In many markets, selling things online is a realistic way to make money. All you want is a reliable website that enables you to post your products and make them accessible to potential buyers.

These platforms often handle all the labor-intensive configuration and upkeep of your internet business, allowing you to concentrate on your sales tactics. One of these systems is WordPress, which is most frequently connected to blog publications.

You can build a WordPress e-commerce website, of course! After all, using the appropriate plugins to expand your features is the main benefit of using WordPress for your website.

These have the capacity to bring new features that entirely alter the services you may provide to your visitors. Moreover, one of these features is an online store.

To operate with a WordPress eCommerce, you can have a limited amount of programming experience. You may rely on the best plugins to convert your WordPress website into an online store if you have the correct approach and a well-built site.

What distinguishes WordPress for e-commerce?

One of the first decisions you need to make when starting your own eCommerce is regarding the platform your online business will utilize. There are numerous choices, including Squarespace, WooCommerce, and Shopify.

WordPress, the well-known Content Management System (CMS) primarily used for blog posting, is also a fantastic choice for your e-commerce. That also holds true for online sales since it is a platform capable of working with anything you want your website to be.

This decision is directly related to what you anticipate from your store. By choosing a particular eCommerce platform, you are bound to that setting. WordPress, on the other hand, excels at adaptability and enables a truly customizable approach on your part.

WordPress is also supported by templates, or themes, which, depending on your preferences, can significantly alter how your website appears. For those who want an entirely customized online store with all the advantages that its vast library of plugins offers, it is the best option.

Here are the key advantages of WordPress for e-commerce that you should take into account, in summary:

It is provided “as-is,” so you can either do the installation yourself or rely on a hosting service to do it for you; since it is primarily a publishing platform for content, you must install plugins to add additional functionality; it has a sizable library of plugins to expand your features beyond a basic online store, including SEO-focused configurations, multiple language support, automatic backup solutions, and others; it also has an equally sizable library of themes.

When should I use WordPress for online shopping?

If you picture yourself being interested in WordPress’s unique capabilities for eCommerce, you should consider it a possible option. This option will also give you the most freedom and control over your online store, even though it could appear intimidating to some.

The majority of e-commerce platforms provide the same service: in exchange for a monthly fee, you gain access to a system that manages the back end of your online store. However, this typically entails working in a regimented setting that doesn’t allow for much customization. On the other hand, you can typically rely on these businesses to provide excellent tech assistance.

Open and versatile, WordPress. Additionally, most eCommerce platforms actually offer their own plugins to give you access to their capabilities within your site if you already have a WordPress website. This implies that there won’t be any significant changes to how you and your teamwork.

Are you hesitant yet? The following are the key situations in which WordPress should be used for e-commerce:

• if you possess a custom-branded template that is appropriate for your purposes and is only compatible with WordPress;
• if you currently utilize WordPress for your website and are acquainted with its settings;
• if you want to use a free platform rather than a premium one in order to conserve resources;
• If your hosting provider offers top-notch technical support to assist you with any WordPress-related issues; if you are aware that you can create your own combination of features using the appropriate plugins and do not require many of the features that paid eCommerce systems to offer.

What are the top 6 e-commerce plugins?

To convert your WordPress website into an online store, you must include eCommerce features. You must download and install the appropriate WordPress plugins to accomplish that. The task may seem intimidating because there are so many options available. But we are here to support you with that.

The six best WordPress e-commerce plugins are listed below for your review. Enjoy!

      1.Woo Commerce

One of the most well-known WordPress e-commerce plugins is woo commerce. You can use it as an external online store platform, but you can also install it as a plugin for your WordPress website.

Woo Commerce is absolutely free to use, to start. Its key selling point is simply that it enables users with a wide range of knowledge levels to sell goods on WordPress-powered websites.

This is accomplished via a user-friendly interface and a modular setup system where you just add what you require.

With it, you can also quickly add a variety of payment methods to your website, including digital wallets, debit and credit cards, and others. You don’t have to bother about programming or configuration because Woo Commerce handles everything on the back end.

      2.Big Commerce 

Big Commerce is a third-party e-commerce platform with a plugin that allows WordPress websites to use its capabilities.

In order to ensure that the speed and availability of your website are not adversely affected, it makes scalability a promise and handles the majority of the labor on its own. Big Commerce supports more than 250 different payment ways internationally, demonstrating its extensive global payment support.

Big Commerce can keep your inventory current by syncing with ERPs, PIMs, and other management systems you may have linked with WordPress through its API calling back-end. Finally, it integrates seamlessly with the majority of WordPress themes.

