[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the current competitive marketing environment, it is extremely important for businesses to have fully functional e-commerce platforms that deliver a good user experience and a full set of features that make online shopping easy. To make this happen, you need to get the development right; otherwise, wrong choices can mean lost opportunities. Some tips:
Choose Plug-in
After having opted for WordPress as a web development platform, you need to now choose an appropriate plug-in to be able to create your storefront. While opting for any of the more popular ones like WooCommmerce can work out right for you, you can and should look out for others that can be more appropriate for the line of business you are engaged in. While any of the top storefront plug-ins will work perfectly well, spending a little time in choosing one could serve your better as it would fit better with your specific needs.
Know What Site Features You Want
If you are new to the business of selling online, knowing what features your e-commerce site should have can be a really tough task. It can be worthwhile to examine the websites of your competitors to find out what features they are using and whether you need them. You can then prioritize the features for implementation in the short-term and the medium term. Opting to implement plug-ins for many of these features can save you the additional cost of hiring web developers.
Integrate with Existing Website
If you have a website already running on WordPress, launching a storefront powered by WordPress becomes relatively easy. Not only do you spend a lot less time becoming familiar with the user interface but you also can devote more time establishing your online shop, which is more critical to the success of your business. The other big benefit is that you don’t have to create a totally new store from the bare bones if you have already established a loyal community. You can leverage this community to boost your business after integrating the storefront into your existing website. If you need professional help to integrate an online payment gateway, you can hire the services of Tayloright.
Select a Theme
You need to make sure that the selected theme and the e-commerce plug-in are compatible because every theme does not work on all platforms. Irrespective of whether you are going ahead with a ready-made theme or getting it developed, you need to ensure that the selected theme is responsive so that it is able to display properly on all screen sizes. You also need to choose a theme that is aesthetically pleasing and make sure that it is being actively maintained, otherwise, over time, you may experience conflicts. It is better to choose a theme that is lightweight so that your platform functions well; extensions can always be added later when specific functions are required.
Conclusion
With so many options to evaluate, it is very easy to get confused. However, you need to give yourself adequate time to understand what you really require and then choose the most appropriate plug-in and theme.
Melanie Clarke is the owner of an online business selling customized footwear. Her WordPress e-commerce platform was developed by Tayloright, a leading web development and SEO agency in New York.
