Creating an online store

Everything exists online nowadays. This means that most people also shop online, so if you want to be able to compete then you need to join them.

Having an official website for your brand and your shop is a very good way to establish credibility and look professional. Being able to direct someone to a site is a great way to get more sales.

Setting up an online store isn’t always the easiest as it is a type of website that requires a lot of features. Fortunately, there are a lot of different ways to get a lot of help out there. So, you can get all of the same features as all the big sites without losing your mind trying to code it.

One of these ways is WooCommerce.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is an open-source eCommerce solution for WordPress websites.

The plugin was created to easier create an online store and features a lot of the basic features. It is the main commerce plugin for WordPress and has a lot of different plugins that you can get to work perfectly with the original plugin.

More than 3.9 million stores use WooCommerce. So, should you?

Pros

Plugin for WordPress

As previously mentioned, WooCommerce is a plugin for WordPress sites.

If you are already familiar with WordPress then this might be very simple way to add to what you already have or know of.

WordPress is a very popular way to create sites and WooCommerce works perfectly with it, so there are many people who have done it before you. So, if you end up needing help or guidance then there are many places to look.

Consistency throughout the process

The WooCommerce plugins works throughout the entire store and can help add features all the way from the front page to the product page to the checkout.

This means that you can have the same way of doing things through your process and don’t have to try figuring out how different plugins work for the different parts and if they can end up working together or if they clash.

This will help you as you set up your store but it will also give the customer a more cohesive experience as they navigate throughout your site.

Customizable

Another great thing about WooCommerce is that you get full creative freedom.

You can make your site look the way that you want to and have the features you want.

This also means that if you want to code a lot yourself then that is also possible, but if you don’t have the skills for that there are also a lot of different themes or plugins to choose from

The only limit is you!

Compatible with any level of programming skill

There are many different routes to take when setting up your site which means that no matter what level of programming you are on you have a way to set up your site.

This is something that WooCommerce is aware of and has taken into account as they have created multiple guides for the different ways you can go about setting it up.

Pricing

Outside of the domain and the hosting fees then WooCommerce has no upfront cost. There are no required costs if you don’t want to. 

You should be able to find many different plugins that are free. Though a lot of plugins do have some kind of cost and if you want very professional or complicated features then that might end up costing you a little bit.

But you have a lot of control about how much you want to add at and additional cost.

Cons

More for you to setup yourself

With both WordPress and WooCommerce you are the one who is in charge of everything from the design to the setup to the features on the site. Everything is ultimately up to you.

That doesn’t mean that there is no help out there for you out. There are many guides and forums out there to help you on your way.

But in the end it is you who needs to figure out what you are supposed to do. This gives you a lot of responsibilities but also a lot of freedom.

Can end up as a patchwork

There are a lot of different plugin out there that work with and can help expand you WooCommerce store. This can mean that you will end up with a lot of plugins that you need to ensure works together.

Now it isn’t a prerequisite that these plugins will necessarily work together the way they need to or that they won’t clash.

This can be somewhat avoided by doing research before you end up choosing plugins or picking ones that are made by the same people.

Also if one combination doesn’t work there are a lot of others out there.

Can require research

There are many different plugins and themes out there that work for and can improve your store and website. This means that you will need to spend time figuring out which ones that fit you the best. At the same time it might also require a bit of research in the programming skills that it takes to set the plugin up or understand the differences between them.

This can at times feel like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Unlimited choices does mean you need to set time aside to make them.

Support is not as extensive as other services

Other eCommerce options, like Shopify or BigCommerce, tend to have more extensive support functions. They are traditionally made for people who don’t mind paying extra for the security of knowing that you can get very beginner friendly help through the process.

This doesn’t mean that there aren’t help to find from WooCommerce, but it can end up requiring a little more knowledge about what exactly is wrong.

It will probably also be just as easy to google the problem and find an answer as if you go through all the proper channels.

Can have a steep learning curve

WooCommerce might not be the most beginner friendly option out there, even with the many different guides to its features. There are others that  do a lot more of the work for you.

It can take a little time fully get the hang of how WooCommerce works but once you do you won’t have as many problems and have more control over what you can do with it.

Conclusion

In conclusion choosing WooCommerce for your online store lets you set up a store that looks and works like you want it to. It is important to think about how much time and effort you want to put into your site and how much creative freedom you want over your site when deciding whether or not to choose WooCommerce for your site.