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If you’re running a business—or seeking to begin one—chances are you’re interested in creating an e-commerce site. Most businesses now offer information on their company site and allow visitors to purchase services and products directly online. Owners and customers alike love the ease and accessibility of an online marketplace.
There are numerous ways to set up an e-commerce store, but WordPress is one of the best solutions. Although it may be best recognized as a blogging platform, it includes applications beyond the blogosphere. WordPress is a dynamic, versatile, and powerful piece of software. It can be adjusted with plugins and themes to build the ideal e-commerce website. Its extensive community and omnipresence throughout the market imply that finding inspiration and support during the design procedure isn’t difficult.
This article reviews the features that make WordPress a superb e-commerce solution. It also discusses the tools you can use to customize your storefront and the resources available to aid you. Let’s start!
WordPress Contains An Abundance Of Plugin Solutions
A WooCommerce plugin is a splendid option for e-commerce websites. WordPress is an intricate software that meets most of your requirements for developing an excellent website. Nevertheless, many discover they wish to include specific features not in the core product. That’s where plugins display their utility—more minor bits of software that can be uploaded to WordPress to extend its functionality.
Plugins are priceless to an e-commerce site, and you’ll require at least one. Some plugins will allow you to create and run an online store, while others will assist with handling inventory, interacting with customers, offering support, and ensuring security. Thankfully, many common e-commerce plugins do several or all of these functions, so you are not required to install individual tools for every element of functionality you wish to add to your store.
You can choose from tons of e-commerce plugins; however, this selection is among the best:
WooCommerce
This is the most common and extensively utilized e-commerce plugin. It lets you set up and customize a store quickly, has plenty of security options, and provides multiple user-friendly features, like responsiveness to mobile devices. It also carries the required financial functions, like payment and shipping options.
WP eCommerce
Another standard option is this plugin, which contains a range of features to aid in managing an online catalog, controlling sales, and tracking financial information. It isn’t the most well-backed plugin, but it is regularly updated.
Ecwid E-commerce Shopping Cart
This plugin has nearly everything you could desire, from an e-commerce solution to simple store-building functionality and backing for responsive design. It also enables you to include your store on Facebook and contains mobile apps to administer your site on the go.
Easy Digital Downloads
While this plugin doesn’t present as many features as the others, it has the advantage of being built specifically for sites that sell digital products. If that’s the type of store you’ll be operating, Easy Digital Downloads is a plain choice that has just the options you’ll require.
The plugin of choice is WooCommerce—it is compliant with multiple WordPress themes, stable and well-backed, and presents plenty of options. Best of all, beginning with WooCommerce is simple, and on account of its wide adaptability, you can select from nearly any WordPress theme available to accompany it.
A Platform That Brings Tons Of Benefits
WordPress has emerged as the finest website builder and has raced ahead of rivals like Drupal and Joomla. It has become the frontrunner in the market, having 67% of the market share of the total CMS-using sites.
You can apply WordPress to create an eCommerce website and manage it effectively. Besides creating an online shop, you can also use the site to do something else. WordPress allows you to obtain an overall command over your website. In addition to combining your online store with other functionalities such as portfolios, blogs, and corporate pages, it offers tools, themes, plugins, and integrations with many modern online facilities. Being compatible with almost everything on the internet, WordPress offers you free, premium, and economical premium services anywhere.
WordPress is simple, friendly, easy to handle and operate, and effortless as it is stacked with an intuitive interface. WordPress is stacked with everything: open-source CMS, numerous paid and free services, complete command over your website, an intuitive interface for starters, and the likelihood of growth for the advanced, the scope to build a multipurpose website which includes the online shop and eCommerce store, and prices that suit every budget.
Multiple WordPress Themes Offer E-Commerce Options
Next to selecting your plugins, picking a theme will be your most significant decision regarding your site.
A theme comprises a software package that decides your site’s styling—what it appears like, how it’s arranged, and how features such as sidebars and menus work. Your theme is vital as it governs how your site looks to users. It also impacts how conveniently they can locate information and conduct purchases.
Selecting a theme designed primarily for e-commerce or at least possessing all the design features you’ll require for your store is essential. You’ll wish to search for a theme that offers plenty of customization options, a wholly responsive design, and a user-friendly interface. It is also suggested that you select a theme that arrives bundled with useful e-commerce plugins.
Similar to plugins, numerous options are present. You are recommended to try Uncode, a multipurpose theme that contains everything you need to create an eCommerce website. The main features of Unicode that will be useful to your site include:
- A completely responsive layout and adaptive images that render the customer experience a pleasure.
- Layout options are ideally designed for online stores and are available in different styles. Check out Shop Landing, Shop Classic, Shop Creative, Shop Metro, and Shop Parallax.
- Support for multiple e-commerce plugins, including WooCommerce.
- There are many customization options for the site’s appearance, layout, settings, and more. You’ll get to create something rare that stands apart from the crowd.
If you’re seeking a more basic, free theme that’s still nicely built for e-commerce, you could also check out Make, Shop Isle, or EightStore Lite. Whatever you select, initially frame a list of features you know are essential for your store and the plugins it needs to back. Then, examine each potential theme against that list before deciding.
Security Options For WordPress Are Simple To Find
Keeping your site safe and up-to-date is essential.
After you’ve selected your plugins and theme, you should begin setting up your site. While you do so, you’ll want to keep one necessity in mind: security. Any portal can benefit from some elementary security measures, but you’ll desire a more substantial solution for an e-commerce site. An online store includes personal user data and the records of financial exchanges—that information must be securely protected.
While the core of WordPress is highly secure, there is more you should do to enhance security. Thankfully, the WordPress community has designed nearly everything you could want to ensure your site’s safety and the personal information of your customer:
Official Updates
The WordPress development team regularly releases major and minor updates, many of which highlight security. Maintaining your site up-to-date assures it will be as secure as possible.
Backups
There are numerous ways to back up your site if something goes wrong. The easiest way is to utilize a backup plugin, like UpdraftPlus or Duplicator.
Security Plugins
Free tools like Wordfence Security and Sucuri Security ensure that your site’s defenses are ideally robust.
Site Activity Trackers
A few plugins enable you to track user activity and modifications to your site so you can view precisely who has done what. The Activity Log is a good example.
Conclusion
Developing an e-commerce website for your business is a critical initial step into the extensive online marketplace. You’ll like an appealing and professional storefront that offers customers what they desire and runs itself as much as possible. That’s where WordPress enters the scene. You’d be stressed to find a more versatile, customizable, and well-backed platform.
Author Bio:
Rohini Oberoi is a passionate blogger at brndle.com . She is an experienced blogger and has written many articles and blog posts on topics related to WordPress, web design, web development, and online marketing.