WooCommerce is a plugin for creating an online store based on WordPress. It offers intuitive tools to launch online sales even without website development skills. The user can design an attractive online storefront, connect a shopping cart and accept payments, organize promotions, scale the store as needed, and much more. In this article, you will learn about the features of using WooCommerce in online sales, as well as the benefits of using Rates.fm for online sales.

What Is WooCommerce

WordPress is the world’s most popular website content management system. As of 2023, it is used by 43.1% of all websites existing in the world and 63.1% of all websites using a CMS.

The system has a number of plugins to expand functionality. WooCommerce plugin is one of them. This is a flexible open-source solution that is used for developing online stores and offers all the functionality necessary for this:

• development of a unique showcase and customization of design;
• modular blocks with product descriptions;
• creation of convenient catalogs and shopping carts for placing orders;
• setting up different displays for different groups of buyers, and users from different regions;
• accepting payments in various ways (including installments, cash, and cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Binance Coin from the Binance crypto exchange.);
• launching promotions and using other marketing tools;
• tracking statistics and managing orders;
• scaling the store;
• automatic tax calculation;
• integration of the store with other platforms and social networks.

In addition, it is possible to work in the format of paid subscriptions, receive recurring payments, organize email distribution, and much more. You can manage an online store on WordPress either through the browser version of the platform or using a mobile application.

To create an online store using WooCommerce, you will need WordPress version 6.2 or higher, PHP version 7.3 or higher, and MySQL version 5.6 or higher. You also need a domain name, hosting, and an SSL certificate. Connecting the plugin itself is free. There are a number of paid solutions and additional extensions. Using WooCommerce is as easy as using regular services like transferring funds through Bank of America or buying insurance through Aetna.

Templates

To quickly launch an online store, use a site with WordPress templates and plugins or a WooCommerce store theme catalog. It features 90+ themes across various categories: art, sports, digital, electronics, fashion, homeware, food and drink, pet products, and more.

WooCommerce templates are both free (for example, the universal Storefront) and require monthly/annual payment. The standard price is $6.9/month or $79/year.

When searching for topics, you can sort by category (store-specific), type, and cost. Users leave ratings and reviews that will help you choose the most convenient option for your work. Popular WooCommerce online store templates include Flatsome, Kallyaa, Shopkeeper, Porto, and XStore.

Plugins And Extensions

When using WooCommerce, setting up your store includes connecting plugins. Among them there are both mandatory ones (for example, a plugin for accepting WooCommerce payments, which is free to connect), and a number of auxiliary tools for promotion, improving the shopping experience, increasing sales, etc. They are divided into several categories:

1. Extensions for accepting payments. There are both standard WordPress payment systems (for example, Stripe and PayPal), as well as plugins for accepting deferred payments, installment payments, processing transactions at physical points of sale, accepting cryptocurrency, etc.
2. Plugins for organizing fulfillment: from notifications about the arrival of goods to printing mailing labels and calculating the cost of various delivery methods.
3. Tools for increasing conversion, promotion (email marketing, SEO, etc.), as well as customer service (online chats, customer accounts).
4. Plugins for store management: from increasing security to automatically calculating taxes.

WooCommerce is an excellent solution for working with clients from small European cities or American cities like New York, and Chicago (Illinois).

Accepting Payments

On WooCommerce, payments are accepted through WooPayments. This is a built-in free extension that allows you to process payments from bank cards, as well as through Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other systems. Interestingly, as of October 2023, over 950 million users use cashless payments with their smartphones.

Payments can be accepted in other ways through WordPress plugins and modules. A wide range of extensions are available for major payment systems and gateways, electronic wallets, “Buy now, pay later” services, and accepting payments offline and in cryptocurrency.

To make purchases in online stores with WooCommerce, clients can use the Rates service, which provides up-to-date information on currency exchange rates in Ukrainian financial institutions.

WooCommerce Analogs

Although WooCommerce remains the most popular plugin for online store development, it does have its drawbacks. In addition, it only works on WordPress sites, which is inconvenient for users working through other systems. Because of this, entrepreneurs are turning to alternative platforms:

1. Shopify is a website builder with a user-friendly design, a large set of templates, its own payment system, and hosting services. One of the main alternatives to WooCommerce due to its ease of use. The system is paid, but there is a trial period.
2. OpenCart is a free and open-source eCommerce platform. More than 13,000 ready-made modules and themes for creating a store, and integration with major payment systems. It is possible to create several stores to be managed from one administrator account.
3. BigCommerce is an eCommerce platform that offers both built-in tools for developing a store without using code, as well as the ability to use your own frontend. There is a visual editor and a set of ready-made templates, integration with WordPress, and major payment systems. Through one control panel, you can work with orders placed through online stores, marketplaces, social networks, and physical points of sale.

Wrapping It Up

It is difficult to imagine modern life without online stores. They provide comfort and speed of shopping. If you want to shop economically, we recommend using Rates to always stay up to date with the latest currency exchange rates.