India is one of the world’s most dynamic eCommerce markets, with a revenue of US$85.4 billion in 2021 and projected to reach US$102.3 billion by 2023.
As such, Indian businesses are increasingly looking for ways to create and manage an online store efficiently.
WordPress is a popular website creation platform; plugins can enhance an online store experience and make it more user-friendly and efficient.
In this blog post, we will discuss 7 of the most popular WordPress plugins available in India specifically tailored toward creating successful online stores.
What Do You Need to Run an eCommerce Website in India?
Running an eCommerce website can be a daunting task for beginning entrepreneurs.
But there are some fundamental tools you will need to make it succeed.
First and foremost, you need to have a good hosting provider.
A reliable hosting provider is essential because it ensures your website runs smoothly and securely, with minimal downtime and no data loss.
To be specific, you should get a WordPress hosting account.
This is a special hosting dedicated to WordPress websites.
Once you’ve secured hosting, the next thing is to register a domain name for your store.
After all, how will people find your store?
That’s where a website name can help.
Keep it short and memorable.
Next, you’ll need to choose the right platform or framework to build your store upon.
WordPress is extremely popular for eCommerce websites in India due to its huge library of plugins that offer features like payment gateway integration, customer management, shipping solutions, and more.
Finally, you’ll want to install a plugin such as WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads that enables users to purchase products on your website.
This plugin should include features like discount codes and product reviews so customers can get the most out of their shopping experience.
These are the tools you will build the business upon. To help you make an informed choice, here’s a breakdown of the top plugins you can use.
a. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is one of the most popular WordPress plugins for creating an online store in India.
It is an open-source eCommerce platform that supports both digital and physical goods.
WooCommerce also offers powerful SEO capabilities, allowing businesses to reach a wider audience in India.
Comes with a range of customization options to suit customers’ needs from different industries.
Moreover, WooCommerce boasts various features such as automated tax calculation, shipping tools and payment gateway integration.
What’s more impressive is that WooCommerce powers over 29.35% of all online stores worldwide – making it the most popular eCommerce platform today.
With its simple setup process and wide array of features, WooCommerce is an ideal plugin for businesses looking to create their own online stores in India.
Pros:
- WooCommerce is free and open source.
- It’s easy to use with a simple setup process.
- You can customize the store with various plugins and themes.
- It integrates easily with popular payment gateways such as PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net.
- WooCommerce provides detailed analytics to help you track sales and customer data effectively.
Cons:
- A steep learning curve for those unfamiliar with WordPress or eCommerce websites.
- Not all plugins are compatible with WooCommerce, requiring trial and error to find compatible extensions for your store’s needs.
- Security vulnerabilities may exist in some older versions of WooCommerce due to a lack of updates from developers or users not updating their software regularly enough to protect against cyber attacks or other malicious online activity.
- Poor customer service if issues arise due to lack of support from WooCommerce developers.
- Some hosting providers may not be optimized for running a WooCommerce store, leading to potential performance issues and slow loading times.
b. Easy Digital Downloads
Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) is an immensely popular WordPress plugin for creating online stores in India.
Its features are specifically tailored to suit the needs of Indian entrepreneurs, making it an ideal choice for e-commerce websites.
EDD makes it easy to accept customer payments with built-in payment gateways, manual bank transfers, and cash-on-delivery options.
The plugin also offers a variety of add-ons, such as order tracking, email and SMS notifications, customer segmentation, promotional codes, multilingual support, and more.
To top it off, EDD is incredibly user-friendly and can be easily customized to increase sales or add new features.
For Indian users who want a straightforward solution that allows them to accept payments quickly while providing features like discounts or promotions, Easy Digital Downloads is an excellent choice.
Pros:
- Easy Digital Downloads offers store owners a wide range of customization options.
- The platform is highly secure and reliable for managing digital products.
- It is integrated with several payment gateways, making checkout easy and fast for customers.
- Easy Digital Downloads integrate with many of the popular WordPress plugins.
- It reports the store’s sales, downloads, and earnings performance.
Cons:
- Due to its comprehensive features, some users may find the setup process a bit complex and time-consuming.
- Not suitable for managing physical goods or services; only digital products can be sold with this platform.
- The user interface may not be as user-friendly as other eCommerce platforms’ interfaces are designed to be straightforward and intuitive for customers’ convenience when shopping online.
