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FluentCart A New Era of eCommerce – Faster, Lighter, and Simpler / 1.7.1
FluentCart A New Era of eCommerce – Faster, Lighter, and Simpler v1.7.1
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fluent-cart / readme.txt

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1 === FluentCart A New Era of eCommerce - Faster, Lighter, and Simpler ===
2 Contributors: wpmanageninja, techjewel
3 Tags: ecommerce, cart, checkout, subscriptions, payments
4 Requires at least: 6.7
5 Tested up to: 7.1
6 Requires PHP: 7.4
7 Stable tag: 1.7.1
8 License: GPLv2 or later
9 License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
10
11 Sell Subscriptions, Physical Products, Digital Downloads easier than ever. Built for performance, scalability, and flexibility.
12
13 == Description ==
14 Meet FluentCart. It’s a performance-first, self-hosted eCommerce platform for WordPress. Build your ideal store, whether you sell physical products, subscriptions, downloads, licenses, or all of them. No third-party dependencies, no platform lock-in, and no transaction fees. Just a powerful store on your terms.
15
16 [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meMM6Nq6laE]
17
18 👉 Official Website Link: [Official Website](https://fluentcart.com/)
19 👉 Join Our Community: [FluentCart Community](https://community.wpmanageninja.com/portal)
20 👉 Official 5 Minutes Guide: [Getting started with FluentCart](https://fluentcart.com/fluentcart-101/)
21 👉 Contribute: [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/fluent-cart/fluent-cart)
22
23 Built from the ground up with flexibility, performance, and long-term scalability in mind, this isn’t a fork of existing plugins. This is a fresh take on what a WordPress store should be: lean, powerful, and completely under your control. FluentCart adapts to your model without adding bloat or cutting you into a SaaS fee structure.
24
25 FluentCart is ideal for solo creators, growing businesses, and developers building client stores. If you're tired of overcomplicated dashboards and bloated add-ons, this is your answer. Forget about transaction fees, because FluentCart charges exactly 0 transaction fees on both Free and Pro installations.
26
27 FluentCart is for you if you're looking to free yourself from rigid checkout flows, or vendor lock-ins. Run your store with clarity and confidence, whether you sell ebooks, handmade goods, software licenses, or monthly product bundles.
28
29 == Sales Models ==
30 FluentCart supports a variety of sales models, all in the same store. Offer one-time products or digital downloads, manage subscriptions with flexible billing intervals, add setup fees or installment plans, and issue time-limited licenses. You can mix and match hybrid product types without relying on third-party add-ons.
31
32 ==== Best for ====
33 * Subscription goods
34 * Gated downloads
35 * Licensed software
36 * Online book stores
37 * B2B catalogs
38 * Maintenance services
39 * Tiered subscriptions
40 * Digital file hosting
41 * Software distribution
42 * Membership access
43 * Fashion stores
44 * Course Websites
45 * Grocery Shop
46 * Agro Catalogs
47 * Agency services
48
49 == Features List by Category ==
50
51 === Product & Catalog Management ===
52 * Simple Products – Create one-time purchasable items with fixed pricing
53 * Variable Products – Offer products with multiple attributes (e.g. size, license type)
54 * Subscriptions – Configure recurring products with billing intervals and durations (No Transaction Fees)
55 * Installments – Support split payments over time for high-ticket items (PRO)
56 * Setup Fees – Add one-time setup charges on top of recurring payments
57 * Subscription Bump Offers – Show discounted upgrade paths with discounts
58 * Licensing Support (Pro) – Attach license keys to products and define expiry rules (PRO)
59 * Product Categories – Organize products for easier navigation and filtering
60 * Product Labels – Tag products for promotional badges (e.g. “New”, “Popular”)
61 * Downloadable Files – Securely attach files to digital products
62
63 === Checkout & Payment ===
64 * One-Click Checkout – Optimized checkout experience for faster conversions
65 * Custom Payment Gateways – Add or extend gateways using hooks and filters
66 * Stripe Integration – Fully-featured Stripe payments with no extra plugins
67 * PayPal Integration – Built-in PayPal support with easy configuration
68 * Manual Gateway – Accept Cash on delivery
69 * Failed Renewal Handling – Automatic retry logic for subscription renewals
70 * Prorated Charges (Pro) – Calculate and bill customers proportionally for changes
71 * Coupon Support – Enable discounts, promos, and launch offers via coupons
72
73 === Customer & Subscription Management ===
74 * Customer Profiles – View and manage full purchase history and subscriptions
