Can WordPress Be Used For Ecommerce? (Everything Explained)

WordPress is one of the most powerful and popular CMS (Content Management System) on the entire internet. Millions of blogs are run on WordPress but can this giant platform be useful for an Ecommerce website as well?

Can WordPress be used for Ecommerce? WordPress offers a lot of functionalities and plugins that can be put together to use it as an Ecommerce solution without any difficulties. The WooCommerce plugin allows users to set up an Ecommerce store within WordPress in just a matter of a few clicks.

There are a whole lot of people who want to know if they can set up an online store using WordPress. In this post, you will have all your questions answered regarding WordPress’s Ecommerce solutions and features. So, without any further ado, let’s jump right into the details real quick.

WordPress For Ecommerce: First Things First

WordPress powers 39.5% of all websites on the internet by the time I’m writing this post. The number is huge, right? But the best part is that WordPress is an open-source platform. What this means is that everyone and anyone can use it for absolutely free.

And running an Ecommerce store on such a platform can be pretty affordable for sure. Chances are, that is one of the reasons why you have searched for this query and landed on this blog post.

There are thousands of plugins that can be utilized to create a beautiful yet functional Ecommerce store using WordPress for no cost at all. There are so many Ecommerce plugins out there but the most used and powerful is the WooCommerce plugin by Automatic.

Users who want an online store/Ecommerce store can install the plugin (or any other Ecommerce plugin they wish to), configure the settings, and have their very first Ecommerce store live in just a few moments.

This might come across as too good to be true but the reality is…it is actually that simple. I’ll be walking you through each step of the way later in the post to help you understand everything in a better way.

But before we go about doing that, let me answer some of the main questions that might pop inside your (or someone else’s) head while reading the post.

Is WordPress Good For Ecommerce?

You know that WordPress can be used as an Ecommerce solution but does it really do any good? Should you use this CMS for your Ecommerce stores? Well, let me answer the question quickly and precisely.

Is WordPress Good For Ecommerce? WordPress is one of the most practical platforms for Ecommerce that provides a wide range of Ecommerce themes, plugins, technical features and functionalities, and other helpful resources to build usable & serviceable online stores.

There are millions of business owners and marketers who utilize the power of WordPress as an Ecommerce solution. While everything is pretty practical, beginners can get to meet some troubles while learning the platform because there are hundreds and hundreds of small and big things (settings) they will need to know about in the process.

Is WordPress Safe For Ecommerce?

The next question that might come across your mind would be the safety. Is WordPress a safe platform for Ecommerce solutions or Ecommerce websites?

As such not only WordPress, but every other Content Management System can’t guarantee you a hundred percent security, as long as you have strong passwords and other important aspects configured appropriately, WordPress is a safe platform for all kinds of online businesses including Ecommerce.

How To Use WordPress For Ecommerce?

Using WordPress for Ecommerce is way easier than it seems. All you need to do is complete the simple steps that I’m going to share with you over the next few moments. The best part of this is that this is arguably the fastest way to create a WordPress Ecommerce website/store ever.

Step 1. Head over to the WP Admin (or Dashboard) of your WordPress website as shown below.

Step 2. Once you open the dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New

Step 3. Now, head over to the search bar on the top right and search of WooCommerce or ‘Ecommerce’.

Step 4. You will see the WooCommerce plugin on the left with millions of installs. Go ahead and install the plugin, and also activate it.

Step 5. Once done that, you head over to WooCommerce in the left panel and configure the settings as shown below. Here, you will have to enter information such as your address, postal code, city, etc.

Step 6. Next, you will need to select the industry you are in (pretty straightforward).

Step 7. Here, you will select the category of your products (for example, physical products, digital downloads, memberships, etc.).

Step 8. After that, you will choose the number of products you will be selling on your Ecommerce store and the third-party platforms you want to integrate for enhancing your store’s marketing.

Step 9. This time, you will select the theme you want your Ecommerce website/store to run on.

Well, a mini-congratulations! You have completed the maximum work you need to for setting up an Ecommerce website using WordPress.

Now, all you need to do is head over to Products > Add New, and then start adding the products you want to sell on your store.

Believe it or not, it is really that simple. If you want to watch a video on the topic, here’s a detailed tutorial for that.

WordPress For Ecommerce: Pros And Cons

Despite being such a huge Content Management System (CMS), WordPress (or any other platform/service/product) will have some pros and some cons. Let’s have a look at them quite quickly.

The Pros

1. Incredibly cost-effective for businesses
2. Hundreds of helpful features
3. Thousands of free plugins
4. Well designed for SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
5. An active and supportive community
6. One of the most reliable platforms on the entire internet
7. Free Ecommerce themes and templates
8. Allows integration of third-party applications/platforms

The Cons

1. Can be quite confusing for beginners
2. Time consuming than other Ecommerce solutions out there
3. A lot of optimization needs to be done before launching a store
4. Limited features compared to other Ecommerce platforms as it is a free solution
5. Users can mess up with the settings quite often and it can be very frustrating

WordPress Vs Shopify

One of the leading rivals or competitors of WordPress is Shopify. So, what’s the story with Shopify? Is Shopify better than WordPress for Ecommerce stores? If so, why exactly?

In short, Shopify is far better than WordPress in terms of usability and functionality, but on the other side of the table…it is also going to cost you way more than the small investments you can make to make your WordPress Ecommerce store more usable and functional.

Shopify starts at $29 per month and you will need to pay more and more as you scale your business. WordPress on the other hand is free for life.

Conclusion

As you have found out how powerful and usable WordPress actually is for Ecommerce, I would recommend you to start your journey with this amazing open-source platform, and as you start scaling or you feel like certain features are missing, you can always switch to any other Ecommerce platforms in the market.

But, once again, WordPress makes it super-easy for businesses to get started with their Ecommerce journeys for the better.

I hope you found helpful information in this small post. If you have any other questions regarding WordPress for Ecommerce or anything else, feel free to jump into the comments section below and let me know what you think.

[FAQs] Frequently Asked Questions