WordPress with its wide range of templates and third-party extensions has become one of the most sought-after site building platforms among professionals and amateur developers alike. The open source CMS solution offers users some simple yet effective plugins for enhancing the visibility and performance of their website tenfold. Not only can you transform your WordPress website into a full-fledged e-store using these plugins, but can also leverage their tremendous marketing and sales features for more success. We have compiled a list of such best free e-commerce plugins that everyone should know about.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is among the best free wp e-commerce plugins that come with all the standard and advanced store building tools and features that give you complete control over the look and feel of your web store. Everything from developing the website to marketing it online and then conducting business is taken care of. Once you have picked a suitable template, you can add product catalogs, descriptions, images, manage abandoned shopping carts, track orders and shipping, integrate multiple payment gateways and do a lot more.
Easy Digital Downloads
EDD or Easy Digital Downloads is a simple and free WordPress e-commerce plugin that enables you to expand your business globally. The platform allows you to feature digital products like ebooks, audio files, services, pdf files and more. The interface is clean, replete with a lot of customizable features for adding, editing and publishing digital products. EDD is free and easy to install, plus you have advanced features like order tracking, file access control settings and discount codes that make the plugin all the more interesting.
Cart66 Cloud
Cart66 Cloud is easy to configure plugin that works towards reducing the number of add-ons you have on your store. Here, you get a separate marketplace for vendors, giving entrepreneurs a powerful platform for promoting their services to a wider audience base. Cart66 Cloud is a free plugin however, you can subscribe to the premium plans to access the more advanced services. What’s more, the platform has a strong customer support team, is integrated to over 100 payment gateways and allows flexible customization.
WP E-commerce
WP E-commerce is often considered to be an alternative for WooCommerce and for ecommerce website builders. For starters, WP E-commerce is more user-friendly. Secondly, the platform has a simpler interface and a wider range of editing features. The core version of the plugin is free, you can opt for the paid plans to access the premium features. Here, you also get a lot of add-ons for expanding the scope and scalability of your business.
Ecwid E-commerce Shopping Cart
Ecwid E-commerce is a useful and free e-commerce plugin that allows users to create faster and more efficient checkout pages for your store. The platform works wonderfully with WordPress, Drupal, and even social media networks like Facebook and Tumblr. Here, you get a variety of built-in features and add-ons for extra customization. You can integrate multiple shopping carts, have many product listings, sell your products on multiple sites for a more comprehensive e-commerce experience. The free plan allows you to add 10 products, a Facebook Shop, discount coupons, social media tools, Google e-commerce support and more.
JigoShop Ecommerce
JigoShop is among the oldest and most reliable e-commerce WordPress plugin that caters to both amateurs and professionals. This open source platform allows users to convert their blog into an online store. The plugin is free, easy to use and replete with a lot of customization options. It supports a wide range of products- both physical and digital goods. The interface is intuitive, armed with editing tools and extensions and also free layouts.
WP EasyCart Ecommerce
WP EasyCart E-commerce is a multipurpose plugin for WordPress users that lets you create functional and elegant stores online without any coding or technical expertise. The plugin is specially tailor-made for small-scale businesses and budding businessmen. You can sync your store with other extensions such as MailChimp, Quickbooks, TaxCloud, ShipStation and other for a better e-commerce experience.
Veeqo
Veeqo is a smart WP e-commerce pluginthat takes care of all the inventory issues of your store. The plugin works well with WooCommerce stores and also other platforms like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy, etc. Using Veeqo, you can manage all your orders, track abandoned shopping carts, sync your inventory in real-time, monitor your sales and shipping, customize product listings and a lot more. Veeqo helps businessmen create a more harmonious and well-organized e-commerce setup where you’re never out-of-stock or overselling products at a loss.
Finding the Right Plugin For Your WordPress based Ecommerce Store
With over hundreds of apps, extensions and third-party plugins at its disposal, WordPress can be a very confusing platform for newcomers who want to find the right plugin to suit their web development requirements. We recommend some basic plugins like WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, Cart66 Cloud that every e-commerce website must have. If your e-store deals with downloadable digital products, you might want to try out East Digital Downloads. Try some of these plugins, and see which works best for you.