WordPress is a popular choice for e-commerce businesses. It is easy to use and flexible. There are many plugins available for WordPress that can help you with product management, payment processing, shipping, tax calculation, and even the checkout process. You should also know about the right strategies to unlock the full potential of e-commerce with WordPress. Let’s discuss these strategies and plugins in detail so that you can grow your e-commerce business in no time.
Which Types of WordPress Plugins do you need for your E-Commerce Business?
1. Shipping Plugins
Shipping plugins allow you to calculate and charge shipping costs for your products and to integrate with shipping carriers to track and manage your shipments.
One of the best shipping plugins is WooCommerce Shipping.
2. Payment gateway plugins
Payment gateway plugins allow you to accept payments from customers through a variety of payment gateways, such as PayPal, Stripe, and Square. Some popular payment gateway plugins include WooCommerce Payments and Stripe for WooCommerce.
3. Tax calculation plugins
Tax calculation plugins automatically calculate sales tax for your customers based on their shipping address. Some popular tax calculation plugins include WooCommerce Tax and TaxJar.
4. Product review plugins:
Product review plugins allow customers to leave reviews on your products. This can help to build trust with potential customers and increase sales.
Some popular product review plugins include WooCommerce Product Reviews and Yotpo Product Reviews.
5. Email marketing integration plugins
Email marketing integration plugins help you integrate your e-commerce store with email marketing platforms. For example, you can use plugins such as Mailchimp and Constant Contact. This allows you to send automated emails to your customers, such as abandoned cart recovery emails and order confirmation emails.
Must-Have Plugins for Ecommerce with WordPress
1. WooCommerce
One of the most essential WordPress plugins for e-commerce is WooCommerce. WooCommerce is free to install. It offers a vast collection of free and premium extensions that you can use. It also provides built-in analysis for your convenience. The interface is also relatively user-friendly. So, you will not have to worry about being a technology expert to use WooCommerce.
It also helps you with tax calculation by calculating your taxes based on your store’s location. Another feature that makes WooCommerce so popular is its security. It ensures that all sensitive details are safe and secure.
You can also customize WooCommerce and choose a theme that resonates with your brand.
2. WooCommerce Product Video
WooCommerce Products Video is another plugin that can help you in your online business. It adds a video gallery to your WooCommerce product pages. So, you can add videos of your product to further showcase its features
3. Easy Digital Downloads
Easy Digital Downloads is another useful plugin for e-commerce. It is for selling digital products such as software, PDFs, eBooks, and music.
Whether you want to offer discount coupon codes or get paid via any payment gateway, Easy Digital Downloads has it all. Also, it is more than just a payment form; it is a proper shopping cart. You can sell all your products and manage your online store using this plugin.
4. WP Simple Pay
WP Simple Pay is another payment processing plugin that can make your online business more accessible. It supports all major payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, and Square.
One reason why it is a favorite is its easy-to-use interface. You can create a payment form quickly without needing any coding knowledge. It also allows recurring payments if you want to set up a subscription service for your customers.
The payment and checkout process is also simple for the users. So, using such a plugin enhances the overall user experience, too. Whether you are a small business or a large enterprise, WP Simple Pay can help you out.
5. OptinMonster
OptinMonster is a lead generation plugin that can help you increase your sales and conversions for your ecommerce business. One of the significant benefits of using OptinMonster is that it reduces cart abandonment. If the user is about to leave your website, it will display targeted messages. So, it will help you boost conversions.
Also, OptinMonster’s pop-ups and email opt-in forms can help you capture more leads from your website visitors.
6. SEMRush
When you are running a business, you must spy on your competitors as well. For this, SEMRush is one of the most useful plugins. Its primary purpose is to improve your website’s ranking in search engines. This means that it will increase traffic to your store. You can do this by doing effective keyword research and SEO. The result will be improved conversion rates and reduced competition.
Your Return on Investment (ROI) will also improve. So, SEMRush is a must-have plugin. Without it, it would be like trying to throw an arrow in darkness.
7. MonsterInsights
You cannot do an online business without going into analytics to keep an eye on your store’s performance. MonsterInsights is a useful e-commerce plugin that helps you track key e-commerce metrics. For example, it will keep an eye on total revenue, average order value, and even the top products. This insight will help you make informed decisions and improve customer experience as well.
MonsterInsights also integrates with WooCommerce. So, you can improve your online business thanks to this plugin.
8. Quick and Easy FAQs
Quick and Easy FAQs helps you display FAQs on your website. The unique aspect of using this plugin is that it allows you to create and display FAQs on your website in a variety of ways. For example, you can use different display styles. You can use a simple list style, accordion style, and toggle style.
Strategies to Boost E-Commerce
Your strategies must be tailored according to your target audience and market. Let’s discuss all these strategies in detail.
1. Mobile Optimization
First off, you need to make sure that your website is fully responsive on smartphones and tablets. Most people access websites through mobile.
Mobile Optimization includes optimizing website layout, images, and functionalities to adapt seamlessly to various screen sizes. For this, you should use mobile-friendly themes and test your site on different devices to ensure it functions well.
2. Add High-Quality Product Images
You must add high-quality product images to showcase your products. Also, add detailed product descriptions to provide basic details to potential buyers.
3. Fast Loading Speed
Slow-loading websites drive buyers away. You must improve the loading speed of the WordPress website. This will enhance user experience and reduce bounce rates. This is also a crucial aspect of Search Engine Optimization.
4. Social Media Integration
Another strategy to boost e-commerce with WordPress is to integrate social media into your website. This allows users to share products and ultimately helps in brand exposure. You can do this easily by adding social sharing buttons to product pages. For example, you can use Smash Balloon Social Post Feed or Blog2Social for this purpose.
5. Security Measures
Another essential strategy to keep in mind is adequate security. E-commerce websites handle sensitive user information. So, security is essential to protect user data and also build trust. For this, you can install an SSL certificate. This will encrypt the data transmission. Also, update WordPress, themes, and plugins regularly. For this, one of the best plugins is Wordfence Security. It offers an easy-to-use dashboard and also offers various security issue scans. Another key feature of this plugin is its live traffic. You can keep an eye on hack attempts in real-time.
Conclusion
Now that you know about all the plugins and strategies you need, you can easily improve your ecommerce store. Good luck!
