WordPress for E-Commerce – Sure, Why Not?

When a newcomer to the world of online retail sets out to choose the best CMS for their needs, the vast majority immediately side with Magento. This is of course hardly surprising as recent years have seen Magento propelled right to the forefront of the e-commerce marketplace as the perfect tool for those starting out and in need of a simple, affordable platform to work with.However, there’s also a great deal to be said for the merits of WordPress as an e-commerce platform in its own right. Yes, it’s primarily seen as a blogging platform and no, it doesn’t necessarily have a large following in e-commerce circle, but there are at the same time a series of unique benefits that come with choosing WordPress over Magento or any of the other more obvious CMS examples.       Why WordPress?For example, the active user-base of WordPress today is simply unrivalled and therefore yields a global support community that’s simply unsurpassed. There isn’t a question out there that cannot be answered practically in an instant and the way in which WordPress’ open-source coding is constantly being refined is simply tremendous.Then of course comes the matter of themes, plugins and add-ons – WordPress again having the largest library of any CMS on the planet. It’s largely become a case of being able to realise literally any dream or visualisation using the infinite goodies WordPress offers access to. And while certain premium themes and plugins do attach a fee, it’s still perfectly simple to create a world-class website 100% free of charge.Themes to ConsiderIt’s not until you see a solid WordPress e-commerce site up and running that you really get a feel for how capable it is. And while there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of themes out there that can get the job done, certain examples never fail to deliver more impressive results.Here’s a quick overview of some of the year’s better WordPress e-commerce themes to date:BalitaNot only does Balita feature a quality advertising banner, a fully customisable shopping cart and premium social media integration, it’s also 100% free of charge. Smooth, simple and wonderfully presented – all boxes ticked for superb e-commerce.ShuttershotFor an online store based more around high-end visuals than textual content, WordPress themes really don’t come any better than Shuttershot. Though fully customisable, its features centre largely on high-resolution imagery and full-screen image presentation.NicoOne of the easiest WordPress e-commerce themes to get to grips with as a newcomer to the industry, Nico delivers professional results with very little input required. Like Shuttershot, it generally focuses on striking and high-quality imagery.LinedyAlso 100% free of charge, Linedy is one of the world’s favourite WordPress themes for e-commerce. A great platform upon which to build a winning e-store and a strong SEO strategy, Linedy is fully responsive and delivers consistent results across multiple browsers.