An order form in WordPress is the simplest way to sell a short list of things: a set menu, cake orders, print sizes, a few services with extras. People pick what they want, see a live total and pay, with no shop, cart or product pages to set up. This guide is ideal for beginners and for teams with fewer than about 20 products. We show the fields, the total, payment and the order email, and how to build a product order form in about 25 minutes.
The short version
- Use priced fields for what people choose, and a Total that updates live.
- Take payment with Stripe or PayPal right after they send.
- Send an order email with every item, to you and to the customer.
- Move to a full shop once you need stock, shipping rates or many products.
When is an order form better than a shop?
When the menu is short and the orders are simple. A shop needs product pages, a cart, shipping zones and tax settings. An online order form needs only the form, so a bakery taking weekend orders or a printer with 5 sizes can be selling the same day. It also keeps the questions you need in one place, such as a pickup time or the words for a cake.
Which fields make an order form work?
Priced fields that add up, and a few plain questions around them:
| Field | Use it for | Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Single item | A fixed fee always included, such as delivery | Free |
| Total | The live sum of everything picked | Free |
| Checkbox items | Extras people can add, each with a price | Signature |
| Dropdown items | One choice from a priced list, such as a size | Signature |
| Product picker | Your WooCommerce products, with quantities | Signature |
| Coupon code | A discount off the total | Signature |
The Total updates as people change their answers, so you never have to quote by hand, and they see the price before they send. We find that stops most of the how much will it be? emails.
How to build an order form with payment, step by step
- In Echo Forms, create a form with name, email and phone.
- Add your priced fields, then a Total at the end.
- Add the plain questions you need, such as a date and a pickup time.
- Connect Stripe or PayPal under Connections > Payments, in test mode first. Our Stripe payment form guide has the keys, which take about 10 minutes.
- On Settings > Confirmations, set the confirmation type to Collect payment.
- Write an order email to yourself and a receipt email to the customer.
- Place a test order, pay with a test card, then switch to live.
The prices and totals guide covers each priced field, and the payments guide covers connecting a way to pay.
Can people pay in cash or by bank transfer?
Yes. On Connections > Payments you can add cash instructions and bank transfer details, then offer them on each form. Offline ways stay off until you tick them for a form, and you mark those orders paid yourself from the entry when the money arrives. It suits local orders picked up in person, and we leave it on for regulars who prefer it.
What should the order email include?
Every item with its price, the total, the date or pickup time, and how to change the order. Send the customer’s copy straight away, then a reminder 1 day before pickup. Stripe can also send its own card receipts if you switch them on in your Stripe dashboard, which helps because some customers file receipts for their taxes.
An order form in WordPress can take your first orders within 25 minutes. Start with your 5 best sellers, watch which extras people add in the first 30 days, and grow the menu from there.
Orders and payment on one form
Single items, totals, Stripe and PayPal are free in Echo Forms. Priced choices and products come with Signature.