75 * Customer Notes – Add internal notes visible only to store admins
76 * Subscription Dashboard – Let users manage billing, pause/cancel subscriptions
77 * Support Dashboard Integration – Pull customer history into Fluent Support
78 * Automated Notifications – Send email alerts for purchase, renewal, failures with FluentCRM
79 * User Roles – Control access to FluentCart admin tools by role
80
81 === Analytics, Marketing & Growth ===
82 * Reports Overview – Track order volume, Revenue by Quarter, Revenue by Country
83 * Sales Reporting – Track order volume, most sold products and variants, Customer LTV, and more
84 * Order Analytics – Average order value, order items, order heatmap, orders by country, and more
85 * Revenue Analytics – Net revenue sorted by Time, Country, and Payment Gateway
86 * Refund Analytics – Total refunds, Avg. Refund value, Refund Rate, Filter by Country, Payment method, and Intervals
87 * Product Data – Top performing products, Product Performance over time
88 * Subscriptions Report – Top performing products, Product Performance over time
89 * Product Data – Top performing products, Product Performance over time
90 * Customer Data – Top performing products, Product Performance over time
91 * Advanced Filtering (Pro) - Date and Other Filters for tracking beyond 30 days data
92
93 === Performance & Developer Experience ===
94 * Custom Database Schema – Built for speed, not tied to WordPress post tables
95 * Lightweight Architecture – Minimal plugin bloat and clean dependency footprint
96 * Custom Endpoints – Extend customer dashboard or checkout with new features
97 * Full REST API – Access product, customer, and order data programmatically
98 * Action & Filter Hooks – Modify behavior across store logic
99 * Block-based Components – Gutenberg-ready interface for checkout and forms
100 * Headless Ready – Serve as backend for mobile/web apps and Jamstack frontends
101
102 === Admin & Store Operations ===
103 * Order Management – View, filter, and update orders directly from dashboard
104 * Inventory Tracking – Track stock levels and automatically disable out-of-stock items
105 * Tax - Handle Global and EU Tax with custom Tax classes
106 * Shipping - Manage shipping regions and custom methods
107 * Refund Tools – Process manual or automatic refunds (gateway-dependent)
108 * User Role Management (Pro) – Assign operational access
109 * Storewide Settings – Control pricing formats, currency, etc.
110 * Custom Email Templates – Send branded emails for purchase events
111
112 == eCommerce for Developers ==
113 FluentCart was built by developers who understand the pain of working with rigid eCommerce systems. Its architecture is entirely action and filter-driven, letting you override, extend, or customize anything without hacks or fragile workarounds.
114
115 All data is stored in dedicated database tables for performance and portability. We’ve optimized the queries so Orders can be processed 3X faster compared to the market leader.
116
117 On top of that we’ve built FluentCart for complete programmatic control. REST API endpoints are available for all key resources. Due to this the frontend can be completely decoupled with technology like Vue and Alpine.
118
119 Whether you're building custom apps on top of FluentCart or creating complex checkout flows, this plugin is built to stay out of your way and give you the keys.
120
121 == Customization and Design ==
122 No more fighting layouts. Style your cart, checkout, and product pages exactly how you want using your theme, no forced stylesheets or layout overrides.
123
124 Customize every part of the experience: product card components, variation pickers, quantity selectors, checkout forms, and thank-you pages. All templates are overrideable. Whether you’re designing high-converting sales funnels or frictionless repeat purchase flows, FluentCart is built for modern storefront aesthetics.
125
126 You can set store branding with global customizations as soon as you setup FluentCart. The responsive blocks act as standard Gutenberg blocks so your store doesn’t break under any circumstances, even on mobile. Moreover, you get direct compatibility with popular store themes along with page builders like Elementor and Bricks Builder.
127
128 If you need even more customizability, the option to use advanced CSS is also available to give you complete design control.
129
130 = Blocks =
131 * Product Grid
132 * Search Bar
133 * Customer Dashboard
134 * Check out
135 * Product Cards
136 * Product Gallery
137 * Product Info
138 * Buy Section
139 * Buy Now Button
140 * Add To Cart Button
141 * Available Stock
142
143 == Business Growth ==
144 FluentCart includes tools that help you operate at scale. From revenue analysis to team coordination, it comes with every operational tool pre-integrated, so you don’t need workarounds or extra plugins to manage growth.
