Most of you have heard of WordPress and are already using it for your websites. It is one of the most successful and popular web platforms of all time.
One of the reasons that WordPress is so popular is because it is extremely flexible. This is where WooCommerce comes into play: instead of outsourcing aspects of your business to different software solutions, why not simply build on what you already use?
There are many different shopping carts programs that can be used with WordPress, but WooCommerce is the by far the most popular. It was also built with WordPress in mind.
What You Need to Know about WooCommerce
The first thing that you need to know about using WooCommerce is that it is a WordPress plugin and not an eCommerce platform. This means that you need to have a WordPress website before you start using it. If you already have a WordPress website, WooCommerce is a good choice. If you do not, it may not be worth it to transfer your site to WordPress just to be able to use the WooCommerce plugin.
The second thing that you should know is that WooCommerce has a basic shopping cart. Most of the features that might come standard with other eCommerce solutions are available through the use of plugins and extensions. While the WooCommerce plugin is free to download, it is the basic version. There are hundreds of free and paid plugins and extensions available.
Positive Features of WooCommerce
- It is free to download and offers a large extension store with prices ranging from free to $200
- There are lots of 3rd party plugins and extensions developed for WooCommerce, many are less expensive than the official WooCommerce extensions.
- No programming knowledge is necessary to begin using WooCommerce
- It has an easy-to-follow wizard to help you set up your store’s basic functionality
- User-friendly
- The interface is intuitive and modern
- You can upload unlimited products
- One page check out process is offered
- Provides cross selling functionality, up-selling, sales pricing, and built in coupons
- Extensive template and theme store: themes are open source. Some might require a bit of basic coding knowledge in order to customize
Here are a few more of the great features of WooCommerce.
Negative Features of WooCommerce
- Manual product upload: if you have a lot of products you will want to purchase a bulk product load extension which can cost up to $200
- Does not have sophisticated reporting and marketing solutions that are needed for higher traffic stores
- Requires that you use WordPress
Overall, if you currently have a WordPress site and are looking for a good product and shopping cart plugin for eCommerce, WooCommerce is a good choice. It offers an easy-to-integrate solution for most of your online selling needs.
