Are you looking for a way to boost sales and conversions on your WordPress site in 2023? One effective strategy is to offer flexible payment options that make it easier for customers to say "yes" to a purchase. This is where Klarna comes in.
Trusted by over 400,000 merchants worldwide, Klarna allows you to provide "buy now, pay later" options that let shoppers split their purchase into interest-free installments. This can reduce barriers to purchasing, increase average order value, and help you reach new customers who prefer this type of payment.
In this expert guide, we‘ll walk you through two simple methods for adding Klarna to your WordPress site:
- For WooCommerce stores, using the official Klarna plugin
- For other WordPress sites, using WP Simple Pay Pro
Whether you have an eCommerce store or want to accept payments on a standard WordPress site, we‘ve got you covered. Let‘s dive in!
Method 1: Add Klarna to WooCommerce
WooCommerce is the world‘s most popular eCommerce platform, powering over 28% of all online stores. If you‘re using WooCommerce version 6.0 or higher, the easiest way to provide Klarna payments is with the official Klarna plugin. Here are the steps to get it set up.
Step 1: Create a Klarna merchant account
Before you can enable Klarna in WooCommerce, you‘ll need to sign up for a Klarna merchant account. Go to the Klarna Merchant signup page and fill out the form to apply for an account. You‘ll need to provide some basic information about your business, including:
- Legal business name and website URL
- Business category and expected monthly sales
- Company registration number
- Bank account for receiving payouts from Klarna
The signup process is fairly quick, and most businesses will receive a decision within 2-3 business days. Once approved, you‘ll get an email with your API credentials, which you‘ll need in the next step.
Step 2: Install and activate the plugin
With your Klarna account created, the next step is to install the Klarna Payments plugin in WordPress. Log in to your site dashboard, navigate to "Plugins → Add New", and search for "Klarna". Look for "Klarna Payments for WooCommerce" in the results.
Click the "Install Now" button, wait a moment for it to install, and then click "Activate". You should now see a new "Klarna" section under the WooCommerce menu in your dashboard sidebar.
Step 3: Connect your Klarna account
With the plugin installed, it‘s time to connect your Klarna account. Go to "WooCommerce → Klarna → Connection" in your WordPress dashboard. Here you‘ll see fields to enter your API credentials from the welcome email you received when signing up for your Klarna merchant account.
Copy and paste your Username (Merchant ID) and Password from the email into the corresponding fields in the plugin settings. Double-check that they are entered correctly, then click "Save keys".
The page should reload and display a success message that your API credentials are valid. If you see an error, double-check that the Username and Password have been copied accurately and saved.
Step 4: Configure your Klarna settings
Now that the account connection is working, you can configure the Klarna settings for your store. Navigate to "WooCommerce → Klarna → Settings" to access the options.
- Klarna Checkout settings: This includes the title and description shown to customers, the color and border of the Klarna widget, and whether taxes and shipping are included in the payment.
- Klarna Payments settings: Here you can enable or disable each specific Klarna payment method (Pay Now, Pay Later, Slice It, etc.), set the order of the options on the checkout page, and customize the names and descriptions.
- Klarna On-site Messaging settings: If enabled, this feature lets you display Klarna promotional messaging across your site, such as on product pages. You can choose placements and customize the look and feel to match your brand.
All of the settings have tooltips explaining what each does – simply hover over the "i" icon next to a setting to see a description. It‘s worth taking a few moments to go through the options and ensure everything is set up to your liking. Remember to click "Save changes" if you make any updates!
Step 5: Test your integration
Before going live with Klarna, it‘s important to place some test transactions to ensure everything is working smoothly. To do this, switch the "Klarna environment" dropdown at the top of the plugin settings page from "Production" to "Playground".
Now go to your store and add some items to your cart as a customer would. Proceed to the checkout page and go through the process of placing an order with Klarna. You should see Klarna as a payment option, and be able to complete the purchase using test credit card details.
Some helpful test card numbers to use:
- Visa: 4111111111111111
- Mastercard: 5500000000000004
- Maestro: 6764000000000000009
And a test date of birth is 01-01-1980. Use any three digits for the CVC.
After placing a test order, you should receive an order confirmation from your store as normal. You can also log in to your Klarna Merchant Portal and navigate to Transactions to view the test purchase.
If the test order process works from start to finish, you‘re ready to switch back to the Production environment and start accepting real Klarna payments! Of course, if you run into any issues during testing, double-check the plugin settings or reach out to Klarna‘s merchant support team for assistance.
Method 2: Add Klarna to WordPress using WP Simple Pay
If you‘re not using WooCommerce but still want to accept Klarna payments on your WordPress site, the WP Simple Pay Pro plugin is a great option. It lets you add payment forms for Stripe, including an option for Klarna, with just a few clicks.
Step 1: Sign up for Stripe and enable Klarna
Before using WP Simple Pay, you‘ll need a Stripe account. If you don‘t already have one, go to stripe.com and sign up for free. During the signup process, you‘ll be asked for details about your business or website.
Once your Stripe account is set up, log in and navigate to "Settings → Payment methods → Klarna". From here, you can enable Klarna as a payment option. Stripe will automatically create a connected Klarna merchant account for you in the background, so this part is pretty simple.
Step 2: Install and configure WP Simple Pay Pro
With the Stripe side taken care of, you can set up WP Simple Pay on your WordPress site. Purchase a Pro license to unlock the Klarna feature, and then download the plugin ZIP file. Log in to your WordPress dashboard, go to "Plugins → Add New", and click the "Upload Plugin" button.
Choose the WP Simple Pay ZIP file you downloaded, and click "Install Now". After a few moments, you should see a success message and an "Activate" link. Click that to activate the plugin.
