Are you familiar with WordPress and use it daily? If so, you know how convenient this system is to use. But what if a regular website isn't enough and you want to start an online store? The solution is simple: WooCommerce. What is it? How does this system work? What are its pros and cons? Which WooCommerce plugins might be useful? You can read all about it in our guide.
WooCommerce and the market
The e-commerce market is growing, both globally and in Poland. Especially after the coronavirus lockdown, people have appreciated the vast possibilities offered by online shopping. Research shows that the number of visits to e-stores increased from 13 billion to a staggering 22 billion per month between January and July 2020 ! The direction the market is heading, even more than before, is clear: the internet . So, even if you're not yet in the e-commerce world, it's worth making your presence felt. Now is the perfect time, regardless of your industry.
If you want to start an e-shop , WooCommerce is a solution worth considering.
What is WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that allows you to transform your website into an online store with a wide range of features. That's all there is to it. The solution was created in 2011 and has been steadily gaining popularity ever since. To date, the plugin has been downloaded over 83 million times and is currently the most popular e-commerce solution in the world. It was developed by the WooThemes team and, since 2015, has been owned by Auttomatic, the creators of WordPress. It is free software, released under an open-source license.
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WooCommerce is still growing in popularity in Poland, but is currently outpaced by two other platforms – PrestaShop and Shoper. However, the upward trend is continuing, so we can expect this WordPress solution to soon take the lead. It's no surprise – the benefits of using WooCommerce are numerous.
Why choose WooCommerce?
Wondering if WooCommerce is right for you? Discover the key benefits of this e-commerce plugin.
- Free Open Source Software
Downloading and implementing the "pure" version of WooCommerce is free, as are all the plugins that enhance its functionality. All you need to do is download the e-commerce plugin to get started.
The fact that the software is GNU-licensed and a large community of experts is involved in its development means that the number of WooCommerce plugins is vast, making finding solutions to any problems easy.
The open license also means you can make any modifications to the system to tailor WooCommerce to your business needs without having to pay for a license.
- Simplicity and intuitive operation
Even if you don't know much (or anything!) about programming, you'll have no trouble installing and using the basic version of WooCommerce. It's very intuitive, and a wizard guides you through the entire process. Simply download the plugin to your server and install it in your WordPress dashboard like any other – selecting WooCommerce from the repository.
- Versatility
Regardless of your market sector or e-commerce model, you can configure WooCommerce to your exact specifications. Therefore, you can use it to set up almost any e-commerce system. You can use this platform, for example, to run:
- standard online shop, selling and shipping "physical" products,
- distribution of virtual products, e.g. music, games, e-books, etc.,
- an online booking system for stationary services, e.g. for purchasing hairdressing, beauty and many other services,
- ticket distribution/reservation system,
- a subscription distribution system – e.g. for some services or products.
Even if the standard version of the software lacks the functionality you need, you can quickly add it using specific plugins. These are available both free of charge in the official WooCommerce store and on third-party services.
- SEO-friendly
WooCommerce is a VERY SEO -friendly plugin —it's definitely compatible with Google's algorithms. This is partly because it allows you to generate robot-friendly URLs and is responsive, like most plugins that work with it. This means your WooCommerce-based online store will display well on any device , including smartphones. In the age of mobile sales, this is a feature that can't be overstated!
WooCommerce's SEO- friendliness is also enhanced by its security – the plugin has an SSL module, and security holes are quickly detected and patched by the community. Therefore, keeping this e-commerce software up-to-date is all you need to rest assured that your data is secure.
- Availability in Polish
This is a significant advantage for users. You don't need a translator to use WooCommerce. Both the configuration wizard and the entire plugin menu are available in Polish. This regionalization makes it exceptionally easy to use.
Beyond translation into our language, "regionalization" encompasses a growing number of plugins tailored to the Polish online sales landscape. You'll easily find plugins integrated with popular payment systems and courier platforms, as well as CRM and ERP software. This allows you to maximize the automation of your WooCommerce-based e-commerce store , allowing you to focus on the core of your business rather than on the technology.
- Wide personalization possibilities
Hundreds of plug-ins, a plethora of graphical themes, and configuration options – WooCommerce offers a wide range of customization options to suit your business's specific needs. Using this plugin, you can sell any type of product, using a variety of distribution models, and customize the website's graphical layout to your needs. The number of free themes is enormous! You can also commission experts to create a custom template that aligns with your visual identity system and other requirements.
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What are the disadvantages of WooCommerce?
As you can see, WooCommerce has many advantages – after all, it's a popular e-commerce platform for a reason. However, that doesn't mean it's a perfect solution. Before you decide, you need to be aware of its drawbacks.
