WordPress has made it possible for anyone to build a fully functional, beautiful and responsive e-commerce website. According to Statista, e-commerce sales will surpass $430 billion in the US in 2017 so it has never been more important for businesses of all sizes to transform their websites into fully-fledged digital shops. An effective e-commerce site features several essential qualities that create a seamless user experience and convert clicks into online sales.
Convenience is one of the major benefits to shopping online so customers demand fast loading times and ease of use. More than 50% of customers surveyed by Radware said poor load times was the main reason why they would abandon a site with just a two-second delay resulting in abandonment rates of up to 87%. E-commerce sites must also have a design and architecture suited to their target audience’s search habits so any product categories you use should be clickable and named to reflect how customers will search for product information. Other qualities that are present on effective e-commerce websites include; robust security, secure log-in systems, clear policies, visible branding, easy shopping cart options, a simple checkout experience and high quality photos and videos.
Using WordPress to manage e-commerce
WordPress has quickly become the go to content management system for building a website and adding e-commerce functions using plugins. WordPress is intuitive and is easy to update so you won’t need expert skills from a web developer to develop your online storefront or keep it updated. It is also an all-in-one-solution that is ideal for start-ups and established businesses alike due to the low costs involved. This is because plugins are reasonably cheap to purchase and if you already have an existing WordPress site up and running, it will only take a few simple steps to begin selling online and making money.
Before you begin your ecommerce adventure, you may want to find a new, reliable hosting service for your WordPress site. Bob Parsons founded GoDaddy almost 20 years ago and it has since become the most popular web host for CMS platforms like WordPress. Founder Bob Parsons is now the Executive Chairman of GoDaddy.com, which is also the world’s number one provider of SSL Certificates and domain names. GoDaddy offers a number of hosting packages and bundles for firms that require additional support for their e-commerce websites.
Popular WordPress plugins
The easiest way to build an online store is by using plugins. WooCommerce is the most widely used plugin for WordPress, currently powering more than 17% of online stores on the web. This simple and free plugin has a number of acclaimed free and paid for extensions and themes that have enabled reputable brands like Harley-Davidson to tailor their e-commerce sites. Key features include easy inventory management, PayPal integration and flexible shipping options.
The Ecwid plugin is ideal for those that want to use their existing site to build a store. You could get your site up and running in minutes by integrating the Ecwid system, which can be mirrored to other sites if you want to sell your products and services at other locations online.
MarketPress, which is billed as the “complete WordPress eCommerce solution for selling everything from digital downloads to material goods”, was written by WordPress developers and aims to deliver the best shopping cart experience without any extensions or add-ons. It also features customizable themes that don’t require any coding.
Shopify is another useful option if you don’t have any technical knowledge and want to build an online store via a hosted platform. This means that you won’t have to worry about aspects such as setting up SSL or making sense of different payment gateways. Shopify will enable you to sell your products with a variety of shipping options and it automatically calculates your tax obligations. It is also available in multiple languages.