- Limited customer service support from the Easy Digital Downloads team.
c. Shopify Plugin For WordPress in India
It offers a wide range of features, such as an integrated payment gateway, customizable themes, and inventory management.
Shopify also provides 24/7 customer support and fraud protection so business owners can feel secure when selling online.
Additionally, its user-friendly interface makes it easy for users to create stunning stores quickly.
Merchants who use Shopify can access over 100 different apps and plug-ins from the Shopify App Store that allow them to add more features like shipping, discounts, product reviews, etc., designed to help them grow their businesses.
Moreover, with Shopify’s analytics feature, merchants can track sales performance in real-time which helps them optimize their stores for maximum profitability.
Is there a Shopify plugin for WordPress?
Yes, such a plugin exists. It allows you to connect your Shopify store to your WordPress site.
This plugin allows you to display and sell products from your Shopify store on your WordPress website, and it also allows you to manage orders and customer data from within the WordPress admin interface.
Pros:
- Easy-to-use platform for setting up an online store.
- Offers multiple payment options for customers.
- Powerful analytics tools for tracking sales and marketing performance.
- Comprehensive customer support services are available 24/7.
- Comprehensive set of features and integrations with other platforms and services.
Cons:
- Can be costly depending on the plan you choose.
- Transaction fees can add up quickly, which increases the overall costs of running a store with Shopify.
- Lack of flexibility when customizing the look and feel of the store beyond the basic options offered by the platform’s themes and templates.
- Requires technical knowledge to set up and maintain a store, which may not be ideal or cost-effective for small businesses or those without coding experience or resources to hire someone with this experience.
d. WP Easycart
WP Easycart is another popular WordPress plugin for creating and managing an online store in India.
It offers many features that make it an ideal choice for entrepreneurs looking to set up their own eCommerce businesses.
WP Easycart has been downloaded over 555000 times and allows users to create complex discounts, offer different payment gateways, manage inventory and more.
The plugin also comes with a 14-day free trial period and a 14-day money-back guarantee, so you can test it out risk-free before upgrading to the premium version.
It’s easy to set up and use; all you need is a WordPress site and some time to get familiar with the administrative options available.
Furthermore, WP Easycart allows users to track sales analytics easily from within the admin dashboard which helps them determine what works best for their business.
Pros:
- Easy and intuitive interface.
- Customizable themes to fit the look of a website.
- Comprehensive inventory tracking.
- Built-in marketing tools for promotions, coupons, and more.
- Comprehensive customer support with helpful FAQs and tutorials.
Cons:
- Limited payment processor options outside the United States, Canada, and UK.
- Shipping cost estimator can be unreliable in certain cases.
- Advanced features require additional plugins which may be costly to purchase or require technical knowledge to install and maintain them correctly.
- Lack of integration with some popular third-party applications such as MailChimp, QuickBooks, or Zendesk Chat & Support services.
- User access control is limited to just one admin user at the moment, making it difficult to manage larger stores with multiple staff members needing access permissions
e. Memberpress
Memberpress is a WordPress plugin that is ideal for membership websites.
It comes with an automated billing system and allows site owners to revoke memberships easily.
It also provides customizable registration pages and content restriction options.
Memberpress works best for sites with recurring payments and has built-in integration with Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, Braintree, and several other payment gateways in India.
The plugin can be used to create unlimited membership levels with varying access rights to different content areas of the website.
The cost might be stiff.
The price of MemberPress starts from $179.50 per year depending upon the features desired by the customer.
And can go up to $399.50 per year for premium packages with extra features such as affiliate management tools or advanced analytics capabilities.
Pros:
- Easy to set up and use.
- Offers great customization options for membership levels and pricing.
- Automated payment handling capabilities.
- Secure platform with robust security measures in place.
- Includes helpful integrations with popular tools like MailChimp and Zapier.
Cons:
- Lack of customer support options is a downside for inexperienced users who need help until they become more proficient in using MemberPress.
- Limited reporting capabilities compared to other membership software solutions on the market, such as Paid Memberships Pro or S2MemberPro.
- Not suitable for large-scale websites due to lack of scalability options or multi-site management features offered by some competing products in this space.
- Certain features like content dripping are not available unless you upgrade to the highest level plan which can cost significantly more than other similar membership software solutions on the market today.
f. BigCommerce WordPress Plugin
The BigCommerce WordPress Plugin is an excellent choice for online stores in India.