- It's "just" a WordPress plugin
One might say: "only and as much as." The fact that WooCommerce is a plugin integrated with WordPress is both an advantage and a disadvantage. An advantage because it ensures ease of installation and use. A disadvantage because... it imposes certain limitations in functionality and development compared to independent store platforms. For example, you can't implement it on a website not based on WordPress.
- No official technical support
Finding help with WooCommerce isn't difficult – after all, the plugin has a large community. However, the developers don't provide official technical support for implementation or maintenance issues. It's up to you, the user, to seek it out, perhaps by using the services of external experts.
- Not exactly a free solution
Yes, the plugin itself and its hundreds of add-ons are available free of charge. However, this doesn't mean you can always avoid costs entirely. You may need to invest in a paid WooCommerce extension to customize your online store to your business needs. There may also be costs associated with implementing and maintaining the service through an external agency.
- Add-on compatibility
The number of add-ons for WooCommerce is enormous. However, it's important to remember that some plugins for the platform may conflict with each other or stop working after updating WooCommerce itself.
Who is WooCommerce for?
Is WooCommerce an e-commerce platform for everyone? The above list of advantages and disadvantages of this system demonstrates that its potential is enormous, yet… limited. Therefore, WooCommerce may not be an ideal solution for very large and advanced stores – they most often require dedicated platforms, built from scratch according to their business preferences.
However, WooCommerce will be a very good solution for you if:
- you want to run a small or medium-sized e-shop,
- you want to be independent from subscription platforms (and therefore you want to be the owner of your e-shop, and not just rent services in the SaaS model),
- you don't have advanced and unusual concepts for developing your e-business - WooCommerce works best with standard online stores,
- you expect simplicity and intuitive operation and can agree to give up advanced functionalities,
- you care about high effectiveness SEO activities.
And what industries does WooCommerce work best for? Basically, any industry. Whether you want to sell food, in-store services, subscriptions, or virtual products, you can customize the plugin's functionality to your needs.
How to set up an online store with WooCommerce?
So, now that you know WooCommerce is the solution for you, it's time to start setting up an online store using this plugin. How do you do it?
- Connect WooCommerce to your WordPress website
You can do this easily – by downloading the plugin to your server and installing it via the dashboard of your platform.
- Set up WooCommerce
You'll complete basic configuration using an intuitive wizard. You'll enter basic store details, including:
- his address,
- the area where you will sell,
- supported currencies,
- method of calculating discounts,
- basic principles of product publication and presentation,
- shipping and payment rules (in the basic version the number of options is limited, but they can be extended using plug-ins),
- rules and content of e-mails sent to customers in connection with orders.
- Choose the plugins you need for WooCommerce
The specific WooCommerce plugins you need depend on the specifics of your business. However, here are a few examples of plugins that can be useful for almost anyone.
- WooCart – This plugin provides access to the shopping cart, allowing customers to add products and modify their orders. The Recover Abandoned Cart plugin is a useful addition, allowing you to recover an abandoned cart on your next visit.
- WooCommerce Products Slider – this plugin will make your product display more attractive by presenting them on sliders.
- WooCommerce ImageZooom – a plugin that allows you to enlarge product photos and their fragments.
- WooCommerce Przelewy24 – thanks to this plugin, you will provide your customers with convenient payments in the Przelewy24 system (only PayPal is available in the basic version of the system).
- Birds Custom Login – a plugin that allows customers to create accounts and log in for easier shopping.
- WordPress Invoices – As the name suggests, this plugin allows you to automatically issue an invoice to your customer.
- WooCommerce Coupon Generator – a plugin for generating discount codes.
Of course, these are just a few of hundreds, if not thousands, of useful plugins. Also look for those that allow you to integrate sales with your inventory, accounting, and CRM systems – this will enable full sales automation.
- Add products
Adding products to a WooCommerce-based store is simple and intuitive. A dedicated wizard guides you through the process. Here, you can enter the product name, description, price, and available variants, and—after integrating the store with your warehouse—manage its inventory.
- Sell
Once launched and properly configured, your WooCommerce-based online store will operate conveniently and intuitively. Of course, this doesn't mean it will be completely maintenance-free. It will take some time. However, one thing is certain: selling online with WooCommerce is simple and convenient. Therefore, it's worth considering this solution.
Need help implementing an online store on the WooCommerce platform? Or perhaps you'd like to boost your online presence ? Learn how we can help. Contact Verseo.
Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- what is WooCommerce,
- WooCommerce in the e-commerce market,
- advantages of WooCommerce,
- WooCommerce weaknesses,
- Who is WooCommerce suitable for?
- how to start a store on WooCommerce.
