Let’s delve a little deeper into this online tool that brings us infinite possibilities on the internet and address another very interesting subject: Woocommerce.
Woocommerce, in short, is a WordPress plugin used to create online stores.
What you will see:
– What is a plugin and what is it for?
– Understand what the woocommerce plugin is?
– Is Woocommerce paid?
– What are virtual stores/E-commerces
– Why sell through virtual stores/E-commerces?
– Main features of the Woocommerce plugin
– Advantages of using Woocommerce
– Woocommerce vs other platforms
– How to create a store with it
What is a plugin and what is it for?
First of all, let’s understand what a plugin is.
Within IT, we can define it as an extension or secondary tool that can be attached to the main program (your website, for example), with the main objective of complementing it with additional functionalities without compromising its normal functioning.
There are countless types of plugins with different applicability, Woocommerce is one of them that stands out in the market.
What is the woocommerce plugin?
When we create a website, we need a CMS to make managing the website easier. WordPress is one of these places available for open source use and the woocommerce plugin is an additional accessory offered to websites made in wordpress.
Site oficial do WordPress
This plugin has the functionality to create a virtual store, allowing the sale of any type of product and offering the most diverse forms of payment, such as credit cards, debit cards, bank slips, among others.
Woocommerce official website
Is Woocommerce paid?
Woocommerce is a free WordPress tool as it is built with open sources. This means that the codes that maintain it are freely distributed and can be used by its users without any restrictions or charges.
What are virtual stores / E-commerces
So-called virtual stores, also known as e-commerces, are like a sales catalog for your company or business. There, you display your products and your customers can buy completely online.
There’s no mystery!
You register your products with the necessary specifications, add photos, videos, characteristics and, upon accessing it, your customer can choose the product(s) that they like most and make the purchase right there.
This feature facilitates and increases your company’s sales for several reasons.
Let’s list some of them.
Why sell through virtual stores/E-commerces?
Sales through virtual stores are growing every day and it is not difficult to understand why. Let’s highlight some relevant points:
Ease of purchase
Online shopping can be done effortlessly. Without even having to leave the house. At work, at college, during a family outing and even in the car, stuck in traffic. In the rush of everyday life, it facilitates purchases by allowing customers to make purchases with greater comfort and agility, whenever they deem convenient and from anywhere.
Flexibility of schedules
Virtual stores allow shopping 24 hours a day. No limitations on opening hours. This covers more potential customers, as they will be able to make their purchases at any time, without restrictions on the opening hours of their establishment or company.
Unlimited geographic space
Furthermore, e-commerce allows unlimited customers, regardless of whether they are close to your geographic location, as they do not need to go to your company and can still buy from it.
Main features of the Woocommerce plugin
Well, we’ve already seen how advantageous it is to have a virtual store/e-commerce whatever your type of business, right?
And I also think you already understand that the Woocommerce plugin is a good tool to provide this commerce for your company, whatever it may be.
So, let’s get to know a little more about him?
Here are the main features of the Woocommerce plugin:
Registration of products for online sales
With Woocommerce you can add all your products and services to your online store, easily and quickly, creating your online catalog. You can also edit such information, if necessary. In addition, you can highlight the products with the highest number of sales, making them more visible to your customer when they access the store.
Shopping cart system
It is also possible to use the shopping cart system, where the customer can add several products to the cart and complete their purchase at once after selecting all the options they want.
This functionality is very interesting, because with it we can identify which products were added to the cart, even without the actual completion of the purchase.
This information is necessary, so we can direct advertising and information to the customer through products that they have selected and have not yet purchased.
Checkout
The plugin also allows you to enter data to complete purchases. Such as address, full name, CPF/DNI, delivery details, among others, thus facilitating the receipt of the order and effective completion of the purchase.
Installation of payment methods
As we mentioned previously, Woocommerce allows several payment methods, such as:
– Credit and debit card;
– Bank slips;
– PayPal;
– Stripe;
– Pay me;
Inventory management
With this same tool, you can code all the products you have and manage your stock, recording how many units you have and how many are being sold.
You can generate reports on which and how many products were sold, thus facilitating your administration and inventory organization.
Order management
As well as managing inventory, it also helps with order management, organizing them for better control and subsequent monitoring.
Shop on Facebook and Instagram
Yes! Woocommerce allows you to connect your online store to Facebook, increasing your sales through greater reach of potential customers, both organically and through Facebook ads.
Promotions
You can even create promotions, such as discount coupons or flash offers, and you can even add countdowns and special conditions.
Several others from plugins
These are just some of Woocommerce’s features.
The list is endless and you can explore and use them however you want.
As it is open source, it allows adjustments according to your company’s needs, and can include whatever you consider necessary for more sales and reach.
Advantages of using woocommerce
The platform offers numerous benefits, but to avoid going on too long, we will only list the main ones:
Easy to use
Woocommerce is simple and easy to operate, especially for those people already used to using WordPress . Its features are easy to find and there are no complications in its usefulness.
Good visibility on the internet
As it is developed within WordPress, its content is prioritized by the platform, thus appearing with better visibility in Google search results.
Free
It’s free and you don’t have any additional costs for using this plugin, unlike some other WordPress features .
Good positioning in the market
It is one of the functions most used by developers, in general, having a good positioning and being very well regarded within the digital market.
Woocommerce vs other platforms
As you can already imagine, Woocommerce is not the only way to create a virtual store on the internet. So why choose it?
As it is a WordPress tool, it has high visibility among its users, thus highlighting your e-commerce in a very effective and functional way.
Furthermore, it is free and easy to operate, thus facilitating its installation and maintenance, which is not the case with all platforms available for this purpose.
How to create a store with it
To create a store with this tool, you will need to install the Woocommerce plugin on your website, available through WordPress . Once you have done this, several configurations will be necessary for your store to identify with your company or business. You must register your products and configure payment methods, for example.
