If you’re looking to sell your products or services online, it’s easy to look at cheap or DIY website options. But it’s vital that your online store is set up correctly using a suitable ecommerce platform.
The right website solution will offer a convenient, reliable, accessible and efficient online shopping experience for the end user. It can be overwhelming trying to find the most suitable solution, but below we outline why we believe WordPress is the best ecommerce solution in the market for many businesses.
Key features of WordPress for ecommerce
Originally created as an online platform for bloggers, WordPress has evolved considerably over the past couple of decades, and is now an all-in-one platform for website builders. It’s incredibly flexible and can be adapted to suit almost any requirement.
One of its key features is the ability to integrate any of several ecommerce solutions, each with countless configurable options. Below we outline some of the key benefits of WordPress as an ecommerce platform.
1. Wide variety of plugins
Plugins are additional software packages that customise the default features of WordPress. This allows WordPress to be transformed into an online store, membership platform, video service, intranet, and anything else you can dream up. The rate of plugin development is only increasing, offering more options every day.
For ecommerce sites, the variety of plugins offer a ton of extra features that you could potentially make invaluable use of, including:
- Managing and organising your available inventory of products and alerting you to when you need to order more.
- Managing customer/client communication, which is essential. Plugins can offer unrivalled ability for direct communication.
- Customer support, which is another essential part of any business, especially with ecommerce where customers are otherwise lacking ‘attention’ from company personnel.
- Security. This is always important for websites but with ecommerce it’s even more so, what with the transfer of money and inputting of credit cards and other confidential information.
(a) WooCommerce (our recommendation)
Our preferred ecommerce plugin is WooCommerce because it offers a huge array of customisable features to help your website function better, and offer customers greater security, features and mobile access.
(b) Easy Digital Downloads
If you’re simply selling products online, this plugin will offer you streamlined functionality.
(c) WP eCommerce
If you’re working with a ton of financial information, product details or online catalogues–not to mention increasing sales–WP eCommerce is a popular choice.
(d) Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart
This all-in-one plugin offers fantastic improvement on your already existing WordPress website and also allows Facebook integration and mobile accessibility.
2. Wide variety of themes
WordPress offers a ton of themes for you to choose from. While many platforms offer a variety of themes, not all of them offer comprehensive theme integration with a working ecommerce solution. Your theme determines how your business’s website looks and works for your customers. This can be frustrating because if you choose a theme that you like and works for you but doesn’t work as an ecommerce solution, you’ll be stuck and needing to compromise one way or the other.
A theme that supports ecommerce might offer any or all of the following:
- Responsive and interactive layout
- Intuitive user experience
- Ability to customise appearance
- Easy to control and change settings
- Plugin support
WordPress offers a lot of themes with ecommerce options, such as Uncode, Shop Isle, EightStore Lite or Make. Each theme offers different features and functions, so make sure that the one you settle on works for you. That said, most popular themes now natively support WooCommerce or another ecommerce plugin. If you’re not sure what’s best for your website, give GO Creative a holler!
3. Easy to implement security
As we mentioned before, ecommerce websites require a high level of security. With the amount of financial transactions, personal data, and confidential information you’ll be dealing with you — and your customers — need to rest assured that you are covered on all security bases.
WordPress has been in the business for a long, long time. Over the years it’s gained a well-deserved reputation for being secure and reliable. Additionally, because their reputation depends on it, the WordPress team is constantly seeking improvements to their security options.
Additionally, if you’re looking (as you should) for extra security features, there are plenty of security solutions available that will seamlessly integrate with your WordPress site. From automatic backups to regular updates, and from site trackers to external plugins, WordPress makes it easier to be safe rather than sorry.
4. The WordPress Community
It is common knowledge that no person is an island, and no one can achieve success alone. In the real world our teams, colleagues, mentors, friends and community are all driving and supporting factors behind our success personally and professionally. In the online space of website and ecommerce creation, it is no different.
WordPress is not just a fantastic technical tool, it also offers a large community of users who are happy to help give suggestions, offer feedback, troubleshoot technical issues or answer questions. While truly a community in every sense of the word, the various sources of support for WordPress can vary from the WordPress support site itself to online course providers like WP Apprentice. There are even YouTube channels, Q&A forums and third party support forums online available for you to access and draw inspiration from.
Not to mention the elephant on the page: GO Creative. While we offer a comprehensive list of website-related services, our team are experts in everything ecommerce and WordPress web design in Brisbane.
Premium WordPress Web Design Brisbane
Your ecommerce website may make or break your success as an online business. So, it’s vital you get it right. Whether we’ve sold you on the benefits of using WordPress for your ecommerce solution and you’re ready to get started, or you want to ask some more questions and view some alternative options, the GO Creative team is always more than happy to help.
Give us a call or shoot through an enquiry today, and we’ll give you our undivided attention so your ecommerce website can be up and running as soon as possible.
