There is no doubt WordPress is one of the finest blogging platform and content management system over the web. It equipped with extensive features and functionality. It is widely supported CMS, and easier for the end-users to learn as well as to customize. The architecture of WordPress is highly appreciated by developers, Do you know what is the reason behind? WordPress theme engine is designed with tons of flexibility, anyone can extend it with robust plugins functionality. You can shape WordPress to any niche based website using appropriate plugins.
If you asked me, is it possible to make e-commerce website with WordPress? My answer is Yes. You might be thinking WordPress is a blogging platform, who extends it to make an eCommerce website. Let me show you some know brands whose digital spellings are running one WordPress. They are Bata, Best Buy, Wolverine Worldwide and many more. If you are convinced to you next eCommerce store with WordPress, You want to ask me for appropriate plugin to make e-commerce website, right?
But finding eCommerce plugins without any prior experience could be daunting. For your convenience, I have noted down some of the best plugins of 2015. Hope you find it helpful.
Table of Contents
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is one of the finest e-commerce WordPress Plugin, I can confidently recommend you. WooCommerce is considered the best eCommerce WordPress plugin. According to WordPress plugin directory, the active user of WooCommerce is more million. WooCommerce offers a wide range of online selling features such as payment gateways, invoice generation, email management, discount, coupon, product review, shipment tracking and much more for an eCommerce website. WooCommerce is one of the revolutionary product of Woothemes, provide brilliant support. Have a glance at features bottled with WooCommerce.
Strength & flexibility
WooCommerce has been crafted with WordPress best practice by word’s smartest WordPress developers. So, Its both backend and frontend look sinning in every device.
Powerful Dashboard and Analytics.
In online selling, analytics is considered the key. it gives you to have instant bird eye view of your incoming sales, stock level, general store performance, review and statistical.Thanks to WooCommerce comes with cool reporting section with a smart looking dashboard.
Easy To Customize
Every business is not the same, every of them has an own business model and ways to sell. WooCommerce is super easy to customize, you can choose an eCommerce theme and build you own eCommerce realm in hours.
Free Extensions
You WordPress is easily extended with it plugins. And plugins could be extended by the extension. For WooCommerce, there are a lot of FREE WooCommerce extension available in WordPress directory. Here are some popular Admin Bar Addition, Delivery Notes, Affiliates Integration Light, Custom Product Tabs Lite, PDF Invoices and Packing Slips, Sequential Order Numbers, New Product Badges, Google Analytics and the WooCommerce Customizer.
Premium Extensions
Besides Free extension premium, WooCommerce extensions are available on the web, that make selling super cool. Here are those Product Add-Ons, Table rate shipping, Product CSV Import Suite, WooCommerce Subscriptions, Dynamic Pricing and Bookings.
Payment Gateways
WooCommerce is bundled with PayPal as a payment method. If you want to add some other extensions to add look in the extension directory and add those in your site. Here are the payment gateway extensions directory link.
Taxation
Tax is one of the most important features of eCommerce plugins. In WooCommerce, tax setting comes with tax classes and local tax rates configuration.
WP eCommerce
Wp eCommerce is wonderful eCommerce plugins for WordPress. The plugin is equipped with everything you need to sell anywhere. The wonderful and artistic online store plugin helps you to allure your visitors to convert and a secure shopping cart for online payment. According to WordPress directory, the active installation of wp eCommerce plugins. The great thing about this plugin is, Wp e-Commerce is an open source that doesn’t cost you a single dollar for a quick start.
Strength & flexibility
Wp eCommerce is a lightweight plugin, help you write own CSS and HTML for extensive customization.
Secure checkout SSL and payment gateways
Statistics shows maximum buyers afraid to purchase when they find no SSL secure sign in checkout pages. The plugin has the functionality at the core and integrated with dozens of different payment gateways.
Developing Guideline
WP eCommerce comes with extensive documentation to guide you in every step. If you are bored to read documentation, they have created video tutorials to teach more.
