WooCommerce
Online shopping has become one of the most popular activities to do these days. To meet this demand, many shop owners are creating their online stores using eCommerce platforms such as WooCommerce.
This guide will provide key information on WooCommerce. This can help you understand the background of this platform better.
What is WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is a type of plugin that can enable you to create a complete eCommerce store with the use of WordPress. It can transform the basic WordPress operating system and convert it to a completely functional online store.
The plugin can help you build easily an online shop on your website where you can post the products and services that you want to sell. You can sell both digital and physical items and set up secure payment methods on your WooCommerce-powered online shop. Aside from this, it can also allow you to manage your stocks and apply the right taxes automatically.
The best aspect of WooCommerce is its seamless integration with WordPress, as the Automattic company owns both brands.
Brief history of WooCommerce
WooThemes is the first owner of WooCommerce. The former was a premium WordPress firm that specializes in generating themes for websites. The founders were Mark Forrester, Magnus Jepson, and Adii Pienaar.
They were joined by two more developers, Mike Jolley and James Koster, who were tasked to work on WooCommerce. Aside from WooCommerce, they are also doing some development work on Jigoshop, another eCommerce software.
The WooThemes company released the first version of WooCommerce in 2011. It then became hugely popular with one million downloads in just two years. Its popularity grew further in 2014 when it reached four million downloads.
The rapid growth of WooCommerce caught the attention of the Automattic company. It then bought WooCommerce in 2015 and became its major developer.
Within the same year that Automattic acquired WooCommerce, its download numbers jumped to more than seven million. Since then, around 22% of the top one million websites use WooCommerce. The plugin was also used to build around 28% of all online stores.
Why is WooCommerce so popular?
One of the reasons why WooCommerce became so well known is its connection to the established WordPress brand. It also has a massive number of themes and plugins, both free and premium, that can enable users to add functionalities to their online shop.
The bullet points below show more reasons why WooCommerce is the go-to plugin for those building their eCommerce site.
- WooCommerce and WordPress are both free to use.
- The WooCommerce platform is open-source, enabling any developer to improve the code.
- Beginners can build their store easily using WooCommerce, even if they are not seasoned developers.
- WooCommerce’s flexibility allows users to enhance their store with various functionalities by installing plugins. Adding plugins does not require any coding expertise.
- The platform has a high response rate and is compatible for use across devices.
- WooCommerce also provides a secure platform.
Given these numerous benefits, many users consider WooCommerce as the best solution for building a flexible, secure, and easy-to-use online shop. Furthermore, the plugin is free to use. You just need to buy a domain name and a hosting solution before installing the plugin.
What can you sell with WooCommerce?
There is really no limit on what you can sell on your WooCommerce-powered store. As long as you comply with applicable laws and regulations, this should not be a concern.
The platform is a popular venue for selling tangible items such as jewelry, clothes, food items, and other consumer goods. It can also accommodate digital products. Some WooCommerce store owners also use their site to take reservations and offer other services.
As an example, hotel owners can set up their stores using WooCommerce to enable room reservations and payments. Meanwhile, salon owners can add a booking functionality to their online store. Customers can then book their appointments through the site.