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WooCommerce Group Buy and Deals
Change Log
Note:
If you override default and use custom templates in your_theme/woocommerce/ you need to make sure that templates are updated with those in plugin_dir/templates/ - otherwise some new features might not show up on the site.
** Version 1.2.4 **
- Fix: warning undefined variable in email template
** Version 1.2.3 **
- Add: template shortcodes [groupbuy_templates template="countdown|progress|participate|info|info-future|end-results"]
- Add: show additional content in HTML emails
- Add: always use default datepicker JS
- Fix: db optimization
- Fix: Elementor support
- Fix: typos
** Version 1.2.2 **
- Fix: variables for email actions
- Fix: small fix for HPOS compatibility
** Version 1.2.1 **
- Add: HPOS compatibility
- Add: extend failed deal option
- Fix: exclude finished and future deals from related products
- Fix: error when using shortcodes in Elementor
- Fix: refund tax amount when doing refunds for failed deals
** Version 1.2.0 **
- Add: additional sorting options on deals base page
- Add: set default sorting for base page in settings
** Version 1.1.26 **
- Fix: language fixes
** Version 1.1.25 **
- Fix: tax and price display
** Version 1.1.24 **
- Fix: cart quantity issues
** Version 1.1.23 **
- Fix: decimal separator in wp-admin
** Version 1.1.22 **
- Fix: lost password redirect
- Fix: checkout redirect
- Fix: meta cache potential problem
- Fix: [groupbuys] shortcode
- Fix: code cleanup
- Fix: updated POT file
** Version 1.1.21 **
- Fix: updated POT file
- Fix: fatal error method_exists
- Add: fully tested with PHP8 and WooCommerce 5.0
** Version 1.1.20 **
- Fix: tax classes
** Version 1.1.19 **
- Fix: WPML shortcode and widgets bug
** Version 1.1.18 **
- Add: quantity selector now reflects max deals per user limit
- Fix: fatal error when relisting
- Fix: required fields when publishing group buy / deal
- Fix: shortcode [my_groupbuys] not showing past groupbuys
- Fix: php error
- Add: do not mix deals with regular products disabled by default
** Version 1.1.17 **
- Fix: Better refund handling for failed group buy deals
- Add: New order status for deals "Group buy in progress" and "Group buy failed"
** Version 1.1.16 **
- Fix: Updating product lookup table
- Fix: Removed update function
- Add: Added WPMU support
** Version 1.1.15 **
- Fix: Automatic partial refund
- Fix: fixed POT file
** Version 1.1.14 **
- Fix: downloadable product available for download only if deal is success
** Version 1.1.13 **
- Fix: mail notifications for succeeded deal
** Version 1.1.12 **
- Fix: Removing groupbuy from users my groupbuy list when deleting log in admin
- Fix: Bug when doing automatic refund on PHP v7.2
- Fix: Notice
** Version 1.1.11 **
- Fix: my_groupbuys shortcode problem with relisted groupbuys
- Fix: Refund notice for payment that does not support automatic refund
** Version 1.1.10 **
- Fix: Replaced woocommerce_get_page_id with wc_get_page_id
- Fix: Refund ajax working style
- Add: Redirection to previous page after login
- Fix: Fixed deprecated function
** Version 1.1.9 **
- Fix: Illegal string offset 'product_id'
- Fix: Replaced woocommerce_get_page_id with wc_get_page_id
- Fix: Changed name of jquery countdown plugin for compability issue
** Version 1.1.8 **
- Add: Last second order waits for "Hold Stock (minutes)" until order is marked as cancelled / failed due to delay caused by payment process
- Fix: Changed name of jquery countdown plugin for compability issue
** Version 1.1.7 **
- Add: Limit ticket by group buy in the quantity selector
- Add: Compact countdown option
- Fix: Changed admin dashboard widget
- Fix: Php notice in backend WooCommerce email settings
** Version 1.1.6 **
- Fix: stock status not changing when relisting
- Fix: featured_groupbuys shortcode bug
- Fix: future group buy not showing once it starts
- Fix: bugs in admin backend filter product on PHP v7.1.x
** Version 1.1.5 **
- Fix: Bug not creating log table on activation
** Version 1.1.4 **
- Fix: Featured groupbuys shortcode bug
- Fix: Groupbuys shortcode bug
** Version 1.1.3 **
- Fix: Featured widget bug
- Fix: Check for minimal PHP and WordPress versions to avoid fatal errors on activating plugin in unsupported environment
** Version 1.1.2 **
- Fix: Progres bar no-min class on single page
- Fix: Progres bar value 0 bug
** Version 1.1.1 **
- Fix: Query problems with WC 3.0.0
- Fix: WPML bug when using secondary language without main language
** Version 1.1 **
- Fix: WooCommerce > 3.0 compatibility
- Fix: Delete entry when order is cancelled
- Fix: Multiple failed emails to same user
+ Add: manual group buy relist feature
+ Add: Added [vendor] tag for sending mail to group buy author/vendor on group_buy_fail, group_buy_finished - useful with
multivendor plugins like WC Vendors or if you want to send email to group buy author or owner in case of multivendor site
** Version 1.0.3 **
- Fix: fatal error bug in loop template
** Version 1.0.2 **
- Fix: JS bug in frontend
** Version 1.0.1 **
- Fix: Bug with text domain
** Version 1.0.0 **
- Initial release
Overview and Features
WooCommerce Group Buy
WooCommerce Group Buy is a extension for popular WooCommerce plugin and extends it with group buy / deals feature. This extension allows you to implement powerful group buy solution like Groupon. Woocommerce Group Buy is easily setup and customized, and you need basic Woocommerce and web developing knowledge.
