7 pros and cons of WooCommerce that you probably didn’t know about

woocommerce

Launch a website quickly and efficiently? WooCommerce is a perfect ecommerce platform to achieve it.
Although Shopify, Magento and other alternatives have gained ground, WooCommerce continues to be a reference.
Up to 3.3 million websites have been created with this WordPress plugin, according to BuiltWith (February, 2019). This is equivalent to 0.6% of all sites, an astonishing percentage considering that the internet has more than 1,000 million websites.
However, not all that glitters on this platform is gold.
There are many pros and cons of WooCommerce that are worth knowing before venturing into the world of e-commerce. Do you dare to discover them?

Still don’t know the pros and cons of WooCommerce? Discover them before launching your ecommerce!

When WooCommerce was created in 2008, nobody could have imagined that millions of online stores would open their doors thanks to this simple (but powerful) plugin.
Mike Jolley and James Koster developed this platform as WooThemes, which would be named as we know it when Automattic bought it in 2015.
Now that you know the history of WooCommerce, why not start writing the history of its ecommerce?
Before taking this step, it is important to know the different benefits of WooCommerce: it is open source and free, it has a large community and its flexibility adapts to the needs of all stores.
But is everything positive in this platform? Of course not, and therefore you must consider all the pros and cons of WooCommerce!

Completely free and open source

WooCommerce software stands out not only for being free but also open source.
This means that any user, designer or programmer can alter its code because it is based on open collaboration.
It is true that Shopify, Magento and other competitors of WooCommerce have free versions. But its advanced options require the hiring of premium payment plans.
However, certain extensions of WooCommerce Extensions require a punctual payment or even monthly fees. This is a disadvantage that will be addressed later.
On the other hand, WooCommerce is an especially advisable option for those who have previous experience with WordPress.
Why? Because they will be familiar with your interface. This will allow them to quickly get started with the design of their store and, therefore, to make their first sales earlier.

100% customizable

Continuing with the advantages and disadvantages of WooCommerce, WooCommerce customization options also shine with special intensity.
First of all, there are thousands of themes for this platform. After choosing the most suitable one, it is possible to customize all its sections: header, footer, product sheets, checkouts, etc.
This is possible thanks to the free access to CSS, HTML and PHP style code. Therefore, WooCommerce is suitable for professional users as well as for beginners.

Great flexibility

Another of WooCommerce’s greatest strengths is its flexibility – it adapts like a glove to all kinds of online shops, regardless of their market niche or their products!
WooCommerce can be configured to sell physical, virtual or downloadable products. It can also be adapted to affiliate systems and other business models.

Optimal security

But among the benefits of using WooCommerce is also security.
This platform is regularly updated to keep up to date with cybersecurity. But the WooCommerce plugin does not include elements such as the SSL certificate (Secure Sockets Layer) or backup tools, to make backups.
These elements can be easily added to WooCommerce.
When it comes to payment security, WooCommerce is perfectly complemented with secure gateways and e-wallets, such as Stripe, PayPal, WePay or Payza.

Large community

Another of the most outstanding aspects of WooCommerce is its community of users, developers, and contributors.
In WooCommerce Community you will find abundant documentation, articles and informative guides.
It also has several forums specialized in this platform. A good example is WooCommece Support Forum, but there are many others, such as Upload WP Community Forums.
In case of problems or technical queries, we will receive help from a large community of active users.
An indirect advantage of this community is the continuity of the platform. If it were to cease to be used, Automattic could discontinue it, interrupting the flow of updates. Nobody wants to use an obsolete platform, right?
So far, it is clear that WooCommerce is the first choice to launch an online store. But is it really a free platform, what are its disadvantages? Discover them!

Excellent performance is hampered with plugins and plug-ins

WooCommerce has one and a thousand plugins! It’s amazing how many tools and features can be added.
But this has a disadvantage that goes unnoticed by less experienced users: installing too many plugins and extensions tends to slow downloading speed and overall performance. This is because they take up a lot of memory.
It is best to implement the desired functions through CSS, jQuery or HTML codes. If this is not possible, it is advisable to limit the number of plugins installed. Of course, a detail that should be considered along with other pros and cons of WooCommerce.

Need to pay for extensions

But wasn’t WooCommerce free? Downloading and installing this WordPress plugin is free of charge. Most of its widgets and add-ons are free.
But as mentioned above, the installation of some extensions may require a punctual payment or the hiring of plans with monthly fees.
So why install these extensions? It is true that launching a store and starting to sell does not require the purchase of any extension.
But if, for example, you want to implement a payment gateway, specific subscription services, inventory management aids or other utilities, you will have to assume this cost.
This weak point of WooCommerce is not inconsistent with other qualities of this platform. For example, its flexibility.
Are you taking your first steps in e-commerce and don’t want to assume big expenses? WooCommerce is for you. Do you have a high volume of sales and want to expand your business with new features? WooCommerce is also for you.
 

Image credit: Sergey Deykin

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ECN Team
E-Commerce Nation is The 1st B2B Web Media about E-Commerce in Europe. The team of E-Commerce Explorers help businesses to reach new potential market through delivering useful content. Let us know in comment if you enjoyed this content.