Pro A Quick Start Guide to Merchant Pro

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll look into how to install, activate, configure and use the Merchant Pro plugin.

1. Install the Merchant Pro Plugin

First, you need to install the plugin.

To do so, sign into your WordPress admin area and select the Plugins > Add New menu in the left sidebar.

On the next screen, click the Upload Plugin button at the top of the page:

Location of the 'Upload plugin' button in the WordPress dashboard, screenshot

On the next page, click the Browse button, select the ZIP file you downloaded from the email purchase receipt (you can also download it from your account page at anytime), and upload the plugin:

Upload Merchant zip file, WordPress admin area, screenshot

Once the plugin is installed, click the Activate Plugin button:

Activate Plugin screen, screenshot

Important: If you already have the free version of Merchant installed on your site, then no more actions are needed, and you can proceed directly to the Merchant dashboard.

However, if you don’t have the free version from Merchant installed, once the Merchant Pro plugin is activated, a welcome notice will appear in your WordPress admin area.

Click the Get Started button that will install the free version of Merchant, which is a prerequisite for using Merchant Pro:

Welcome notice of the Merchant Pro plugin if the free version is not installed, screenshot

2. Find the Merchant Dashboard

Now, you’ll find Merchant and Merchant Pro among your activated plugins on the Plugins > Installed Plugins admin page.

Note that while both Merchant and Merchant Pro work without WooCommerce, it’s primarily an eCommerce plugin, so to use most of its modules, you’ll need to install and activate WooCommerce too:

Merchant and Merchant Pro on the Plugins page in the WordPress admin area, screenshot

Once Merchant is activated, you’ll find a new Merchant menu in the left sidebar of your WordPress admin area. It goes to the Merchant dashboard where you can find all the free and Pro modules as well as the global Merchant settings.

Click the menu to open the Merchant dashboard:

Merchant dashboard when Merchant Pro is installed, screenshot

3. Configure Merchant’s Global Settings

Before enabling the modules, it’s recommended that you configure the global settings.

The Global Settings page includes the options that apply to all Merchant modules.

To open it, click the ‘Manage your Merchant settings’ link in your Merchant dashboard:

Open Merchant's global settings page from the Merchant dashboard, screeenshot

The Global Settings page has three sections:

  1. License Activation – Here, you can activate your Merchant Pro license. This ensures that you’ll receive automatic Merchant Pro update notifications in your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Merchant Operating Mode – Here, you can activate and deactivate Merchant on the frontend (the Merchant dashboard and admin settings are not affected by these settings). You have three options:
    • Active – Both website visitors and admin users can see Merchant’s features.
    • Preview – Only admin users (but not website visitors) can see Merchant’s features.
    • Inactive – No one can see Merchant’s features.
  3. Global Customizations – Here, you can add custom CSS and JavaScript code to Merchant. These settings are aimed at WordPress developers; only use them if you have adequate coding knowledge.
Global Settings of Merchant Pro, screenshot

4. Activate the ‘Preview’ Operating Mode

Before getting started with enabling the modules, activate the Preview operating mode. In this way, Merchant’s features will only be visible to admin users while you’re configuring the modules.

In the Merchant Operating Mode section on the Global Settings page, select the Preview option, then click the Save button in the top-right corner of the page:

Location of Preview operating mode option on the Global Settings page, screenshot

5. Enable Your First Merchant Pro Module

Merchant uses a module-based architecture, meaning you don’t have to use all the features — you only activate the modules you need.

The modules are grouped into six categories:

  • Convert More
  • Build Trust
  • Boost Revenue
  • Reduce Abandonment
  • Improve Experience
  • Protect Store

Review them all, then choose a module you want to add first.

Here, we’ll look into how to activate the Countdown Timer module, but you can activate all the other modules in the same way.

First, click the module to open its dedicated settings page:

Location of the Countdown Timer module on the Merchant dashboard, annotated screenshot

Before activating a module, it’s recommended that you review and configure its settings (even though each Merchant and Merchant Pro module comes with sensible defaults, so they also work out of the box).

You can find the module’s settings below the Enable button.

If you need any help with the configuration, check out the module’s dedicated tutorial either in the Merchant documentation or by clicking the Tutorial link here on the module’s admin page.

To activate the module, click the Enable button:

Location of the Enable button on the Countdown Timer module's admin page, annotated screenshot

Now if you go back to the main Merchant dashboard, you’ll see that the enabled module has been added to the module counter at the top of the page:

Location of the module counter on the Merchant dashboard, annotated screenshot

You can also click the module counter (the ‘1 module’ link) to open Merchant’s module status page that shows all your enabled modules:

Module status page, screenshot

6. Check Out the Frontend of Your Store

Once a module is enabled and configured, it’s recommended that you check out what it looks like on the frontend of your store.

To open the frontend of your site, click either the Visit Site or Visit Store option in the WordPress admin bar (the Visit Store link is added by WooCommerce — if you don’t have WooCommerce enabled on your site, you’ll just see the Visit Site option):

Location of the Visit Site and Visit Store options in the WordPress admin bar, annotated screenshot

When the frontend of your site opens, find the Merchant module that you enabled, check it out, and edit the design until it looks how you want it to.

For example, here is what the Countdown Timer looks like on a WooCommerce product page (note that the design and location of the text also depend on the theme):

Frontend view of the Countdown Timer module, annotated screenshot

7. Enable and Configure All the Modules Your Store Needs

Now go on and enable all the Merchant modules you think you’ll need, then configure them on their respective settings pages.

If you change your mind, you can remove any module from your site by clicking the disable link that shows up when you are hovering your cursor over the Enabled button on the module’s settings page:

Location of the disable link on a Merchant Pro module's admin page, annotated screenshot

8. Switch to ‘Active’ Operating Mode

When everything is set up, switch to Active operating mode on the Global Settings page so that your Merchant and Merchant Pro modules become visible to everyone on the frontend of your WordPress site.