Introduction to Woocommerce
WooCommerce is a free eCommerce software that makes it easy for selling products and services online. Over the years, it has become the most popular eCommerce platform in the world used by millions of small and large businesses (online stores). WooCommerce is developed as an extension of WordPress which is the most popular website builder on the market. This allows users to build an eCommerce website from scratch or add shopping cart functionality to an existing website. As an open-source software, WooCommerce is free to download and use. However, while the WooCommerce software is free, you still need a domain name and web hosting service to setup a website.
WooCommerce has become the most popular eCommerce software in the world because it’s easy to use for beginners, and it comes with extremely powerful features. Since WooCommerce is open source, not only is it 100% free, you also get complete freedom and control over your eCommerce website. Unlike other proprietary eCommerce platforms, WooCommerce pricing does not include licensing fees. This means you can use it to create as many online stores and eCommerce websites as you like.
WooCommerce is plugin built on top of WordPress, which means you get to benefit from all the powerful features of WordPress as well. See our complete WordPress review to learn more about WordPress. There are thousands of beautiful WooCommerce designs and templates that you can choose from to start your online store. Each of them comes with easy to use customization options and many of them are available for free.
One of the main reasons why business owners love WooCommerce is it’s flexibility. You can add additional features to WooCommerce by using various WooCommerce plugins (also known as add-ons). There are literally thousands of WooCommerce specific plugins that you can use to extend its functionality to add features like booking, subscriptions, shipping platform integrations, sales tax collection, etc. Apart from addons made specifically for WooCommerce, you can also use thousands of WordPress plugins on your website to add features like contact forms, call now buttons, galleries, data backup, security firewall, etc.
Another advantage of using WooCommerce is that it puts no restrictions on how you run your business. You can add unlimited products, make unlimited sales, import and export product data, add unlimited product images, videos, categories, and more. Accepting payments online is a major hurdle for many users. For those users, the most important benefit of using WooCommerce is that it integrates seamlessly with dozens of payment services and gateways. By default, it supports PayPal and Stripe out of the box. You can use dozens of other payment gateways through add-ons. There are even integrations available for some lesser-known and regional payment gateways.
Additional Information/Setup Guide Link:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/woocommerce-tutorial-ultimate-guide/
Basics of Setting Up Woocommerce Pre-Recorded Video Link:
https://share.getcloudapp.com/Blu5ek2L
*Note: Some software or hosting environments may be dated.
Discussion 5 - Sharing Link to an Online Store
*Submit Discussion into D2L
However one that is not a big box Amazon, Target, Best Buy, etc. Somewhere you remember ordering from in the past and had a good experience etc… Please share what you did like about ordering on their website. Looking forward to seeing what you all come up with!
Assignment 5 – Building a Woocommerce Store (I’m Bored! Board Game Shop Version 2 OR Any Other Demo Store Idea)
*Submit Assignment into D2L
Step 1:
We’re going to start with a brand new WordPress Install on your web host, and call it I’m Bored! Board Game Shop 2.0, OR, any other idea for a store you’d like to create with your own idea for the product data… For example, an online bike store, a store for your freelance services, etc. Install the plugin Woocommerce, and go through the setup process… Use your address or HTC’s address, and feel free to skip through any of the payment setup options as well.
*If you need additional assistance with setting up a Woocommerce store from scratch, check out this 20 minute YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr-M_P-hpww
Step 2:
Think of 12 Favorite Board Games you enjoy, even card games, etc. Categorize them all into a minimum of 3 different categories… For example Board Games, Kids Games, Classic Games, Card Games, Strategy Games, etc. Now create your Product Categories and your new 12 Products… For each of your products, include one photo of the game on the page and also set as a Featured Image, as well as a description of the game.
Step 3:
Go into your Menus area under Appearance, and add your Shop page into your main menu, and within this Shop menu item, add all of your individual Product Categories nested into the Shop menu item so it will display as a drop down list. Also, make sure the correct menu location checkboxes are selected (Primary Menu or Horizontal, Mobile, etc.)
Step 4:
Create a Home page & set Home page to the actual Home Page under Settings > Reading. Add an image and link to your favorite game/product on the home page, and put a large title above it that says Featured Board Game!. Also add thumbnails and link to each category on your home page… Something like an actual online store would…
OPTIONAL Step 5:
Feel free to change your WordPress Theme, or also use Elementor plugin to make an even more stylish Home Page for this new shop.
Submit into D2L when complete!
Sample Student Work
