Whether you’re new to entrepreneurship, or whether you’ve been running your own business for years, you’ve probably heard of WooCommerce- the open source e-commerce plug-in for WordPress. This platform provides users with a feature heavy, yet user-friendly experience, making it perfect for e-commerce startups to get a feel for online business in a way which is easy to understand and that doesn’t break the bank. If you’re wondering why WooCommerce is a store-owner’s best friend, have a look at these 5 reasons.

1. It’s Free

WooCommerce is completely free to download. And even though it is free and open-source, WooCommerce offers extensive features out of the box, so you can get that premium experience if that’s a goal. By nature, it’s also extremely flexible, thanks to an array of additional extensions. This toolkit makes online selling a breeze, and it doesn’t cost you a cent. All you have to do is download the plug-in and get started. This is great news for those who are starting online businesses with little to no capital. As you probably already know, running an online business can get expensive, so it’s a nice perk when you can download something useful for free.

2. Great customization options

Being both open-source and free hasn’t compromised Woo Commerce’s platform. In fact, there is a lot of wiggle room for customizing your online store to integrate that individualized flair. As of right now, WooCommerrce users can choose from 39 different enabled themes, many of which are free, via the WooThemes Store. Once you’ve selected a theme, you can then modify pre-set CSS styles and color themes. You can also experiment with special features in each theme, and switch up the code if you desire. Customization is a breeze with WooCommerce, and you can rest assured that your online store will not look generic.

3. Flexibility

If you’re a newcomer to e-commerce, then you will be thrilled with WooCommerce. Any business owner who uses the platform will tell you that there is ample flexibility and you really don’t have to know too much about the technical side of the installation. You can organize your products, offer sales, and even highlight special features. What’s more, WooCommerce stores are able to sell virtual, physical, downloadable and even affiliate products. Furthermore, WooCommerce POS solutions provides users with the ability to accept several payment methods, which makes purchasing items easy and flexible for customers.

4. It looks professional

Some people worry that with a free product, you have to compromise on quality. With WooCommerce this is not the case. The platform looks professional, and includes detailed order tracking as well as customer engagement tools. These features allow your customers to view past orders and get updates on delivery statuses. It also comes with different shipping options and tax settings. When customers see how organized your online store is and how easy it is to pay for the products, you can bet that they’ll be confident in your store.

5. Easy analytics

If you want to keep track of your ecommerce website, then it’s crucial to have an analytics tool. Analytics can be a little complicated, especially if you’re just getting your feet wet in the entrepreneurial world. What’s great about WooCommerce is that it makes analytics simplistic since its built-in analytics does all the work on its own. Sales by date, individual customer statistics and total sales and average order totals are all presented in neat pie graphs. You’ll have the opportunity to see how your ecommerce site is doing every day without exerting any extra effort.