If you want to be able to set up an online store, you might have to go through a lot of trial and error before you find the WordPress eCommerce plugins that best suit your needs.
For today’s article, we made a list of some of the best eCommerce WordPress plugins, but we also created a guide on the essential features that such a plugin should come with.
If you do some amount of research, it’s quite likely that you will stumble upon several dozens, if not hundreds of eCommerce plugins in WordPress right now. But unfortunately, not every single one of them can help you do the same thing.
While it is true that some of these plugins are particularly geared toward a function, all of them should tick the following boxes.
It would be perfect if you had several different options in terms of the design of your platform. If there are a number of different templates to choose from, you can pick the one that best suits your website or you can run tests all the time.
Every eCommerce plugin should come with several payment gateways either by default or it can be added later on through an extension. Think of what type of payment your customers are likely to use the most and choose your favored plugin based on that.
If you really don’t have a ton of experience when it comes to building online stores, you don’t want some overly complicated interface, too many settings grouped together, or something that can make your user experience hard. A user-friendly interface goes a long way.
Is the plugin being maintained and updated on a regular basis? If it is, you can try it, but if it’s not, you should probably choose something different. Moreover, if it’s expensive, you need to know that the customer support people are going to reply to your emails if something goes wrong.
Some of these plugins are compatible with a variety of software, from email marketing services to those through which you can do accounting and everything else. Versatility has a lot to say when it comes to handling your tasks, so if you want to be productive, you simply must find the right tools for everything.
As one of the most critically acclaimed eCommerce plugins for WordPress out there, WooCommerce is a comprehensive option that lets you sell both physical and digital products on your website.
It’s compatible with a wide range of extensions, so it can make it a breeze for you to build your store. You even have the possibility of getting in touch with WooCommerce designers for a custom design.
For several different payment getaways, you can always install different add-ons.
Even though this one isn’t exactly a plugin, it’s hassle-free and convenient, and there’s no need for you to worry about sorting out the technical issues of any eCommerce store — Shopify takes care of everything from setting up SSL to different payment getaways.
On top of that, you can use Shopify to sell both digital and physical products, and the solution comes with an inventory editor, as well as an order tracker and a bulk importer.
The costs are a drawback since you do have to pay for a fee every month.
If what you are interested in selling are eBooks or any other kind of digital goods, Easy Digital Downloads should be right up your alley.
It’s lightweight and quite easy to use and it comes with several different extensions with the help of which you can take your storefront to a whole new level.
On top of that, listing your products can be done with as little effort as possible, so we’d say it’s worth trying out if you’re focused on selling digital goods only.
With MemberPress, you can sell subscription-based digital goods, but also services. The awesome detail about this plugin is that it comes with a wide variety of integration solutions.
We’ve also found it to be among the safest options out there as you have complete control over your users and how the content is restricted. If you want, you can set up permissions for some types of users.
The drawback is that MemberPress doesn’t support a lot of payment gateways. To date, it only supports Paypal, Authorize.net, and Stripe. Still, it is a plugin to consider.
This feature-rich store builder comes with heaps of options, and best of all, it’s so jam-packed with functionalities that you aren’t even going to spend any extra money on add-ons.
The plugin is rather easy to integrate into a WordPress website. Based on the information that we found about it, it seems that this one is more geared toward small to medium online stores.