FlxWoo vs Shop as Client for WooCommerce – Manual, Phone &

FlxWoo is a WooCommerce infrastructure plugin. It adds a REST API layer, server-side checkout rendering, and Stripe Checkout integration on top of standard WooCommerce — without replacing WooCommerce’s core order, payment, or inventory systems. It is designed for agencies and developers who need full control over checkout presentation while continuing to rely on WooCommerce for order management, tax calculation, coupon handling, and payment record-keeping. What FlxWoo Is A REST API layer for WooCommerce checkout state (namespace: flxwoo/v1) A server-side rendering layer for checkout and product page templates A Stripe Checkout integration with server-side session management and webhook handling A fallback-safe product page rendering layer: falls back to native WordPress/WooCommerce templates when the Render service is unavailable or the product type is not supported An admin dashboard for operational monitoring: Overview, Settings, and System Status pages An infrastructure layer that extends WooCommerce without replacing it What FlxWoo Is Not Not a WooCommerce fork or replacement Not a page builder or visual checkout designer Not a payment processor — payment remains in WooCommerce and Stripe Not a headless CMS Not a replacement for WooCommerce’s admin, order management, or product system Who FlxWoo Is For Agencies building custom checkout experiences on WooCommerce Developers who need REST access to WooCommerce checkout state Projects requiring server-side rendered checkout templates Teams integrating Stripe Checkout while keeping WooCommerce as the order system Architecture FlxWoo registers a REST namespace (flxwoo/v1). Checkout state endpoints (cart, order, coupon, customer) return JSON. Render endpoints (/render/checkout, /render/thank-you) return server-side rendered HTML. Product pages are intercepted at the template layer and rendered through the external Render service, with automatic fallback to native WordPress/WooCommerce templates if the service is unavailable or the product type is not supported. WooCommerce remains authoritative for all order, cart, tax, and payment data. FlxWoo reads and writes through WooCommerce’s standard APIs without modifying its data structures or core behavior. Features REST API under the flxwoo/v1 namespace Cart and checkout state endpoints returning JSON Stripe Checkout integration — server-side session creation and webhook handling Duplicate order prevention at the checkout session level Concurrent submission guard Session-independent Stripe return flow (order identity carried via URL, not session state) Server-side HTML rendering for checkout and thank-you templates Product page rendering via external Render service, with automatic fallback to native WordPress/WooCommerce templates Product type gate: only simple products (including virtual) are routed to the Render service; variable, external, and unrecognized types use native templates Structured logging for checkout and payment events Operational event store tracking webhook failures, Stripe connectivity issues, and auth denials Health endpoint at GET /wp-json/flxwoo/v1/health for uptime monitoring Admin Overview page with operational health summary and last-payment/last-webhook signals System Status page with diagnostics across environment, Stripe, cache, webhooks, checkout failures, and database Automated data retention: scheduled cleanup for idempotency records, Stripe events, checkout sessions, and operational events with defined retention windows Preserve-by-default uninstall policy: data is retained unless explicitly opted out in Settings Cache and CDN Configuration FlxWoo endpoints are session-sensitive and stateful. They must not be served from a cache layer under any circumstances. Why This Matters FlxWoo checkout endpoints read and write live session, cart, and payment state on every request. If a caching layer returns a stale or shared response, the result is incorrect behavior — not a gracefully degraded experience. Common symptoms include stale cart totals, duplicate checkout attempts, broken Stripe sessions, and session data surfacing to the wrong customer. Any FlxWoo endpoint returning a cache HIT response header is a production defect. What Must Bypass Cache Three route groups must bypass cache at every