Headless Commerce for WordPress: FAQs

Why this plugin?

It’s simple – WordPress is a great content management system and you should be able to utilize it along with a feature-rich and flexible eCommerce platform. Compromising on your platform will only shortchange a business in the long run.

Connecting your WordPress installation means that you are now able to leverage eCommerce into a single environment. No separate domains, inconsistent design, plugin security traps, or compromises on functionality.

Contact us to schedule a Ultra Commerce demo with our team.

What can I do with the WordPress plugin?

The Ultra Commerce for WordPress plugin connects the two platforms through the API allowing a WordPress developer to grab eCommerce data like products, orders, or account information while also completing the entire set of eCommerce functionality.

In addition to the API integration, the plugin also includes a set of shortcodes to give flexibility to the integration options.

Finally, utilize our starter template pack to quickly get up and running with Ultra Commerce and then customize with your branding and theme. The starter kit is built on top of the TwentyTwenty default WordPress theme so your team will have no trouble customizing and using it as a learning tool to build their Ultra Commerce expertise.

Is the entire platform and dataset available through the plugin?

Absolutely. The Ultra Commerce API is publicly available and is comprehensive with the entire platform. The entire eCommerce lifecycle from product creation through marketing and order management to inventory can be accessed, utilized, and managed via the API.

What’s included in the integration/plugin?

The current version 1 release of the WordPress plugin includes two major components.

The first is the API Settings and Connection screen in the WordPress admin. The plugin itself is installed like any other plugin. Once installed, the settings screen will allow you to drop in your API account credentials and Ultra profile information.

The second major component is the starter templates. As developers, we know that one of the important aspects of trying any new software or web services is able to get up and running quickly. The Starter templates are automatically installed into your theme folder when the plugin is installed. The templates utilize our API to access data, create accounts, get products, and power the entire commerce experience.

The starter templates cover the entire eCommerce cycle from product listing and filtering through the shopping cart, checkout, and post-order support.

The plugin and starter template package is available as open-source on Github if you’re interested in reviewing prior to signing up for an Ultra Commerce account.

Stay tuned for more information from our team on future upgrades and enhancements to the plugin. Have feedback or suggestions on what you would like to see? Let us know.

Is the hosting shared? How are platform upgrades managed?

No, your Ultra environment is set up as a single-tenant environment. As a result, the platform can be customized and upgrades can be scheduled whenever it makes sense for your business. If you’re interested in reviewing the plan for Ultra Commerce platform enhancements and upgrades, review our roadmap for more details.

Does the plugin include support for all of the standard Ultra Commerce integrations?

Yes, connecting through the plugin to your Ultra Commerce instance means that you can leverage all of the built-in integrations (payment processors, shipping, tax calculations, and more) through the API. The Ultra Commerce integrations allow you to avoid rebuilding complex (and boring) integrations for critical business processes.

If you need an integration that’s outside of the available services, you can leverage the API for custom integration or contact your development support team for assistance in adding a new integration.

Are there starter templates or kits available for download to help get me started?

Yes, we’ve recently launched our starter kit. The kit includes a complete set of Bootstrap-based WordPress themed templates that will get you up and running quickly with Ultra Commerce. The starter kit includes the entire eCommerce lifecycle from product listing through checkout and customer account portals.

We recommend that you contact us for more information on getting started with Ultra Commerce and scheduling a demo.

Is WordPress or plugin support available?

As an Ultra Commerce customer, we provide you with a dedicated support team that will serve as your contact point for any questions, requests, or feedback regarding Ultra Commerce. During the onboarding process, an account and technical resource are available to you to answer any questions and help your team get up and running.

Scheduling training either in-person or via Zoom on an on-demand basis is also available.

We aren’t WordPress experts, but we work with a number of implementation partners if you need help with WordPress in any way and are always happy to provide recommendations for teams that can assist you with building WordPress and Ultra Commerce powered sites.

Our comprehensive user guide is available for any user or administrator looking for help in Ultra Commerce as an administrator.

Can I get a breakdown of the SaaS pricing?

Our pricing and cost structure are available on our pricing page. There are no licensing fees or maintenance fees associated with the platform.

The scaling model of our pricing means that as your activity and volume increase, the monthly charges reflect that. The entire Ultra Commerce team is invested in giving you the tools and dedicated support you need to build, maintain, and launch a great web presence.

How does the pricing of Ultra Commerce compare with other integrations?

Ultra Commerce is priced competitively with most web and headless commerce platforms. However, given the complete set of functionality and flexibility of the platform, you’re going to get more for your investment with a Ultra Commerce platform than other platforms.

Our “Developer Friendly” pricing structure will allow you to start building, run testing, and build out your commerce application and web presence before migrating to the production environment. The development environment has no limits on functionality or data.

