There’s no denying that if you want to monetize your site or build an eCommerce store with WordPress, WooCommerce is the way to go.
The powerful, versatile plugin currently powers over 6.5 million active online stores, making it the global leader in the world of eCommerce software platforms with a total market share of 36.68%.
To put that into perspective, the second biggest eCommerce platform, Squarespace Online Stores, enjoys just under a 15% share of the same market.
So what is it about this platform that makes it so popular?
As you’ll read in this comprehensive WooCommerce guide, the answer is really a combination of things:
1. It runs on WordPress, which itself powers a significant portion of all the websites on the Internet.
2. It’s very easy to set up and use, meaning you can set up a complete online store (see our Woocommerce Tutorial) with practically no technical know-how required.
3. It offers an impressive list of features that can be extended via a variety of top WooCommerce add-ons and integrations, many of which we’ll share with you below. First, however, let’s talk about what exactly WooCommerce does, and how you can put it to work to build your online retail business.
What is WooCommerce?
At the most basic level, WooCommerce is a plugin that transforms your standard WordPress site into a dynamic online store.
Yet to leave the description at that would be to do a disservice to what a rich and extensive tool WooCommerce really is. Via its own core features and many of the third-party extensions that we’ll share with you later, this comprehensive platform gives you everything you need to run your online business, handling everything from sales, shipping, and taxes to advanced marketing campaigns, all without hardly ever having to leave the WordPress environment.
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WooCommerce Core Features:
Out of the box, WooCommerce offers all of the following:
- Basic reporting and analytics
- Customizable eCommerce themes
- Add products to sell physical, digital, or service-based items
- Subscriptions
- Payment gateways
- Abandoned cart tools
- Manage orders
- Manage shipping and taxes
- Manage customers
- Marketing tools.
The great thing is that if you find any of WooCommerce’s in-built tools don’t offer quite the level of functionality you need, you can always add one of the platform’s own 800+ extensions or one of the thousands of third-party add-ons out there.
WooCommerce Analytics and Reporting
By default, WooCommerce offers a standard
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This article was written by Team WPLift and originally published on Learn WordPress with WPLift.