If you are planning for an online store, 99% of the time you should choose WordPress as your site’s platform. While WordPress itself isn’t an e-commerce platform, it can be made into one of the best platforms for WooCommerce applications.
WordPress doesn’t help much regarding online stores & stuff. That’s why they made WooCommerce integrate all those online webstore-related features into WordPress. With it, you can play the cart, product lists, payment gateway cards easily.
But, not even the WooCommerce plugin alone could do everything. There’s always this little feature you’re missing that WooCommerce doesn’t have. To fulfill the empty slot, a WooCommerce plugin should help.
It’s a tough job looking for the top essential plugins for WooCommerce. While most users are familiar with Wix or Shopify, many become unaware of the fact that WordPress is more powerful than those two.
With the right plugin installed, WordPress WooCommerce can run mega online stores like Amazon, Ali baba, & Daraz.
In this article, you will get to know about the 10 top essential plugins for WooCommerce that plays a major role in traffic conversion on your online store.
Why do you need WooCommerce?
WordPress is an open-source platform and a top-tier CMS. You can do a whole lot of things to design websites and the potential is unrestricted. Websites like blogs, news portals can be created instantly using this super-genius platform.
But if we are talking about online stores or e-commerce, WordPress can’t give you all the things you need. Things like shopping carts or multiple payment gateways are not readily available here. Though you may add some payment gateway buttons, these helpful features are already outdated.
This is where WooCommerce gives you the solution to your limitations. This plugin helps you build a fully operational e-commerce store with all the latest powerful features like product listing, product gallery, cart, wishlist, etc.
Not only that, but you will also be able to run awesome full-fledged multi-vendor web stores within your WordPress website. That’s how powerful it is!
Things that make the top essential WooCommerce plugin
When you try to build your dream online store with WooCommerce, you will notice certain functions missing on the widget list.
You may consider this as a limitation on WooCommerce as well as opportunities for the developer communities to come up with new solutions. Whatever it is, the best solution is to get a WooCommerce plugin that works well.
In fact, specific e-commerce functions need certain tools to integrate with WooCommerce. When you are selling digital products or membership tokens, these trustable 3rd party plugins will do the backend job for you.
But, how can you decide which plugin to choose? The following steps might be the best course of action in this case-
- Specify what features you want in your online store.
- Compensate the missing features of WooCommerce.
- Find a theme that provides such utility tools.
- List down the features and search for plugins specific functions.
- Choose separate or bundle plugins based on your database capacity.
Just remember, the main answer to your query relies on the features you want to add to your store. To narrow down the criteria, you may suggest faq sessions for the online shoppers and let them tell you what you need.
The most essential plugins for WooCommerce that convert.
While the essential WooCommerce plugin keeps your store packed with amazing features, it may cost you depending on the size of your business. Though most of the plugins are free, some may come at a handful of money.
Still, it’s a relief that none of the essential WooCommerce plugins costs very high. There are monthly plans, annual plans, and even one-time purchase items among the plugins.
So, continue to the last of this blog to get yourself known to these awesome WooCommerce plugins.
1. YITH WooCommerce wishlist
YITH WooCommerce Wishlist makes an easily accessible product list for selected or “favorite” items on the WooCommerce store. Just like Amazon’s favorite list, you can pick any product for the wishlist regardless of their category.
The idea is to let your customer store their selection of items in a separate window and access them whenever they want. It fully blends with WooCommerce and creates a suitable interface in a noticeable area. That way, people can easily look into the items they can get for later.
YITH WooCommerce Wishlist readily builds a customer-seller relationship using simple communication bridges.
Customers can communicate with the seller using the quick-inquiry option to get an estimated price for their list. This option can be restricted to registered users only. With that included, the plugin offers more amazing features for WooCommerce.
Leading Features-
- Reminds returning customers about their previous wishlist items as well as relevant new products. This helps to boost the number of sales & increases the conversion rate.
- Users can create multiple wishlists with different titles and get to customize the layout as preferred.
- The plugin allows users to move items between the multiple lists tables. Users can manga the list while deleting them, rename the list, or move things around.
- It displays offered items or gift items for special occasions like weddings, birthdays, etc.
- Users can share any wishlist through social media platforms. The plugin also works similarly to a social share plugin.
- It can display the add-to-cart button on the specified area on your website.
The plugin is free. But the premium version will cost you about $94.99/year and comes with lots of useful features.
Who should use it-
A wishlist is a must-have feature for big online stores where bulk products are sold. Although YITH WooCommerce Wishlist is one of the top essential plugins for WooCommerce, small businesses hardly need this kind of tool.
2. Custom Product Tabs
Custom Product Tabs is a WooCommerce plugin that lets you create custom tabs for each individual product. With this plugin, you can avoid using too much space for a single product description and smartly manage your product page with the tabs.
The core function of this plugin is to support your WooCommerce product with hand-written detailing that will be displayed under each product.