Upon activation, you‘ll see a prompt to enter your license key to enable automatic updates. You should have received this via email when purchasing the plugin. Paste it in and click "Activate".
Next, the plugin setup wizard will appear. Click "Let‘s Get Started" and then "Connect with Stripe". You‘ll be taken to Stripe to approve the connection between WP Simple Pay and your Stripe account. Once you click "Connect", you‘ll return to your WordPress dashboard with Stripe connected.
Step 3: Create a Klarna payment form
Now for the fun part: adding a Klarna payment form to your site! In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to "WP Simple Pay → Add New" to create a new payment form.
You‘ll see various form templates to choose from. To set up Klarna, select the "Klarna (Pay Later)" template. This will pre-populate the form fields with the necessary settings for Klarna.
In the form builder, you can customize all sorts of options:
- Form Fields: Choose what customer information to collect (name, email, address, etc.)
- Payment Options: Set the price, currency, and whether it‘s a one-time or recurring payment. You can also enable additional payment methods like standard credit card payments.
- Coupon Codes: Offer coupon code support for discounts.
- Form Display: Change the submit button text, add custom CSS, and more.
Feel free to get creative and make the form your own! Just note that some fields, like the payment amount, are required for Klarna to work.
When you‘re happy with your form, click "Publish" to make it live.
Step 4: Add your Klarna form to a page
To display your newly created Klarna payment form on your site, you‘ll need to add it to a page (or post). There are two ways to do this with WP Simple Pay:
Dedicated payment page: With this approach, the plugin automatically creates a new page on your site with the payment form embedded. You can find the page link in the "Payment Form Settings" section when editing your form. It will look something like "yoursite.com/klarna-payment-form".
Embed on an existing page: Alternatively, you can embed the form on an existing page using a shortcode or block. When editing the desired page, add a "WP Simple Pay" block and select your Klarna form from the dropdown menu. You can also switch to the Code Editor and paste in the form‘s shortcode, which will look like
[simpay id="123"].
Whichever method you choose, make sure to update the page and test it out. Navigate to the page on your site front-end and check that the Klarna form appears and functions as expected.
Tips and best practices for Klarna on WordPress
Adding Klarna to your WordPress site is fairly straightforward, but there are a few things to keep in mind for the best customer experience and smooth sailing.
1. Clearly explain Klarna to shoppers
While Klarna is a popular payment method, not all customers may be familiar with how it works. Consider adding a brief explanation or link to more information about Klarna on your product and checkout pages.
You might say something like: "Pay later with Klarna and split your purchase into 4 interest-free payments. Klarna will check your eligibility during checkout. Learn more"
This can give customers confidence and encourage them to use Klarna if it‘s right for them.
2. Keep your plugins and WordPress updated
To ensure ongoing compatibility and security, it‘s important to keep the Klarna plugin (and WP Simple Pay, if using) up to date. Enable automatic updates or regularly check for new versions in your WordPress dashboard.
The same goes for WordPress core, your theme, and other plugins. Staying on top of updates will help prevent issues and keep your checkout running smoothly.
3. Understand Klarna‘s policies and fees
As a merchant, it‘s important to familiarize yourself with Klarna‘s terms and conditions. Key things to note:
- Klarna pays out to merchants in arrears, meaning you‘ll typically receive funds from each sale 7-14 days after the transaction.
- Klarna charges a variable percentage fee on each sale, based on factors like average order value and the payment method used. Be sure to factor these fees into your pricing.
- Customers have the right to return products purchased with Klarna according to your store‘s policies. In the event of a return, you‘ll need to refund the purchase amount to Klarna.
It‘s a good idea to review the full merchant terms on Klarna‘s website, and reach out to their support team with any questions.
Frequently asked questions
To wrap up, here are answers to some common questions about using Klarna on a WordPress site.
What countries is Klarna available in?
As of 2023, Klarna is available for merchants in the following countries:
- United States
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Germany
- Austria
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Norway
- Finland
- Denmark
- Spain
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- France
- Australia
- New Zealand
Note that supported countries and currencies may vary based on your WooCommerce or Stripe account. Check with Klarna for the most up-to-date information.
How do refunds work with Klarna?
If a customer requests a refund for a product purchased with Klarna, you‘ll need to process the refund through your WordPress site as you would with any other payment method.
In WooCommerce, you can do this by going to "WooCommerce → Orders", selecting the relevant order, and then clicking "Refund" under the order details.
WP Simple Pay also supports refunds through the Stripe dashboard. Log in to your Stripe account, locate the charge you need to refund, and select "Refund" from the menu.
Once processed, the refund will be sent back to Klarna to update the customer‘s remaining balance or completely refund the purchase.
Will offering Klarna increase conversion rates?
While results may vary, many merchants do see a lift in conversion rates and average order sizes after implementing Klarna. According to Klarna‘s own data, offering their "Pay later" option has been shown to increase checkout conversions by up to 25%.
The flexibility to spread out payments over time can make shoppers feel more comfortable completing a purchase, especially for higher-priced items.
Of course, it‘s important to track your own store metrics before and after adding Klarna. Tools like Google Analytics (for WP Simple Pay) or the Analytics tab in WooCommerce can help you gauge the impact on sales and conversion rates.
Start accepting Klarna payments today
Klarna offers a convenient and flexible payment option for WordPress and WooCommerce sites to boost conversion rates and reach new customers. By following the step-by-step tutorials in this guide, you should have no trouble implementing Klarna via the official WooCommerce plugin or WP Simple Pay.
The key is to make sure your WordPress site and any plugins you rely on are up-to-date, and that you understand how Klarna works from a merchant perspective. With a bit of setup and testing, you can start offering Klarna payments to your customers and reaping the benefits.
If you have any other questions about Klarna for WordPress, or tips to share from your own experience, let us know in the comments!
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