layer — page cache, CDN, reverse proxy, and any optimization plugin that operates on HTTP responses: /wp-json/flxwoo/* — all FlxWoo REST API endpoints (cart, checkout, payment, webhook, health) /checkout* — the WordPress checkout page and all trailing-slash or query-string variants /thank-you* — the order confirmation page and all variants FlxWoo emits Cache-Control: no-store headers via PHP on both the REST API and the HTML pages. However, CDN-level rules such as Cloudflare’s “Cache Everything” can override PHP headers at the edge before they reach the browser. PHP-level headers alone are not sufficient — explicit CDN bypass rules targeting these paths are required. Common Systems That Require Configuration WP Rocket — Add /wp-json/flxwoo/, /checkout, and /thank-you to “Never Cache URL(s)” in the Cache settings tab. WP Rocket uses substring prefix matching, so these entries cover /checkout* and /thank-you* including trailing-slash and query-string variants. LiteSpeed Cache — Add /wp-json/flxwoo/, /checkout, and /thank-you to the “Do Not Cache URIs” list under Cache > Excludes. LiteSpeed URI exclusions also use prefix matching, covering /checkout* and /thank-you*. Cloudflare — Use Cache Rules to bypass cache for paths matching /checkout*, /thank-you*, and /wp-json/flxwoo/*. If using Automatic Platform Optimization (APO), verify that checkout and thank-you URLs are in the APO exclusion list. Cloudflare’s “Cache Everything” page rule must not apply to these paths. Nginx / FastCGI — Add fastcgi_cache_bypass map entries for /wp-json/flxwoo/, /checkout*, and /thank-you* at the server or location block level. Varnish — Add pass conditions in vcl_recv for /wp-json/flxwoo/*, /checkout*, and /thank-you*. Aggressive optimization plugins — Verify that no plugin is buffering, combining, or caching REST API responses or HTML responses for FlxWoo routes or page wrappers. What Is Safe to Cache Static assets (CSS, JS, images), non-dynamic pages, and REST endpoints that explicitly return Cache-Control: public. FlxWoo’s own endpoints never set public cache headers. Full Configuration Reference Detailed per-system instructions, verification commands, and symptom diagnostics are in docs/cache-configuration.md. Requirements WordPress 6.0 or later PHP 8.0 or later WooCommerce (active; declared as a required plugin) Stripe account with Checkout enabled (for payment features) MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+ Operational Notes Health endpoint: GET /wp-json/flxwoo/v1/health always returns HTTP 200 when the plugin is active. Suitable for uptime monitoring and deployment verification. Logging: Structured logging for checkout and payment events. Useful for incident response and debugging in production environments. Database setup: Required tables are created automatically on activation. Schema migrations run silently on upgrade — no manual steps required. Data on uninstall: Data is preserved by default when the plugin is deleted. To remove all FlxWoo data, enable Delete all data on uninstall in FlxWoo Settings > Data before deleting the plugin. Idempotency: Checkout idempotency is database-backed, making the system safe for concurrent requests and browser retries. Stripe return flow: Order identity is carried via URL parameters after Stripe redirect, not session state. This makes the return path resilient to session loss between payment and confirmation. Security All REST endpoints enforce WordPress capability checks before processing requests. Input is validated and sanitized at the API boundary and within the service layer. All PHP files include an ABSPATH guard to prevent direct execution. Database queries use prepared statements throughout. PHP CodeSniffer with WordPress Coding Standards and security sniffs is enforced as a release gate. Limitations Requires WooCommerce to be active. FlxWoo will not initialize without it. Stripe integration requires an active Stripe account with Checkout enabled. Server-side rendering requires a live PHP execution environment. Fully static deployments are not supported. All FlxWoo REST endpoints must not be behind a full-page or CDN cache layer. Product page rendering via the Render service is currently limited to simple products (including virtual). Variable, external, and other product types fall back to native WordPress/WooCommerce templates.

