How to Create a Professional Online Store Website with a WordPress Theme
WordPress has exploded in popularity as a content management system for websites. It is extremely versatile, powering almost any website you can think of. You can use it to create a simple blog or you can use it to develop a completely custom site with all the bells and whistles.
But what if you are looking to create an e-commerce store website or blog using WordPress? Chances are you have heard of Shopify and you may be wondering if WordPress is the right choice for your needs. In this article, we will discuss how you can use a WordPress theme for e-commerce to create a professional-looking store website that will convert traffic into paying customers.
The Benefits Of Using A WordPress Theme For E-Commerce
In addition to its incredible popularity, WordPress also offers a wide array of benefits for use on your e-commerce store website or blog. First, WordPress is extremely flexible and highly configurable, offering you an incredible degree of freedom when it comes to developing your site. Second, because WordPress is an open-source software project, you have access to a staggering amount of third-party plugins that can enhance the functionality of your site. Third, WordPress is completely free and easy to use. Fourth, a WordPress installation only takes a few minutes to set up and begin using. Finally, because WordPress has such a large audience, you have access to a vast community of people who can help you get the most out of your website or blog.
All in all, these are some pretty big advantages to using WordPress for your e-commerce store website or blog! Let’s take a look at how you can use a WordPress theme for e-commerce to create a professional online store.
Step 1: Choose A Theme For Your E-commerce Site
The first step in creating a professional looking e-commerce site is to choose the right theme for the job. Just because you are selling products online does not mean your theme has to be focused on the shopping experience. You can use a theme for your e-commerce store that is completely devoid of any shopping features and still reap the benefits of a professional shopping cart.
One of the most popular themes available for WordPress is the Beaverton theme by Automattic. This theme offers a clean, simple design with bold colours and clear call-to-action features, making it a perfect pick for an e-commerce website. It also happens to be incredibly flexible, powering any type of site you can think of, including blog networks, online stores, and more.
Step 2: Install WordPress And Set Up Your E-commerce Store
Once you have chosen your theme, you can move onto the next step which is to install WordPress on your web host and set up your e-commerce store. If you are using an external web host, just make sure they provide WordPress installation and support or have a WordPress-enabled platform themselves.
Setting up a WordPress site is extremely easy, requiring just a few minutes of your time and some basic knowledge of HTML and WordPress.
Once you have WordPress installed, you can log in to your website manager and set up the basic structure of your e-commerce store. You can use the free WordPress website builder available from WordPress to create a professional-looking store in no time at all. Just remember to use a custom domain name, rather than the default.wordpress domain, for your site.
You will also need to install a separate WordPress plugin to use a shopping cart. The Simple e-commerce plugin by WordPress.com is a great choice for an easy-to-use shopping cart that doesn’t require any additional setup beyond the WordPress installation.
Step 3: Link To Your E-commerce Store In Your Blog
Once you have installed WordPress and set up your e-commerce store, the final step is to link it to your blog. With your blog linked to your e-commerce store, you can drive traffic back to your store via blog posts by promoting products that are available there. This is called affiliate marketing and it’s one of the most effective ways of generating revenue from a blog or website.
To get started, just head over to your blog posts and click on the edit button next to each post. You will then see a small popup with the options to enable or disable that post. Just check the box next to the post title that you want to connect to your store and click save. That’s it! Now whenever someone clicks on that post, they will be taken to your e-commerce store.
You can also use software like Google Affiliate Marketing or Linkedin’s Marketing Automation to get started with affiliate marketing and build a passive income stream from your blog or website.
Step 4: Customize Your E-commerce Site
The final step in creating a professional-looking e-commerce store is to customize your site with the products, features, and design you desire. The best thing about this step is you can go back and make changes at any time through the WordPress dashboard.
You can use the Google Chrome extension Easy Button to make changes to your site with just a few clicks of a mouse. For instance, if you notice that a product is misdescribed or out of stock, you can change it with just a few clicks. The best part is these changes are live, so you can see your changes reflected on the site immediately.
To make changes to your site, simply open up Chrome and click on the three vertical dots in the top right corner. This will open up a menu with all the extensions available for download. From there, you can click on the Easy Button icon to make changes to your site.
Why Do You Need A Professional Looking E-commerce Site?
As a business owner, merchant, or brand, you may want to consider investing in a professional-looking e-commerce site. Launching a new store or revamping your existing store with a fresh, modern look is a great way to gain market share and grow your business. By presenting your products in a sleek, modern manner, you can be sure that customers will be able to navigate your site with ease and find what they’re looking for with only a few clicks of a mouse.
In today’s world, users have the attention span of a gnat. If your website is not visually appealing, your chances of getting customers to stick around and explore your site are pretty slim. In a nutshell, your customers will leave and never come back if your site is not designed and laid out well. On that note, here are some cool examples of e-commerce stores you can learn from.
Redefining The Retail Experience
If you’re looking to redefine the retail experience, you can do so in a variety of ways through the use of technology and design. Through the use of VR and AI (Artificial Intelligence), brands can now put customers at the center of everything they do, offering a fully immersive shopping experience.
Take Guess for example. This famous luxury brand got together with Dentsu Inc, a Japanese advertising agency, to redefine the customer experience. As a result, Guess is now positioned as a technology company that builds platforms and offers creative services, rather than a traditional retail brand that sells clothing and accessories. While most retail stores still rely on human staff to welcome and guide customers through the store, Guess uses cameras, sensors, and artificial intelligence to track customer behaviour, react instantly, and provide a personalized experience.
With VR and AI, customers can walk through a virtual reality replica of a luxury brand’s store, exploring products, trying on items, and learning about the brand’s products and services, all while having fun. This type of interactive experience was never possible before, offering customers a chance to ‘try before they buy’.
Final Takeaway
When it comes to selling products online, finding the right theme for your site is crucial, as it can greatly affect your conversion rates and, ultimately, your bottom line. To that end, we recommend choosing a WordPress theme that has all the bells and whistles you need to create a professional looking e-commerce site that will bring in the revenue you need to fund your business. Additionally, make sure to install the Shopify plugin for WordPress to use their shopping cart. With Shopify, setting up a professional e-commerce store is as easy as creating a blog, adding a few products, and choosing a theme that compliments your blog’s design. Lastly, make sure to link your e-commerce store to your blog, driving traffic back to your store via the articles published on your website.