You can add as many tabs as you like. Each tab can hold texts, images, shortcodes, and even HTML codes. Tabs work for both individual and global settings. This means any tab can be saved for all the products under your website.
Well, it is one of the top essential plugins for WooCommerce after all. And there are more things it can do.
Leading Features-
- Simple installation procedure that anyone can perform.
- Uses classic WordPress editor panel for customizations.
- You can save tabs and export them to another page.
- The plugin lets you use the tabs for both specific and global product settings.
- Tab data can be attached to the products, which helps to export the whole data together.
The plugin costs $29.99/year for a single website and can be extended to 10 sites at $119.99/year.
Who should use it-
Product tab is a common necessity for WooCommerce websites. So, any online marketplace should use it regardless their size or capabilities
3. StoreCustomizer
StoreCustomizer was previously known as WooCustomizer which is a custom editor tool for your WooCommerce website. This plugin makes it easy to customize the WooCommerce site without needing any code.
Previously, people had to customize WooCommerce website by coding and there is no way that you can preview what’s happening. With StoreCustomizer, you can enjoy seamless editing control with a preview feature.
The plugin lets you customize the products, categories, menu, detail tabs, cart, account, and more. It replaces the need for having a child theme. That’s why we picked it as a top essential plugin for woo commerce.
Leading Features-
- Uses classic WordPress editor panel for customizations.
- You can customize any WooCommerce page from top to bottom.
- Doesn’t override templates and helps to smooth the transitions.
- Adds extra functionalities to your WooCommerce website.
- The plugin provides most of the features for free.
The plugin is free to use but costs $49/year for a single premium license that comes with many more advantages.
Who should use it-
StoreCustomizer has a free version and is recommended to all WooCommerce site owners. The application of this plugin is vast. Although it can be replaced by any better theme, you can still use it as long as you need it.
4. Darklup
Darklup is a reading assistant and a powerful dark mode plugin for WooCommerce websites. Generally, any online store consists of a lot of white space in order to keep the viewers focused on the products. This plugin can turn those white areas into skimming black zones and reduce eye strain, making a comfortable reading zone.
Every WooCommerce website needs this feature to help their customers stay a long time on their web pages. By reducing the total screen radiation along with brightness & contrast, Darklup heals your teary eyes from the long exposure to the display.
Seemly, this plugin helps a lot in securing a good amount of traffic, mostly at night. The higher the traffic, the more the conversion rate. This makes it one of the top essential plugins for WooCommerce.
Leading Features-
- Scheduled dark mode setup with automatic button trigger. Saves the trouble of manual operation.
- WooCommerce integration makes the plugin act over all the WooCommerce related features including products, categories, tags, carts, etc. Has dedicated controls for WooCommerce products.
- Image property customization & color manipulation for matching the dark mode color scheme with controls.
- Lots of color schemes & presets with OS integration support.
- Font kit & custom CSS options are included with the plugin.
Darklup is free to use. It also has a premium version with lots of amazing features that comes at $29/year for a single website license.
Who should use it-
Darklup is an omnipotent plugin for all types of websites, especially for WooCommerce stores & marketplaces. It enables an eye-pleasing interface that helps the users stay focused on the site for a longer time. Best for nighttime users and better for daylights.
5. Variation Swatches
Variation Swatches is a product switch for WooCommerce websites. This top essential plugin creates variable product layouts to help users select their preferred item easily. It adds radio images, buttons, scrollbars into the product attribute that can be browsed from the user-end.
Often a WooCommerce website needs to display similar products with slight color differences. By using the variation swatches, you can place products with different colors & sizes into a single product tab. The swatch provides buttons to change the size/color ranges and displays the corresponding product image beside it.
Leading Features-
- Converts swatch dropdown menu into smart buttons and displays along with the product tab.
- Helps to reduce the total space needed for displaying the variant products.
- You can put quite a number of variable products under the same category and reduce page bulkiness.
- Attributes can be created and used globally while you need to select products manually.
- Shows names, labels, tooltips, & stock-out messages for the products.
- Can create unlimited custom attributes.
This plugin is free of cost. The premium version will come with a lot more features to boost the efficiency of the plugin.
Who should use it-
Big WooCommerce stores, garment companies, cloth manufacturers need this plugin to display various kinds of products on their websites.
6. WooCommerce Multilingual
WooCommerce Multilingual is one of the top essential plugins for any WooCommerce website. This plugin converts all WooCommerce related content into different languages based on user preferences. It is one of the core features that must be added to a global website.
As a WooCommerce website tends to do business worldwide, it is a great loss if a customer from abroad can’t see products in their language. Business is business and business rocks with proper communications.
That’s where WooCommerce Multilingual comes into play. It modifies all content (products, categories, descriptions, carts, etc.) into user preferred language instantly.
Leading Features-
- Completely integrates with WooCommerce and forge changes to every piece of content on the site.
