Magento web design for e-commerce vs WordPress web design

WordPress WooCommerce or Magento for e-commerce?

There are lots and lots of e-commerce platforms available, it’s hard to figure out which one is the right one to go with. Many platforms offer different functionality which is necessary for some e-commerce stores, while simple functionality may be your piece of pie. My experience has been stores that have invested in a simple functioning e-commerce platform but as time goes on, their business grows and they want to offer more customisation, they eventually migrate their e-commerce site to WordPress or Magento. I have used both platforms and prefer to work with WooCommerce on the WordPress platform.

From my experience, choosing an e-commerce platform that your business is able to grow into is the best path. This path is better than investing in an e-commerce method that may do the trick for your business in it’s early days, and then needing to migrate your whole site to a new platform that can handle all your desired functionality and customisation.

If your goal is to simply sell products go with Magento. If your goal is to post content, blog, attract customer through a variety of online channels then definitely opt for WordPress. WooCommerce can manage product ranges of 0-25 or 1,500+ – it’s very scalable and just works!

Magento and WordPress similarities

• They are both Open Source platforms that many developers are familiar with
• Ability to integrate blogging into their functionality
• Ability to easily add and manage products
• Ability to use themes to design and personalise the look of your website

Magento vs WP plugins

An advantage with WordPress vs Magento is the fact that WordPress was originally built for blogging and content writing which helps gain traffic to your products. WooCommerce bolts onto WordPress seamlessly and just works!

I recently worked on the launch of the new Bronnley WordPress website through a WordPress agency. Bronnley recognised the importance of fresh and engaging content on the site that can essentially drive more sales too.

A few nice features to WooCommerce WordPress websites:

WordPress is ideal for your eCommerce needs if you are only selling a few products. If you mainly have a site that is driven by content and news updates and you sell a few t-shirts or tickets to an event then the WordPress eCommerce Plugin will work for you. Unfortunately, I can not cover WordPress eCommerce plugins in one bullet point list, because the functionality is dependent on the 3rd party plugin you choose. Below is a list of the general well-known facts about WordPress eCommerce.

• Customisation of shipping options
• Various payment integrations – Plugins can easily link in payment gateways such as PayPal, SagePay, Amazon Pay and WorldPay.
• Custom shipping methods – Set your own shipping rules; discounts, shipping rates based on postcodes etc
• Dynamic pricing functionality – Control which prices are displayed to your customers whether they are trade customers or the general public.
• Order fulfilment – Manage orders from start to finish
• Gift cards and coupons – Easily setup gift cards, vouchers, discount rates and coupons for your customers and also for your marketing team to use!
• Some very secure WordPress plugins that are frequently updated
• Ability to add more functionality than a Magento plugin. There are lots of developers that work with WooCommerce and WordPress.
• Great forums available on the web if you run into problems because WordPress is the most widely used CMS platform in the world
• Tons of eCommerce 3rd party plugins to choose from to fit your needs
• Easily integrate your eCommerce into your existing WordPress theme
• WooCommerce reporting is excellent and you can easily export data for your sales and marketing teams

“WooCommerce reporting is excellent”

If WordPress e-commerce sounds like the right solution for your business please feel free to get in touch.