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Ecwid Review: A Free eCommerce Solution for Your WordPress Website
Running an eCommerce website as a small business owner is tricky. For instance, your available budget might be lower than a large corporation. This means investing in a pricey solution such as BigCommerce is out of the question. More so, even popular eCommerce platforms such as WooCommerce sometimes require some paid add-ons to boost your online shop’s functionality.
Lastly, as a smaller entity you might prefer to build off of your existing website rather than create an entirely new website. This is how solutions such as Shopify work.
Today I will share with you a powerful online store solution that allows you to build an eCommerce shop directly onto your existing WordPress website. It’s called Ecwid and it is a great eCommerce platform solution for smaller website owners.
What is Ecwid?
Ecwid is considered a revolutionary shopping cart plugin that integrates seamlessly with your WordPress website. More so, it adds your online shop to social media networks for added sales opportunities.
It is feature-packed with all of the required functionality to run a successful online shop. Plus, it doesn’t cost a dime to use. In fact, there are no setup costs or transaction fees. This makes Ecwid one of the most affordable eCommerce plugins on the market today.
Here is a quick glance at some of this plugin’s features:
- Mobile friendly and mobile app ready.
- Easily installs onto your WordPress website.
- Free setup assistance available.
- Built-in support features – SSL certification, security, server configuration, and hosting.
- Unlimited storage, automatic backups, regular updates.
- Cloud-based service reduces downtime.
- Built for speed and exceptional user experience.
The one thing that really sets this eCommerce plugin apart from the competition is that it is a widget-based solution. This means that with a few simple lines of code you can add your fully designed online shop to any website or social media network page.
Ecwid’s Main Features
Here are the notable Ecwid features that I think are worth mentioning.
Online Shop Versatility
Ecwid caters to business owners that do not want to start a new website for selling their products. In addition, it is so easy to use, setup is completed in just a couple of minutes.
Ecwid offers a versatility that many eCommerce solutions do not. For example, you can mirror your original online shop and apply it to unlimited websites, social media networks, mobile phones, and marketplaces. Plus, any changes you make in your store automatically sync with all of your other online shops. This increases your chances of getting more sales. Furthermore, it makes management of your store super simple.
Global Reach
Ecwid expands your online shop’s global reach in a variety of ways. For example, your customers pay using one of over 40 international payment options. Some of these include PayPal, Authorize.net, Stripe, Bancomer/eGlobal, Moneris SELECTplus, and PayFast.
In addition, this eCommerce solution provides several shipping carriers such as UPS, FedEx, Australian Post, and Brasil Correiros to match the shipping needs of your customers. Each have their own rates that calculate based on destination, address, and product weight/dimensions.
Lastly, in order to reach your international customers and improve their user experience, Ecwid detects a site visitor’s native language based on their browser settings. Then, it translates your storefront into that language.
Altogether Ecwid has many opportunities for you to build an international eCommerce brand.
Secure Payment Options
Ecwid makes sure your online store has an authentic SSL certificate protecting your customers’ personal information. Typically purchased through your website hosting company, this SSL certificate comes built-in with plenty of seals to choose from for display.
Your customers demand secure payment options. In addition to SSL certification, all credit cards and associated data is transmits via the same secure HTTPS protocols large banks use. Additionally, Ecwid comes as a PCI DSS validated Level 1 Service Provider which is the gold standard for eCommerce solutions.
Point-of-Sale Functionality
Ecwid lets website owners sell their products in physical locations as well as online. Synchronizing with POS systems like Clover, Vend, and Square POS, you can accept payment for products using your smartphone or tablet. This is great for street fairs, markets, trade shows, and more.
This feature, although not exclusive to Ecwid, is a rarely found out-of-the-box, with Shopify being an obvious exception.
Exceptional User Experience
Though not technically a ‘feature’, Ecwid provides your customers with the opportunity to partake in an impressive shopping experience when visiting your online store:
- Drag & drop products to the shopping cart.
- Easily view a complete product list.
- Save addresses in profiles for later purchases.
- Mark favorite items.
- See related favorites marked by other customers.
- Create a profile for easier future checkouts, or don’t – whichever is preferred.
- Check real-time shipping rates based on location.
Using Ecwid
Using Ecwid on your WordPress website is very easy. The first step is to sign up for a free Ecwid account. Then, install the Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart Plugin onto your website. Next, activate the plugin and gain automatic access to your online store where setup of your shop to sell products begins right away.
Let’s take a look at what you can do once Ecwid is ready to use:
- Track inventory. Track inventory of all products from your WordPress dashboard.
- Make Deals. Offer coupons, promotional pricing, discounts, and bulk pricing.
- Sell digitally. Don’t limit yourself to physical products, sell digital items as well.
- Configure shipping. Choose shipping carriers, shipping rates, and taxes based on location.
- Brand your business. Use any pre-designed options or make custom CSS changes to design your shop.
- Expand your reach. Use the available widgets and place your online shop everywhere your target audience frequents.
In the end, Ecwid has everything you need to add an online shop to your existing website.
Support & Documentation
The kind of support you receive while using Ecwid depends on the plan you are using. However, they do have email, live chat, and phone assistance available. In addition, you can access the extensive Knowledge Base via your WordPress dashboard.
More great information about Ecwid is found in their regularly updated blog or in the forums where the Ecwid community comes together to help each other.
Ecwid Pricing
Pricing plans for the Ecwid plugin are straightforward. The most popular plan is free and comes with all of the needed functionality to run a successful online shop. This is great for small shops (up to 10 items).
That being said, there are premium paid plans for larger businesses with additional features designed to handle larger eCommerce shops available.
Final Thoughts
Ecwid is a cost-effective and easy-to-use eCommerce solution for website owners looking to add an online shop to their existing WordPress website. With the ability to sell via your website, social media platforms, and more, Ecwid offers a versatile and affordable solution that stands out amongst the competition.
If you are a small business owner looking to create an eCommerce shop, I recommend giving Ecwid a try. With the free version available you have nothing to lose and only sales to gain.
Have you ever used the Ecwid eCommerce platform solution? What did you enjoy most about it? I would love to hear all about it in the comments below!