Create manual orders in WooCommerce directly from the frontend checkout. Ideal for phone orders, email orders, POS or in-store purchases, sales representatives, and customer service teams placing orders on behalf of customers. Manual, phone & email orders made easy Do you take orders by phone, email, in-store, or through sales representatives visiting customers? Do your staff need to place orders on behalf of customers? Shop as Client for WooCommerce allows store administrators and shop managers to create manual orders directly from the frontend checkout, using the exact same purchasing experience customers use. Perfect for: Manual order creation Phone orders Email orders In-store or POS purchases Customer service assisted orders B2B sales teams Sales representatives creating orders for clients Instead of using the limited WooCommerce admin order screen, your staff can simply shop normally and assign the order to the correct customer. Why create manual orders from the frontend? WooCommerce’s backend order editor does not always reproduce the real customer shopping experience. With Shop as Client, your staff members can: Add products to the cart normally Use coupons and discounts Apply shipping and payment methods Trigger checkout integrations Use plugins that only work on the frontend This ensures orders behave exactly like customer-placed orders. How it works When an Administrator or Shop Manager reaches checkout: All customer checkout fields become available, including custom fields Staff can enter the customer’s email and details The order is automatically assigned to an existing customer if matched by email address Or a new customer account can be created Or the order can remain as a guest order The result is a clean, correct WooCommerce order created on behalf of the customer. Free plugin features Place manual orders on behalf of customers using the regular checkout Enter phone and email orders directly in your shop Assign orders to existing customers automatically Create new customers during checkout Allow guest orders when needed Works with both the classic and the block-based WooCommerce checkouts Uses your existing checkout workflow and extensions PRO add-on features The PRO add-on expands staff ordering workflows with powerful tools: Live customer search with autocomplete results while typing “Request payment by email” payment gateway to finalize orders and send payment links to customers “Invoice or Purchase Order” payment gateway for orders to be invoiced later or already paid via PO — optional PO number field, and a “Payment already received” checkbox that automatically marks the order as paid when ticked Search registered customers by email address, name, company, billing and shipping addresses, or any other profile field Optionally search on previous orders to find customers faster or previous guest orders Allow staff to adjust product prices for special deals or negotiated orders (compatible with WooPayments multi-currency) Show the product’s Cost of Goods Sold (WooCommerce 9.5+) when adjusting its price, so staff can see the margin before granting a discount Set guardrails on price changes: disallow free products, enforce a minimum markup above cost, or set a floor on the allowed discount Advanced features for developers and power users Developer filter to add custom fields to the automatically filled checkout details User Switching integration, to benefit from the fact that the customer is logged in, and still use our plugin functionalities, like the payment request gateway and seller tracking Start the order with a blank checkout form Set default values for the “Shop as client” and “Create user” fields Automatically update the customer details on their profile after checking out Get custom fields from: Simple Checkout Fields Manager for WooCommerce WooCommerce EU VAT Assistant WooCommerce EU VAT Number Invoicing with InvoiceXpress for WooCommerce NIF (Num. de Contribuinte Português) for WooCommerce Technical support Continued development Ideal use cases Shop as Client is widely used by stores that need assisted ordering: Retail stores taking phone orders Shops receiving orders by email Physical stores creating POS orders in WooCommerce Customer support teams placing orders for customers Wholesale and B2B businesses Sales agents managing client purchases Field sales representatives creating B2B orders Built for real WooCommerce workflows Unlike backend order creation, Shop as Client keeps your existing checkout logic intact: Payment gateways Shipping rules Checkout customizations Taxes and fees Integrations that only run on checkout Mostly everything works exactly as if the customer placed the order themselves. 🚀 Upgrade to PRO Need faster order entry or payment request workflows? The PRO add-on turns WooCommerce into a powerful assisted-sales system for phone, email, and in-store orders. Ideal for teams handling high volumes of phone, email, or assisted orders. Now available in lifetime licensing Try a demo of the PRO add-on for free here! Other (premium) plugins Already know our other WooCommerce (premium) plugins? VAT Number and EU VIES Validation for WooCommerce – Collect and validate VAT identification numbers for the whole European Union, confirm them against VIES and remove VAT on qualifying intra-EU B2B orders Advanced Coupon Restrictions for WooCommerce – Create coupons for any Product Taxonomy, User details, and Order destination. Simple Checkout Fields Manager for WooCommerce – Add custom fields and manage (remove, make required or optional) core fields on the new WooCommerce Block-based Checkout Simple WooCommerce Order Approval – The hassle-free solution for WooCommerce order approval before payment Taxonomy/Term and Role based Discounts for WooCommerce – Easily create bulk discount rules for products based on any taxonomy terms (built-in or custom) DPD / SEUR / Geopost Pickup and Lockers network for WooCommerce – Deliver your WooCommerce orders on the DPD and SEUR Pickup network of Parcelshops and Lockers in 21 European countries Auto Cancel WooCommerce On-hold Orders – Automatically cancel WooCommerce “On-hold” orders after a determined period of time.