Easy Digital Download
Easy Digital download (EDD) is another popular WordPress eCommerce plugin appreciated by WordPress eCommerce developers. According to WordPress plugin directory, active users of Easy Digital Download is more than 4000. If you business model includes selling digital products, EDD is considered the best plugin for you. This plugin comes lightweight facilitated you to sell digital products easily and seamlessly. EDD comes with cart system for selling multiple downloadable products, PayPal for payment gateways, payment history, sales charts, data export, affiliate system integration and many more. Have a look on its details features.
Cart and promotional code system
When you selling online chart and coupon becomes essential features to add. Chart allow buyers to purchase multiple items and promotional code attracts them to buy.
Bundle Product Selling
Online is a competitive market, everyone looks for the best deal. When you want to increase your sell with bundle selling. Go ahead EDD has it at the core.
Earnings and sales charts
Analytes in e-commerce selling pay a vital role, you can monitor earning and selling easily. In EDD, you get a powerful earning and sales charts that allow you to have a look in your daily activities in a glance.
Payment Gateway
Easy Digital Download comes with many payment gateways, such PayPal and included by default with Stripe, PayPal Pro, PayPal Express, and others available as add-ons
Jigoshop
Though I didn’t have long experience of using Jigoshop, I read the reviews of Jigoshop users from WordPress plugin directory and they are pretty positive in favor of Jigoshop. I found many one found it great plugins that look fantastic both in backend and frontend. Jigoshop is equipped with a lengthy set of features that give complete control over managing your shipping rate, inventory, inventory and many more. Like other eCommerce plugins, Jigoshop can be extended with tons of extension such as multiple currencies, tax collection, and various localization options. Jigoshop supports a wide array of payment gateways including PayPal.
The most impressive part of this plugins developed by a motivated development team with years of experience. According to WordPress plugins directory, Jigoshop is active installed more 10000 websites.
Quick Installation
Jigoshop is easy to install and easy to setup. You can create you own eCommerce store with plenty of out of the box setting including catalog options, currency and many more.
Product Types
Online selling includes many of product types. some sales service, some sell downloadable virtual products. Even today’s online selling are being popular for tangible product selling. JigoShop support panty of product type, here are those.
- Downloadable or Virtual products
- Variable products (e.g. offer Size: S, M, L for one product)
- Affiliate (External) products (i.e. link your Add to cart button off-site)
- Grouped products
Detailed Report
Jigoshop is popular among the eCommerce extension for powerful reporting as well. It gives you a real-time insight of you shop overview including sortable sales graph and incoming order notification.
Stock Management
Jigoshop is a life saver when your stock getting low, It notify you so that you can quickly refill you stock limit.
Extend your Shop!
Like other WordPress plugins, Jigoshop functionality doesn’t limit your facilities in the default bundle. Jigoshop has over one hundred extensions available to make you life wonderful.
Unlimited Tax settings
When you are selling online, you have to add tax rate to pay by buyers. It is one of the key parts of the eCommerce software. Jigoshop supports Unlimited Tax settings and more.
Cart66
Chart66 another great plugins for WordPress e-commerce. Though Cart66 is not popular than others intended above, stand out strong for it unique hosted checkout option. With cart66 hosted checkout system, you don’t need to face challenges to setup your server and add SSL certification, Chart66 will protect you customer data with SSL Certificates. So, you don’t need to worry about your site security. Life other eCommerce plugins, Chart66 bottled with promotions, support for multiple currencies., order management, customizable email report, control over tax/shipping charges affiliate platform integration and custom product management. Chart66 is also popular among those who want to sell subscription-based products.
Summary
There are numerous eCommerce plugins are available in the market. Some of them best WordPress eCommerce plugin 2016 because of their useful features and functionality. IT depends on your need. If you sell only digital products, EasyDigitalDownlaod is perfect, WooCommerce is the best of Offline products, Cart66 is awesome for hosted checkout system. If you think there are some other useful eCommerce plugins, that is helpful for PickPlugins community. Share with us in the comment below.