What is the key to WooCommerce's success? Over the past decade, WordPress's free eCommerce plugin has become the world's most popular eCommerce platform. Many have taken a liking to WooCommerce’s easy implementation, versatile customization possibilities, and a large community that produces new features to the platform at a quick pace.
Automattic, the developer of WordPress, bought the open-source WooCommerce platform in 2015. Since then, WordPress has invested heavily in WooCommerce’s development. More than 20 % of all global online shopping happens through WooCommerce. Why? Let's take a closer look.
All the features of a well-functioning online store
WooCommerce has all the features for setting up a well-functioning eCommerce solution. The standard functionalities and elements are well suited as a basis for any online store. Both the end user’s and merchant’s wants and needs are considered, whatever the size of the business.
For the WooCommerce merchant, order management is easy. The interfaces for maintaining products are also easy-to-use. Product and order management can be integrated from other systems, and you can maintain even a large online store in only one centralized system. On the other hand, setting up a small online store is also easy, as the store can be run entirely within WooCommerce without any integrations.
WooCommerce can easily run even large product and sales volumes. In the WooCommerce stores, we have implemented the number of products has ranged from a few dozens to ten thousand. The products themselves can be almost anything; physical, digital, or even customizable product packages.
Why is an online store usually customized?
To fulfill the merchant’s individual needs, the online store often needs to be customized. WooCommerce offers top-notch possibilities to build a customized path to purchase.
The standard elements of the platform can be stylized or, if necessary, replaced with completely new solutions. The visual identity of the online store, the user interface, and the path to purchase can be completely customized to match your brand. Product selection or additional options such as gift cards, bundles, and product packages can also be customized to serve your business.
WooCommerce's ready-made themes may seem appealing, but the best option may not be among them. These themes hardly support your individual goals. To make your store run smoothly and for its maintenance to be as easy as possible, we recommend opting for your own custom theme. It makes it possible to start on a clean slate and implement features that advance your business goals. Time will not be wasted editing a ready-made theme.
Just the right amount of add-ons and expert customization
While customizing WooCommerce with add-ons is easy, utilizing a moderate number of add-ons ensures a well-functioning online store. There are plenty of free and paid add-ons available for WooCommerce with tempting sales pitches, but there is no telling of their quality. As the number of add-ons increases, so do the risks. The online store might slow down, and the transactions can become confusing. At Frantic, when implementing a WooCommerce eCommerce solution, we use only well-tried add-ons that do not weaken the store’s performance.
By putting careful thought into the customizations and implementing them with high-quality add-ons, we ensure that your online store will be compatible even with future WooCommerce versions. Also, major alterations and maintenance work will not be needed later on.
The online store can also be integrated into back-end systems and otherwise tailored to suit different business needs. However, it is good to keep in mind that integrations and customizations require regular technical maintenance. A custom implementation can even be built solely around a shopping cart function like we did with our client Modeo.
What are WooCommerce’s limitations?
When evaluating the suitability of an eCommerce platform for your business, one of the most important factors is your expectations for growth of your online business. If your eCommerce business is based on rapid global growth, you might want to choose a cloud-based platform like Shopify that supports your business in this endeavor.
And if your product selection grows to tens or hundreds of thousands of items? Can WooCommerce still be a smart way to go?
Absolutely. Each online store is unique, and product quantity is only one part of the big picture. Either way, the implementation of a large-scale online store requires integrations and customizations. A carefully optimized WooCommerce online store is a high-performance solution, even with a large number of products.
Easy to maintain and integrate
WooCommerce provides the merchant with a clear view of the product, order, and marketing management. Updating product information, processing and listening to new orders, and updating order statuses are easy tasks.
For many merchants, WordPress is a familiar platform, and that is one of WooCommerce's strengths. Thanks to the WordPress connection, many find it easy to create content and differently emphasized marketing pages for their online store.
While WooCommerce can also work great on its own, we have very often integrated ERP and product information management systems, marketing automation, and analytics into the WooCommerce online stores we have implemented. Integrations streamline business processes and save time when there’s no longer need to update data to multiple systems.
Our client Tapio’s online shop is a prime example of an execution that has many integrations to ERPs and financial management systems and frees up their personnel’s time for more valuable work.
So when should you opt for WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is a great choice if you are looking for a business growth engine that offers a variety of functionalities and a smooth user experience.
Working with WooCommerce is also rewarding for developers. Through integrations and customization, the platform offers diverse possibilities for further development of the online store.
Looking for an online business expert? Tell us about your plans and objectives for your online business. Let’s design and build together a long-term eCommerce solution.
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