If you are looking for a way to make money online, opening your own eCommerce store is a great option. Flexibility alone is a valid reason to have it, but the cost savings and improved brand visibility in a physical location also makes it a smart choice. However, the process of building a store can seem overwhelming and you don't know which tool to use.
Fortunately, when you use WordPress as a platform, you have access to dozens of eCommerce plugins. These plugins can add baskets, critics platforms, and more, providing just about everything you need to launch an online store quickly.
In this publication, we'll discuss why you might want to build your own online store and why you should consider WordPress as your base platform. Then we will show you five tools to build your online store with WordPress and explain what makes each solution unique.
Why should you consider creating an online store with WordPress
If you are looking to start a new store, it is difficult to decide between having a physical one only or having one also (or only) online. However, ecommerce stores offer a number of advantages over their traditional counterparts:
Lower Overhead Costs: Without a physical storefront, you can keep operating costs to a minimum.
Expanded Geographic Reach: An online presence allows you to expand the reach of your brand, which translates to more potential customers for your store.
Reduced Marketing Costs: Online marketing is generally less expensive compared to physical marketing tactics.
In addition, you can easily sell a variety of types of products in an online store. These include physical products, digital goods, and even subscriptions and services.
Of course, even if you know that you want to have an online store, it can be difficult to know where to start. We recommend building your store with WordPress, because of its built-in flexibility, many features through themes and plugins, and high-end security.
If you create your site with WordPress, you will have access to many excellent dedicated tools, designed to help you create an online store. In fact, there are so many that can be a bit overwhelming. However, the official plugin directory makes it easy to find most of your needs.
3 tools to build an online store with WordPress
Although there are many plugins E-commerce available on WordPress, we think these five are the best picks. This is due to their features, high ratings, and constant support they receive from developers.
1 - WooCommerce (free)
WooCommerce was developed by Automattic, the company behind WordPress and Jetpack. If you are looking for simplicity and flexibility, this is a good solution.
With WooCommerce, you can sell physical and digital products, as well as subscriptions, service reservations, and even recurring subscriptions. It's one of the most popular eCommerce plugins out there, and for good reason! A major feature is the plugin's seemingly endless list of premium extensions. These extensions allow you to connect to many popular brands and store management tools.
Best of all, the base plugin is free. Even without premium plugins, you can still create a beautiful online store. This is why 42% of online stores work with WooCommerce.
2 - Easy Digital Download
Easy Digital Downloads is a targeted e-commerce solution. This is a great choice if you only sell digital products on your site, such as eBooks, PDFs, or music, and you can use and customize it however you want.
While other ecommerce plugins - such as WooCommerce - allow the sale of digital downloads, this is usually not the primary focus. With Easy Digital Downloads, you'll have more specific customization options for selling digital products online, allowing you to customize each display to your customers' needs.
With the basic plugin, you will be able to use PayPal and Amazon as payment gateways. In addition, there are premium extensions that allow the use of Stripe, Braintree, and more. Other premium extensions include analytics tracking, accounting software, and even email marketing. You can also purchase add-ons, which makes getting started easier.
3 - Ecwid eCommerce Shopping Cart (Freemium)
Ecwid eCommerce Shopping Cart is a plugin that offers a lot for its small price tag. Not only can you fully customize the features of the plugin according to the needs of your buyers. You can also manage your store safely (thanks to the demand for mobile point of sale (POS)).
It's one of the more flexible options on our list, as it provides a number of native features that other plugins don't. E-commerce do not include by default. For example, this plugin lets you accept 40 international payment options – online and in person – and offers unlimited storage and scheduled product listing backups.
Plus, you can add a shopping cart directly to your Facebook business page. This further expands your reach and can help you convert users into customers. The plugin is free for up to 10 products, and premium plans start at just $ 15 per month.
That's it for this list of tools for create an online store. Do you have any suggestions, feel free to share them with us.
