Guest checkout or customer accounts in WooCommerce: which to allow

The short answer: in a small shop, let people buy without an account and offer the account as an option. Forcing an account before paying makes many people give up. An account is only required when the purchase depends on it (downloads, subscriptions, a members area). It is all under WooCommerce > Settings > Accounts & Privacy.

The options

Option When to use it
Allow orders without an account Almost always. Fewer steps to payment.
Allow creating an account at checkout Yes, as a box to tick. Those who want to, do; the others carry on.
Require an account Only if the purchase depends on it (downloadable files, subscriptions).
Allow logging in to an existing account at checkout Yes, for those who already have one.
Personal data and privacy Set how long you keep accounts and orders and the policy text: Customer data in your shop.

Step by step

1 Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Accounts & Privacy.
2 Tick “Allow customers to place orders without an account” and, below it, the options to create an account at checkout and to log in to an existing one.
3 If you sell files or subscriptions, the account has to exist: see the options to create it automatically with a link for the customer to set the password.
4 Set the retention of data under Privacy (unused accounts, orders, deletion requests).
5 Make a test purchase as a guest and another creating an account, and check the e-mails the customer receives.
A guest is not anonymous to you. The order keeps the name, e-mail and address, and you must treat them as personal data, with a period and a reason. And someone who buys twice as a guest ends up with two loose orders, with no history in one place.
Accounts open to the public attract bots: if you see fake accounts or orders, see Fake orders and sign-ups. And if many people give up halfway, a mandatory account may be one of the causes: Abandoned carts.

Want help setting up your shop’s accounts? Open a ticket with the address.

Open a support ticket

SEE ALSO

Customer data in your shop: consent, data requests and deleting an account

Fake orders and spam sign-ups in WooCommerce: how to stop them

Abandoned carts in an online shop: why people leave and how to win some back

Checkout errors in WooCommerce: where to look

The legal pages an online shop needs: terms of sale, returns and privacy

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