Is WordPress Good for eCommerce? (Pros and Cons)

Are you questioning if WordPress is sweet for eCommerce and what the professionals and cons are?

WordPress is the preferred web site builder platform and is essentially the most really useful platform to start out an eCommerce enterprise.

On this article, we’ll discover if WordPress is sweet for eCommerce and what the professionals and cons of utilizing it are.

Why Use WordPress for E-commerce?

WordPress is the world’s hottest website builder, powering greater than 43.1% of all web sites on the web. A lot of these web sites are eCommerce shops.

The huge recognition of WordPress makes it essentially the most really useful eCommerce platform to start out your small business.

A few of the most compelling causes for utilizing WordPress for eCommerce are:

• Freedom – You personal your eCommerce retailer, and no third occasion controls the way you run it.
• Large group – Utilizing WordPress, you change into a part of an enormous on-line group of enterprise house owners working their companies on WordPress.
• Wider Availability – WordPress helps extra fee gateways than some other eCommerce platform. It additionally helps multilingual eCommerce shops in most currencies and locales.
• Progress Hacking – Being the preferred answer, it has integrations for many advertising and marketing and development hacking instruments you might want. This makes it tremendous straightforward so that you can develop your eCommerce enterprise over time.

For extra particulars, take a look at our complete WordPress review for extra in-depth protection of its benefits and downsides.

What are The Professionals and Cons of Utilizing WordPress for E-commerce?

Like each enterprise determination, you’d need to contemplate the professionals and cons of utilizing WordPress as your eCommerce platform.

Let’s take a look at among the most vital professionals and cons of utilizing WordPress to your eCommerce enterprise.

Professionals of Utilizing WordPress for Ecommerce:

1. WordPress is Free

WordPress software program is on the market without spending a dime. You may obtain, customise, and use it anyplace you need.

You’ll nonetheless must pay for eCommerce internet hosting, area identify, and add-ons. For extra on this subject, see our explainer on why is WordPress free, what the prices are, and what’s the precise catch.

2. Zero Transaction Charges

Not like most different eCommerce platforms, WordPress doesn’t cost you for transactions. The one charges you pay for transactions are to your payment service provider (Stripe, PayPal, and so on.) and your financial institution.

3. You Management The Prices

With WordPress, you management the prices. You may select your internet hosting service, premium add-ons, and advertising and marketing instruments.

With this freedom, you save a ton of start-up cash, which you’ll be able to then spend money on rising your small business and making extra gross sales. For extra particulars, see our article on the cost of building an eCommerce website.

4. Hundreds of Plugins

WordPress has over 59,000 free plugins. Consider plugins as apps to your eCommerce web site. You may set up one if you want a sure function, like including a contact kind or customizing the buying cart expertise, amongst others.

With a lot alternative, you’ll be able to add virtually any function to your eCommerce retailer with just some clicks. Have a look at our knowledgeable decide of the best eCommerce plugins for WordPress for some inspiration.

5. Numerous Cost Gateways

WordPress helps all in style fee gateways like Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.internet, and extra. It additionally helps lesser-known fee providers and numerous regional fee service suppliers.

Accepting payments online with WordPress is simpler than some other eCommerce platform in the marketplace.

6. Hundreds of Themes and Kinds

WordPress comes with 1000’s of themes (design templates). You may customise your eCommerce web site’s design to your liking with ease.

Plus, it comes with drag-and-drop page builders like SeedProd and Thrive Architect. These instruments allow you to simply design product touchdown pages, store pages, and extra.

7. Limitless Merchandise and Gross sales

You may add as many merchandise to your web site as you need and make as many gross sales as you’ll be able to. Not like many different eCommerce platforms, WordPress doesn’t limit you to a set variety of merchandise or gross sales.

8. You Personal and Management Your Web site

Many on-line eCommerce platforms have phrases and situations that permit them to close down your eCommerce web site at any time, with or with out a motive. They’ll maintain your information and any unprocessed transactions.

With WordPress, you personal and management your web site. Even when, in uncommon circumstances, a internet hosting firm terminates your account, you’ll be able to simply use a backup to switch your web site to a distinct internet hosting firm. You personal all of your information, transactions, and funds.

Cons of Utilizing WordPress for Ecommerce

Now, thus far, we’ve lined some great benefits of utilizing WordPress and they’re plentiful.

Nonetheless, WordPress has its disadvantages as effectively, and it’s best to maintain them in thoughts.

1. Comes with a Slight Studying Curve

WordPress comes with a slight studying curve. Like every new software program you employ for your small business, you’ll must familiarize your self with WordPress and the way it works.

Fortunately, WPBeginner obtained you lined. Now we have free step-by-step WordPress video tutorials made particularly for WordPress novices. These programs will get you on top of things far more shortly.

Most novices who begin a WordPress enterprise shortly graduate to advanced-level customers with some hands-on apply.

2. You Handle The Software program Updates and Backups

Like every software program or app, WordPress usually releases updates. As the web site proprietor, you’re answerable for putting in these updates to maintain your web site safe and entry the newest options.

It’s simply as straightforward to install updates in WordPress as in your telephone or laptop. You’ll get a notification a couple of new model, and then you definitely simply click on a button to put in it.

