Have you been thinking about selling online? There are a number of simple ways to get started. We talked recently about all the options you have for online sales platforms.
If you already have a WordPress website or are planning to use WordPress for your online shop website, you’ll need a plugin to get started. A plugin will provide the back end framework necessary to list items to sell, to collect payments, and to process sales.
WooCommerce
We recommend WooCommerce above all the other options out there. At least three-quarters of the web projects we do here at McNary Marketing & Design are on WordPress websites – and about 90% of the time we recommend WooCommerce for online shops. It’s officially part of the WordPress ecosystem, which means that it’s supported well and updated often. It’s also flexible and powerful. Here are a few of the extensions or customization options available:
- Advanced shipping options, that allow you to connect to the API of USPS, UPS and more, to access their rates when customers purchase.
- Advanced affiliate linking so that shoppers can earn commissions on referrals.
- Customized shopping experiences, such as changing the flow of adding to carts, etc.
- Marketing options, including how you push people to the shop such as blogs or pop ups
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When WooCommerce Isn’t the Best?
As we mentioned above, we recommend WooCommerce nearly all the time. But there are some circumstances when it’s not the best. The interface for managing the WooCommerce plugin is rather similar to the WordPress interface. It can be easy to learn and manage, but it can also become cumbersome and overwhelming, if not managed well and often.
If you are selling a single product, with a fixed price, or are gathering donations, we don’t recommend using such a robust tool such as WooCommerce. In these scenarios, we would recommend setting up a simple payment button, using Paypal or another similar service.
Have questions about the best e-commerce options for you? Why not drop us a line or give us a call? We’d love to talk you through your options.
Still on the fence about selling online? Here are 3 things you’ll need before you start.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash