You need to consider several things as an entrepreneur while starting to set up a new online store. Some actions like product development and crafting the market plan can prove to be time daunting and time-consuming.
However, with WooCommerce adding functionality to your store becomes easy. This article is going to showcase everything you need to know about WordPress WooCommerce store creation and get it in the correct position.
Install the setup wizard:
Each new installation of WooCommerce begins with the setup wizard. The wizard plays a fundamental role in WordPress WooCommerce store creation.
First, it will take you through how to set up a store. Then, it questions you about your products, industry, and location to provide suggestions, particularly for your requirements.
Also, you can install the extensions that will help you with extra functionality for a few things, such as unique products type and marketing.
Then, you will be asked to opt for theme installation, which will control the layout and design of the site. If you own a WordPress website with a compatible theme with WooCommerce, you do not need to opt for this step.
However, in case you are starting right from scratch, you will need to choose the theme that aligns with the requirements of your brand and store. But, again, there is nothing to worry about because you can always switch themes later.
You can also enable WooCommerce Tax and WooCommerce Shipping. Even if these are optional free extensions, they offer plenty of benefits and simplify your operations as an owner.
Finally, you will encounter a store checklist. It acts as a template for you to set up the remaining store. When you tap on an item mentioned in the list, directly you will be taken to the correct settings page. Let us go through each of them individually:
Add products:
When you tap on “Add my products” within the wizard, you get the option for manually adding products, migrating from another place, or importing a spreadsheet. On your way to WordPress WooCommerce store creation, adding the products is compulsory.
When you opt for manual product additional, you will be sent to a blank product page. Or else, you may visit “Product”, then tap on “App Product” from the dashboard. Over there, add a title for your product, photo, description, and information about shipping, pricing, etc.
If you know WordPress, you will see that the product pages of WooCommerce are differently laid out compared to the traditional posts and pages.
So, for example, the primary text box you encounter on a new WordPress page is not the place to input the description of your product. And instead, you will enter it in the “Short product description” space.
At the top of the page, there is a big test block, and there you can include the product details such as its components, construction, and any other information that you would like to include.
Also, the type of product needs to be set up for a successful WordPress WooCommerce store creation. Various product types are there. However, the common ones are variable and simple.
For example, simple products such as books do not have choices or options. On the other hand, the variable products come with options the customers can choose, such as a shirt having multiple colors and sizes.
Set up the payment methods:
If you want to set up the payments through the WooCommerce wizard, you can choose a payment gateway from the same screen. Or else, you can visit “WooCommerce” and then choose “Settings” and then “Payments”.
Check payments, cash payments, and even direct bank transfers can be enabled. Or, for charging online customers, a payment gateway needs to be set up.
The gateway will accept the credit card info of your customer securely, validate it, and then transfer the money to the bank account you have provided. Various options are there for you to choose from.
Alternatively, you can install the WooCommerce Payments extension free of cost when you opt for WordPress WooCommerce store creation. It will just take a few clicks to start with.
You can keep the customers on your website during the checkout and manage almost everything right from the payments to refunds from the dashboard directly. Besides, additional benefits such as payments in different currencies and immediate deposits are there.
Set up the tax:
For setting up taxes for the WooCommerce store, you will have to tap on “Set up tax” within the wizard or visit “WooCommerce,” then “Settings,” and then “Tax”. Also, you may want to input prices for the products having or not having tax, choose the address you would like for basing the tax calculations and set up the tax rates.
Some research needs to be done about the tax rates based on your location and in which places you are going to sell.
Personalize the store:
When you choose “Personalize my store”, a quick homepage can be set up. Also, uploading a photo and setting up a store notice can be done at ease.
There is nothing to worry about as all these things can be changed later, making WordPress WooCommerce store creation a breeze.
Set up shipping:
You can easily confirm the location of your store and set the costs of shipping for the country you reside in and the remaining part of the globe. This easily takes care of your general shipping settings.
However, for more particular setups, you need to visit “WooCommerce”, then tap on “Settings”, and then choose “Shipping. Over there, the shipping zones can be set, along with options such as free shipping.
Go beyond the functionality and design of the wizard:
After completing every step in the wizard, all the essentials are ready to take off. However, based on your products and business, you may want to look at other few things to complete WordPress WooCommerce store creation.
Make extra pages:
If you have a WordPress website already, it is more likely for you to have all the needful pages such as the contact page, about page, and homepage. But in case you have a fresh brand, you will need to set up those.
The theme you selected took care of the design works on your behalf. You can customize the theme to fit your store and brand. Also, attractive content can be added to any of the pages conveniently.
Add extensions:
Not every store needs an extension because WooCommerce offers almost everything. However, you might be looking for some extra functionality.
There are many extensions for user experience, store management, marketing, taxes, shipping, and payments. In the WooCommerce marketplace, every extension is available, and you can go through them all.
However, you must not be carried away because of the availability of too many options because installing too many extensions can make your website slow and clutter the dashboard. So, it is best to choose only those that can enhance the overall user experience.
There are several places to look for handpicked extensions collection. It will help you launch your business as a new WooCommerce store owner. They are grouped based on their purposes like customization, security, and growth. Always go for the extensions that are completely trusted and vetted by WooCommerce.
Enhance store security:
After setting up your store, there is no way that you want to lose it, and it is a vital act in WordPress WooCommerce store creation. So, try to secure your store with maximum effort. Secure everything right from the content, covering the order information, to the customer data.
Purchase a powerful security tool. Make sure that it comes with everything you are looking for to secure your WooCommerce store. Consider features such as malware scans, backs, and spam prevention. Or you put the free security tools for monitoring downtime and preventing attacks.
Form a community:
A good community is what you all need to escalate your business. And WooCommerce community is one of the best. It offers you an opportunity to learn from the experiences of others.
Also, you can share your experiences and get connected with the store that is facing the same things as you. Additionally, tons of people in the WooCommerce community genuinely want people to succeed in correctly positioning their WooCommerce store.
Conclusion:
WooCommerce has become one of the most used platforms among business owners across the globe. You can easily establish, promote, and begin selling, armed with the robust tools from WooCommerce. The best thing about WordPress WooCommerce store creation is that you can customize almost everything.
It makes everything easier for the business owners and the audience who visits your website to make a purchase. Also, new featured will be added by the WooCommerce team in the coming days to make it more amazing.
Related Post: How to Make an eCommerce Website with WordPress
