WooCommerce

Woocommerce is an ecommerce plugin built for WordPress. To be able to use Woocommerce one must install WordPress first. Just like the parent software (WordPress), Woocommerce is very commendable.

The things I like about Woocommerce include the following:

1. Free to use: Just like WordPress, Woocommerce is free to use, though one may need to purchase some premium plugins to add some features that may not be available in free plugins. Cost was a major factor for me when I was making the choice of a platform to use for my ecommerce website, and Woocommerce was the best fit for me.

2. Support network: Woocommerce have a huge user base. There are online and offline communities where one can easily get solution to problems.

3. Ease Of Us: Woocommerce is very easy to use compared to some other ecommerce website builders I've checked out. One only have to install compatible themes and plugins to get started. It is a drag and drop ecommerce website builder, and need no technical skills to get started.

4. Security: Woocommerce websites are secure. The plugin witnesses regular updates to keep it secured.

5. Dedicated Dashboard: Woocommerce have a dedicated dashboard where one can see the performance of the website, like the number of sales, and the amount of sales. This is beautiful as I get to see how my business is going without much ado.

One of the issues I had with Woocommerce was the learning curve. Though it's easy to use after one is done learning it, but the learning curve wasn't very easy for me. After the initial stage of learning though, it became very easy to use.

Also with Woocommerce, I had to be updating the server myself unlike with Shopify. Shopify maintains the server. Shopify handles the technicalities.

Another issue was the need to buy an SSL encryption. With Shopify, this wasn't an issue for me, as Shopify takes care of that.

Simple to install and a doddle to use. Beautifully crafted piece of software that anyone can get there heads around. Excellent documentation, tutorials and how-to guides all over the web. The people behind Woocommerce care.

Woocomerce have loads of plugins that they charge some hefty prices for, although this is probably understandable as the main platform is totally free. I still feel they might be able to do something on their pricing or offer membership packages.

WooCommerce is a complete out-of-the-box solution. You install it, and it has basic functionality good enough to run a web shop. I also love the fact most professional themes come with WooCommerce support so it is very easy to create a visually attractive website with just a few clicks.

There are extensions upon extensions of functionality that are paid for. There are some functions that should be a part of WooCommerce itself that are locked behind extension paywalls. Some of them seem like a cash grab - like the ability to import or export products properly, or add product inquiry options. I ended up creating snippets of code that I use to circumvent those overly expensive plugins.

There are too many pro's to mention with WooCommerce, but i love the fact that it is Open Source which ensures thousands of plugins are available to extend the functionality of WooCommerce. And this is Woocommerce's biggest strength - It can quite feasibly allow a micro-size company to operate like an Enterprise (e-biz), including building end-to-end workflow automation across an entire business operation. Remarkably, this business panacea (end-2-end) can conceivably be achieved free of charge, or for only a few hundred dollars (plus A LOT of Developer and Administrator time).

WooCommerce doesn't come without Con's, and it's vitally important to recognise them. The main 'con' for me is the fact that because you have an 'infrastructure' that allows you to 'act' like an Enterprise - the temptation is to do so. This is where cost, resources, licences, etc can start to rack up. WooCommerce DOES NOT provide everything out of the box, but rather through a series of Modules (1st & 3rd party) that come at a cost. If you purchase from WooCommerce (Automattic) you pay a premium for each module (but you get support). If you purchase from 3rd party devs you typically pay a lower cost for the module (but the support is often questionable, as are the 'upgrades', 'compatibility roadmap', etc). So, although WooCommerce is an incredible toolset for building an Enterprise-style e-commerce platform, it is not always plain sailing.