10 WordPress E-Commerce Website Plugins for 2017
WordPress is the world’s #1 content management platform and a big reason for that is its incredible plugin system. Not only can WordPress plugins add some exciting new features to your site but you can download tons of themes and plugins for free from its official repository. In the past few years, WordPress has cemented its place as the go-to platform for creating e-commerce websites as well as blogging and informational sites.
What if I told you there was a way to take advantage of WordPress’ incredible plugin system to create an e-commerce store that looks and operates better than many expensive, commercial-grade stores?
Well, there is a way and it’s called WordPress e-commerce plugins. When it comes to e-commerce, performance is everything and it’s usually the small things that can help your website end up being a little more convenient for your customer. For example, if your site loads a little slower than usual or throws up any hiccups when someone purchases a product, you’re losing out on sales. Don’t get me wrong, your site’s performance is extremely important but so is your customer’s experience.
The Definitive List of WordPress E-Commerce Plugins
Many people think that creating an e-commerce store using WordPress is as simple as installing a few plugins and configuring some options but, in reality, it takes a lot of planning and research to make sure everything functions the way you want it to. There are a lot of WordPress e-commerce plugins available and that can sometimes be a little overwhelming. That’s why I’ve gone ahead and compiled a list of the absolute best WordPress e-commerce plugins available today in hopes of making your decision easier. Let’s get to it.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is by far the most popular WordPress e-commerce plugin used today. Why? Because it’s simple to use, it’s extremely powerful, and it has a huge community behind it. Just because you have a WordPress installation does not mean you have to use WooCommerce. There are many other great e-commerce plugins that you can choose from, too.
WooCommerce is available for both desktop and mobile and is very secure. What’s more, the plugin offers a wide variety of templates and designs so you’re sure to find something that suits your needs. With WooCommerce, you don’t need any previous e-commerce knowledge or experience to get started. Just install the plugin, activate it, and you’re good to go. From there, you can add products, create a menu, and start selling.
Shopify
Shopify is another popular e-commerce WordPress plugin that provides a wide variety of functionalities. What’s special about Shopify is that, rather than focusing on one specific area, the plugin offers a variety of functions that you can implement on your site, all with the click of a button. For example, you can set up a drop-shipping store where you can sell your own branded products, or you can use the plugin to set up a store selling third-party products.
Shopify is, perhaps, the most versatile and functional of the WordPress e-commerce plugins listed here. With it, you can create a completely custom store, integrating all of its features into your site. What’s more, since it’s a completely open-source project, you can download and install the plugin onto your site without fear of vulnerability. One of the main reasons why I chose Shopify over the others is that it offers a free trial. Why hassle with trying out a paid plugin when the free version will do just as good if not better?
E-commerce Dashboard
An e-commerce dashboard is a web interface that allows you to control all the functionalities of your e-commerce store. The advantage of using an e-commerce dashboard is that you can access all the information at your fingertips. This makes it easy for you to keep track of things like orders, inventory, and other essential details. Dashboards are particularly useful for busy startups and small businesses who need to keep track of a lot of things at once. The downside is that not all e-commerce dashboards are made equal, so you’ll need to do a little bit of research before choosing one.
Instagram Shop
Instagram is one of the biggest social media platforms today with over a billion active monthly users. What does this have to do with e-commerce? Well, a lot, actually, because a large portion of Instagram users are active online shoppers who use the platform to discover and purchase the latest and the greatest. If you’re a business owner or brand manager who wants to take advantage of this valuable audience, then you can create an Instagram shop where you feature products, offers, and discounts exclusive to Instagram users. Doing this can get you a lot of brand awareness and even sales, especially if you use the right tools.
SqueezePage
SqueezePage is a robust WordPress e-commerce plugin that is very flexible and easy to use. What makes it special is that it provides a range of features that allow you to create a fully functioning e-commerce store that suits your needs. SqueezePage is packed with functionality and provides a wide range of features, from shipping to customer care and billing. What’s more, the plugin has a fantastic reputation amongst its users and there are many positive reviews online, too. If you’re looking for a simple yet robust solution to create a functional e-commerce store, then SqueezePage might just be the plugin for you.
Jigoshop
Jigoshop is one of the more complex WordPress e-commerce plugins available but, at the same time, it’s also one of the more flexible and powerful ones. What makes Jigoshop unique is that it allows you to create a fully functioning e-commerce store utilizing the WordPress admin dashboard. The plugin provides a variety of tools that can help you get the most out of your store. For example, you can use the built-in SEO to optimize your product titles and meta descriptions for Google. You can also use the free shipping tool to offer discounts for select customers.
If you’re looking to create an e-commerce store but don’t have the time to set one up yourself, then Jigoshop is the perfect choice because it takes all the hard work out of the process. Plus, since it’s a WordPress installation, you don’t have to worry about security or performance.
Volusion E-Commerce
If you’re looking for a solution that can provide complete control over the functionality of your e-commerce store, then you can’t go wrong with Volusion. What makes this e-commerce solution special is that it’s completely integrated with the Hootsuite platform, so you can effortlessly manage all of your social media feeds from one place. As a result, you can use all the marketing power of social media to grow your business.
The great thing about Volusion is that it supplies all the tools you need to create a fully functional e-commerce store right within the WordPress admin dashboard. What’s more, the plugin offers a money-back guarantee if you meet the right conditions. While there are other popular WordPress e-commerce plugins that supply similar functionalities, Volusion is definitely the go-to solution for those who want to get the absolute most out of their store.
Shopify Plus
As the name would suggest, Shopify Plus is an upgrade to Shopify that provides additional features and functionalities. What’s new in Shopify Plus is the addition of templates and design elements that were previously reserved for the Shopify Pro plan. Designers and developers can submit new templates to be used within the plugin or customize existing ones to fit their needs. As for the additional features, Shopify Plus provides a variety of marketing tools, including email marketing, webinar marketing, and so on.
With Shopify Plus, you get all the features of Shopify for free, plus a whole lot more. What’s special about this is that, since it’s a WordPress plugin, you don’t need to have your own WordPress instance to use all the features. As a result, Shopify Plus is quite popular amongst creative professionals who use the WordPress admin dashboard to run their businesses. The downside is that Shopify Plus does come with a price and it’s probably not the cheapest option on this list. However, for those who needs a robust yet simple solution, it’s hard to avoid this one.