Choosing a WordPress Ecommerce Plugin for an Offline Business

Selling online has become a simple process for those of us who sell digital products.

In general, the 2 biggest issues involved are automatic product delivery and download protection.

If you are using WordPress for your website, there are numerous free and paid solutions. While the details may vary, in most cases you will have a variety of options.

However, if you’re selling physical products that require shipping in any form, the situation becomes more complicated.

I have several clients with offline retail stores in a small niche.

I’m currently working with 4-5 of them, setting up websites and teaching them how to manage their sites themselves. And yes, it is a small niche for everyone to know each other and attend the same industry trade shows. LOL

Interestingly, because of how they’ve approached their online stores, they don’t compete directly with each other.

In each case, the features required from a shopping cart solution have been different.

Based on my recent experiences, here are some of the factors to consider when choosing an eCommerce solution for a WordPress site:

inventory control

1) How necessary is inventory control?

It goes without saying that this is where selling digital products is very different from selling physical products. I have a client for whom this is a major concern as he sells unique custom pieces. Most of my other customers sell products that they either have in stock or can ship directly from the manufacturer, so this is not an issue.

2) Is it necessary to integrate the inventory sold online with the items sold offline through a point of sale (cash register) solution?

I have a client concerned about this problem. He studied a possible POS (point of sale) solution, but decided not to invest in it at this time. We are still discussing practical strategies for her to handle this challenge. My other customers aren’t concerned, for a variety of different reasons, including how much stock they have in store and even, in one case, the proximity of a dealer.

Shipment

With physical products, shipping is an ugly reality. I have a client who includes free shipping on his online store’s one-sell item. I have other clients that calculate shipping in a number of different ways, including using PayPal to handle it.

The biggest factor in shipping issues is having flexibility. In the case of choosing a WordPress eCommerce plugin, my suggestion is to find a plugin that allows you to handle shipping options on a product-by-product basis.

multiple orders

Again, there is a big difference here between digital and physical products.

The idea is to make the buying process as easy as possible., in this case allowing the buyer to choose how many items they want to purchase. Ideally, again, this should be able to be implemented item by item.

While my clients currently focus on selling physical products, I encourage them to also think in terms of creating their own unique digital offering, both as a way to expand their product lines and as a way to build a unique selling position.

Product Descriptions

In my opinion, product descriptions are one of the keys to the success of a website.

I teach my clients to write full product descriptions on WordPress pages or posts, and then I write different product descriptions for each item in the shopping cart.

Some of the important aspects of product descriptions for shopping carts are as follows:

1) Ability to write product descriptions with no length limit

2) Ability to add simple HTML formatting

3) Ability to add thumbnail images as well as additional images if needed

4) Ability to display the product in different formats

5) Ability to display products without the thumbnail or without the description or without the price or without the Add to Cart button or any combination of the above.

For one of my clients, we have full descriptions of a couple of products that are displayed without an Add to Cart button in the public area of ​​the site. In order to purchase the products, the prospective buyer must already have signed up for an online class that is managed with an integrated membership plugin.

Product Format Options

1) Can specific product information be sent in the purchase confirmation email?

2) Can a product include a mix of physical and digital elements, with the digital elements provided for immediate download?

3) Can the shopping cart be integrated with the client’s autoresponder company?

NOTE: I consider this to be one of the most important features when choosing a shopping cart solution. Ideally, the shopping cart can be set up for a default list and you also have the option to link an individual product to a specific mailing list.

Enlarge

Does the shopping cart plugin have the option to upload products in bulk?

This may or may not be a problem. In my case, I am putting so much emphasis on long, detailed and meaty product descriptions, that it may not be necessary, however, I know that the plugin I am currently using allows this option.

Last but not least, the shopping cart solution that I currently recommend also integrates with an affiliate plugin and a membership plugin from the same developer.

Using an affiliate program for an offline business

Having an affiliate program is a foreign notion for many offline businesses. While copying the online digital affiliate model is unlikely to be a good fit for an offline business, I see potential here and have been urging my clients to consider implementing some type of affiliate program.

The trick here is to think outside the online affiliate box…

In the case of a client, we are considering offering an affiliate program that does not pay directly but increases the affiliate’s additional benefits. Our goal is to set up the affiliate program to encourage the affiliate to buy more. We’re still working on this, but the key is to have an affiliate program that links to the shopping cart plugin and doesn’t necessarily pay automatically.

Add a membership component to an online store

In one memorable week this summer, three of my clients asked me about offering classes online.

Using the combination of membership plugin and eCommerce seems to be a pretty good solution.

However, I can see a potential problem in putting too many eggs in one basket. For two of my clients, I suggested creating a separate domain with WordPress and using it to run the online classes, independent of the online retail store. Of course, one customer instantly agreed and the other started arguing. LOL

It just so happens that both clients have reseller accounts and multiple online businesses, so the only expenses are the domain and possibly plugins (not including class setup of course).

The online class site and the retail site would be linked to each other, but would actually be two different entities.

conclusions

So after a long discussion here, let me conclude…

Offline businesses differ from online and digital businesses, and your eCommerce requirements will be different.

A fancy plugin suitable for internet marketing may or may not be robust and flexible enough for an offline client.

Take the time to help your customer evaluate the specific options they need, decide which ones are a must and which are negotiable.

Consider adding an affiliate program or membership area in the future. In most cases, this will require educating the customer and thinking creatively about how to implement these options.

The more flexible and robust the eCommerce solution, the better. Every couple of weeks, one of my clients asks me a “Can we do this?” question, and I find myself brainstorming and problem solving. You’ll be thinking a lot, make sure the eCommerce solution you’re using won’t trip you up!

Look for plugins with good support. I hadn’t mentioned this before, but it’s an important factor. You will run into problems. Good documentation, a responsive developer, and an active support forum can save you time and sanity.