Ever since we introduced our store functionality in 2011, LightCMS has been working hard to simplify the challenge of accepting credit card payments on the web. Today, we're announcing another big step forward with one-step credit card set up through Stripe.

It's no longer necessary to establish a merchant account outside of LightCMS. Now, LightCMS customers can activate a Stripe account and begin accepting credit card payments instantly, right inside the LightCMS store settings. Here's a quick look at how it works.

Log in to your LightCMS website and choose Settings -> Payments from the store toolbar. Right at the top, you'll see information about Stripe. Click the "Activate Stripe Account" button and you'll be taken to the LightCMS Stripe set up page. If you already have a Stripe account, you can choose to use it. If you don't, you'll simply fill out the bit of information requested on this page, then click "Authorize Access to this Account" at the bottom. 

That's it! Your store will be ready to accept credit card payments and income from your sales will be automatically transferred to your bank account. Stripe charges 2.9% + 30 cents per successful transaction and allows you to accept all major credit cards. There are no other fees associated with using Stripe.

One note -- Stripe is currently only available in the US and Canada. If you are outside of these countries, or if you prefer to use one of our other integrated payment processors for any reason, you may still do so by selecting the "use a different gateway" link next to the Stripe account button.

We hope you and your clients enjoy the new one-step set up for accepting credit card payments on the web. This feature is up and running on every LightCMS website. Check it out inside your account today.

The Summer of Love continues here at LightCMS and this time, it's our built-in store functionality that's getting a little love with new, improved ways to display your product options.

Thus far, all product options have been combined into a single dropdown list on a product's detail page. So, if you have a shirt that comes in three colors and each color has four sizes, customers have to select from a single dropdown menu displaying every possible variant of the product.

New: choose from three display options on the product settings screen.

Now, your options are getting more options, so to speak. You can set each product to display its options in one of the following ways:

1. Single Dropdown List
2. Multiple Dropdown Lists
3. Radio Buttons

Method #1 leaves things just like they've always been. When we make the upgrade, all products will retain this setting so nothing will change on your existing products unless you specifically change them.

Options displayed as a single dropdown (current method).

Method #2 creates a separate dropdown list for each product option. The customer can then combine the options to specify the variant they are looking for. In this scenario, it may be possible for a customer to create a combination of options that doesn't actually exist or that is out of stock. If they do this, the "add to cart" button will disable and will change to say "unavailable."

Options displayed as multiple dropdowns.

Method #3 is just like Method #1, except instead of displaying the variants in a dropdown list, the system displays them as radio buttons. For shorter lists of options, this might be preferable so the customer can see all of the options at once.

Options displayed as radio buttons.

Ready to Launch June 13th

This new feature will roll out on Wednesday, June 13th. As mentioned, nothing will change for any of your existing products. Following the launch, you'll be able to visit your products' settings screens to change the option display, if you so desire.

One more note: the multiple dropdown method is dependent on the customer's browser having Javascript enabled. Therefore, if a customer visits with Javascript disabled, our system will automatically fallback to Method #1 to ensure they are still able to select and purchase their product.

We've got a new feature coming to the LightCMS platform. It's called the Store Manager role and it will allow you to grant store management capabilities to non-admin users on any website. Previously, users could not access the store management pages or manage product listings unless they were given the Administrator role, which gave them access to the entire website. Now, with the Store Manager role, you'll be able to set up users who can manage store functionality on a website without having access to any other controls or features.

With the Store Manager role, a user will be able to:

• Access the store menu items on the top toolbar 
• Adjust all store settings
• Add, edit and delete products
• Edit the settings on any product listing

The Store Manager role will be assigned by visiting a user's profile page. You'll find a check box for the Store Manager role immediately below the Administrators role. This check box will be visible only to Administrators and Account Owners who will be able to assign the role to any additional users on their site if they so choose.

The Store Manager role is scheduled to be released on Thursday, March 15th at approximately 10am CDT (GMT-5). We look forward to bringing you this update.

Last week we rolled out an additional payment feature for the LightCMS store. PayPal Express Checkout can now be enabled alongside PayPal Website Payments Pro. Enabling Express Checkout with your Payments Pro integration means that your customers will be given a choice to "Check out with PayPal" or to check out using the built-in payment process. 

If they click the "Check out with PayPal" button, users will be taken to PayPal's website where they will login and review their transaction before returning to your site. If they check out using our system's built-in process, they will stay on your LightCMS website throughout the entire experience. No matter what the user chooses, payments are still processed through your PayPal Website Payments Pro account and the same PayPal fees apply.

This feature is great for store owners who want to provide a seamless checkout experience on their own website while still providing customers with the option of a separate PayPal checkout experience. To enable it for your website, login and visit Store -> Settings -> Payments -> Payment Gateways. Select "Website Payments Pro" as your credit card payment provider and check the box next to "Enable PayPal Express Checkout."

Another addition to our list of supported payment processors went live this week. Now you can accept credit card payments through your LightCMS store via PayPal's Website Payments Pro.

Pro vs. Standard

We've always had support for PayPal's Website Payments Standard, so what's the difference with Pro? The biggest difference is that Pro allows your customers to complete their entire checkout experience on your LightCMS website, without being directed offsite to PayPal's own checkout pages.

Just like Standard, Pro offers you a one-stop shop for all payment processing. Rather than having to have a separate merchant account and gateway, Website Payments Pro wraps it all up in one system and since it's PayPal, it's likely a system you're already familiar with.

The pricing structure is different with Pro as compared to Standard. Pro assesses a monthly fee but offers discounted transaction fees based on volume of sales. So, stores that generate more sales may find Pro to be more advantageous in pricing, but that decision must be made by you based on your store's situation.

Get more information about Website Payments Pro, its benefits and its pricing structure here on the PayPal website.

Ready to Integrate

Once you have a Website Payments Pro account, all it takes is plugging a few pieces of information into the LightCMS system and you'll be up and running. Simply log into your LightCMS site and visit Store -> Settings -> Payments then check the box that says "Enable credit card payments" and select "Website Payments Pro" from the list of processors. If you need help, you may contact our support team at any time at support@lightcms.com.