145
146 = Reports =
147 You get detailed breakdowns of subscriptions, refunds, and subscriber churn rates. Filter performance by product, category, date range, to evaluate the ROI of every sale.
148
149 = Payments =
150 Payments are at the heart of eCommerce. FluentCart handles automatic retry logic on failed subscription renewals, supports prorated charges for mid-cycle upgrades or plan changes, and lets you offer installment payments—all without custom coding or third-party checkout tools. You can switch gateways, track payment history, and automate invoicing with ease.
151
152 = Access Control =
153 User Role management means you can safely scale your internal team too. Grant access to team members based on function. Everything is role-based, compartmentalized, and securely accessible from the backend.
154
155 Every feature is tightly integrated, so your operational data flows through one system. No external dashboards. No syncing delays. Just live, accurate, and usable insight to help you grow smarter.
156
157 == Reinventing eCommerce ==
158 Building stores on WordPress has been riddled with slow queries, bloated schemas, bloated add-ons, and unscalable databases that make your store feel sluggish as it grows. SaaS platforms offload those problems by locking you into hosted environments, but charge you platform fees, gateway markups, and provide exactly zero control over your backend.
159
160 At its core, FluentCart runs on a custom database schema purpose-built for digital and subscription commerce. No legacy baggage. It uses fast, indexed tables that prioritize the read/write operations that matter most for modern stores such as, orders, customers, products, subscriptions, licenses, and transactions. This keeps your store snappy even under load, without relying on caching hacks or third-party optimizers. All data is structured for scalability.
161
162 Whether you’re haqndling 50 or 50,000 orders, FluentCart maintains consistent performance with predictable query logic. No degrading response times as tables balloon, no complex migration paths when scaling up, and no reliance on external APIs to run day-to-day operations.
163
164 And while most platforms make you pay for scale, whether through add-on upsells, platform commissions, or percentage-based transaction fees, FluentCart is truly self-hosted and pro-ownership. You pay once. You own it. There are zero transaction fees, no enforced usage tiers, and no hidden charges from payment providers. You can integrate Stripe, PayPal, local gateways, or your own custom processor using native hooks without ever sharing a cut.
165
166 == Data Privacy ==
167 Your data stays where it belongs, on your server. FluentCart does not phone home, track your customers, share checkout data or payment details. There's no reliance on cookies or third-party scripts for core functionality.
168
169 For businesses under strict data policies or privacy regulations, like GDPR and EU DPA, FluentCart is the safest possible eCommerce option. You keep complete control of your stores data. Period.
170
171 == Integrations ==
172 FluentCart works out of the box with major Fluent plugins including:
173
174 * FluentCRM: Run marketing automations triggered by store actions and segment customers with lists and tags.
175 * FluentCommunity: Managing your gated community and course sales.
176 * FluentAffiliate: Handle all your payouts and affiliate sales from a unified dashboard that syncs in real-time.
177
178 More native integrations *coming soon* in FluentCart,
179
180 * Fluent Forms: Build custom forms for check out and build product surveys that engage your customers.
181 * FluentSupport: Bring your support portal right inside your store and sync purchase history across tickets and customers.
182 * Ninja Tables: Build fantastic table layouts for products and provide in-line checkout for B2B sales.
183 * FluentBooking: For managing Booking sales and Event seats.
184 * FluentBoards: Managing your stores projects and tasks.
185 * FluentSMTP: Ensure email deliverability for every email generated by your store.
186
187
188 = Payment Gateways =
189 * Stripe
190 * PayPal
191 * Paddle
192 * Paystack
193 * Mollie
194 * RazorPay
195 * Authorize.Net
196 * Mercado Pago (onetime)
197 * Square (Coming Soon)
198 * AirWallex (Coming Soon)
199
200
201 = Popular page builders =
202 * Gutenberg
203 * Bricks
204 * Elementor (Coming Soon)
205 * Divi (Coming Soon)
206
207 == Support ==
208 For us, support isn’t outsourced or run by third parties. You get direct access to the same expert team that builds and maintains the plugin, engineers who understand the codebase inside and out, and who treat your issue like it’s their own store.
209
210 We prioritize developer-level responsiveness and clarity in support tickets. That means no endless loops of canned replies, no asking for “more details” five times, and no dodging responsibility with vague documentation references.
