Nowadays anyone can create an online shop. It’s just that, the process is not as easy as imagined. Without the right tools, a WordPress-based eCommerce site is just a website with incomplete features. For example, there is no payment method for the customer or buyer to choose from, or there is no discount and purchase history available.
In this article, we will discuss 9 WordPress plugins for your online store that you can install and activate so that your blog or website can generate income. You don’t have to choose all of them, just use the one that you think is good for the website.
1. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is one of the most versatile plugins that can be installed and maximized when using eCommerce dedicated hosting. The popularity of this plugin continues to climb, so many web hosting providers then offer dedicated WooCommerce hosting services.
The essence of WooCommerce allows any user to turn WordPress into an online shop selling a variety of physical and digital products. By using this WordPress online shop plugin, you can add various basic features that eCommerce needs, such as shipping methods, managing taxes, and processing payments.
The advantages of this plugin do not stop at the basic features of eCommerce, but can be expanded further by utilizing extensions that are owned by WooCommerce. There are hundreds of WooCommerce extensions that can be used to enable a number of advanced features in your online store. For example, install Sensei to turn your current site into a Learning Management System (LMS) and then run an online course business. You can also add various payment methods.
The main advantage of WordPress is flexibility, and that is reflected in the WooCommerce system and framework. So it’s no wonder that this WordPress eCommerce plugin has always been the top choice for creating and developing online stores, both small and large. In fact, it’s not uncommon to dedicate WooCommerce as a WordPress plugin for the best online store.
2. Easy Digital Downloads
Easy Digital Downloads is one of the best WordPress plugins for online stores for those of you who want to sell digital files or goods. In fact, there is a huge selection of plugins for this niche. However, the many features offered make Easy Digital Downloads superior to its competitors.
With this WordPress online shop plugin, you can upload and sell files or items via WordPress. You can even store “sales” in external locations, like Amazon S3 and Dropbox. In addition, Easy Digital Downloads also allows your online shop to process payments, is integrated with a mailing list, and is also connected to the default affiliate system.
This WordPress eCommerce plugin can make your online store look more attractive, perfect, even professional. This is due to the option to create a special customer account page, complete with payment history. A number of extensions can also be optimized to develop and enhance the functionality of the online store.
The basic version of Easy Digital Downloads is free to download, while the premium version starts at $ 8.25 per month for one website. In addition, this plugin add-on is also a premium alias paid.
3. MemberPress
Unlike WooCommerce, MemberPress is a WordPress plugin for online stores that doesn’t focus on selling files or physical products. In fact, with this plugin, you can earn income by creating a membership-only website.
MemberPress allows each user to turn a website that was originally ordinary into a website that can only be accessed by people who are already members or members, and even set a registration fee. Not only one, you can also activate multiple membership tiers that come with a number of benefits, create a closed community forum, and offer discounts or discounts on services.
To keep your membership website even more ‘crowded’, you can run an affiliate program. This program can be setup with MemberPress. Apart from that, this tool also offers tons of analytics options. There are also various add-ons in it to customize the website. These advantages make MemberPress one of the best WordPress online store plugins.
To get a MemberPress license, you have to pay a total of $ 129 per year for one website. By purchasing this license, you will get access to more than 20 add-ons and integrations.
4. Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart
If you’ve tried using WooCommerce before but you feel the interface still needs to be improved, then the WordPress eCommerce plugin Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart could be the best solution, and who knows what your taste is ?! From a functionality point of view, both WooCommerce and Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart offer the main features needed to create eCommerce with WordPress. Even with the Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart, you can process payments, make deliveries, and provide discounts.
Not only basic features, Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart is also equipped with a number of advanced functionalities. For example, with this tool, you can create online stores on Facebook and Instagram (Facebook and Instagram stores) as well as simple mobile applications specifically for online stores. Unfortunately, this feature can only be found in the premium version or package of the Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart.
Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart consists of two versions, namely free and premium which costs starting from $ 15 per month.
5. Photo Gallery by 10web
So far, we’ve covered some general purpose WordPress plugins for online stores. But sometimes, as a user, you want a more niche tool. For this reason, we are introducing the Photo Gallery by 10web plugin.
This WordPress online shop plugin allows you to setup all types of photo galleries on any WordPress-based website, including personal websites. Although there are many plugins that can perform this function, Photo Gallery by 10web has a distinctive feature of giving users the opportunity to sell their photo collections. For this reason, this software is perfect for those who work as photographers or artists.