      3.Shopify

When selecting an eCommerce platform, individuals also consider shopify, although it is also accessible as a WordPress plugin. With it, you can delegate the responsibility of running an online store to the platform and concentrate on your sales methods, which are what actually count.

Shopify operates independently from WordPress, in contrast to other options for eCommerce plugins. This indicates that it begins to operate from its servers as soon as your user clicks the “Buy” button. In this approach, Shopify is in charge of all back-end functionality including payment processing and the shopping cart interface.

The functionalities of Shopify can be expanded by add-ons, just like WordPress itself. You can browse the Shopify apps to add the features your online store needs.

     4. Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart

Differs from the competition in that it can be used with various CMS platforms, like Wix and Weebly, as well as social media websites like Facebook and Instagram.

Working with Ecwid on your WordPress website is a terrific first step toward being able to sell concurrently on numerous channels as a result. This is a beneficial e-commerce trend that brings the customer a great deal of convenience.

Ecwid provides an easy-to-configure interface and offers a quick way to arrange your products and categories, similar to the majority of WordPress eCommerce plugins. It is also compatible with the majority of WordPress templates.

5.The Ultimate WordPress Sale

You may turn your WordPress website into an auction site in addition to creating your own online store. Install a plugin like Ultimate WordPress Auction right away.

You may showcase products with Ultimate WordPress Auction and let users place bids on them. The parties concerned are notified whenever one of these bids is updated. Ajax powers everything, making it quick and requiring a few page reloads.

It accepts the majority of available payment methods, including PayPal. Additionally, you can set a reserve price for your item and submit additional bids. The interface can also have a countdown timer.

     6. Simple digital downloads

What if you prefer to sell digital goods rather than tangible ones? Then, you can wish to use Easy Digital Downloads or another WordPress eCommerce plugin.

You may design product pages and have them operate like an appropriate eCommerce process for e-books and other types of digital items. Purchases can be added to a cart, and the cart’s contents can even be saved for later.

Users have the option of checking out as a guest or registering first, which is really convenient. Discount codes, data reporting, and individual customer records are further features of Easy Digital Downloads.

     7. Simple Digital Downloads

Using WordPress and Easy Digital Downloads (EDD), you can quickly sell digital downloads online. It has strong features that make building a stunning and useful digital products store very simple.

We utilize Easy Digital Downloads to offer our tools, such as WPForms and MonsterInsights, making it the perfect eCommerce platform for your website.

As a result of Easy Digital Download’s expansion, managed EDD hosting services are now available with EDD already installed.

Benefits of Using Easy Digital Downloads: 

Easy Digital Downloads was created from the ground up with the goal of selling digital downloads. EDD offers a far better experience for selling digital goods than eCommerce plugins that may be used to sell any type of commodity.

Easy Digital Downloads is really simple to use; after you sign up, you’ll know exactly how to add products and arrange them on the page. For those who are just starting off, this is quite helpful.

Extensions – There are a large number of add-ons for payment gateways, email marketing services, and other marketing tools available for Easy Digital Downloads.

Themes – Easy Digital Downloads is compatible with practically any WordPress theme, but if you haven’t made a decision yet, the plugin contains themes that were especially created for it.

Software Licensing – Easy Digital Downloads has strong software licensing support that enables you to offer SaaS applications with appropriate digital rights management as well as plugins.

Affiliate Management – By utilizing Affiliate, you can easily add integrated affiliate management to Easy Digital Downloads and develop your own referral program. You can avoid paying middleman fees by doing this.

Ecommerce Growth Tools – Easy Digital Downloads seamlessly integrates with growth tools like MonsterInsights to provide you with improved eCommerce tracking, AIOSEO to provide you with the highest possible growth for eCommerce SEO, and OptinMonster to provide you with content personalization and conversion optimization features.

Awesome Support – The plugin comes with free support forums, videos, tutorials, and even an IRC chatroom. It is also very well documented. 

Additionally, premium members have access to priority support.

Drawbacks to Using Simple Digital Downloads

Only digital downloads Easy Digital Downloads, as its name suggests, makes it simpler to build eCommerce sites for digital goods. However, it will get very difficult if you wish to offer non-digital products alongside digital downloads.

Selling External Products – You will need to install a third-party add-on if you wish to add an affiliate product or an external product to your EDD store.

When it comes to online sales of digital goods, we believe that Easy Digital Downloads is the best plugin. On client websites as well as for internal projects, we have produced tens of millions of dollars annually with Easy Digital Downloads.