211
212 Whether you’re debugging a gateway integration or extending a checkout flow with hooks, our team is here to assist with clear, actionable guidance. But support doesn’t stop at tickets.
213
214 You also get access to a 10,000+ member strong community of Fluent product users across our ecosystem including store owners, developers, marketers, and SaaS builders who use FluentCRM, Fluent Support, FluentBooking, and now FluentCart.
215
216 It's a collaborative environment where people share real-world workflows, custom code snippets, integration tips, and even performance benchmarks.
217
218 == Other Plugins By The Same Team ==
219 <ul>
220 <li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/fluent-crm/" target="_blank">FluentCRM - Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, and CRM Solution</a></li>
221 <li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/fluentform/" target="_blank">Contact Form Plugin by Fluent Forms for Quiz, Survey, and Drag & Drop WP Form Builder</a></li>
222 <li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/ninja-tables/" target="_blank">Ninja Tables - Easiest Data Table Builder</a></li>
223 <li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/ninja-charts/" target="_blank">Ninja Charts - WordPress Charts and Graphs Plugin</a></li>
224 <li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-payment-form/" target="_blank">Simple Payment Donations & Subscriptions Plugin by Paymattic - Best Payments Plugin for WP</a></li>
225 <li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/fluentforms-pdf/" target="_blank">PDF Generator For Fluent Forms - The Contact Form Plugin</a></li>
226 <li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/fluent-smtp/" target="_blank">FluentSMTP - WP SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, MailGun, Postmark, Google and Any SMTP Provider</a></li>
227 </ul>
228
229 == Installation ==
230 This section describes how to install the plugin and get it working.
231
232 0. Just search for FluentCart in WordPress Plugins and click install and activate.
233
234 OR
235
236 1. Upload the plugin files to the `/wp-content/plugins/fluent-cart` directory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly.
237 2. Activate the plugin through the \'Plugins\' screen in WordPress
238 3. Use the `FluentCart` -> `Settings` screen to configure the plugin
239 4. (Make your instructions match the desired user flow for activating and installing your plugin. Include any steps that might be needed for explanatory purposes)
240
241 == Frequently Asked Questions ==
242
243 = Can I sell physical and digital products together? =
244
245 Absolutely. FluentCart supports hybrid product models with inventory, downloads, licenses, and even installment billing.
246
247 = How easy is it to set up and use? =
248
249 Very easy. Installation is just like any other WordPress plugin. FluentCart comes with an intuitive interface so you can quickly configure your store settings, add products, and connect payment gateways—all without needing technical expertise.
250
251 = Can I sell unlimited products, and how well does it scale? =
252
253 There are no limitations on the number of products or orders. FluentCart is built for scalability—how well it performs depends on your hosting infrastructure. With a good hosting setup, your store can scale comfortably.
254
255 = Does FluentCart support subscriptions and recurring billing? =
256
257 Yes. FluentCart handles subscriptions natively with support for upgrades, downgrades, billing cycles, and trial periods. No transaction fees on Free or Pro.
258
259 = Can I customize FluentCart to match my brand? =
260
261 Absolutely. FluentCart includes customizable Gutenberg blocks and supports custom CSS for advanced styling. You can even add action buttons to custom WordPress patterns, making it easy to align the cart with your brand’s visual identity.
262
263 = Is FluentCart compatible with my current WordPress theme? =
264
265 Yes. FluentCart is built using standard WordPress best practices and is compatible with any properly coded theme. It will automatically inherit your theme’s styles unless you choose to override them.
266
267 = What payment methods are supported? =
268 FluentCart supports major global payment options, including Stripe, PayPal, and credit cards. You can also integrate custom payment gateways using webhooks and extend functionality as needed.
269
270 = Will FluentCart Charge Fees? =
271
272 Never. Even in the free version, simple subscriptions are free and there’s no transaction fee on our end.
273
274 = Do I need any paid services to use FluentCart? =
275 No. FluentCart is fully self-hosted. You connect directly to Stripe or PayPal without middleman services or extra transaction fees.
276
277 = Can I customize the checkout and product layouts? =
278
279 Yes. FluentCart templates are overrideable, and it supports full visual editing in Gutenberg and Bricks Builder.
280
281 = Will store development be expensive with FluentCart? =
282
283 Absolutely not. Everything is already built and ready to be placed on your site with minimal coding knowledge needed.