Equally, you’re additionally answerable for maintaining backups of your web site. This lets you simply transfer your web site, safe your information, or restore it in case of a internet hosting failure.

Fortunately, there are glorious backup plugins for WordPress, just like the Duplicator Pro. As soon as correctly arrange, it should robotically make common backups and retailer them on the cloud.

It’ll additionally provide help to restore your web site with just some clicks or transfer it to a distinct internet hosting firm if wanted.

3. Scalability Could Improve Prices

We advocate all new companies begin with a low-cost internet hosting plan from corporations like Bluehost and Hostinger.

Not like different eCommerce platforms, this flexibility helps you save a ton of cash when beginning your small business.

Nonetheless, as your small business grows, your web site will want extra server assets. You’ll must improve to a managed internet hosting service like SiteGround or WP Engine.

This may enhance your prices. Nonetheless, the upside is that your small business will now be capable of afford these additional prices, and it’ll nonetheless be cheaper than different eCommerce service suppliers.

4. You Are Chargeable for Safety

Like updates and backups, you’re answerable for maintaining your web site safe.

Now, this will sound a bit tough, however fortunately, many WordPress internet hosting corporations additionally take glorious measures to guard websites hosted on their servers from malicious assaults.

Moreover, you’ll be able to install free Cloudflare CDN to guard your web site or use a WordPress security plugin like Sucuri.

Each, Cloudflare and Sucuri present a website firewall that blocks malicious site visitors even earlier than it reaches your web site.

What Type of Ecommerce Options Accessible in WordPress?

When evaluating eCommerce platforms, you’ll discover a few of them are good for promoting particular forms of merchandise and never so nice with others.

As an example, Shopify is nice for promoting bodily merchandise that require delivery however not for selling online courses.

As compared, WordPress is the one eCommerce platform that’s equally nice for promoting all forms of services and products utilizing its highly effective add-ons.

Listed below are among the high eCommerce options you should utilize with WordPress, relying on your small business.

• WooCommerce – Accessible as a free WordPress plugin, WooCommerce is the world’s #1 eCommerce platform. It permits you to create any kind of on-line retailer and can be utilized to promote bodily items in addition to digital merchandise.
• MemberPress – A strong eCommerce answer that helps you promote subscription based mostly merchandise like on-line programs, premium content material, pay-per-view website, memberships for communities, and extra.
• Easy Digital Downloads – Made particularly for promoting digital merchandise like software program, ebooks, music, digital artwork, and extra.
• WP Simple Pay – Promoting a handful of services or products? WP Easy Pay makes it straightforward to just accept on-line funds with out utilizing a buying cart plugin in your web site.
• WP Forms Payments – Permits you to settle for on-line funds by creating your individual customized fee types. Good for promoting particular person merchandise, providers, on-line bookings, and extra.

How Does WordPress Examine to Different Ecommerce Platforms?

WordPress compares neck and neck with all high eCommerce platforms and outperforms them in flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and broader availability.

What Does WordPress Do Higher than Different Ecommerce Platforms?

• WordPress is healthier at saving you prices when beginning an eCommerce enterprise. You can begin with the naked minimal and solely pay for instruments/providers you want.
• WordPress doesn’t cost you for particular person transactions. This makes it straightforward so that you can create a sustainable marketing strategy for development in the long term.
• It doesn’t restrict the variety of merchandise or gross sales you may make. Many high eCommerce platforms will pressure you to improve your plan when you attain a sure threshold of merchandise or gross sales.
• You personal all of your web site and its information and may transfer it to some other internet hosting platform or eCommerce answer if you want it.

For particulars, check out these comparisons with particular person platforms.

The best way to Begin an Ecommerce Enterprise with WordPress?

To start out your eCommerce enterprise with WordPress, you’ll must make a WordPress web site.

There are two forms of WordPress accessible.

First, there’s WordPress.org, which is the WordPress software program that we talked about on this article and what we advocate. Then, there’s WordPress.com, which is a hosted web site platform like Wix or Squarespace. For particulars, see our article on WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org.

To start out with WordPress.org, you’ll want a internet hosting account and a website identify.

Usually, pricing for starter internet hosting plans begins at $7.99 per thirty days (often paid yearly), and area identify prices round $16.99 per 12 months.

Fortunately, Bluehost has agreed to supply WPBeginner customers a beneficiant low cost on internet hosting with a free area identify. Principally, you will get began for $2.75 per thirty days.

However as we talked about earlier, utilizing WordPress offers you loads of decisions. You may as well begin with Hostinger or any of those top WordPress hosting companies.

If you happen to join with Bluehost, they may robotically set up WordPress for you. All different internet hosting corporations additionally supply a 1-click WordPress installer, which you could find below your internet hosting account.

Want extra assist? Comply with our step-by-step WordPress installation tutorial for novices.

We hope this text helped clarify whether or not WordPress is sweet for eCommerce and its professionals and cons. You might also need to see our information on using automation to increase WooCommerce sales or see these actionable tips to grow your online business.

If you happen to favored this text, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You may as well discover us on Twitter and Facebook.