With WooCommerce Group Buy plugin you can setup WordPress deals (group buy) website in less than 30 minutes (assuming you have payment processor allready sorted). WooCommerce Group Buy plugin integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce and no special knowledge is needed (same level like for standard WooCommerce usage).
Overview and Features
- Seamless integration into WooCommerce via its hooks
- You get new type of WooCommerce product type - Groupbuy
- Define number of group buy participants - 1 or more
- Buyers / users can purchase one or more deals
- Ability to refund purchase if deal failed (payment processor has to support this feature!)
- Ability to instantly finish group buy deal if max number of deals was sold
- Define minimal and maximum number of deals available
- Define max deals per user
- Set start and end time for group buy deal
- Easily control how you want to display deals - along with other items or on separate page
- Widgets with ending soon, future, latest / recent, featured, recently viewed, deals search and random deals
- Email notifications (with editable email templates) for group buy win, fail, finish, no luck (fail notification for deal participant)
- Group buy product has group buy icon (label) on thumbnail
- Group buy product single page has new tab "Group Buy History"
- User has "My deals" page where one can see active deals and purchased deals - page with shortcode [my_groupbuys]
- Group buy filtering in product list (wp-admin)
- Group buy product has icon which describes different group buy status: active, finished, failed (wp-admin)
- Plenty of shortcodes including shortcode to show my deals for logged in user
- Make group buy from any type of Woocommerce product - simple, virtual or downloadable products
- Manually delete any participant via Woocommerce order management - deleting order deletes ticket
- WPML compatible
- works with WooCommerce API - read tutorial
- Dokan integration available
Installation
Source: https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/manage-plugins/#installing-plugins-1
Note:
Make sure to install WooCommerce before you activate Group Buy / Deals plugin.
You can install plugin via WordPress "Add New" plugin - to do that download "Installable WordPress files only", click add new and that's it. In case you do not have permissions to upload to plugins/ directory you will need FTP login info.
Alternative setup. After downloading WooCommerce Group Buy plugin, extract plugin zip and upload it to your plugins directory - wp-content/plugins/ folder of your Wordpress installation. Since this is extension for WooCommerce you need to install WooCommerce before activating the plugin. WooCommerce plugin which can be downloaded here.
If you need help installing Wordpress see the link here
Note:
Once you installed and activated WooCommerce go to WooCommerce > System Status and make sure that you don't have red colored errors (specially for WP memory limit). Make sure to enable inventory management in WooCommerce!
WooCommerce Group Buy plugin uses cronjobs and you have to setup one cronjob:
- every minute: /usr/local/bin/curl --silent http://www.your-domain.com/?groupbuy-cron=check
Here is screenshot of cronjobs page and setup in DirectAdmin control panel
More details about cronjobs can be found by googling "how to add cronjob in cPanel / DirectAdmin". If you don't know how to add cronjob the best and the easiest way is to email your hosting support to do it for you (purpose of hosting support are tasks like helping you with cronjobs, our support helps you with plugin issues - cronjobs are hosting related task / issue).
Why do we use and suggest real server cronjobs? Plugin will work with WP cron but disadvantage of WP Cron is that it will trigger only when someone visits your website, if there is no site activity for say 3 days, the cron will not be triggered for 3 days but next time you have visit on your website. Real server cronjobs do not depend on website activity and are run in fixed defined intervals as set in cronjob config.
Note:
If your hosting company does not support one minute cronjobs we suggest that you move your website to more serious hosting company or use service like EasyCron. We cannot use WordPress cronjobs because they are not reliable and depend on visitor accessing your website. In order to have reliable way to end and finish group buy / deal you need real cronjob.
Our plugin is meant to be used as ecommerce solution which will / should earn money so we suggest you to invest in proper hosting (which at least supports one minute cronjobs).
