxCart → Locations and click Add Location. Enter the location name, address, and contact details. Then set up opening hours and create time slots for each day. See the Locations & Collection guide for full details.
Add your products

Go to BoxCart → Products and click Add Product. Enter a product name, price, optional SKU, and upload a featured image. Organise products into categories. See the Products guide for details on quantity types, stock management, and more.
Configure payments

Navigate to BoxCart → Settings → Payments. Enable at least one payment method:
- Cash on Collection — No setup required, just enable it
- Stripe — Enter your API keys (test mode recommended initially)
- Bank Transfer — Enter your account details
See the Payments guide for detailed Stripe setup instructions.
Place a test order

Visit your Products page on the frontend, add items to the basket, proceed through checkout, and place a test order. Verify that:
- Products display correctly in card or table view
- The basket updates as you add items
- Collection slot selection works
- The order appears in BoxCart → Orders
- Confirmation and admin notification emails are sent

Tip

If you're using Stripe, start in test mode and use Stripe's test card numbers to verify everything works before switching to live keys.

General Settings

The General tab in BoxCart → Settings contains your core business configuration:

Setting	Description
Currency	Symbol (e.g. £), position (before/after), and decimal places
Tax	Enable/disable tax, set the rate, choose inclusive or exclusive display, and customise the label (e.g. VAT, GST)
Stock Management	Simple (in stock / out of stock) or disabled. Optionally hide out-of-stock products entirely
Order Numbering	Configurable format with prefix (e.g. "BC"), date format (`Ymd`, `Ym`, or `Y`), zero-padding (number of digits), separator character, and starting number. The default format produces numbers like "BC-20260315-001"
Terms & Conditions	Select a page — customers must accept before placing an order

Adding the Mini Basket

The mini basket is a compact basket button that you can place in your site header or navigation. Clicking it opens the sidecart panel.

Add the mini basket using the shortcode:

[boxcart_mini_basket]

Or use the BoxCart Mini Basket Gutenberg block in the block editor.

The mini basket supports three display styles via the style attribute:

icon-count — Cart icon with item count badge
icon-text — Cart icon with total price (default)
text-only — Text-only display

Screenshot: Mini basket button in a site header showing the cart icon and item count

Next Steps

Products — Categories, quantity types, stock management
Locations & Collection — Multi-location setup, time slots, closures
Payments — Stripe setup, webhooks, troubleshooting
Styling & Customisation — Colours, fonts, layout options
Emails — Customise email templates and branding