Client Overview
KirksSoap has been a trusted name in personal care, crafting natural, sustainable coconut oil soaps since 1839. Known for their hypoallergenic, cruelty-free, and biodegradable products, they appeal to customers who value skin health and eco-friendly practices. Their online store caters to a loyal customer base across the U.S., offering convenient access to their products. The company manages three eCommerce stores, namely KirksSoap, SOFBodyCare, and GrandpaSoap. Recently, technical challenges on these WooCommerce-powered websites disrupted operations, prompting them to seek Virtina’s expertise to improve their functionality and maintain customer satisfaction.
Project Objective
KirksSoap approached us to resolve three key issues impacting their websites. They needed a custom solution to offer free shipping on first-time orders, as WooCommerce’s default settings couldn’t meet their requirements, causing operational challenges. Tax calculation errors with Apple Pay and Google Pay were overcharging customers outside Kentucky, violating tax regulations and risking customer trust. Persistent email delivery failures also disrupted order confirmations, customer inquiries, and wholesale communications, creating inefficiencies for their support team.
Challenges and Solutions
⇨ Free Shipping for First-time Orders
The free shipping discount didn’t apply appropriately for first-time orders, particularly for guest users. Additionally, the system struggled to handle the existing free shipping policies ($40 minimum for SOFBodyCare, $50 for KirksSoap and GrandpaSoap). We built a custom feature that checks customers’ email addresses at checkout. If no prior orders are linked to the email, free shipping is automatically applied to their first order, even for guest users. This solution ensured accurate backend data and a smooth user experience.
⇨ Payment Gateway Tax Errors
Square payments worked fine, but Apple Pay and Google Pay charged taxes incorrectly to customers outside Kentucky. This error forced the temporary shutdown of all three websites. We pinpointed the issue within the payment gateway integrations and reconfigured tax rules to apply only to Kentucky-based customers. The websites were relaunched with properly functioning payment options, ensuring compliance and restoring customer trust.
⇨ Email Delivery Issues
Order confirmation emails weren’t reaching customers or the client’s internal team. Additionally, messages from the "Contact Us" forms and wholesale requests weren’t being delivered, disrupting communication. We traced the issue to incorrect SMTP settings. After reconfiguring the email server, reliable email delivery was restored. Customers now receive timely notifications, and the client’s team can manage inquiries efficiently.
Outcomes
⇨ Seamless Free Shipping for First-time Customers
A free shipping feature for first-time orders was implemented to attract new buyers and create a welcoming shopping experience. This feature works seamlessly, whether the customer is registered or checking out as a guest. The system automatically checks the customer’s email at checkout to verify if they’ve made a prior purchase. If it’s their first order, the free shipping discount is applied without requiring manual intervention, promo codes, or any extra steps from the customer.
This solution not only simplified the shopping process but also ensured operational efficiency by accurately reflecting the data in the backend. By removing friction for first-time buyers, the feature has boosted conversions and left a positive impression on new customers, setting the stage for long-term loyalty.
⇨ Accurate Tax Calculations
Previously, Apple Pay and Google Pay gateways charged taxes to all customers, regardless of their location, which was incorrect. Since KirksSoap’s tax policy only applies to customers in Kentucky, this caused overcharging and risked compliance issues. The error also led to customer dissatisfaction, as shoppers outside Kentucky were unfairly taxed.
Virtina reconfigured the tax settings for Apple Pay and Google Pay, ensuring taxes are applied exclusively to Kentucky customers while remaining tax-free for other states. The integration was thoroughly tested to confirm consistent functionality across all payment gateways, including Square.
With this fix, KirksSoap restored customer trust, avoided potential legal issues, and maintained accurate tax calculations, enabling a smooth and fair checkout process for all customers.
⇨ Restored Email Functionality
Reliable email communication is a critical part of running a successful eCommerce store. KirksSoap experienced persistent failures with their email system, including:
Virtina identified the root cause as misconfigured SMTP settings. We reconfigured the email server and ensured all email notifications were sent and received as intended. Customers now receive timely updates on their orders, including order confirmations and shipping details, creating a better overall shopping experience. Internally, the client’s team can efficiently manage customer inquiries and wholesale requests, improving response times and operational workflows.
With fully restored email functionality, clients now enjoy streamlined communication, helping them build stronger relationships with customers and avoid missed opportunities in retail and wholesale operations.
Conclusion
We used our WooCommerce expertise to enhance the client’s store performance and user experience. We designed a custom solution for the free shipping feature that worked flawlessly for first-time buyers while aligning with existing shipping policies.
When tax calculation errors arose with Apple Pay and Google Pay, we quickly identified the issue and reconfigured the settings to ensure taxes were applied only to Kentucky customers. This fix restored compliance, prevented overcharges, and allowed the stores to resume operations confidently.
We resolved the SMTP misconfiguration for email delivery failures, ensuring order confirmations, inquiries, and wholesale requests were reliably sent. This restored effective communication with customers and streamlined internal processes.
Our tailored solutions allowed the client to overcome these obstacles efficiently, improving their operations and ensuring a smoother shopping experience for their customers. At Virtina, we pride ourselves on delivering practical, results-driven eCommerce solutions.
