Reference
FAQ
Answers to the questions clients, store owners and delivery teams ask most about the storefront and the Companion plugin.
Short answers, each with a link to the full story.
Running the store
Section titled “Running the store”Do we need to change how we run WooCommerce?
Section titled “Do we need to change how we run WooCommerce?”Very little. Products, stock, orders, coupons, shipping zones, taxes, refunds and payment gateways stay in WooCommerce, managed exactly as before. You add the Companion plugin, which gives the storefront its sign-in, settings and extras, and a few new screens under StoreFront in wp-admin. See How it works.
Who manages the content, and where?
Section titled “Who manages the content, and where?”The Store Owner, in WordPress. Colours, header, footer, mobile tab bar, Home page slider and banners, product page sections, SEO, policy pages, FAQ, contact details, scripts and the promo popup are all under StoreFront → Settings. A few structural choices (languages, which Home sections show, the About and Find a Store pages) are set per deployment by whoever runs the storefront. See Store admin.
Do changes need a redeploy?
Section titled “Do changes need a redeploy?”Not for anything managed in WordPress. Settings and content reach shoppers within about five minutes; payment gateway changes, including switching test to live mode, apply on the next checkout. Only environment variables and code-level content (store name, About page, Find a Store) need a redeploy. See Where settings live.
Is there an admin area on the storefront itself?
Section titled “Is there an admin area on the storefront itself?”No. All store management happens in wp-admin. A storefront admin area for owners and staff is on the Roadmap.
Can we try it without a backend?
Section titled “Can we try it without a backend?”Yes. Demo Mode runs the whole store, catalogue, cart, checkout with demo payments and a demo account, with no WordPress at all. It is the default when you install it. See Demo Mode and Demo data.
Do we need a WordPress theme?
Section titled “Do we need a WordPress theme?”No. The storefront draws every page shoppers see. WordPress still needs a theme installed, but shoppers never see it, and published product pages on WordPress redirect to the storefront.
Payments and checkout
Section titled “Payments and checkout”Which payment methods are supported?
Section titled “Which payment methods are supported?”Cards through Stripe (WooCommerce Stripe Gateway), including 3-D Secure; PayPal (WooCommerce PayPal Payments); Apple Pay and Google Pay through Stripe; and WooCommerce’s offline methods: direct bank transfer, cheque and cash on delivery. Shoppers pay on the storefront’s own checkout page. Other online gateways are not offered. See Checkout and payments.
Is Link (Stripe) supported?
Section titled “Is Link (Stripe) supported?”Not yet for live stores. Keep Link switched off in the Stripe plugin until it has passed real-wallet checks. See Express checkout.
Where do payment keys, social sign-in credentials and Turnstile keys live?
Section titled “Where do payment keys, social sign-in credentials and Turnstile keys live?”In WordPress only: payment keys in the gateway plugins’ settings, social sign-in and Turnstile under StoreFront → Settings → Authentication. The storefront’s environment holds its own secrets (AUTH_SECRET, the shared secret, WooCommerce REST keys) and never a payment, social or Turnstile key. See Payments.
Can shoppers check out as guests?
Section titled “Can shoppers check out as guests?”Yes. The storefront’s checkout accepts guests, with a prompt to sign in for those who have an account. Whether guests may buy follows your WooCommerce account settings. See WooCommerce settings.
Do shoppers leave the site to pay?
Section titled “Do shoppers leave the site to pay?”No. Card details go into a Stripe field on the checkout page, and bank checks open in place. PayPal opens its own approval window and returns the shopper to the storefront.
Hosting and domains
Section titled “Hosting and domains”Where can we host the storefront?
Section titled “Where can we host the storefront?”On Cloudflare Workers, which is the setup the project ships with, or on any host that runs Node 22 or newer. WordPress stays on your usual WordPress hosting. See Deployment.
Can we use our own domain?
Section titled “Can we use our own domain?”Yes. The storefront takes the main domain (for example shop.example.com or example.com), and WordPress moves to its own host, usually a subdomain. Set the storefront’s SITE_URL and the Storefront URL in WordPress to the new address.
Is the storefront cached?
Section titled “Is the storefront cached?”Not yet. Each page is rendered on the server per request, reading live from WordPress, so WordPress hosting should be sized for it. Page caching is on the Roadmap.
What happens to our old product URLs?
Section titled “What happens to our old product URLs?”Each published product’s old WordPress address redirects permanently (301) to the same product on the storefront, once the Storefront URL is set and the storefront is on a different host from WordPress. Only product pages are redirected; plan redirects for other important old addresses, such as categories, at your DNS or proxy. See SEO.
Languages and SEO
Section titled “Languages and SEO”Which languages are supported?
Section titled “Which languages are supported?”English and Arabic ship complete, with full right-to-left layout for Arabic. A store can run one language or several, each under its own address prefix. Adding another interface language means adding its translation files, a developer task. Product content in several languages needs WPML or Polylang in WordPress. See Languages and RTL.
Do Yoast SEO and Rank Math still work?
Section titled “Do Yoast SEO and Rank Math still work?”Yes. When either is active, the storefront uses its titles, descriptions and sharing settings for products, categories, tags, brands and articles. Without one, the Companion plugin provides its own SEO fields. The storefront prints the tags, structured data and sitemap itself. See SEO.
Does the storefront have a sitemap?
Section titled “Does the storefront have a sitemap?”Yes, at /sitemap.xml, covering every public page in every language. It needs SITE_URL to be set. Submit it in Google Search Console at launch.
Features
Section titled “Features”Is a multi-vendor marketplace supported?
Section titled “Is a multi-vendor marketplace supported?”Not yet. Multivendor support, starting with Dokan, is designed but not built; today the storefront runs a single-seller store. See the Roadmap.
Which social sign-in providers are available?
Section titled “Which social sign-in providers are available?”Google and Facebook, set up in WordPress. Only configured providers appear. Apple sign-in is not available. See Accounts and sign-in.
Can guests use the wishlist?
Section titled “Can guests use the wishlist?”No. The wishlist is for signed-in shoppers; a guest who taps the heart is asked to sign in. See Wishlist and compare.
Can we add Google Tag Manager, a pixel or a chat widget?
Section titled “Can we add Google Tag Manager, a pixel or a chat widget?”Yes. Paste them into StoreFront → Settings → Header/Footer Scripts. They load on every page except checkout and order confirmation, which stay script-free for payment security. Page views on in-site navigation are sent automatically. See Scripts and promo popup.
Can we change the design?
Section titled “Can we change the design?”Colours (light and dark), logo, header, footer and mobile tab bar are set in WordPress without code. The overall page design comes from a Template Family; only the default family ships today. See Theming and layout.