WooCommerce is an ecommerce plugin for WordPress that is used on about 2.3 million ecommerce stores around the world. Alongside Shopify, it’s recognized as one of the top two ecommerce platforms globally.

It makes creating and managing an online store simple, with lots of flexibility and all the key ecommerce features such as inventory and tax management, secure payments, and shipping integration.

Since it’s built upon WordPress, this means that when you use WooCommerce you’re also accessing all the benefits associated with being in the WordPress ecosystem:

1. Flexibility: WordPress and WooCommerce uniquely offer both user-friendliness and powerful customization. It has intuitive tools that beginners can easily navigate, as well as powerful customisation features for advanced developers.
2. Extensive Support Ecosystem: Both WordPress and WooCommerce benefit from a robust community of developers and users. This community actively contributes to its continuous enhancement, providing an extensive range of themes and plugins that cater to virtually every need.
3. Longevity: WordPress has a proven track record of stability and reliability for over two decades now!

Yes, we can definitely migrate your existing website to WooCommerce. We’ve done that plenty of times.

We have unique techniques and tools inhouse that help us to complete migrations such as this, including tools to help us migrate user accounts, order history, page content and product settings.

As part of our “Stone Digital Framework,” we follow a systematic and codified process for our web development projects. Here are the key steps in the development of a Shopify site with us:

• Design Phase: We begin by creating a bespoke design for your WooCommerce site, focusing on aligning the design with your brand identity and ecommerce objectives. This phase is all about crafting a user-friendly and visually appealing website.
• Design Feedback: After presenting designs, we start to seek your feedback and update the designs accordingly. This process often requires multiple meetings and feedback rounds, until we get the design right and complete.
• Development Phase: Once the design is finalised, our development team starts building the site. We ensure that the website not only looks great but also is responsive and has animation which might have been difficult to visualise in the design mockups.
• Development Feedback: Once we’ve completed most of the development, we’ll provide you with the staging website’s URL for your review and feedback. Experiencing the website in a live browser environment can often feel different compared to design mockups, making this stage as crucial as the initial design feedback phase.
• Content Upload: During this phase, we begin populating your website with content, including product listings, descriptions, images, and other vital details. Gathering and preparing this content can be time-intensive for you as the business owner, so we always recommend starting this process early to ensure timely completion.
• Launch!: The final step is the exciting launch of your new WooCommerce website. We thoroughly test and review the site to ensure everything is perfect, and then, with your approval, we make your site live for the world to see.

It’s important to note that not all projects follow this exact workflow. For instance, some clients come to us with the design phase already completed. In such cases, we adapt our process to seamlessly integrate with the work that’s already been done, ensuring a smooth transition into the development phase.

Absolutely! WooCommerce comes equipped with all the essential ecommerce features you would expect for an online store.

Additionally, there is a vast array of plugins available for more specialised integrations to further enhance your site’s functionality. Some examples include the AusPost Shipping Plugin and the HubSpot for WooCommerce Plugin.

For highly specific integration needs, custom WooCommerce plugin development services may be necessary to tailor solutions to your exact requirements.

Drawing on our extensive experience, we’ve identified several key benefits of using WooCommerce for ecommerce:

• Highly Customizable: WooCommerce offers open-source code, allowing for deep customization to meet specific business needs.
• Full Control: Users enjoy complete ownership of their site and data, offering greater autonomy.
• Large Plugin Ecosystem: A vast range of plugins is available, enhancing functionality and flexibility.
• Broad Support Network: There’s a substantial ecosystem of support articles, and a wide network of freelancers and agencies ready to assist.

While WooCommerce has these advantages, it’s also important to weigh up its negative aspects and also compare it against its main alternative: Shopify. Understanding the pros and cons of each can help you make an informed decision.

WooCommerce Cons:

• More technical: More complex to set up and manage than Shopify.
• Additional costs for hosting, plugins, and themes.
• Security and maintenance: Requires regular updates and security checks.
• Potentially slower setup: Time-consuming to configure, especially for beginners.

Shopify:

• Pros: User-friendly interface, included hosting, reliable customer support, and integrated payment solutions.
• Cons: Higher monthly fees, less customization flexibility, transaction fees (excluding Shopify Payments), and limited SEO capabilities compared to WooCommerce.

We generally estimate that a new WooCommerce project will take between 1.5 to 4 months to complete. This timeline is influenced by several key factors:

1. Website Complexity: More complex websites require more time to develop.
2. Information Delivery: The speed at which we receive essential materials like content and images.
3. Feedback Process: The efficiency of our interactions during the feedback stage.