Overview
WildForever, a WooCommerce-based nonprofit store, faced issues that disrupted both the checkout experience and product visibility. Customers were unable to complete payments using Apple Pay or Google Pay, despite the options appearing active during checkout. At the same time, Google Merchant Center flagged over 200 products for missing GTINs, despite efforts to bypass this requirement using a plugin. Resolving these challenges was key to restoring seamless payment functionality, ensuring complete product visibility in search ads, and supporting the organization’s mission through a more reliable online storefront.
Project Objective
The objective of this project was to resolve critical eCommerce functionality issues affecting WildForever WooCommerce store. Specifically, the goal was to ensure seamless payment processing through Apple Pay and Google Pay by properly configuring the WooPayments plugin and to restore product visibility in Google Merchant Center by addressing GTIN-related feed rejections. These fixes aimed to enhance user experience, reduce checkout friction, and maximize the store’s reach through optimized product listings.
Requirements and Challenges
⇨ Apple Pay and Google Pay Payment Integration
WildForever required a seamless and reliable checkout experience that supported Apple Pay and Google Pay via the WooPayments plugin. Although these digital wallet options were displayed during checkout, transactions consistently failed to complete. Customers would click through, thinking the payment had been processed, but no order would be placed. This backend configuration issue resulted in payment friction, increased cart abandonment, and a suboptimal checkout experience.
⇨ GTIN Compliance for Google Merchant Center
The store also faced persistent issues with Google Merchant Center rejecting product listings due to missing Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs). Since the products were drop-shipped and GTINs weren’t supplied by vendors, the team attempted to bypass the requirement using the Product Feed Pro plugin. However, the configuration failed to satisfy Google’s validation, and over 200 items remained unapproved—reducing visibility on Google Shopping and limiting marketing performance. A more reliable GTIN handling solution was needed to maintain compliance and visibility.
Solutions
To address the payment issue, we conducted a thorough review of the WooPayments plugin's configuration. We identified that Apple Pay and Google Pay had not been fully set up to process transactions, despite appearing as options during checkout. We corrected the configuration settings within WooPayments, enabling proper support for digital wallet payments. After implementation, transactions via Apple Pay and Google Pay were successfully processed without manual intervention.
For the GTIN-related challenge, we implemented an automated solution by integrating a plugin that generates unique EAN numbers for each product. These EANs serve as substitute GTINs, ensuring compatibility with Google Merchant Center requirements. Once the EAN generation was in place, we reconnected the store’s feed with Google Merchant Center. The flagged products were accepted, restoring complete visibility and eligibility for shopping ads.
Results
As a result of the implemented solutions, WildForever.org saw a marked improvement in both functionality and performance. Customers were able to complete transactions seamlessly using Apple Pay and Google Pay, reducing checkout friction and improving the overall user experience. At the same time, the integration of automated EAN generation resolved the GTIN-related rejections from Google Merchant Center, ensuring that all products remained visible and compliant for Google Shopping ads. This not only enhanced the site’s marketing reach but also reduced manual effort, allowing the team to focus more on their mission rather than troubleshooting backend issues.
Conclusion
Fixing the payment and product feed issues has made a big difference for WildForever.org. Supporters can now donate or shop using Apple Pay and Google Pay without any hiccups, making the process smoother and more trustworthy. On the marketing side, products are now appearing correctly in Google Shopping, helping the organization stay visible and reach a wider audience. These updates addressed the immediate issues, created a more seamless user experience, and gave the WildForever team greater confidence in their online operations.