Secondly, in terms of the total cost of ownership, there are no additional fees to install, maintain, and monitor platform plugins or extensions. The platform and server infrastructure is managed by the Ultra Commerce support team eliminating the need to maintain server resources.

Finally, Ultra Commerce doesn’t charge a platform or licensing fee to use the service.

We believe that as your business grows on the Ultra Commerce platform, the SaaS service fees will grow with you. There are no contracts or fixed charges – our pricing model is simple.

Why not just use WooCommerce?

When comparing Ultra Commerce vs. WooCommerce there are a number of key differences that apply based on your business needs. WooCommerce can be a great fit for smaller companies or online stores, but the features, functionality, and service offering make Ultra Commerce a better option for larger stores, those who have outgrown WooCommerce or have more complex business requirements.

Complete Platform

Ultra Commerce is a complete eCommerce platform from products (merchandising, subscriptions, paywall) and promotions through inventory management and fulfillment. When you’ve outgrown the functionality in WooCommerce or are challenged by some of its quirks – Ultra Commerce is a great fit.

Design Freedom

Use Ultra Commerce to build exactly the front end and design you want for your eCommerce store. Ultra Commerce is a headless commerce platform in which you have complete design and implementation freedom. There are no template requirements or design restrictions.

Integration Friendly

Designed to integrate into the WordPress infrastructure and system, Ultra Commerce gives you the flexibility to maintain a safe and secure platform that’s hosted remotely in a PCI compliant infrastructure yet easy to work with through a robust API.

The Ultra Commerce plugin is simple to download and get set up. Once you have your Ultra Commerce account, installing the plugin and configuring it for your account can be done in minutes.

Our plugin even includes a set of starter templates to help you get started with your eCommerce build.

Developer Support

Built to be developer-friendly and flexible, your Ultra Commerce account includes access to a developer support manager. Finally, because Ultra Commerce is delivered as a SaaS hosted service, the eCommerce infrastructure you’re relying on for your storefront is stable, secure, and maintained by our team. Fewer hosting headaches, more time for building.

Budget-Friendly

Unlike other enterprise platforms that will break your budget, Ultra Commerce is priced competitively to other modern web-based eCommerce platforms but with more developer-friendly pricing options and no licensing fees.

Tell me more about the SaaS infrastructure

Our hosting infrastructure is actively backed up, monitored, and audited. Our SaaS infrastructure is PCI Level 1 certified and is regularly reviewed by outside third-party agencies in order to maintain our certification on an annual basis.

In addition to the enterprise-level security, the Ultra Commerce platform is PA-DSS certified. The internal development and coding practices for core platform enhancement requires code review and strict adherence to guidelines and best practices.

The infrastructure is completely cloud-based with multi-location, self-healing, and dynamic auto-scaling. Our SaaS environment allows a business to scale up its infrastructure on an as-needed basis in order to handle traffic spikes and sudden demand increases while maintaining low costs.

Will the Ultra Commerce environment allow me to run more than just WordPress sites?

Absolutely, because Ultra Commerce includes multichannel and multisite support, you can run as many websites or commerce applications as you need. By being API-based, the Ultra Commerce platform can be used as a headless commerce platform for ultimate flexibility in delivering commerce functionality.

In addition to running web sites, Ultra Commerce can also be used to power mobile applications, point-of-sale, and mini-sites.

Several Ultra Commerce users run websites powered by multiple different CMS platforms all connected to the same Ultra Commerce environment.

Do you have a partner program for WordPress agencies looking to build eCommerce platforms?

We do, learn more about our partner program. We work with companies and agencies who use Ultra Commerce as their core eCommerce platform and provide development support, platform development, and ongoing technical assistance/consulting.

We believe that agency and technology partners play a crucial role in the process of continuing to enhance and upgrade the Ultra Commerce platform and improve the integration between WordPress and Ultra Commerce.

How do I get started?

To get started, we recommend you sign up for our Development Package, which includes your own Ultra Commerce environment and gives you access to our account and development support teams.

To sign up and learn more about Ultra Commerce pricing including all the benefits and support included with your account, visit our pricing page.

Of course, if you have any additional questions, feel free to contact us using our live on-site chat or contact page. We are happy to speak with you directly to answer any questions you might have on the platform, run through a demonstration, or provide other information.

Where does eCommerce data live? In WordPress or Ultra Commerce?

One of the key advantages of the headless commerce architecture that Ultra Commerce brings to WordPress is that it reduces the amount of data and services required of the WordPress hosting environment.

Any eCommerce data is stored within the Ultra Commerce infrastructure including orders, accounts, products, and more. With fewer resources and requests to handle, WordPress performance improves dramatically. Ultra Commerce has built-in services to handle scaling, caching, and a CDN so any demand placed on the storefront is handled dynamically. You get an enterprise-level hosting infrastructure as a SaaS service without having to pay for dedicated resources or IT staff. Amazing infrastructure and support and you’re only paying for what you use.