=== HikaShop ===
Contributors: hikarisoftware
Tags: ecommerce, shopping cart, payments, shipping, products
Requires at least: 5.8
Tested up to: 6.9
Stable tag: 6.5.0
Requires PHP: 7.4
License: GPLv3
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html

E-Commerce software built for simplicity and flexibility. Sell physical and digital products with 110+ payment gateways and 20+ shipping carriers.

== Description ==

HikaShop is a complete e-commerce solution that brings the power of a mature, battle-tested shopping platform to WordPress. Originally built for Joomla where it powers tens of thousands of online stores, HikaShop is now available as a native WordPress plugin.

= Key Features =

* **Product Catalog** - Manage products with categories, variants, characteristics, custom fields, images and file attachments
* **Shopping Cart** - Full-featured cart with multi-cart support, guest checkout, and saved carts
* **Multi-Step Checkout** - Configurable checkout workflow (cart, login, address, shipping, payment, confirmation)
* **110+ Payment Gateways** - PayPal, Stripe, Adyen, Square, Klarna, Authorize.net, bank transfer, and many more
* **20+ Shipping Carriers** - FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL, Australia Post, Canada Post, and others
* **Inventory Management** - Stock tracking, low-stock notifications, and warehouse support
* **Discounts & Coupons** - Flexible discount rules with coupon codes and automatic promotions
* **Tax System** - Zone-based taxation with detailed or simplified tax display modes
* **Multi-Currency** - Accept payments in multiple currencies with automatic conversion
* **Customer Reviews** - Product ratings and reviews from verified buyers
* **Digital Downloads** - Sell downloadable products with secure file delivery
* **Wishlists** - Let customers save products for later
* **Waitlists** - Notify customers when out-of-stock products become available
* **Geolocation** - Automatic zone detection for shipping, tax, and currency selection
* **Email Notifications** - Customizable email templates for order status updates
* **Affiliate System** - Built-in affiliate tracking with banners and commission management
* **Loyalty Points** - Reward customers with points for purchases

= Editions =

HikaShop is available in three editions:

* **Starter** - Core e-commerce features for small shops
* **Essential** - Advanced features including discounts, coupons, and guest checkout
* **Business** - Full feature set including geolocation, affiliates, and more

= Built for Performance =

HikaShop uses its own lightweight JavaScript framework and does not depend on heavy front-end libraries.

== Installation ==

1. Go to the Plugins > Add plugin menu of your WordPress
2. Click on the "Upload plugin" button
3. Upload the hikashop install zip file
4. Activate the plugin
5. Navigate to HikaShop in the admin menu
6. Configure your shop settings, payment methods, shipping options and products

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= Does HikaShop work with my theme? =

HikaShop is designed to work with any properly coded WordPress theme. It uses standard WordPress conventions for styles and scripts.

= Can I migrate from WooCommerce? =

HikaShop provides import tools to help migrate products and categories from other e-commerce platforms. Check the documentation at [hikashop.com](https://www.hikashop.com/) for details.

= Where can I find documentation? =

Full documentation is available at [hikashop.com/support/documentation](https://www.hikashop.com/support/documentation/).

= Where can I get support? =

Support is available through the [HikaShop support forum](https://www.hikashop.com/support/forum.html).

== External Services ==

HikaShop connects to external third-party services in the following cases:

= hikashop.com =

* **Help documentation** — When you click a help icon in the HikaShop administration, the relevant documentation page is loaded from [hikashop.com](https://www.hikashop.com/). No personal data is transmitted.
* **Language files** — The language file editor in the HikaShop configuration allows you to download the latest translation files from [hikashop.com](https://www.hikashop.com/). This is only triggered when you click the "Load latest version from our server" button.

These connections are subject to the [HikaShop Terms of Use](https://www.hikashop.com/terms-of-use.html) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.hikashop.com/privacy-policy.html).

= Payment and shipping gateways =

When you configure payment or shipping plugins (e.g. PayPal, Stripe, FedEx, UPS), HikaShop connects to the respective external APIs to process payments or calculate shipping rates. These connections only occur when you have explicitly installed and configured the corresponding plugin. Each service is governed by its own terms and privacy policy.