Photo Gallery by 10web really understands the needs and demands of photography. Therefore it provides a watermark feature and a feature that disables right click (cannot save images). So, if people want to own your work, they have to buy it, it’s not that easy to download every image that exists.
This plugin provides a free version. However, if you want to sell your work, then you have to buy the premium license for $ 30 per six months.
6. WC Vendor Marketplace
There are many ways to get income from the internet, and not just by opening an online store. With WordPress eCommerce, for example, you can build an online marketplace that will become a place for vendors to sell. Well, this is where you will benefit.
WC Vendor Marketplace is a WordPress eCommerce plugin that allows you to create your own online marketplace that works the same way or system as Etsy or Envato. In the online marketplace that you create later, the “vendor” can sell physical or digital products and get a number of profits. The existence of an online marketplace not only benefits you, but also the vendors because they don’t need to create their own online store to sell.
Interested in doing an online marketplace business and have the confidence to reach many vendors? Then the WC Vendor Marketplace plugin is worth a try. For the first time ever, we recommend that you focus on just one niche. This way, you can attract vendors easily and be able to bring traffic to the marketplace.
WC Vendors Marketplace has a free version. However, to get the premium license, you have to pay a fee of $ 199 per year. By activating the premium version, you can also provide a variety of advanced features for vendors.
7. LearnPress
Just like WC Vendors Marketplace, LearnPress also has many niche tools. As a feature-rich Learning Management System (LMS), LearnPress allows any user to create, sell, and manage access to various online courses.
You can adjust the level of ease and difficulty of the online course that you want to offer to the general public. To make it even more interesting, add quizzes and other interactive elements. Just like courses in the real world, online courses that you manage can also add homework (PR).
LearnPress offers add-on options, some of which can be downloaded for free. Use add-ons to create a course wish list, set terms and conditions for specific classes, and integrate online course classes with forum plugins. The latter feature allows you to create an online course community which is currently being managed and developed. If many have registered and joined, you can activate the forum so that it becomes a place for students to ask questions and help each other. It’s no wonder LearnPress has been named as the best WordPress eCommerce plugin for creating online courses.
Different from the usual plugins, activating the LearnPress plugin means that you prepare students or participants to pay a certain amount of registration fee for each course or subject they want to take. This plugin also provides premium add-on options that support subscription or subscription features. The existence of this feature allows you as an online course organizer to send information regarding granting access to all courses or online courses being held. In return, students are charged a fee per month.
8. Ultimate WordPress Auction
At this point, you already know the best WordPress online shop plugins for creating online courses, marketplaces, and so on. However, do you know which plugin is best suited for creating an auction site? And are there any special plugins? Of course there is, and the plugin is Ultimate WordPress Auction.
Download and activate this plugin to create a number of auctions on the website and allow registered people to bid. Customers who win the auction can make payments via PayPal. Another advantage that this plugin has is that you can set or define how long the auction will be held.
The Ultimate WordPress Auction plugin provides all the basic functionality you would want and expect from a WordPress eCommerce plugin. With this basic functionality, you can create product pages and then add images, configure email notifications, and much more.
The free version of this plugin provides all of the basic features we have described above. While for the premium version, you have to pay $ 59 per year for one website to gain access to a variety of premium functionality.
9. WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart
So far, the WordPress plugins for online shops we have discussed provide quite a number of features. Actually, this is not bad news. However, if you just want to create a simple, small online shop, then a feature-packed plugin is not the best solution. For this reason, WordPress provides the WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart. With this plugin, you can create an Add to Cart option on any page on the website and for any item that you want. After a customer adds a product to their Cart or shopping cart, they will make a payment via PayPal.
This plugin allows you to stock and sell a variety of physical and digital items. There are even some advanced options, such as enabling discounts and customizing the checkout page. Overall, the WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart offers an intuitive experience that you should take advantage of as soon as possible even though this plugin is not the best WordPress tool in terms of flexibility.
Conclusion
Generally, when choosing a WordPress plugin for the best online store it should be based on the type of online store you want to create. For example, WooCommerce is a WordPress eCommerce plugin that provides solutions for those of you who want to sell physical and digital products. Meanwhile, if you only want to sell virtual products, then the plugin that needs to be activated is Easy Digital Downloads. While you know and understand what kind of features are needed to create eCommerce with WordPress, choosing and getting the best tool is very easy.
Do you have any questions about how to choose the best WordPress eCommerce plugin to activate on your site? Please write down your questions in the comments below!