Is WordPress Easy To Use For eCommerce?

If you know anything about web development, you know about WordPress. WordPress is now the most popular Content Management System (CMS) in the world, powering over 31% of websites globally. In fact, WordPress is the software behind the very website you’re currently on!

As an everyday WordPress user myself, I can say with confidence that WordPress is a great CMS for many purposes, including online selling. The software is open-source and popular, meaning that it’s fully customizable and that there are plugins available to extend the functionality of the software.

While it’s true that WordPress was originally built as a blogging platform, several ecommerce plugins make it possible to transform your website into a full-fledged online store. Note that in order to add any plugins to WordPress.com, you’ll first need to pony up for a Business level WordPress plan, which currently costs $300/year ($25/month). By contrast, you can use any plugins with WordPress.org.

In this article, we’ll be taking a look at two of the most popular eCommerce software systems that work with WordPress. But first, let’s take a look at WordPress as stand-alone software.

Is WordPress Easy To Use?

WordPress is a very learnable software platform. The software is fairly easy to use once you get the hang of things. However, this initial learning process may take some time.

This is particularly true if you are new to web development. As open-source software, WordPress is not exactly plug-and-play. In order to get your site online, you’ll have to find your own web host and then install WordPress on your hosting account. In addition, you will be responsible for maintaining your site’s security.

Once you’ve finished setting everything up, you will find that when it comes to daily operations, WordPress is very usable.

As you consider using WordPress for your online store, you’ll have to keep in mind the pros and cons of the software. Here’s a quick breakdown of those advantages and disadvantages:

Pros

• Open Source: Because WordPress is open source, you have the freedom to modify the software however you choose. In addition, you can choose to sell your modifications to other users!
• Large User Community: With so many bloggers, sellers, and developers using WordPress, you can expect to find lively community forums in WordPress’s support resources. Get help from fellow users or purchase plugins from a wide range of developers.
• Reliable Software: You can depend on WordPress as a glitch-free CMS.
• Lots Of Plug-Ins Available: WordPress and third-party developers alike have put out thousands of plugins that you can purchase and install to add features to your platform.
• Test With A Free Plan: Developing a test site on the Free plan gives you a feel for backend of WordPress before you commit to the Business plan and add plugins.

Cons

• For Do-It-Yourselfers Only: When you use WordPress, you will be responsible for managing your web hosting and site security.
• Some Experience Required: You either must have some experience editing HTML/CSS or you must be willing to learn.
• Limited Technical Support: WordPress offers some support via email and live chat. However, for the most part, you’re on your own when it comes to technical issues.
• Common Target For Hackers: Open source software is often the target of security attacks. You’ll have to keep an eye out for any new security patches.
• Difficult To Estimate Total Costs: There are other typical costs of operating a website to consider. You’ll need to pay for hosting, an SSL certificate, a theme, and any plugins you choose to use.

Now you know a bit more about the usability of WordPress, let’s start talking about our favorite eCommerce plugins for WordPress! All three of the following plugins are affordable, easy-to-use, and easy to integrate with any WordPress website.

Let’s get started!

Square Payments integrates with WordPress.com and other shopping carts

WooCommmerce

WooCommerce is a free, open source eCommerce plugin that is designed specifically to be used with WordPress. WooCommerce fits businesses of all sizes, from startup to enterprise. In fact, WooCommerce has been downloaded over 48 million times, making it one of the most popular eCommerce solutions in the world.

WooCommerce is easy to incorporate into your WordPress site. All you have to do is install and activate the WooCommerce app in your “Plug-ins” tab. Activating this plugin turns your blogging back-end into an online store admin. Take a look:

In this dashboard, you can manage everything for your online store. For example, you can create products, access pending orders, adjust shipping setting, enter product information, and set up inventory tracking.

WooCommerce provides enough features to handle all the basic operations of online selling. Everything else is available as an extension. Here are a few of the features built-in:

• Sell Digital & Physical Products
• Inventory Management Features
• Shipping Calculator & Shipping Options (Pickup, Local Delivery, Calculated Shipping)
• SEO Features
• Coupons & Discounts

WooCommerce offers lots of themes to choose from. Most of these are designed by third-parties; however, WooCommerce also creates its own designs called “WooThemes.” We recommend you stick with these WooThemes as they tend to work best with WooCommerce updates. For the most part, in order to change large aspects of these designs, you will be required to edit the HTML and CSS.

Like WordPress, WooCommerce offers very limited customer support to their customers. You are mostly on your own. Fortunately, WooCommerce does have a detailed knowledge base as well as a supportive user community to help you through any difficulties.

We love WooCommerce for its customizability, its scalability, and of course, its price. To learn more about, take a look at our full WooCommerce review of the software. Or, download WooCommerce today to test it for yourself.

Ecwid

Another plugin you might consider using is Ecwid. Ecwid is an eCommerce software that lets you incorporate shopping cart widgets–such as buy buttons or a full online store–into any pre-built website. Ecwid is a perfect solution for small to medium-sized businesses that want a simple way to add an online store to their website. Over one million merchants currently use Ecwid for their online selling.

Ecwid is a SaaS (software as a service) solution, which means that although you have to find hosting for your WordPress site, hosting for your Ecwid store is already included. Instead, you’ll just have to pay a monthly price to use the software. This price depends primarily on the number of products you plan on listing. Each step up in pricing also includes more advanced features. Take a look below for a quick breakdown of pricing:

• Free Plan: $0/Month
  • 10 Products
• Venture: $15/Month
  • 100 Products
• Business: $35/Month
  • 2,500 Products
• Unlimited: $99/Month
  • Unlimited Products

To add Ecwid to your WordPress account, sign for an Ecwid account at ecwid.com. Then, install and activate the app in your WordPress dashboard. Completing these actions will let you make changes to your Ecwid store from WordPress.

Here’s a look at Ecwid’s dashboard within WordPress:

Alternatively, you can choose to manage your store from Ecwid’s own dashboard. Since the two programs are now connected, every change you make in Ecwid will be reflected in your WordPress site. Here’s Ecwid’s dashboard:

We recommend using Ecwid’s dashboard to manage your online store. We think Ecwid’s dashboard is more intuitive and easier to use in general.

Using Ecwid will give you access to many of the necessary selling features. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Buy Buttons
• Multi-Channel Selling
• Real-Time Shipping Rates
• Promotions & Discounts
• Sell Digital Products
• Mobile Management App

Ecwid supplies users with one Starter Site theme that you can use to develop your storefront using drag-and-drop tools. There are also third-party themes available as well as HTML and CSS editors for more in-depth customization.

As is typical with SaaS solutions, Ecwid provides technical support through several channels. Your pricing plan will determine how you are able to reach customer support, whether that is through email, live chat, or phone. Everyone has access to a knowledge base and community support forums. Remember, Ecwid can only help with issues related to their software. They do not provide WordPress support.

Ecwid is a great solution for any merchant who’s looking for a simple way to sell products on their website. The app is easy to use with WordPress, it’s affordable, and it works. For more information, read our full Ecwid review or sign up for Ecwid’s free plan to try it out.

Final Thoughts

So, is WordPress easy to use for eCommerce? We certainly think so, especially when you use the right eCommerce plugin.

Take a deeper look at any of the three options we present above, and don’t be afraid to test out the plugins before you commit. All of these eCommerce solutions offer a free platform (or free download) so you can integrate the software with your Business level WordPress site without paying an extra dime. And if you decide it isn’t a good fit for you, it’s easy to deactivate the integration. In fact, it just takes a few clicks.

So, what are you waiting for? Head over to our reviews or sign up for one of these shopping carts and get testing!

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