WordPress eStore e-Commerce Shopping Cart

Jun 18th, 2010 // In: Wordpress // By: Ryan BayneComments 0

Click on the image above to go to official eStore site

Introduction

The world of e-Commerce can be a rollercoaster experiance especially if you started your online adventure like I did, then your looking for free solutions that help you build an empire from nothing. In terms of budget, thats a sound plan for students and people just experimenting with new ideas until they find their way on the internet. When I found eStore I realised however that even a tight budget like I was on while at University, should be streteched to buy a solution like WordPress eStore!

eStore was quickly bought then downloaded the moment I read about it! Tt replaced the eCart plugin which was good for being free but a poor solution if your looking to impress your customers and not cause frustration. eCart and many other WordPress cart plugins have unneccessarily long checkout procedures which eStore does not. Also eStore has real security which I’ve not found in another digital download plugin yet!

Plugin Features I Found

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Encryption Security

Automated digital product delivery but what caught my eye is the encryped download link which is a must have if you don’t want to just…give away your product for free!

Super Quick Checkout

I’ve never found a WordPress cart plugin with such a short checkout process, just how it should be! It uses Paypal and this should be suitable for most people.

Easy To Use

It’s easy to use and requires the usual paste of special values in pages or posts to display products etc But it does it well, the flexability in displays is outstanding!

Integrate with WordPress Affiliate Platform

It is pre-integrated with the WordPress Affiliate Software Plugin which I also bought and currently setting up, so far I’m wondering why I ever used e-junkie or RegNow affiliate services!

The Experiance

When a customer decides to purchase an item from your website they will click on a Buy Now or Add To Cart button. The eStore shopping cart will either already be displayed in your sidebar as a widget or it will become visible when the first item is added. That exact configuration is totally up to you, thats only a small part of this plugins flexability. The cart looks good and should suit most Web 2.0 websites today, very sleak and modern. So the customer clicks “Checkout” and they are taking to an order page which summarises their items with a total cost. Again this looks good and all the customer then needs to do is click on the Paypal button to begin the payment process.

On completing the payment your customer will then be forwarded back to a special page on your blog. Again this is optional but recommended because eStore has the ability to confirm the order on that page. This includes links to download digital products so the customer can get their new software on their desktop in a matter of 5 clicks. The experiance of using eStore is enjoyable and your customers will greatly appreciate it. Just trying using a free plugin like I did and watch the complaints come in. Also I recommend you do not test the patiance of your customers before they have made the payment!

My Intigration

I’ve made it so that the shopping cart is no longer visible in my sidebar when customers arrive on the checkout page otherwise they would see the information twice. It also helps to bring their focus to the right place and not confuse them. Very simple piece of code to accomplish this, please contact me for it.