Install WooCommerce Sample Data:
Source: https://woocommerce.com/document/importing-woocommerce-sample-data/
WooCommerce comes with sample data which you can import, dummy data file is /wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/dummy_data.xml Sample data does not include group buy products, it provides data to populate Woocommerce store with some demo products, ratings, comments, etc. Steps to import demo data to your WordPress WooCommerce site:
- Go to Tools > Import
- Select XML dummy content file from /wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/dummy_data.xml
- Click Upload file and import
- Assign posts to an exitsting account
- Check Download and import file attachments
- Click Submit and wait until WordPress finish downloading attachments and importing content
Warning:
Importing dummy data can take some time, specially on slow Internet connections. Be patient and do not close or refresh browser tab until import operation is completed.
Quick Group Buy Setup
Setting up new group buy is easy:
- make sure all steps from Installation are done (WooCommerce installed, plugin enabled, cronjobs set)
- go to Products => Add Products
- add title, description, images, featured image, select category - all things you do when adding regular product
- in Product Data dropdown menu select Groupbuy
- you will see new tab in left menu named Group Buy, see screenshot:
- fill all details (they are self explainable)
- set group buy duration by setting start and end date
- publish product (group buy deal)
In Woocommerce Settings -> Group Buy you can set group buy base page where your client will have a list of all group buy deals. Please see note if you want to set your group buy page as home page. If you have group buy only website there is no need to setup group buy base page, you can use Woocommerce shop page.
Note:
Make sure that when setting up group buy site your group buy base page is different than your home page. If you need deals on home page use shortcodes or widgets to display them on your home page.
Changes in WooCommerce
After you activate WooCommerce Group Buy plugin couple new options will appear:
- WooCommerce product has new tab in Product data block called Groupbuy
- Product list has column with group buy status icons - requires Product Type Column plugin
- Product list filter has group buy filtering
- Single product page in wp-admin has new block named "group buy" where you can see group buy history
- WooCommerce settings - new tab called group buy
- WooCommerce settings - Emails - new items: Group Buy deal Succeed, Group Buy deal Fail, Group Buy deal Finish templates
- New widgets: future deals, ending soon deals, featured deals, latest deals, recently viewed deals, random deals
- New shortcodes
New WooCommerce product type group buy:
Plugin Options
Here are settings that you can turn on and off. Settings are self explainable. You can enable or disable showing past and future deals. Another useful setting is whether to mix regular products with deals or just show deals on separate page (defined via deals Base Page dropdown, see screenshot).
On screenshot below you can see how product list with deals looks like. Group buy status icon colors: green - active group buy, orange - finished, red - failed.
If group buy has failed, in product / group buy details you will see "Refund" link which enables you to refund all deals to participants if your group buy rules require that. Make sure that you did not convert regular product to group buy because you will refund all regular purchases in that case! We strongly suggest against converting regular product with orders to group buy! If order that is being refunded has more than 1 product, only group buy product that failed will be refunded.
Once group buy deal is finished you can view buyers on single group buy page or in wp-admin edit product page. You can create my deals page for users where you can use this shortcode: show user's deals (active deals in which user participates and list of user's won deals) - [my_groupbuys]
Note:
If you leave option "max deals per user" unregistered / guest users will be able to purchase deal(s).
Email Notifications and Templates
Plugin comes with 4 email notifications, 2 for admin and 2 for users. In fact there are 2 different email notifications - deal failed and deal succeeded. You can edit those by going to Woocommerce Settings -> Email tab.
On screenshot below you can see all available options for WooCommerce Group Buy Deals. To edit settings you need to click in your WordPress wp-admin on WooCommerce Settings then find Group Buy Deals tab.
Shortcodes
Here is a list of all available plugin shortcodes. Some shortcodes accept optional orderby and order attributes.
- show featured deals -
[featured_groupbuys per_page="12" columns="4" orderby="date" order="desc"] - show ending soon deals -
[ending_soon_groupbuys per_page="12" columns="4" order="desc"] - show recent deals -
[recent_groupbuys per_page="12" columns="4" orderby="date" order="desc"] - show future deals -
[future_groupbuys], [future_groupbuys per_page="12" columns="4" orderby="date" order="desc"] - show popular deals -
[popular_groupbuys], [popular_groupbuys per_page="12" columns="4" orderby="date" order="desc"] - show user's deals (active deals in which user purchased and list of user's won deals) -
[my_groupbuys] - show multiple deals -
[groupbuys], [groupbuys per_page="12" columns="4" orderby="date" order="desc" skus="sku1,sku2,sku3" ids="1,2,3"] - display any part of single auction template using shortcode -
[groupbuy_templates template="countdown"], [groupbuy_templates template="countdown|progress|participate|info|info-future|end-results"]- attribute values: progress, countdown, participate, info, info-future, end-results
Note:
Please note that there is no paging when you use shortcodes (same as with WooCommerce shortcodes). Per page attribute means how many items will be displayed on that particular page without paging!
WooCommerce Group Buy and Deals
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