The Major Advantages and Disadvantages of Using WooCommerce

You might want to launch an online store but aren’t sure which platform is best for you. With so many hosts available, it’s okay to feel a little spoilt for choice. WordPress is one of the hosts that uses a free plugin dubbed WooCommerce to help business owners create their customized store.

WooCommerce is renowned for its clean and straightforward shop system that creates a seamless experience when customers make purchases.

It’s good to note that WooCommerce is different from eCommerce. eCommerce is a model that allows the online exchange of goods and services, so it’s a broad term used to refer to all online businesses.

That said, let’s take a look at which benefits and demerits you’ll derive from using WooCommerce, one of the best eCommerce plugins on the internet.

Advantages of Using WooCommerce

When pitted against other models for online shops, WooCommerce stands out in that it offers:

1. Great Flexibility

One of the reasons why WooCommerce is so popular is that business owners can use it to sell all kinds of products, regardless of their niche. You can sell:

• Physical items like couches or hair products
• Downloadable products like novels or comics
• External products like Amazon affiliates
• Invites to webinars or training sessions

It also has high scalability that allows businesses of all kinds of sizes to successfully set up shop. You won’t have to worry about your business expanding past the plugin’s capabilities.

2. Limitless Customization Options

WooCommerce helps you create a store that is specific to the type of products you offer. It has an almost infinite amount of free Plugins on the WordPress Plugin Directory. You can find the paid variations on WooCommerce.com and Codecanyon.

The number of themes is just as impressive. Even if you don’t find a theme that speaks to you, you can choose one that cuts quite close and customize each of its sections from the header to the tiniest detail.

One huge plus is you don’t need to be overly tech-savvy, seeing as the WooCommerce wizard allows you to tinker with the site with no knowledge in CSS or HTML. Or, you could hire a company like ours to handle all the extra services.

3. Maximum Security

This being an online platform, you’ll need to have secure gateways in place so that your customers’ credentials aren’t compromised. WooCommerce comes with secure payment lines like Paypal and Stripe.

The Platform being so popular, it’s highly targeted by hackers on a daily basis. The developers update it regularly to prevent cyber attacks. However, the plugin doesn’t come with backups to help restore data in case an attack is successful.

You can add a backup that stores information in its encrypted form to maintain your customers’ confidentiality.

WooCommerce also allows you to add a security plugin that regularly scans your site for malware, thus adding an extra measure to bar hackers.

4. A Very Interactive Community

There are approximately 4.5 million WooCommerce websites in operation. The large user base is distributed across several forums where members share articles and guides on configurations that have worked for them.

The large user base also ensures that WooCommerce won’t get discontinued any time soon. The plugin will thus remain relevant for as long as people continue using it.

Here are a few of our favorite forums for all things WooCommerce/

I. Advanced WooCommerce

This is a closed Facebook group that has all kinds of WooCommerce experts. It boasts of over 25000 members, including WordPress developers. Its primary focus is the more advanced aspects of WooCommerce. It’s the place to go when your questions are more than Google can chew.

Ii. WooCommerce Help & Share

It’s also a closed Facebook group, making it secure from spammers. We can call it the small sibling of the Advanced Group despite it having over 29000 members. This is because it’s more suited to people of all types, beginners and all.

It’s where people go to get answers to basic WooCommerce questions and get advice from other WooCommerce users.

Iii. WooCommerce Support Forum

This is the main forum that requires you to register with WordPress so you can gain access. WooCommerce developers and other advanced community members are in charge of leading the discussions.

As much as it’s a great place to start if you have questions, you might find yourself waiting for a minute too long for an answer. This is why the Facebook groups are our top picks.

5. A Professional Aesthetic

WooCommerce has access to warehouse management and POS systems that allow customers to go through the process smoothly. The organization of tools makes it look authentic right from the get-go. Customers can even track all their orders and check the delivery status hassle-free.

Disadvantages of Using WooCommerce

As much as WooCommerce looks perfect, it still has a few shortcomings that some users might find hard to overlook.

1. It’s WordPress Specific

WooCommerce is still a plugin; hence you cannot use it in sites that WordPress doesn’t host. Such terms make it hard for already established businesses that would like to use WooCommerce because it means they’ll need to remake their website.

2. It has Many Expenses

While it’s free to download and install WooCommerce itself, some extensions might require payment so your site can operate at optimum capacity. This is its biggest con because it makes it feel like there are hidden costs for business owners.

For example, if you want a secure payment gateway other than Paypal, you’ll have to foot the bill. Most of the extensions will require subscriptions meaning that you’ll deal with the stress every year. They can take you back anywhere from $39-249$, depending on how advanced you want your store to be.

WooCommerce Alternatives.

WooCommerce is pretty much king when it comes to WordPress eCommerce plugins. Its pros outweigh the cons making it create an overall smooth experience for both customers and owners.

However, you might prefer these alternatives if you have more specific needs that don’t require all the features that WooCommerce has to offer.

• Easy Digital Downloads

It’s another free WordPress plugin whose primary focus is virtual products- music, eBooks, templates, photographs, PDFs, etc. As much as WooCommerce can also handle such transactions, it was initially created for businesses dealing with physical products.

Easy Digital Downloads has a targeted niche so it’s super fast. There is technically no huge array of products slowing down the site since most retailers sell few products that don’t even require shipping costs.

You can set it up Easy Digital Downloads in no time because it has a very simple user interface. Tracking and analyzing sales using the plugin is super easy as well.

• Shopify

Shopify is excellent in that it’s a whole platform on its own. It doesn’t require WordPress for you to create your online store. It one-ups WooCommerce in that you need not worry about the software or backups. Shopify automatically does everything for you. The Platform is also easier to use, although it doesn’t offer flexibility like WooCommerce.

However, Shopify will charge you more every time your sales increase since the site is doing most of the heavy lifting.

• BigCommerce

BigCommerce is an extremely scalable eCommerce builder that has plans starting from $29.95. It’s top plans can easily support companies like Toyota.

It’s perfect for businesses that already have a following on other platforms like Instagram and eBay). Business owners can sell their products on those platforms while using BigCommerce to keep everything streamlined.

However, WooCommerce will be best for you if you’re selling products on a small scale since it’s easier and cheaper to set up.

• MemberPress

MemberPress is one of the top WordPress Plugins. It lets you sell paid memberships if you offer services that require a subscription. It has easy pricing tales and supports many secure payment gateways for clients.

It’s better than WooCommerce if a membership site is all you want to offer to customers. Using WooCommerce would require you to use a lot of plugins. The process would eventually become too complicated and tire you out.

However, if you also want to sell digital materials and physical goods, you can combine both MemberPress and WooCommerce as they complement each other nicely.

• WPForms

While this is not a fully-fledged eCommerce Plugin, it allows you to create simple payment forms on WordPress. It has Stripe and Paypal integrations to ensure that payments go along smoothly. It’s better than WooCommerce if you’re just looking for a way to collect fees without trying to open a full online store. Don’t expect it to handle complex procedures like taxes though.

Conclusion

As you’ve seen, WooCommerce has a lot to offer. Instead of going by its popularity alone, check out how the features it has to provide work for your business. We think it triumphs all other eCommerce platforms because of how versatile it is.

You don’t have to stress about managing the site. Our IT team that has been in the business for over 19 years can put your site on autopilot. We can take care of all the nerdy stuff.

Yes, this means that you’ll have 24/7 monitoring to ensure maximum security, a lightning-fast website, and our personal favorite, WordPress optimization. Feel free to contact our friendly IT experts to get your site up and running!