This plugin helps simplify catalog management with no iframes or javascript necessary, allowing you full catalog data access within WordPress to shape your store as you see fit.
Moreover, this plugin offers multiple sites and one control panel for even easier store management.
With BigCommerce, Indian online stores can easily customize their product marketing and optimize their checkout process in order to maximize sales conversions.
You can easily integrate various payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal into their website for added convenience for customers.
The easy installation process combined with the powerful features makes it a great option for any business wanting to take advantage of the booming eCommerce market in India.
Pros:
- BigCommerce offers a wide range of features, including a powerful product catalog, automated marketing, checkout options, and the ability to customize the store’s design.
- Offers excellent customer support with 24/7 access to their help center, email, and phone support.
- Easy-to-use platform that allows users to set up an e-commerce store with minimal technical knowledge quickly.
- Offers competitive pricing plans with no transaction fees on all plans.
- Integrates with popular payment services such as PayPal, Stripe, and Amazon Payments.
Cons:
- Limited free themes means you’ll have to spend additional cash on premium themes
- Limited international payment options for customers outside the US and UK markets.
- Not as many integrations are available as some other e-commerce platforms like Shopify or Magento have to offer.
- No official marketplace for customizing store themes or plugins.
- The basic plan has limited features and may not be suitable for larger stores with more complex needs.
How to Choose the Best Plugin for Online Stores in India
By now, you’ve seen there are more than 5 plugins you can use to power your online ambitions in India.
The issue is not the number.
The challenge is picking the right one.
What if you pick the wrong plugin and it messes up your dream of making money online in India?
Here are some tips to guide your decision.
a. Understand your needs
Knowing what you require is integral to choosing the right WordPress plugin for your online store in India.
Understanding what features you need, and which ones you don’t, can save time, money, and frustration in the long run.
While there are a ton of features, some of the key considerations when selecting a plugin include ease of use, cost-effectiveness, security features, and compatibility with other plugins or themes.
Before anything else, take some time to plan out the functionality that you need on your site.
- Consider what type of products and services are available to be sold online
- How customers will add items to their cart and checkout
- Any additional tools needed such as shipping calculators or loyalty programs
- Options for hosting digital downloads
- Payment gateways compatible with Indian banks; etc.
b. Research options
One option is to read reviews from customers who have already used a particular plugin.
Reviews can provide helpful insight into the features and benefits of a given plugin and how it compares with other similar plugins.
Don’t ignore online communities.
These forums offer a great way to connect with other business owners or developers using WordPress and ask questions about their experience with specific plugins.
c. Apps and integrations
Having the right tools and integrations for your WordPress store is essential.
When evaluating plugins for your WordPress store in India, ask yourself: can it easily work with other tools?
Integrating popular tools such as payment gateways like Razorpay or Paytm, shipping providers like Delhivery or DTDC, and customer service platforms like Zendesk can be key to creating a seamless shopping experience.
Thus, integrating external plugins quickly and efficiently is a definite plus.
For example, WooCommerce allows users to quickly add extensions that provide additional features not included with the core plugin.
One of the most popular extensions is WooCommerce Currency Switcher which allows users to switch from one currency to another easily.
d. Consider budget
Many plugins are free, while some require payment.
These paid plugins can range from a few hundred rupees per month to thousands depending on the features and functionality you need.
Free plugins are often limited in their capabilities and may not offer the same level of support as those that come with a price tag.
However, for online store owners who do not need advanced features or extensive customer support, free WordPress plugins can provide basic functionalities at no cost.
They also tend to be less resource-intensive than paid ones, making them ideal for small businesses with limited budgets.
And that’s why it is essential to evaluate your plugin’s feature set against your needs and determine whether the free version offers sufficient value before investing in a paid alternative.
Final Thoughts
The WordPress plugins mentioned in this article are some of the most popular options available to bring a successful online store to life.
They cover a wide range of functionality and features, such as payment processing, shipping management, customer loyalty programs, and more.
With these tools in your arsenal, you can easily create an efficient and effective eCommerce platform that both customers and business owners will love.
When it comes to setting up an online store in India, there is no shortage of great choices when it comes to WordPress plugins.
From free options to more advanced solutions with more features, there’s something for everyone depending on their budget and needs.
Be sure to compare the different plugins thoroughly before making your decision so you end up with the best set-up possible for your store.