Shopify and WordPress are two of the most popular names in the eCommerce industry. WordPress is currently the most used content management system in the world. More than one third of all websites use this platform. Shopify, the most popular eCommerce platform for hosted solutions, is now in second place.
It seems impossible to use these platforms together to manage your online business. Shopify released a WordPress plugin in 2016 and three Shopify-powered WordPress themes in 2016. This hosted platform allows merchants to easily add the shopping cart function to their WordPress website.
This move gives business owners the chance to combine the best features from these two platforms to improve customer experience and business performance.
If you find these platforms confusing, you may want to make your website more user-friendly by migrating WooCommerce from Shopify. Shopify to WooCommerce migration might be a better option if you want to fully control your site customization.
WordPress and eCommerce go hand-in-hand, so many people use WordPress to create an online store. This is what we have already explained in our WooCommerce beginners tutorial.
We want to show you how Shopify can help you. Shopify, a standalone platform, allows users to create a hosted online store in a matter of minutes. Although it may seem odd to combine the two platforms at first, Shopify published their WordPress plugin last year and gave away three WordPress themes. This is clearly a move to enter the wider WordPress community and be the eCommerce solution of preference for some.
It will it work? Is it logical? We are here to help you understand. This article will explain why Shopify integration with WordPress is a good idea (and why it might not be), and give you the steps necessary to make it happen. Let’s go.
What are the Benefits of Shopify WooCommerce Integration?
It’s easy to use
Shopify is different from other platforms in that it simplifies the process of setting up an eCommerce store. Shopify eliminates the need for technical knowledge to create an online shop.
You can also use other eCommerce plugins like WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads or iThemes Exchange to set up security options and manage the updates yourself. Or you can hire a WordPress developer. When using WP Shopify, since it’s a hosted solution, it will handle all those infrastructure-related hassles for you.
Shopify is a great option for eCommerce websites that are just starting out and don’t have the technical resources to support them.
Better Security
Shopify’s main benefit is that Shopify users don’t need to worry about security. Shopify is PCI compliant at Level 1, unlike WooCommerce or other open-source plugins. You don’t need to spend extra money or time making sure your website is secure. Shopify stores come with a 256 bit SSL certificate. This helps to protect your customers’ information and business data.
Shopify will also conduct an annual on-site compliance assessment to ensure the security of your store. Users are automatically updated with the latest website versions and security patches.
More Shopping Cart Options
Shopify’s integrated payment system allows store owners to instantly accept payments from Visa Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and Visa Plus. Shopify offers more than 70 payment options, including Stripe, Bitcoin, Paypal and Stripe. The SaaS platform removes much of this complexity by automatically calculating shipping costs and adding taxes for selected locations around the globe.
Shopify is a great tool to open a WordPress online shop.
WooCommerce and other native eCommerce plug-ins are already available in WordPress. Why not consider Shopify instead? Let’s discuss.
Pros
Shopify’s simplicity is one of its main advantages. Shopify eliminates the need for technical knowledge that can make setting up an online store so difficult. Now, you can manage your WordPress website in the normal way while Shopify takes care of the eCommerce.
You don’t need to know code, CSS, or any other language. Shopify provides a secure shopping cart with SSL, 70 payment options, flexible shipping options and inventory management. There are also tax calculations, inventory management, tax calculations, tax calculations, and many other features. You can even sell on social media with the service, and it costs only $9 per month.
Shopify also offers WordPress themes that can be used with their shopping cart. These themes will help you show off your products and maximize your shop’s potential. If you have an existing site, Shopify allows you to integrate products and use their eCommerce architecture. You can also use your own website instead of using a subdomain from Shopify to host your shop.
You can also take advantage of advanced content marketing, SEO, and blogging features of the WordPress platform . This way you can have the best of both worlds.
Integrating Shopify with WordPress is a great opportunity for business owners looking to quickly start an online store without having to get too technical.
Cons
Decentralization is one of the main arguments against it. It is currently not possible to manage Shopify products and WordPress content in the same location.
You will see that you have to switch between the two platforms depending on whether your products are being taken care of or the rest. Although it is not a big deal, dealing with two platforms at once can be annoying.
Shopify WordPress Integration – Here’s How
You’re here because you’re curious about Shopify/WordPress. Now, we will show you step by step how to do it.
1. Shopify – Sign up
First, we will need a Shopify account. To get started, go to the Shopify homepage.
You don’t even need a credit card to sign-up for the 14-day trial. You will only need an email address and password to create your store.
After you are done, click on the big green button and proceed. Before the process is complete, you will be asked for additional information about your shop or its owner.
2. Install the Shopify Ecommerce plugin
Next, install the Shopify eCommerce plugin onto your WordPress website. You can do so under Plugins > Add New. To find it, you can search for Shopify eCommerce plugin or Shopify Shopping Cart.
