The eCommerce platform is one of the primary factors to consider when opening an online business. After all, it is a digital age!
Woocommerce is a free and open-source WordPress plugin. As the most common website builder on the planet, WordPress runs 43 percent of all websites. And, despite common assumptions, Woocommerce is the world’s leading eCommerce platform.
WooCommerce has become a prominent participant in the e-commerce sector since its inception in 2011.
According to recent research, it is presently utilized on 27% of the world’s top one million e-commerce websites.
WooCommerce is a viable platform, but it might be scary initially if you are a newcomer to eCommerce.
It would be best to become accustomed to several things to operate a successful organization, and you may be unsure where to begin.
Before proceeding with WooCommerce, it is wise to consider both the advantages and disadvantages of the platform. (Also read – Pros and Cons of WordPress)
Pros Of WooCommerce
WooCommerce provides the following benefits over other eCommerce platforms on the market:
1. Open Source
WooCommerce is open-source and accessible, making it easy for the micro business model to establish an online retailing network.
WooCommerce offers a vast network of support for an eCommerce business that may assist the exchange of ideas to make site maintenance easier and an accessible alternative.
WooCommerce is also highly adaptable, allowing you to adjust it to your chain’s needs and predict user ripple.
In terms of plugins, WooCommerce outperforms assumptions for a free tool. While many fail to deliver what people want, WooCommerce has been tried and tested by companies of all sizes.
2. Cost-effective
The primary advantage of WooCommerce is that it is available for free download in the WordPress plugin directory.
WordPress is also free that can create a fully functional online store for the price of a hosting plan with no subscriptions or prices to address.
You must still invest in a domain name, web hosting from the hosting provider, and many add-ons and plugins required to operate your E-Commerce platform fully.
While certain advanced features may be charged, the majority of extensions are relatively reasonable and, most crucially, only need to be acquired once.
3. Easy To Use
Anyone accustomed to the WordPress dashboard can install and use the plugin with little difficulty.
One can benefit from existing minimalism and focus efforts on other tasks, such as advertising, inventory management, or operations. You won’t find a smoother ride anywhere else!
This simplicity of use applies to the functionality that is provided. People frequently believe that because WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin, it would be limited by its parent program. This is not correct.
WooCommerce is an excellent WordPress plugin. It has inherited all of its parent’s functionality, versatility, and user-friendliness, but this time in the quest for e-commerce sales, it accomplishes it all surprisingly effectively.
4. Handy Mobile App
WooCommerce can be accessible via a smartphone app is a significant plus for overworked business owners.
While the application does not allow site owners to modify the site’s features, it does enable them to view analytics, stock figures, sales statistics, and so on while on the road.
Excellent for providing a vital glimpse of your eCommerce store’s operations while you are on vacation!
5. Simple reporting
Statistics and figures are essential in the e-commerce industry. It might be tough to optimize your firm without these statistics. Fortunately, WooCommerce provides a plethora of reporting options.
You can monitor your critical business KPIs from your site’s Wordpress Admin, making it simple to monitor performance daily.
You can also filter reports as per the requirement. A granular analysis is a readily available tactical tool thanks to its ability to filter by class, revenues by period, brand, and discounts.
6. Functionality Extensions
The wide selection of multi-functional extensions is another factor in WooCommerce’s success.
Presently, 750+ plugins created by WooCommerce or other third parties are available in the extensions store.
They primarily attempt to improve eCommerce stores’ functioning, aesthetics, and conversion rates.
WooCommerce offers several add-ons, such as payment gateways and shipping calculations, subscription administration, advance tax calculators, participant system management, anti-fraud, and more.
A substantial collection of dynamically created community extensions support the library as well.
7. Prioritizes cybersecurity
Why do so many misconceptions, queries, and presumptions exist online regarding the security issues of WordPress and Woocommerce? Well, prepare to learn the truth.
Nowadays, cybersecurity is of vital significance. In addition to hackers becoming more skilled, customers are becoming more conscious of their information privacy.
WooCommerce stresses privacy and safety to establish a secure, reliable ecosystem. WooCommerce is self-hosted, so you have a lot of control over the security of your website.
Although third-party payment options reduce some of your potential losses and WordPress has specific built-in security measures, you are still in charge of keeping your website secure.
Invest in a reliable SSL certificate, pick a secure web host, and remain up to date on all security fixes.
Cons Of WooCommerce
Although the platform has many benefits, there are still certain restrictions you should be aware of before using WooCommerce:
1. Steep Learning Curve
WooCommerce has thorough documentation and is intended for developers. It offers a setup wizard option to help novice users, but for website owners without coding and WordPress skills, setting it up and utilizing it might still be complicated.
The numerous Woocommerce plugins and extensions required to make a fully functional site take considerable technical expertise to deploy.
You might need to employ a developer if you want to implement WooCommerce on your website.
2. Speed
WooCommerce is a powerful WordPress plugin. It can take up a lot of space because of all the features it provides and the essential work it does for your e-commerce site.
You will experience a slow site page-load time if you try to utilize it in unison with other powerful plugins.
This is doom and gloom, according to several digital information sources. Google says 53% of visitors are likely to leave and visit another site if a page does not load properly in three seconds. And it’s likely that they won’t return….ever!
3. Premium Extensions
Although WooCommerce comes with a ton of capabilities, many business owners that move a lot of merchandise will discover they require premium plugins to obtain what they need.
You have the opportunity to add additional features, such as the ability to book services or subscribe to a service, with the help of the paid extensions, which WooCommerce and independent developers provide.
You will have to make payment immediately if your company has a strategy that necessitates these services.
4. Code Conflicts
How coding might cause faults or conflicts on your website is one of the most frequently mentioned drawbacks in the WooCommerce assessment.
You may choose a variety of themes and plugins at once if you want your business to seem impressive.
Remember that the more add-ons you add to WooCommerce, the greater the likelihood of code incompatibilities.
Additionally, you will need to hire a professional or have the technical knowledge to resolve any code disputes if you become mired in confusion. This means that you will have to add more money to your budget.
5. Lack Of Central Support
You may be able to get guidance and support through your website hosting platform. However, WooCommerce, an open-source platform, does not have a strong support network.
And on occasion, the challenges are too complicated for less-tech consumers to handle on their own. All you have to do is scour for WooCommerce forums and communities with the same issue.
Furthermore, each theme, plugin, or feature has its support channels. This implies you may need to devote extra time to each extension with which you are having issues.
Please remember that this issue has been stated in more than one WooCommerce overview.
6. Update Policy
The biggest downside is the updating Policy and its reliance on other plugins and the store decor.
Property testing business in the closed test environment is better than instantly updating new releases.
Because of the abundance of other plugins, the business may have significant issues. This is because most plugin and theme suppliers are slow to release updates.
Summary of Woocommerce pros and cons
| Pros |
|---|
| Open Source |
| Cost-effective |
| Easy to use |
| Handy mobile app |
| Simple reporting |
| Functionality Extensions |
| Prioritizes Cybersecurity |
| Cons |
|---|
| Steep Learning Curve |
| Speed |
| Premium Extensions |
| Code Conflicts |
| Lack Of Central Support |
| Update Policy |
With so many eCommerce platforms around us, selecting the right-for-you alternative is anything but simple.
If you have opted to build your site with WordPress, WooCommerce is almost the preferred option for creating an online store. It is one of the most progressive and complete eCommerce platforms available.
Despite the hype, WooCommerce may not be suitable for everyone. WooCommerce is potent but can also be challenging to use if you are unfamiliar with it.
(Last Updated on September 5, 2022)
