Product Boxes Documentation

Learn how to display beautiful Amazon product cards anywhere on your WordPress site

Getting Started

Requirements

Product Boxes is an add-on that requires the parent plugin to be installed and activated:

  • Paapi Product Search for Amazon Premium - must be installed and activated
  • Valid API credentials - configured in the parent plugin settings
  • WordPress 5.0+ and PHP 7.4+

Installation

  1. Purchase Product Boxes from the Product Boxes page
  2. Download the plugin ZIP from your Account Dashboard
  3. In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
  4. Upload the ZIP file and click Install Now
  5. Click Activate to enable Product Boxes

Activation

After activation, you'll see a new Product Boxes menu item under the Paapi Product Search settings. Enter your license key to unlock all features.

Tip: Your license key is sent to your email after purchase and is also available in your Account Dashboard.

Shortcode Usage

Display any Amazon product using the [psfa_product_box] shortcode.

Basic Usage

[psfa_product_box asin="B09XS7JWHH"]

Shortcode Attributes

Attribute Values Description
asin Amazon ASIN Required. The product ASIN.
style card, horizontal, minimal Layout style. Default: card
button Custom text Button text. Default: "View on Amazon"

Examples

Horizontal Layout

Wide format, ideal for content areas

[psfa_product_box asin="B09XS7JWHH" style="horizontal"]

Minimal Layout

Clean, compact display

[psfa_product_box asin="B09XS7JWHH" style="minimal"]

Custom Button

Personalized call-to-action

[psfa_product_box asin="B09XS7JWHH" button="Check Price"]

Layouts

Product Boxes offers three layout styles to fit different content contexts:

Card Layout (Default)

A vertical card with the product image on top, followed by title, price, and button. Best for sidebars, grids, and comparison sections.

[psfa_product_box asin="B09XS7JWHH" style="card"]

Horizontal Layout

A three-section layout with a larger product image on the left, content area (title, rating, feature bullets) in the middle, and a dedicated purchase column (price + buy button) on the right. Ideal for inline content, reviews, and full-width sections.

[psfa_product_box asin="B09XS7JWHH" style="horizontal"]

Minimal Layout

A compact, streamlined display showing only essential information. Perfect for lists, quick mentions, and space-constrained areas.

[psfa_product_box asin="B09XS7JWHH" style="minimal"]

Tip: All layouts are fully responsive and adapt to mobile screens automatically.

Features

Live Pricing

Product prices are fetched from Amazon's API each time the page loads (with smart caching). Your visitors always see current, accurate pricing.

Deal Badges

Lightning Deal, Best Deal, and Prime Exclusive badges display automatically when products have active promotions.

Countdown Timer

For time-limited deals, a live countdown timer shows how much time remains. This creates urgency and can improve click-through rates.

Image Carousel

Products with multiple images display in a navigable carousel. Visitors can browse all product angles without leaving your site.

Prime Badge

Prime-eligible products display the Prime badge, helping Prime members identify fast shipping options.

Savings Display

When a product is discounted, both the original price (struck through) and the savings percentage are shown.

Feature Bullets

Display up to 5 key product features from Amazon's API with checkmark icons. Available in card and horizontal layouts.

Winner Badges

Highlight recommended products with 5 badge types: Best Value, Editor's Choice, Best Rated, Budget Pick, and Premium Pick. Set via admin.

Star Ratings

Add admin-managed star ratings (0-5) and review counts to each product for credible social proof.

Saved Products

Search-to-Save

The easiest way to add products is using the Search-to-Save feature:

  1. Visit your search page while logged in as an admin
  2. Search for any product using the live search
  3. Click the "+ Box" button on any product card
  4. The shortcode is instantly copied to your clipboard
  5. Paste the shortcode anywhere on your site

Products Library

All saved products appear in your WordPress admin under Paapi Search → Product Boxes. From here you can:

  • View all saved products with their ASINs
  • Copy shortcodes with one click
  • Delete products you no longer need
  • Add new products manually by ASIN

Manual ASIN Entry

Power users can add products directly by ASIN:

  1. Go to Paapi Search → Product Boxes
  2. Click Add New Product
  3. Enter the Amazon ASIN (found in the product URL)
  4. Click Save

Finding an ASIN: The ASIN is the 10-character alphanumeric code in Amazon product URLs. For example, in amazon.com/dp/B09XS7JWHH, the ASIN is B09XS7JWHH.

Troubleshooting

Product box shows "Product not found" or is blank
  • Verify the ASIN is correct and the product exists on Amazon
  • Check that your API credentials are valid in the parent plugin settings
  • The product may be unavailable in your configured marketplace
  • Try adding nocache="true" to test with fresh data
"+ Box" button doesn't appear on search results
  • Make sure you're logged in as an administrator
  • Verify Product Boxes add-on is activated
  • Check that your Product Boxes license is valid
  • Clear any caching plugins and refresh the page
Prices or deal badges not updating
  • Product data is cached to reduce API calls - wait for cache to expire
  • Use nocache="true" temporarily to force fresh data
  • Check the cache duration setting in parent plugin settings
  • Clear your site's page cache if using a caching plugin
Styling looks broken or doesn't match my theme
  • Your theme's CSS may be overriding Product Box styles
  • Add custom CSS using the .psfa-product-box class prefix
  • Clear CSS caching (minification plugins, CDN cache)
  • Check browser console for CSS conflicts
Image carousel not working
  • Ensure JavaScript is enabled and not blocked
  • Check for JavaScript errors in browser console
  • Some products only have one image (no carousel needed)
  • Verify jQuery is loading correctly on your site

Need more help? Product Boxes customers have access to priority email support via the Account Dashboard.