To download the plugin, click the Install Now link. Once the download completes, activate it by clicking the activation button.
3. Shopify and WordPress Connect
After activation, Shopify will add a new menu option to the WordPress backend. To create your Shopify account, click it. To do this, you will need to type your shop’s URL (which you can find in the browser bar when you log into Shopify) then hit Connect.
The plugin will connect to your WordPress site via Shopify. To confirm, you will be taken to Shopify’s eCommerce platform. After that, the plugin will redirect you to your website’s Shopify settings page.
You have successfully integrated Shopify and WordPress! It’s now time to build your actual shop.
4. Add a Product
The buttons on the settings page will allow you to set up Shopify’s online store. Click the button to add products. This will take you to Shopify’s new product creation page.
You can enter a title, description, images, product type, variants, and more. You can also specify a price and configure shipping. You can save your work once you’re done. If you need to add products, you can repeat the process.
5. Establish payment options
Next, payment. A button is also available on the Shopify settings page within your WordPress installation. It will take you to the following page once you click it:
You can manage all aspects of payment from this page. Shopify supports many payment gateways, including Stripe, Amazon Payments, Skrill, Stripe and Amazon payments. You can even choose from country-specific payment methods or manual payment options.
Shopify will default use your email address to process payments via Paypal. You can change your email address to make it different. You can choose multiple payment gateways simultaneously. The shipping part is the last thing you need to do.
6. Configure Shipping
Shipping is the last item before we can add products to our website. The third button on the settings page will take to you there.
After you have landed on the page, you will need to set up a shipping address. Next, you can set up different shipping zones and their shipping prices. You can also offer international and free shipping.
The basic setup is now complete. Shopify has many more options than we need, but this is sufficient for our purposes. We will now return to our WordPress website.
7. Shopify Products can be added to your WordPress website
Once you have your shop up and running, it is time to upload the products to your site. This is easy with the WordPress editor. As a first step, create or edit a page or post. You will see a new button, Add Product.
It will open a new window with your products. You can choose to add one or more products, as well as pre-configured product collection collections. Simply mark the items that you wish to add to your post or page and then select Select product. You might want to add all of your products at once if your goal is opening a shop page.
After you’ve made your decision, you’ll be asked which embed type you prefer. You have two choices: either a product image and price, along with a Buy Here button, or the button alone.
This is particularly useful if you plan to add product images and information directly on your page (or in a blog post announcing a new product). The image option is better for a product gallery or shop page.
After you’ve made your decision, you can immediately see the results by publishing your page or previewing it.
Pretty, right? However, there’s more.
8. Adding Product Widgets
The Shopify plugin offers more than the options we have just mentioned. It also allows you to add products to widget form to your sidebar, or any other widgetized area on your site.
To do this, go to Appearance> Widgets. Drag the Shopifywidget from the list to the widget area where you wish to display products.
After you’ve done this, click on the Add Product link. Once again, select all products that you wish to display. Save the widget after you’re done. You should now be able to see the widget on your website.
9. Modifying the Buy Button
Shopify offers additional customization options. You can find them under Shopify > Customize on your WordPress dashboard.
You can adjust the button colors, modify the background, change text, and even change the shopping cart or checkout. Also, you can decide where the button links. This will allow you to make your site’s design more consistent. You should save any changes that you make.
This is it. Now you can start selling products on WordPress.
FAQs
Is it possible to transfer WordPress to Shopify
Yes. LitExtension offers WordPress to Shopify migration. This allows you to transfer all your data, including customers, products, orders, blogs, and any other related entities. This process will be done automatically, securely, accurately, and quickly.
Should I use Shopify for eCommerce or WordPress?
WordPress is, without doubt, a more established and flexible platform than Shopify. WordPress has a larger user base, more themes and apps available. With the right skills and resources you can build almost any kind of website with WordPress.
What makes Shopify different than WordPress?
Shopify is a dedicated eCommerce platform which allows you to build your online store. It hosts your website for you and provides all the tools that you need. WordPress, on the other hand, is an open-source platform. For eCommerce tools, you will need to install plugins such as WooCommerce and host your site.
Summarising
There are many options available to anyone who wishes to open an online store. Shopify is one of the most well-known solutions. Shopify is a standalone platform for hosting online shops that makes it easy for non-technical users start their own eCommerce business in a very short time.
Shopify and WordPress can be integrated to take advantage of the many benefits each platform has. You have seen how to do this in the tutorial. You can now easily display your Shopify products on your WordPress website and allow visitors to purchase them immediately.
This approach has many benefits, but it also has its drawbacks. The biggest drawback for many is the fact that they have to deal with two separate systems.
Shopify, on the other hand is extremely user-friendly. Combining WordPress and Shopify may be the best option for those who are not willing to learn a lot about security, technical details, and other nuances.
The next step is to learn how to increase traffic to your WordPress site so that you can start selling.
