WordPress started in 2003 with a single bit of code to enhance the typography of everyday writing and with fewer users than you can count on your fingers and toes. Since then it has grown to be the largest self-hosted blogging tool in the world, used on millions of sites and seen by tens of millions of people every day.
WordPress is an extremely flexible content management system that enables you to create a variety of different websites. WordPress began as a simple blogging platform, but now it’s grown into a full-fledged website-building machine. Sometimes you just want to sell a few products on your WordPress site, while other times you’ll want to build a full-fledged e-Commerce store.
Lucky for you, this process can be very simple with the addition of certain WordPress plugins. Below we highlight six of the best WordPress eCommerce plugins, and how they can be used to enhance your website.
1. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is probably one of the most commonly used eCommerce plugins. This powerful plugin is suited for sites of any size, and can easily grow with you as your website and product line expands.
They also offer a ton of paid and free themes and extensions, which integrate beautifully with the plugin.
Some of the most commonly used features include:
- PayPal integration
- Sales reports
- Different shipping options
- Inventory management
- Coupon implementation
2. WP eCommerce
WP eCommerce gives you complete control over the look and feel of your store. This plugin can be used for a variety of product types: digital products, physical products, recurring memberships and subscriptions, and more. There are also a variety of plugins and themes available which will further extend the functionality of the plugin.
Common features of this plugin include:
- A streamlined checkout process
- Multiple payment option support
- Completely customizable layout
- Multiple shipping option support
3. Jigoshop
Jigoshop allows you to set up your online store in a matter of minutes. Their interface is very user-friendly, which enables you to easily manage your store’s inventory. This plugin also offers a variety of reporting features, which includes sales and stock data, so you can get a real-time estimate on how your store is performing.
There are also a variety of extensions and themes, to help you further customize your store and add additional functionality.
4. Easy Digital Downloads
If you’re just looking to sell digital products, then you’ll want to check out Easy Digital Downloads. This simple plugin has an array of features, including:
- Multiple payment methods accepted
- The ability to run sales
- A cart system for multi-item purchases
- Complete payment history
A lot of eCommerce apps are very heavy and bulky. However, this apps stands out with its clean and minimal codebase.
5. MarketPress
MarketPress seeks to be a full-featured eCommerce suite for WordPress. It’s developed by the WPMU DEV team, so you know it’s going to be very high quality. Instead of having to download a bunch of plugins from a variety of sources, this plugin can theoretically handle all of your needs.
This plugin delivers a seamless shopping cart experience. It supports most payment gateways and lets you manage the distribution and shopping costs for custom orders.
There’s also a premium version of this plugin available, which offers the entire gamut of payment options, creating additional store models, analytics tracking, and more.