284
285
286 == External Services ==
287 This plugin connects to several external services for payment processing functionalities depending on your payment method configuration.
288
289 = Payment Gateway Services =
290
291 **Stripe**
292 This plugin connects to Stripe's payment processing service to handle credit card transactions, subscription billing, and payment confirmations. When customers make purchases through your store, payment data including credit card information, billing addresses, and transaction details are securely transmitted to Stripe for processing.
293 Data sent includes: payment information, billing details, customer email, transaction amounts, and subscription data when applicable.
294 This service is provided by Stripe: [Terms of Service](https://stripe.com/legal), [Privacy Policy](https://stripe.com/privacy)
295
296 **PayPal**
297 This plugin connects to PayPal's payment processing service to handle PayPal payments, subscription billing, and payment confirmations. When customers choose PayPal as their payment method, they are redirected to PayPal's secure checkout where their payment information is processed.
298 Data sent includes: transaction amounts, billing details, customer email, order information, and subscription data when applicable.
299 This service is provided by PayPal: [Terms of Service](https://www.paypal.com/legalhub/useragreement-full), [Privacy Policy](https://www.paypal.com/legalhub/privacy-full)
300
301 **Note:** Data transmission to external services only occurs when store administrators actively configure and enable these integrations. Customer data is sent only for customers who complete purchases, and no data is transmitted without explicit integration setup by the store owner.
302
303 == Screenshots ==
304 1. Dashboard
305 2. Products
306 3. Orders
307 4. Subscriptions
308 5. Reports
309 6. Block Editor
310 7. Coupons
311 8. VAT/TAX Settings
312
313
314 == Changelog ==
315
316 = 1.7.1 (Oct 8, 2026) =
317 - Adds Airwallex Payment Gateway Addon
318 - Adds Border radius controls and automatic theme-matched corner styling across storefront elements.
319 - Adds PayPal Brand Name setting for checkout.
320 - Adds Product review filters by review status, rating, photos, and verified purchases. Pro filters apply where required.
321 - Adds Taxonomy filtering to `[fluent_cart_products]` for categories, brands, and custom taxonomies.
322 - Adds Minimum star rating support to the reviews shortcode with persistent filtering and pagination.
323 - Improves Product schema with brand, subscription billing periods, and VAT-inclusive pricing data.
324 - Improves Rating star styling, admin heading alignment, footer alignment, and shop list view layout.
325 - Fixes Product Review layout, dropdown, drawer, helpful vote, and theme compatibility issues.
326 - Fixes Checkout field issues including missing names, Required state, and System badge.
327 - Fixes Stripe trial checkout with saved cards for store-managed subscriptions.
328 - Fixes Order notes being removed, replaced, or losing line breaks during admin actions.
329 - Fixes Storefront palette and focus styling across Thank You, product tabs, customer dashboard, buttons, and Payment Methods.
330 - Fixes Shop filters showing empty grids and variation options becoming unavailable after import rollback.
331 - Fixes Cart quantity controls losing styling because of theme conflicts.
332 - Fixes PayPal subscriptions showing incorrect completed payment counts before sync.
333 - Fixes Admin tooltip, navigation highlight, and sidebar layout issues.
334 - Fixes Dashboard heat map totals when country names are translated.
335 - Fixes Review settings and setup prompts showing while Product Reviews is disabled.
336 - Fixes FluentCart MCP switch missing when no connector plugin is installed.
337 - Fixes License status remaining active after site removal.
338 - Fixes Authorize.net, Mollie, Paddle, and review helpful vote failures caused by conflicting scripts.
339
340 = 1.7.0 (Sep 29, 2026) =
341 - Adds Product Reviews with star ratings, verified purchase badges, moderation, store replies, customer review management, and configurable review settings.
342 - Adds Product schema (JSON-LD) on the product page, with offers, aggregate rating, and reviews, for rich results in search
343 - Adds Compliance settings to disable customer email verification
344
345 = 1.6.6 (Sep 25, 2026) =
346 - Enhance theme support for Astra, Blocksy, Kadence, Divi, GeneratePress, Bricks, and more.
347 - Fixes Stripe wallet issue (Apple Pay).
348 - Fixes Stripe payment-method tabs not matching the button colour issue
349
350
351 [View All Changelogs](https://fluentcart.com/changelogs)
352