What is WooCommerce?
WooCommerce
What is WooCommerce? WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin that adds e-commerce functionality to your WordPress website so you can have an online store. With just a few clicks, your WordPress website turns into a fully-functional e-commerce website.
If you’re asking “What is WooCommerce?”, chances are you already have a WordPress site, and you’re ready to begin selling, well, just about anything. In this post, we’ll cover what WooCommerce is, what it can do for you, and why you should use it.
What is WooCommerce? A Brief History
WooCommerce is a plugin that integrates easily with your existing WordPress site, turning your site into a fully functional WordPress e-commerce website with just a few clicks.
When the plugin was launched in 2011, it quickly became the primary solution for users looking to launch their own stores online.
Automattic (the owners of WordPress.com), acquired the plugin and its parent company in 2015 – it was their biggest acquisition to that date, and it has continued to experience explosive growth in the years since.
It currently powers over 99% of WordPress e-commerce websites in the US, Canada, and the UK (Source: BuiltWith.com.)
With over 27,000,000 downloads, and millions of active installations, it’s definitely the driving force behind numerous e-commerce sites (Source: WordPress.org.)
What Does WooCommerce Do?
WooCommerce provides basic store functionality right out of the box, with a free plugin available from the Plugin Repository, or right from your WordPress dashboard.
While it has hundreds of available extensions – more on that in a bit! – it offers some incredible functions right out of the box.
Easy Installation, Setup, and Integration
WooCommerce is designed to make getting started as easy as possible, with a simple installation and Setup Wizard to get your e-commerce store up and running with your WordPress theme.
- installation – The WooCommerce plugin is installed just like any other plugin; search for it in the Plugins options in your WordPress dashboard, and install and activate it with a couple of clicks.
- Setup – When you install WooCommerce, the Setup Wizard will walk you through configuring basic steps to get your store up and running. Your e-commerce options are virtually endless, and the Setup Wizard cuts to the chase and highlights the most important options so you never miss a step.
- WordPress Theme Integration – Because WooCommerce is compatible with WordPress, it works well with most WordPress themes. You can select the Storefront theme if you’d like to use the official theme – and just like the plugin, it’s free of charge!
Data Control
Never worry about losing control of your data – WooCommerce puts you in the driver’s seat.
- Your Data, Always – When you use a third-party platform for e-commerce, if they close, your data is lost. With WooCommerce, you remain in charge of your data at all times. Data related to customer history and purchases, as well as store performance, is vital to running a successful e-commerce website.
Feature-packed Shopping Cart
Tailor your site visitor’s checkout process from start to finish, with processes that help you convert visitors into customers. From Payment Gateway to Checkout URLs, set up your site your way.
- Payment Gateways – With WooCommerce, you can accept checks, cash on delivery, bank transfer, or use PayPal to accept major credit cards and other PayPal payments. Prefer Stripe? You can configure Stripe as a payment gateway using the Setup Wizard.
- Geo-Location and Automatic Taxes – WooCommerce gives you the option to turn on geolocation and automatic taxes, so your shop will display the correct price including taxes to your customers, no matter where they are located.
- Customizable Checkout Process – Completely control the checkout process from start to finish. You can choose to sell to specific countries or worldwide, set your checkout flow URLs, enable/disable guest checkout, and force secure checkout.
- Default Currency – A wide variety of available currencies allows you to choose the currency you wish to use for your store.
- Redirect Cart – You can enable the option to redirect your customer to their cart once a product is added.
Complete Control of Products
Whether you’re selling one product, one product with many options, or dozens, hundreds, or more … WooCommerce gives you total control over each and every one.