Despite all the ‘specialized’ eCommerce platforms designed specifically to help you set up an online store and sell effortlessly, WordPress reigns supreme even in the eCommerce vertical of the internet. That’s how versatile the platform is.
With WordPress, you don’t just get a facsimile of an online shop which you manage like a bland sales assistant in a brick and mortar store. WordPress encourages you and provides you the all the most powerful tools for online marketing, content publishing, technical and psychological user experience aspect application, social media acumen and more to help you sell better. Compare a corner store to a conglomerate – that’s how the experience differs.
To set up your online store and reach the heights of success, you first need a shopping cart/ eCommerce plugin. In this post, I have listed 5 of the top eCommerce plugins for WordPress.
1. WooCommerce
Source: WordPress Plugin Directory
When you talk of WordPress and eCommerce in the same sentence, you can’t ‘not’ mention WooCommerce. The plugin is, quite frankly, a classic. And that’s because it’s developed with WordPress quality standards and user friendliness principles in mind. That’s why early in 2015, WordPress’ Automattic acquired WooCommerce in a bid to “democratize online selling with WordPress”.
The plugin is modular, and highly, beautifully extendable. The core WooCommerce plugin is available at WordPress.org plugin repository free of cost. This core plugin gives you a beautifully optimized shopping cart and all the online store management features, enhanced with WordPress’ own management and publication interface. Adding your products to the store is as easy as publishing a post on WordPress with WooCommerce.
Extra features comes in all shapes and sizes from the plugin’s creators WooThemes own portal as well as various other trusted sources on the internet (plugin repository, Envato market’s codecanyon, etc.). Depending on your needs and budget you can purchase add one to include features like additional payment gateway integrations, shipping portals, advanced search (sidebar navigation), advertising and affiliate marketing tools (bundled products, discount coupons with timers, offers, etc.), and so much more to your online store. You can even buy/ download spectacular WooCommerce compatible or WooCommerce integrated themes from trusted sources on the net.
2. Easy Digital Downloads
Source: WordPress Plugin Directory
For providers of digital products (photographers, designers, developers, and countless others), Easy Digital Downloads is nothing less than an answered prayer.
This Williamson masterpiece lets you sell digital products (any and all media files – ebooks, documents, audio and video files, all image formats, and anything digital really). The plugin comes packed with multiple payment gateways integrated, promo codes and bundled products feature for advertising and promotional purposes, a fully functional shopping cart, transaction history, detailed sales statistics for analyses and insight, multiple files per download and verified-purchase re-download feature, and so much more.
Like WooCommerce, the plugin is extendable with the help of premium (as well as free) add one available on trusted sources.
3. WP eCommerce
Source: WordPress Plugin Directory
WP eCommerce is a basic eCommerce plugin for WordPress. Quite frankly, I recommend you get this plugin only if you have a WordPress development company on board to customize the shopping experience on both backend administration and front end user. The plugin itself will give you all the starting essentials like shortcodes and tags, a functional shopping cart, a thorough PayPal payment gateway integration (complete with options to upgrade from Standard, Pro, or Express), other payment gateways integration options with Google Wallet, iDEAL, SagePay, Paystation, LinkPoint, ChronoPay, etc.
The plugin can be customized but only with code, so general WordPress users/ clients will need a developer to help them customize the eCommerce features. Some premium grade plugin features also include widgets, cross-selling, bulk discounts and coupon system, easy integration with Google products and services (Google Universal Analytics, Sitemaps, and Base), drag and drop product placement, SSL security, etc.
Even though it’s not rated 5 stars on WordPress plugin repository, it’s still a feature packed plugin if you and your developers know what to do with it.
4. Ecwid Shopping Cart
Source: WordPress Plugin Directory
Ecwid is a standalone eCommerce shopping cart service, but it gets a mention because it has a special plugin and subsequent add-ons and extensions available specifically for integration with WordPress. The service is notable for its PCI DSS Level 1 security validation (Gold standard for all eCommerce and transaction service providers).
The core plugin is free to download, but registration/ sign up on Ecwid server is necessary for further use (also free). Premium subscription plans will give you even more features for your WordPress shopping cart to work with, including more payment gateways and shipping options, enhanced store management and stock features, order management, invoice generation, advertising and promotion, and more.
5. Jigoshop
Source: WordPress Plugin Directory
Jigoshop is fun and easy.
The free plugin, built strictly on WordPress core features and functionalities, comes packed with amazing features that let you sell digital as well as tangible, sell affiliate products, manage and display stock and quantities for product variations, product bundles, sales statistics and store performance reports, stock management, multiple shipping methods and payment gateway integrations, and so much more.
The plugin comes with a highly user friendly product, order and stock management interface and there are various add-ons and extensions available for Jigoshop to be used as required. It’s lacking in nothing.
Endnote
The 5 listed eCommerce plugins are consistent in updates, well used and trusted by the community, and offer great features and compatibility with other WordPress eCommerce themes and general WordPress plugins. Which eCommerce WordPress plugin is your favorite? Share with us in the comments below.
