Did you know that over 34% of all websites on the internet are powered by WordPress?
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]WordPress isn’t just a blog software, it is much more than that. You can create eCommerce stores, Social Networks, Forums, Business Websites, and so much more. It is such a flexible piece of software, and best of all – it is free. In this article, we will show you the best WordPress eCommerce plugins to use to make a professional looking online store quickly and with ease.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]here is a big reason why over 34% of the websites on the internet use WordPress. I could list a hundred reasons but the main reasons are:
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]- WordPress is free
- It is simple and easy to use
- You can create professional-looking websites within minutes with the help of templates and plugins
- It is user-friendly for those without coding knowledge
- It can be used for pretty much any type of website
Today we will be mainly focusing around using WordPress for eCommerce. WordPress by default was built as a blog software however over the years, many plugins have been created to expand its capabilities. We will be discussing the best and most recommended eCommerce plugins along with their features and benefits, to help you decide which one to use.
No more messing around, let’s get started!
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_image src=”https://marquemediallc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/WooCommerce.jpg” alt=”WooCommerce” title_text=”WooCommerce” _builder_version=”4.4.7″ border_radii=”on|12px|12px|12px|12px”][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]WooCommerce
WooCommerce is the biggest and most widely used WordPress eCommerce plugin. With a few clicks to install this amazing plugin, you can instantly turn your WordPress blog into a fully functioning online store. Their statistics are very impressive with over 8% of all eCommerce stores on the internet using it. And over 21% of the top 1 million sites using it. WooCommerce is considered by many to be the best and easiest solution to quickly create and build an online shop. It is extremely user-friendly which makes it a perfect choice for those who do not have much web development knowledge.
Whether you want to make an online shop with 5 products, or 5000 products, the price is always the same – free. WooCommerce also has a big marketplace full of extensions for the plugin which extends its functionality. The extensions however are not free.
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Why Choose WooCommerce?
- If you have a low or nonexistent budget, WooCommerce is a great choice. The plugin itself is free and you can create a professional fully functioning online store with the free plugin.
- Because it is the most popular eCommerce plugin, it has a huge team of developers who will continue updating it and providing support to it’s users.
- It has plenty of extensions to extend the functionality of the plugin. You can use certain extensions to create a membership or subscription powered business.
- You can sell pretty much anything with WooCommerce. Physical products, digital products, subscriptions, and even appointments.
- It is fully integrated with all the top payment processors and the ones it doesn’t have integrated, will most likely have an extension available.
- Most popular and well-designed themes for WordPress are compatible with WooCommerce and offer support to help their users integrate it.
- WooCommerce is great for beginners and professional web developers alike.
Easy Digital Downloads (EDD)
Easy Digital Downloads is an easy to use eCommerce plugin which is based around digital downloads. Although other eCommerce plugins like WooCommerce have digital download options, EDD has more features that cater to digital product sales. Easy Digital Downloads is a great choice for eCommerce shops that sell eBooks, audio, PDFs, or any other sort of downloadable paid content. Another factor that makes this a great choice is the fact that the main core plugin is free.
You can set it up so that after a customer makes a purchase, they are sent an email with their receipt along with a one-time download link to the product they purchased.
To increase functionality, Easy Digital Downloads also has an extensions library where you can find all sorts of different extensions. Although most of the extensions cost money, there are also a bunch of free extensions also available.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]Why Choose Easy Digital Downloads?
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]- It is one of the best plugins specifically designed around downloadable purchases. If you are looking to create an advanced digital download store, then this would be an ideal choice.
- It has many different options of payment processors to choose from.
- Advanced developers can use the RESTful API for full customization.
- Easy Digital Downloads have a large helpful community of developers, bloggers, and enthusiasts to help with any problems that you need assistance with.
- EDD has all the main features an online digital download shop would want – full shopping cart, customer management, data reports, discount codes, refund tracking, affiliate systems, mailing lists, and much more.
WP eCommerce
WP eCommerce is often looked at as an equal alternative to using WooCommerce. The plugin is set up in a very similar way to WooCommerce and the base core plugin is free. It also has a paid “premium” version with more features, similar to the premium features of WooCommerce. There are some differences between the two free versions in terms of functionality. While WooCommerce allows customer reviews on the free version, WP eCommerce requires an extension for customer reviews. However, WP eCommerce offers advanced shipping features in the free version, while WooCommerce requires an extension for this.
Generally, WP eCommerce has better-dedicated support for its users. This includes a very well made knowledge base filled with tutorials and guides to help its users. There are plenty of helpful articles to help with common tasks such as setting up payment processors and installing extensions.
We recommend WP eCommerce to those who want dedicated support. Premium dedicated support costs $49/month however this is a very reasonable price for help whenever you need it. It would make a great choice for beginners who would benefit from dedicated support and hand-holding through the entire creation and operating process.
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Why Choose WP eCommerce?
- It offers full dedicated support which is great for beginners who may require this sort of support. Although the dedicated support costs money, it can be worthwhile for the people who need it.
- WP eCommerce has plenty of extensions which can be used to increase the functionality.
- WP eCommerce is a very close alternative to WooCommerce, especially in recent years. It’s developers have put in a lot of hard work to update it and make it the best it can be.
Ecwid WordPress Shopping Cart
Ecwid eCommerce Shopping Cart is a very impressive plugin with a similar setup, features, and reviews to WooCommerce. One of the main differences is the fact you can use Ecwid on any type of website, not just WordPress. It can be used to create an online store on Drupal, Facebook, Tumblr, and many more. WooCommerce on the other hand can only be used with WordPress. Just like the other eCommerce plugins that we have mentioned in this article, Ecwid’s base plugin is free. It also has much more built-in features that you would otherwise have to buy extensions for with other plugins.
It also offers a paid version of the plugin which can turn out cheaper than other eCommerce solutions. Certain WooCommerce extensions cost hundreds of dollars while Ecwid has these features built-in. This can make Ecwid a better choice for those who want plenty of built-in features without the need to buy extensions.
The free version is very powerful and offers a responsive mobile shopping cart and support for up to 10 products. You also have the ability to sell on multiple websites. Although the 10 product limit can be unattractive to some – keep in mind that is only the free version. The monthly cost for up to 100 products costs only $15 a month and up to 2500 products for only $35 a month. This pricing is very reasonable in terms of what you get in return. At first glance, you would think it is definitely more expensive than WooCommerce. However, once you start realizing that the features you need for your online shop require an expensive extension that costs hundreds for WooCommerce – you would have wished you went with the $15/month option that Ecwid offers.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]why Choose Ecwid?
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]- Although the free plan limits you to only 10 products, the pricing plans are extremely cheap and offer you a massive feature-set for what you pay. Certain features that you would have to pay hundreds for a WooCommerce extension, are built into the free and paid versions of Ecwid. When you look at it that way, it is cheaper.
- Although we are talking about WordPress in this article, Ecwid can also be used on most of the popular website builders. Ecwid is known for being able to integrate into most content management systems and website builders.
- Ecwid provides both phone and chats support for some of their plans, as well as priority support in other plans. They can also help you with customization.
- Ecwid has the ability to sell on multiple different sites with everything synced together. You could see orders you get from your Facebook and eBay shop within your website dashboard.
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