WordPress is a free-and-open-source CMS that makes it easier for online retail companies to create an e-commerce website. WordPress is developed by a core group of leading developers and communities composed entirely of volunteers.
There are many pre-created themes that can be used within WordPress, and it also includes plugins that give the website additional e-commerce functionality, such as adding a wish list, shopping cart, and checkout process. That is why WordPress is the most popular platform for e-commerce businesses.
Why is WordPress good for e-commerce? #
WordPress is one of the most popular page builders on the market. In fact, about a quarter of all websites in the world are created by WordPress.
One of the main reasons for using WordPress is its high flexibility, which offers complete control over the website without needing to know any programming language. The companies can also easily include a blog, forum, and other pages they need to scale their e-commerce business.
All this comes without any fees for using the WordPress platform. Some plugins are free, while pro versions can be purchased at affordable prices.
As stated above, WordPress is an open-source CMS managed by the community, ensuring that WordPress is constantly updated with security enhancements and new features.
What is the best e-commerce plugin for WordPress? #
WooCommerce is the most preferred WordPress eCommerce plugin that powers almost 20% of all ecommerce websites online. It is also the most popular eCommerce platform worldwide. WooCommerce was acquired by Automattic (the company behind WordPress.com blog site organizing service) in 2015.
Many plugins and themes are offered for WooCommerce, and an enthusiastic programmer community is also behind. Lately, many hosting businesses have begun developing customized WooCommerce hosting solutions, so WooCommerce is constantly improving.
Advantages of using WooCommerce #
Here are some of the benefits of using WooCommerce plugin for creating an e-commerce experience.
Extensions and themes: There are hundreds of expansions and themes available for WooCommerce, making it easy to add new features to an e-commerce website. A large collection of themes means the company has many options when picking a website’s layout and design.
Sustains both digital and physical goods: With WooCommerce, the brand can sell physical in addition to electronic downloads (such as digital books, music, software, and more).
Total inventory monitoring: WooCommerce comes furnished with devices to manage product inventory easily and even appoint it to a shop supervisor.
Repayment and delivery options: WooCommerce has built-in support for popular payment gateways. You can also include several other settlement alternatives making use of extensions. It can additionally determine shipping as well as taxes.
Assistance and documents: There is exceptional paperwork readily available online for WooCommerce. In addition to documentation, there is a knowledge base, help desk, and neighborhood forums available.
Disadvantages of using WooCommerce #
Too many options: WooCommerce is very easy to use, yet the number of choices offered on the settings page can be intimidating for a new user.
Style assistance: WooCommerce works with any WordPress theme; however, it is not always easy to configure or excellent looking with all themes.
Scalability: As the store gets larger, the brand will need to relocate it to a handled holding service provider like WP Engine to scale the WooCommerce shop.
Other popular WordPress plugins #
Even though WooCommerce is the most popular plugin for building an e-commerce store using WordPress, it’s not the only one. Here are the others.
- Easy Digital Downloads: The best WordPress plugin for a company that sells only digital products.
- BigCommerce: A hosted e-commerce platform that offers integration with WordPress. It allows using a scalable e-commerce platform while using WordPress to manage content.
Do you want to learn more about e-commerce? Continue reading about → Product design in e-commerce.
