Want to sell products from your WordPress site? Then you will hear about WooCommerce sooner or later.
WooCommerce is a free, open-source eCommerce plugin that turns a regular WordPress site into an online store. You can sell physical products, digital downloads and even services, all from the dashboard you already know.
What can you do with WooCommerce?
Out of the box, WooCommerce gives you most things a store needs:
- A product catalog with prices, images, stock levels and variations like size or color.
- A shopping cart, a checkout and customer accounts.
- Payment options, including offline methods like bank transfer and cash on delivery.
- Shipping zones, tax settings, coupons and order management.
- Sales reports and email notifications for new orders.
Think of WordPress as an empty shop building, and WooCommerce as the shelves, cash counter and storeroom you add inside it.
How to set up WooCommerce
- First, go to Plugins → Add New Plugin and search for WooCommerce.
- Now, click Install Now and then Activate.
- Next, follow the setup wizard and enter basic store details, such as your location.
- Here, set up payments and shipping from WooCommerce → Settings.
- Finally, add your first item from the Products menu.
WooCommerce also creates the Shop, Cart, Checkout and My Account pages for you.
WooCommerce itself is free, but some extensions and premium themes cost money. Most online payment providers also charge a small fee on each transaction.
Is WooCommerce right for you?
Yes, if you want full control over your store and already like WordPress. It is owned by Automattic, has a huge community and connects with plenty of tools.
Just remember that a store needs good hosting, regular backups and an SSL certificate to keep payments secure. To understand that last part, read what an SSL certificate is. To compare other store options, see our list of the best WordPress plugins for eCommerce.
WooCommerce is a simple way to turn WordPress into a real online shop. That's it for today. If you have questions about starting your store, drop them in the comment box below.