Whether you are an entrepreneur dreaming of launching your first online store, or an established business looking to expand your digital presence, WooCommerce can provide the plugin for your WordPress site that gets you started with e-commerce.
WooCommerce's plugin is not only popular due to its simple integration with WordPress, but also for its functionalities and customization options that are especially appealing to newly started online shops.
It has almost never been easier to start an online shop. And that's why today it has become one of the most popular paths for entrepreneurs and businesses - not just in Denmark, but all over the world. With an online shop, it's easy, quick, and most importantly, inexpensive to test your ideas and possibly scale.
And although the exact numbers vary from year to year, the trends are clear. Every year there is growth in the number of new e-commerce businesses. This increase is largely driven by consumers who experience great comfort in shopping and doing business online.
This is supported by figures from Dansk Erhverv.
The e-commerce analysis for January 2023 shows that about half of the consumers are more positively inclined towards online shopping than just a year ago. At the same time, the proportion of consumers who perceive e-commerce as a central part of the Danish business sector has grown from 84% to 89%.
The three main reasons for engaging in online shopping are selection, price, and, not least, convenience.
There is thus increasing potential online, also when looking at analyses from Siteefy and BuiltWith.
It is estimated that today there are over 1.89 billion websites worldwide, while 250,000 websites are created daily (2023).
Out of the total number, WordPress is the preferred CMS. Currently, 35 million websites use the system, meaning that WordPress accounts for 43.1% of the total.
Digging a bit deeper and looking at online e-commerce solutions, Shopify is the most popular choice. With over 3.8 million users, Shopify has a market share of 15%. WooCommerce, which is the most used plugin for WordPress when an e-commerce solution is desired, constitutes 13.6% of the market by comparison.
Why is WordPress a popular CMS choice?
WordPress has cemented its position as one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) in the world - and for good reason. Its user-friendliness, flexibility, and functionality make it a preferred choice, especially for newly started websites.
One of the main reasons for WordPress's popularity is its user-friendliness.
Even without a technical background, users can easily navigate its interface to create and manage content. This makes it an ideal solution for small businesses and bloggers who want to maintain their websites without the need for advanced coding skills. WordPress's intuitive dashboard also provides a fine experience, where users can easily add new pages, posts, images, and customize their website's layout.
Flexibility is another key factor in WordPress's success.
The platform serves as both a blogging platform and a CMS, enabling users to create everything from simple blogs to websites and e-commerce platforms. This versatility is further enhanced by thousands of themes and plugins that offer customization options to meet specific needs and preferences, whether it's for SEO optimization, social media integrations, or e-commerce functionalities.
The security in WordPress is also worth noting. WordPress offers updates that address security vulnerabilities and protect websites from common threats. Users can further enhance their website's security with various security plugins.
Community support is also a significant factor. WordPress has a huge global community of developers, designers, and users who constantly contribute to its development. This community ensures that the platform is constantly improved with new features, security updates, and bug fixes. Additionally, there is a rich supply of resources such as tutorials, forums, and guides that make it easy for new users to get help and learn about using WordPress.
How do I run an online shop with WordPress?
WordPress, originally developed as a blogging tool, has evolved over the years to also be a content management system (CMS) that can support e-commerce. However, this is not a function that comes standard directly in WordPress, which is why various plugins are needed. And here, WooCommerce is particularly popular as an e-commerce plugin for a WordPress site.
When you want to start an online shop with WordPress, your journey begins with choosing the right e-commerce plugin. WooCommerce offers a range of features that cover everything from product presentation to payment processing. And its flexibility and user-friendliness make it possible for webshop owners to add, manage, and sell products quite simply. Whether you are selling physical goods, digital downloads, or subscription services, WooCommerce can handle it.
After installing WooCommerce, the next step is configuring your webshop. This includes setting up product details such as descriptions, prices, and images, as well as configuring payment methods and shipping options. There are guides that can help you with all the necessary steps, but it can seem a bit complicated, which is why it may be beneficial to get professional help from MCB. This way, you ensure that everything is set up correctly, and that you get a well-functioning shop.
Another important aspect is the design of your webshop. WordPress offers a wealth of themes that can be customized for your shop, so it reflects your brand's identity and at the same time improves the user experience. A well-designed, responsive website is crucial to ensure a smooth and appealing shopping experience - especially as an increasing amount of e-commerce traffic comes from mobile devices. Therefore, it can be advantageous to gain some experience in conversion optimization, design, and speed. And especially your checkout should have extra focus.
How does WooCommerce's plugin for WordPress work?
WooCommerce is a flexible e-commerce plugin that transforms a WordPress website into a functioning online store.
Its popularity is largely due to the wide range of customization options, making it an ideal choice for small startups. But the fact that WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress is certainly also a decisive factor. And it is a plugin that is compatible with most WordPress themes. However, there can be some limitations that you should be aware of.
It is built, among other things, with easy integration with WordPress in mind, so once installed, it adds the necessary range of traditional e-commerce features including product management, order handling, and payment functions.
Product management is one of the core functions of WooCommerce. It allows users to easily create and customize product pages with important details such as prices, descriptions, images, and much more. The plugin supports a variety of product types, and for each item, individual characteristics can be set, inventory managed, and shipping settings defined.
When a customer places an order, the order is automatically created in the system, after which the store owner can view and manage it. This process includes handling payments, updating order status, and managing shipping details.
Therefore, WooCommerce also integrates with a range of payment gateways such as PayPal, Stripe, and traditional credit card payments.
In addition, you can extend the functionality of your WooCommerce store with several available extensions and additional plugins.
They range from SEO tools and customer customization options to shipping calculators and membership systems.
How to integrate WooCommerce's plugin with WordPress
The integration of WooCommerce with WordPress begins with the installation of the plugin itself. Assuming you already have a WordPress website set up, the process is relatively straightforward.
In general, it works as described below.
First, you need to log in to your WordPress dashboard. From there, go to the 'Plugins' section and click on 'Add New'. In the search field, type 'WooCommerce' and press enter. The WooCommerce plugin should be one of the first search results, and from there you can click on the 'Install Now' button. After installation, you need to activate the plugin, which adds e-commerce functionality to your website.
Once WooCommerce is installed and activated, you will be guided through a setup wizard. The wizard is quite user-friendly and helps you configure the basic aspects of your webshop such as currency, payment methods, shipping options, etc.
It's important that you take the time to carefully review and set up the features, as they form the basis for the operation of your webshop.
After the setup, you need to customize the appearance of your webshop.
WooCommerce is compatible with most WordPress themes, which means you can choose a theme that suits your business's aesthetics and branding. Some themes are even specifically designed for WooCommerce, ensuring that all elements of the webshop look harmonious and professional. You can further customize your theme by adjusting the layout, colors, fonts, and other design elements to ensure that your webshop stands out and appeals to your target audience.
Once your site is set up and customized, it's time to add products.
In the WordPress dashboard, you will now find a new section called 'WooCommerce', where you can add and manage your products. For each product, you need to fill in details such as name, description, price, and upload product images. WooCommerce also allows you to set product parameters such as inventory management, product variants, and custom attributes.
Then, you need to take care of payments and shipping.
WooCommerce supports a variety of payment gateways including PayPal and Stripe, and allows you to set up different shipping methods and prices. It's important to set up these options correctly to ensure a good purchasing experience for your customers.
Remember, you are always welcome to contact MCB if you need guidance or help setting up your WordPress site or integrating it with WooCommerce. We assist with everything from design and setup of the website to testing and maintenance of the final setup.
