What plugins to use for eCommerce WordPress sites?
WordPress is very versatile when it comes to adding functionality to your site. From a simple blog to a full-fledged eCommerce store, all it needs is just one plugin – WooCommerce; and you are set. But to make the perfect eCommerce store, we suggest using a few more plugins to streamline the whole online buying and selling process and make it appear professional.
1. Really Simple SSL:
In order to protect the data of your customers and make sure the connection between your store and their browser is secure, you need to use SSL. SSL is short for Secure Sockets Layer. Your webpage is composed of several small elements; some of them do not require a secure connection, however, modern browsers like Chrome and Firefox need you to have a completely secure setup, otherwise, these browsers will display a warning to the visitors which may scare them away. To make sure your site, a specific page, or a specific element appears to be using a secure connection, we recommend installing this free plugin. The free version has everything you need to make sure your site is totally secure and protected.
2. WooCommerce:
As soon as you have secured the connection, go ahead and install WooCommerce. It is the only plugin you need to turn your blog or any type of WordPress site into a full-fledge eCommerce site. You can list any type of products with, whether virtual or physical, and you can have as many variations of these as you like. WooCommerce dashboard displays a detailed view of your store, including customers, sales, and inventory. If an item is running low, you will know beforehand to restock.
WooCommerce supports coupons. You can configure the use of coupons based on certain amount spending, for instance, if a client’s purchase exceeds the amount of $125, they will get 10% off. Also different coupon codes can be applied to get various discounts.
With Add-ons, you can offer upsell products at checkout or print shipping labels automatically. You can connect and export to Google Product Feed and get your products listed on Google which can appear in search results.
3. Payment Integration:
What’s a store worth if it cannot accept payments? Well, WordPress with WooCommerce can accept any kind of payment. The most popular ones are PayPal, Stripe, and now WooCommerce’s own payment system. You can also configure your store to accept Direct bank transfers and even Cash on Delivery.
Although we have yet to test WooCommerce Payments, we do like both the PayPal checkout and Stripe checkout. Both accept credit cards and other payment options like Venmo and PayPal credit.
4. Newsletter Subscription:
The last Must use eCommerce plugins for WP we recommend is any of the newsletter subscription plugins like Mailchimp, or just a Contact Form 7 configured to accept Names and Email addresses. Mailchimp is an excellent solution, however, the free version doesn’t do much, so you should invest in a paid plan. An alternative is using Contact Form 7 to let the visitors signup for your newsletter. You will collect their names and emails and later manually create an HTML-based newsletter and send it out. Both methods work, but if you want to add more functionality, go with the former one.