Since its inception, the online shopping trend has risen to great heights. Although there are many eCommerce giants like Amazon, Flipkart, eBay and Flipkart, you don’t have to be overwhelmed by them. Launching an online store using WooCommerce or WordPress can help you establish your own brand and E-Commerce.

The eCommerce market is still vast and there are many opportunities for your startup to become a major player in the sector. Either you have an entire online store or you can focus on a few products, such as electronics or books. Once your reputation is established in this sector, you can move onto bigger and better opportunities.

You are responsible for deciding how you run your business. I’m here to help you with the technical details.

E-Commerce Facts:

You’ve decided to get into eCommerce. Here are some facts to help you understand the basics.

Around 55% of all global shopping was conducted online in 2017 via mobile apps or websites.
70% of these orders were made using mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Social media posts and advertisements influence 90% of online shoppers.

These facts will give you a clear view of the current state of eCommerce and its potential future. These numbers, according to global, are on an unprecedented rise.

For startups, it is a good idea to create websites on self-hosted platforms such as WordPress. This is a cost-effective way to create your first website. It can manage all functions of your fully functional online store without any hassle. It offers many customization options and features.

WooCommerce plugin is used to integrate eCommerce features into online stores. It is an open-source platform that allows you to create pages and features for your eCommerce website. This plugin is the most cost-effective way to improve your eCommerce website’s features. The plugin can be embedded into your existing website code without any problems. These plugins are intended to enhance the functionality of your online shop website.
WooCommerce offers many benefits for building an online shop:

These plugins are free and you don’t have to pay for them.
WooCommerce development plugins are the most flexible and feature-rich.
It is open-source, making it very customizable to individual needs.
It is quick and easy to set up, so no need to hire a developer.
There is no need to modify your website’s design or function. WooCommerce plugin works with all WordPress themes.

WooCommerce allows you to create an online store, but what type?

WooCommerce development allows you to create an online store that sells anything and everything, including physical products such as shoes, clothes, electronics, and so on. or digital products like software, eBooks, Operating systems, etc.

You can sell products, as well as subscriptions, bookings, and other services. WooCommerce makes it possible to sell anything that you can physically buy in a physical shop.

How to Set up Your Online Store with WooCommerce and WordPress

This tutorial will show you how to set up your online store with WordPress and the WooCommerce plugin. There are many steps that need to be considered and cannot be covered in one blog. I will guide you in a simple manner that will not confuse you.
How to Build an eCommerce Website

1. WooCommerce Domain Name and Web Hosting

The domain name is the name you purchase before the domain, which will make it a website address. This is the unique URL of your website that customers can use to find your site. Your store name is followed by.co,.com, or any other domain.
You have two options to obtain a domain name or web hosting. You can choose between shared or dedicated hosting. Each option has its own advantages. You should choose the one that suits your business best.

It is expensive but a very profitable decision to go with dedicated hosting. WPEngine will run you $29/month, but you will get fully managed servers that are dedicated to your website. They will provide 24/7 ticketed support, daily backups of your website, and many other features. You will have full access to your server with dedicated hosting. However, this means that you must purchase your domain name through registrars such as SiteGround or RedServerHost.

If you have a limited budget, shared hosting is an option. A server is shared between multiple websites in shared hosting. Your online store will not be the sole online user of the server, but you would need to share the resources with other websites. This option is feasible for those who are just starting out and have low net traffic. However, as you grow your user base you will need dedicated hosting.
Because shared hosting allows multiple websites to use the same server, the domain name cannot be purchased. It is provided by the hosting server.

2. Install WordPress

It’s not as complicated as you might think. To confirm the hosting service, you will need to visit your host user panel. Click the confirmation link that was sent to your registered email address to do this.

After you have logged in, scroll down until the “Install WordPress” button appears. Follow the steps provided by that button. It is very easy and can be done in a few steps.

You will now have a new website. Simply go to your domain name to view the website. Log in as administrator to view the website.

3. Install WooCommerce plugin

Half of the work for opening your WooCommerce store has been completed. To install the E-Commerce platform plugin, go to WordPress dashboard and click “Plugins”. Then, select “Add New” from the menu. In the search box at the top of the window, type “woocommerce”. The WooCommerce plugin would be the first result.

The plugin result will have an additional button that would allow you to install the plugin. Click the “Install Now” button. After a few seconds the text will change to activate. Click the “Activate” button.

Everything is easy from now on. To continue, a small pop-up window will appear asking you to continue. Click on the “Let’s Go!” button.
To make your website work properly, there are several pages that you need to create. The WooCommerce wizard will do all of this for you. All you have to do is press Continue to create each page.

These are the pages that must be created

Shop where your products are displayed.
Cart is where customers can add all the products that they choose to purchase.
You can check out, where you can choose the delivery and payment methods.
My Account is a page that each user can use to monitor their activities and make purchases faster by providing basic information. They don’t have to complete all of the information for each order.

The installation of WooCommerce plugin is complete. Next, you will need to choose a theme for your website.

4. Choose a theme that fits your online store

To create an identity, it is important to choose a theme that suits your tastes and reflects your company’s values and principles. WordPress offers customized design options and color combinations for startups that don’t have the budget to invest in a custom design.

A theme that is designed with WooCommerce plugin can be chosen to work seamlessly. You may already have a theme installed before you add the WooCommerce plugin. WooCommerce plugins can be used with most themes. However, you can still customize the look of your site using this plugin.

5. Add products to your online shop

Now, we’re ready to launch your WooCommerce online store. An online store should only sell products. Now we can add products to your site.

Select “Products” from your dashboard. Next, click on “Add Product”. Next, you’ll see the content editing screen. This screen allows you to fill in all details about the product you want to add to your website.

WooCommerce Online Store Extensions

WooCommerce plugin allows you to add many extensions. These extensions can be very helpful as they improve the functionality of your website. They are also very simple to install. The WooCommerce team approved the most popular extensions. These extensions include shipping extensions, payment gateways and accounting extensions.

You don’t need all of these extensions. Your website will still work fine without them. However, if you do not want to pay extra for these extensions, you can find many extensions in the free category.

Conclusion:

With the WooCommerce plugin, you can create an eCommerce store with WordPress quickly and with minimal resources. This will allow you to realize your startup dreams.