Goals
• Evaluate our e-commerce requirements• Planning your e-commerce store• Evaluating third-party software and services• Selecting an e-commerce plugin and a theme• Discuss compliance and security• Discuss outbound marketing
Why choose WordPress?
• Open Source content management• Globally distributed and supported• Easy to use• Highly extensible through plugins and themes• Powers 23% of the web• Available in more than 70 languages• Search Engine Optimized• Native iOS and Android apps• Fast, Simple, Flexible
Planning for success
• How many products will you have?• How many product categories will you have?• What type of products are you selling?• Shipping• Tax• Payment processing• DIY vs hiring a developer• Third-party considerations
Type of products/store
• Physical products• Variable products• Digital / Virtual products• Subscription-based products• Bookings• Membership
DIY vs Hiring a professional
• Collect your requirements• Do your research• Check the legal requirements• Get advice• Select the third-party providers• Calculate cost vs time vs quality
Third-party providers
• Hosting provider• Domain name• SSL certificate• Payment processor• Shipping provider• Accounting / Legal• Software licenses
Hosting providers
• Security• Performance• Support• Range of services• Ability to scale/upgrade• Server type (dedicated, VPS, shared)• Managed/unmanaged• PCI DSS compliance• Price
Payment processing
• Onsite processing vs offsite processing• PCI DSS• International services• Card storage for subscriptions• Support• Fees – Setup, Monthly, Per Transaction• Integration with e-commerce plugin
PCI DSS compliance
• PCI DSS – Payment Card Industry Data Security Standardshttps://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/
• Governs that handling of credit card data• Non-enforced but compliance is encouraged• Card issuers may have penalties for non-compliance
resulting in a breach of card data• Speak to your payment processor and hosting
company about compliance
WordPress eCommerce plugins
• http://www.woothemes.com/woocommerce/
• https://shopplugin.net/
• https://wpecommerce.org/
eCommerce plugin extensions
• Payment processing extensions• Shipping extensions• Third-party integration extensions such as accounting
or inventory management systems• Marketing• Reporting
Selecting a theme
• Compatibility with your e-commerce plugin• Responsive mobile-friendly• Not feature-bloated (shortcodes, options)• Meets your goals for the look of your site and store• Off-the-shelf or custom built
Security and SSL
• Security of an e-commerce site is essential• Consider a VPS over shared hosting• Use a good security plugin• Purchase a domain-specific SSL certificate• Enforce HTTPS on all pages• Enforce strong passwords• Keep your site up to date• Delete spam comments
Marketing your store
• Email marketing • Social media integration• Promotions, discounts, coupons• Reviews• Affiliates