- Works with some of the highly WooCommerce compatible plugins as well as themes.
- Seamless translation prevents any error of leaving the slightly untranslated parts in the web pages.
- You can switch between multiple currencies as well as display different currencies on the same page.
- Translate outgoing emails into the receiver’s language automatically.
The plugin is free of cost. Just download it, install it, & use it.
Who should use it-
If you consider building a WooCommerce platform that acts globally, you must need this plugin for smooth consumer conversion.
7. Checkout Field Editor
Checkout Field Editor may not seem much but this plugin could be a game-changer for your brand. It lets you customize the checkout area besides what it already has and adds more style into the text, custom fields, and buttons.
While most of the WooCommerce websites use the same old checkout fields, big brands like Amazon, Aliexpress use their own creation. Similarly, you can build your brand identity using this top essential plugin for WooCommerce.
Leading Features-
- Change the checkout layout instantly and unlock more customizing possibilities.
- Adds new fields, field controls & edit options to stimulate the customer into rapid decision making.
- Creates conditional & custom validations fields for better transitions.
- You can enjoy editing the field layout without any code, using block-type controls.
- Custom fields can be created with on-screen preview options, which also include field enable/disable functions.
The plugin is basically free. But there is also the premium version with lot more features that cost around $49/year for a single website.
Who should use it-
Any medium to large size WooCommerce store or business that wants to create a unique brand identity should use this plugin wholeheartedly.
8. YITH WooCommerce Compare
Many find product comparison useful and it became a necessity for a WooCommerce website. YITH WooCommerce Compare is a great plugin for side-by-side product comparison. It’s one of the top essential plugins that let users have more fun in product viewing experiences.
This plugin enables the users to compare between products by simply clicking a button provided by it. The button may appear on every product on your site based on your preference.
Leading Features-
- No coding knowledge is required. Simple installation procedures and very easy to use.
- Adds a modern experience for the users by comparing products with minute detailing.
- You can manually set up the items for the comparison table and avoid any misconceptions from occurring.
- The plugin provides its features with popups. So, the users don’t need to leave the current page they were viewing.
- You can customize the comparison table for the titles, image, button, text, etc.
The plugin is free. You can still opt for the $69.99/year premium version that comes with some exclusive features & 24/7 customer support.
Who should use it-
Product comparison comes in handy for the WooCommerce websites that consist of multiple numbers of products under the same category. When you have the same type of product from different manufacturers, you may need this plugin for user satisfaction.
9. Hubspot – Livechat Plugin
Hubspot is one of the most popular live chat plugins for WordPress. It is not a simple chat plugin but a complete marketing tool for your WooCommerce website. It creates a superfast frontend to backend communication method on your website.
Live chat service provides better buyer-seller communication as it helps the customer easily get their desired inquiries. With better customer service, you can secure more traffic and get a boost in the conversion rate.
Leading Features-
- Fastest buyer-seller communication method for WooCommerce websites.
- Unlimited live chat sessions and it costs absolutely $0.
- Email marketing, form, analytic tools can be used alongside the live chat feature. These features come at a moderate price.
- Tracks visitor movements and provides live feeds for better system control.
- Automatically triggers the live chat program to attract the users’ interests. It provides support tickets for offline contacts.
- You can create automated canned responses so that you can provide the users with basic inquiries. Saves time and effort for the admin.
Hubspot live chat is free. The rest of the features like email marketing, customer service, CMS comes with a variable pricing menu.
Who should use it-
Almost all WooCommerce websites need this top essential plugin. This will not only boost user experience but also can act as a marketing tool for your products.
10. Commerce Membership
WooCommerce Membership can turn any WooCommerce website into a membership website. You can instantly create and operate membership programs for all users on your website using this plugin. It fully integrates with WooCommerce and lets you gain full control over the membership process.
The plugin comes with a lot of possibilities as it allows you to create members, sell membership tokens, release/assign user roles, & collect membership fees. Best to use in blog websites, special discounted accounts for web stores, membership deals for WooCommerce vendors, etc.
Leading Features-
- Creates a gateway for providing content to only the selected members.
- Sell courses, training, educational tutorials with limited access or monthly paid membership.
- You can create online hubs & portals for the members and communicate with them easily.
- The plugin also uses the Jilt email marketing platform.
- Create unlimited memberships with variable fees and push email notifications upon successful integration.
The plugin costs $199/year for a single license. You can also choose a custom license by contacting the developer.
Who should use it-
This plugin is meant for membership-type websites and WooCommerce platforms. Other than that, you may not need it.
What’s your pick?
Have you decided on the WooCommerce plugin you want for your website? If not yet, have another look at the article and compare the plugins with the rest of the market. Surely, you will understand the value of the plugins.
If this article satisfies you, then ……. Will also pique your interest. As you know, it is one of the leading platforms that create solutions to your problems.
Try not get cold and stay safe.