This document summarizes a WordPress meetup event in Beirut that covered topics related to starting an online store in Lebanon using WordPress and WooCommerce. The meetup agenda included introductions, presentations on choosing an e-commerce theme and the e-commerce experience in Lebanon, breaks, and closing. Additional details provided context on the WordPress Beirut meetup group and opportunities for community involvement. Presentations covered considerations for an online store platform, features to extend a WooCommerce shop, payment options, and the challenges of being a developer versus hobbyist in maintaining compatibility and customization.

1. WordPress Beirut 21th Meetup - 6th March 2019
7:00 - Mingle/Networking/coffee/Hello
7:10 - Intro
7:15 - Choose the perfect E-commerce Theme by Anya
7:30 - The e-commerce experience in Lebanon by Ali
8:00 - Break
9:00 - Closing
fb.com/wpbeirut
wpbeirut.org
WhatsApp Group

2. Ali Basheer @alibasheer
Lead Developer
At Strategies dC

3. How did you heard about the
meetup
● Previous WP Meetup
● Facebook
● Friend
● WordPress admin widget

4. WordPress Beirut
● Contribution
● Every 1st Tuesday/Month
● Started July 2017
● One of 600 WP Meetups

6. You can Help:
● Spread the word
● Suggest ideas/topics
● Speak at meetup
○ No level of experience
○ Your Story with WP
○ 5 - 45 min
● Start a meetup

7. How to Start an Online Store in Lebanon in
2019 using WordPress and WooCommerce

8. Website vs E-Commerce
Developer
● Know the different options
● Payment options
● Email notifications
● Work with Reports
● Manage order status
● Shipping options
● Integrate Shipping providers
● Product Search
● Website security, performance,
hosting
● …

9. Our Meetup Today
Is not about how to install
WordPress and WooCommerce
Is a Steptoward E-Commerce
Website Developer

10. Buying Online Behavior
over years
● Retail e-commerce sales worldwide
from 2014 to 2021 (in billion U.S.
dollars)
● https://www.statista.com/statistics/3
79046/worldwide-retail-e-commerce-
sales/
● Number of digital buyers worldwide
from 2014 to 2021 (in billions)
● https://www.statista.com/statistics/2
51666/number-of-digital-buyers-
worldwide/
● Source:
https://www.statista.com/topics/871/
online-shopping/

11. Possible Platforms for E-
Commerce
● WooCommerce (WordPress)
● Magento
● Shopify
● Prestashop
● BigCommerce
● Wix
● Squarespace
● Weebly
● Ecomz (Lebanon)
● Opencart
● Zen cart
● …

12. E-Commerce Usage
Statistics
https://trends.builtwith.com/shop
https://trends.builtwith.com/shop/Wo
oCommerce

13. E-Commerce on
WordPress
WooCommerce Homepage says:
- 60+ Million Downloads
WordPress Plugins Directory say:
- 4+ Million Active Installs

14. Performance and
Scalability
● Patrick (here):
○ 100,000 orders
○ 1 million daily page views
● Focus on:
○ Hosting
○ Peak times
○ Understand
WooCommerce code
○ Keep tracking server
(Query monitor, New Relic,
Load Impact…)

15. Choose the perfect E-commerce Theme
by Anya

16. Setting up
● WordPress Installation
● Theme Installation
● WooCommerce installation
● Other theme required plugins
● Create Child Theme
● Track your code - Git (child
theme and custom plugins)
● Start the journey of adding the
needed features (plugins+child-
theme+custom plugins)

17. Extend your shop with the 46,000 plugins

18. Possible Features:
General
● Akismet Anti-Spam
● Post SMTP
● Redirection
● Relevanssi
● Simple History
● Crazy Egg
● Webcraftic Disable Admin
Notices Individually
● LiveChat

19. Possible Features:
Performance
● A3 Lazy Load
● Autoptimize
● Cache plugin (SG Optimizer, WP
Super Cache…)
● WordFence

20. Possible Features:
SEO
● Yoast SEO
● Content King Monitoring
● Facebook Pixel
● Google Remarketing
● Google Analytics
● Google Console
● WooCommerce SEO Addon by
Premmerce

21. Possible Features:
Shop
● Abandoned Cart for
WooCommerce
● Boxzilla (for popups)
● Facebook for WooCommerce
● Instagram Shop by Snapppt
● MailChimp for WordPress
● Metorik Reports
● Subscriber Discounts for
WooCommerce
● WooCommerce Order Status
Manager
● WooCommerce Stock Manager
● WooCommerce Variation
Swatches

22. Payment Options
● Cash on Delivery
● MasterCard: MIGS
● MasterCard: MPGS
● PayFort
● 2Checkout
● Zbooni
● Paytabs
● GoCoin
● CoinBase Commerce

23. Developer vs Hobbyist -
The Compatibility and
Customization Challenge
● WooCommerce actions and filters
● Overriding WooCommerce
template files
● Compatibility problems:
○ Lazy Load
○ Vendor Swatches

24. MPGS Plugin
Collaboration
● https://github.com/wpbeirut/woo-
mpgs

25. Thank you