WooCommerce is one of the most popular eCommerce sites in the world. It was launched by two developers, James Koster and Mike Jolley, in 2011 and later sold to Automattic in 2015. It is home to over 300,000 online retailers, including some prominent and high traffic sites.
How does it work?
WooCommerce is an open-source eCommerce platform built for WordPress that allows users to sell physical, digital, and affiliated products. To get started, you will need to acquire hosting services from a web hosting provider. Next, you will need to install and configure WordPress and then build your web design using a theme. Once that’s complete, you can now proceed to install and configure WooCommerce, allowing it to handle the eCommerce functions of your website. When the plugin is activated, you will need to configure it for your specific products.
Advantages of WooCommerce
Easy to use
WooCommerce is easier to install now more than ever. You can opt for free or paid installation, but if you decide to install it yourself, the process is as easy as hitting the ‘install’ and ‘activate’ buttons. The configuration module guides you as you add specifics such as company details, shipping, and taxes. It also comes already bundled with different payment options such as PayPal, BACS, credit cards, and cash on delivery.
Highly customisable
There are tons of free and paid adaptable themes on WooCommerce. Your theme determines how easily you can customise your site, but you can also use the WordPress visual customiser to manage fonts, upload logos and adjust colours.
Advanced features for larger stores
If your online store has high traffic, there are numerous plugins and extensions that can make your site even more powerful. These extensions are straightforward to set up and use.
Disadvantages
High costs
While the WooCommerce plugin is free, running costs can be high when you take into account maintenance, hosting, development, etc.
It requires knowledge and proficiency in WordPress
WooCommerce isn’t an eCommerce content management system; it is a WordPress plugin. Therefore, you must have some knowledge of WordPress to use it effectively.
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