WooCommerce is an open source e-commerce plugin which enables store owners to build an online business via a WordPress website.
History
From a small start-up in 2008 selling commercial WordPress themes, the company has grown to be one of the most popular ecommerce platforms on the web with more than 15,600,000 downloads. It currently powers over 37% of all online stores worldwide from Australia to Alaska and is claimed to be one of the most versatile ecommerce platforms for establishing a business online.
In May 2015, Automattic, operator of WordPress.com and the core contributor to WordPress software, acquired WooThemes and WooCommerce.
The Service
WooCommerce is a free ecommerce plugin designed to integrate seamlessly with WordPress, one of the most popular and powerful CMS platforms for website creation.
The WooCommerce plugin provides an opportunity for anyone to build an online store with minimal effort and expense. It also makes setting up and managing the store via WordPress much easier than generally perceived and removes much of the anticipated hassle.
WooCommerce allows online stores to sell a wide range of physical and digital goods, services, product variations, multiple configurations, and instant downloads, and from affiliated online marketplaces.
Premium extensions enable bookings, memberships, and recurring subscriptions. All shipping arrangements can be made via the plugin, and WooCommerce also supports drop shipping, where the goods are delivered directly to the customer from the manufacturer.
Store owners and developers have complete control of the store from taxes to stock levels, customer accounts, payments, and security issues.
WooCommerce is used by many high-traffic websites, among them the Internet Systems Consortium and Small Press Expo.
Payment Integration
One of the main features included in the core version of the plugin is the ability to accept payments from customers via PayPal. The WooCommerce store can make use of PayPal’s advanced features by offering customers a more integrated checkout process, keeping them onsite as they complete their transaction.
But WooCommerce also supports many other payment methods, such as credit cards, bank transfers and even cash on delivery, among other alternative payment methods. More than 140 region-specific payment methods are integrated with WooCommerce. Direct Pay Online’s payment processing for eCommerce supports shopping via WooCommerce in Africa.
It is simple and easy to integrate the Direct Pay Online plugin with your WooCommerce store:
- Make sure that you have installed the latest version of the WooCommerce plugin
- Put the plugin files in the /wp-content/plugins/plugin-name directory, or install the plugin directly via the WordPress plugins screen.
- Turn on the Direct Pay Online for WooCommerce plugin via the WordPress plugins screen.
- Go to WooCommerce settings-> checkout tab -> Direct Pay Online Settings in order to set up the plugin.
By installing the Direct Pay Online plugin, WooCommerce store owners can accept all major payment methods, including credit cards, PayPal, Mobile Money, bank transfers and more. WooCommerce stores will also have the ability to accept payments in a variety of currencies and payments from across the globe.
As Direct Pay Online is PCI DSS Level 1 certified, WooCommerce stores that integrate the Direct Pay Online plugin can confidently accept payments knowing they are secured according to the strictest industry standards and protected by robust risk management technology.
Conclusion
This platform opens up many opportunities for store owners wanting to enter the world of online commerce. It simplifies the setup via a WordPress website, and makes operation seamless and easy to handle. Above all, it removes the hassle — a factor which often prevents store owners from taking the leap into the online world. It also ensures maximum security and control, without a massive price tag.
