Last updated - October 9, 2020
WooCommerce continues to prove itself to be a great tool to set up an eCommerce store with minimum investment. And, it provides great flexibility for store owners to modify the look and functionality of the store at will. There are numerous themes that would provide excellent options to visually enhance your store. Find some of the popular WooCommerce themes here. Even though you can manage a customer-focused front-end design with themes alone, sometimes you need some additional modifications. If you are comfortable with coding, there is no limit to the customization that you can achieve with WooCommerce. However, if that is not the case, you may have to rely on plugins for that. This article looks at some of the best WooCommerce customizer plugins that will help you modify the design and layout of your store.
WooCommerce Customizer Plugins
There are awesome plugins in the WordPress WooCommerce community that will help you customize visual elements on your store. The fact that it can be done without any coding makes it a preferred option for many store owners. Here is a list of plugins that you can try out.
Customizer by SkyVerge
If you dread at the thought of modifying the look and feel of your site, this plugin is for you. You can modify some of the front end features of your site from the settings page of this plugin without any coding. Also, you don’t have to modify any templates to achieve this. This plugin is quite helpful for quick change testing.
With the WooCommerce Customizer plugin, you can change the text of the ‘Add to Cart’ button for various product types. This can be done on the individual product page or the general shop page according to the requirement. You can also alter the number of products displayed on the shop page, or change the sales badge text. Also, you can modify the header text for ‘product information’ or ‘additional information’ tabs. Additionally, you can make some modifications in the checkout page too. You can modify coupon or login text, ‘create account’ default text, or ‘submit order’ button text.
Storefront Powerpack
The Storefront theme is one of the best themes that you can use for your WooCommerce store. It has a lot of child themes too that you can use. Here is an article that features some of the popular child themes of Storefront. If you want to understand how to create a Storefront child theme, read another article here. Now, Storefront powerpack is a WooCommerce extension that will help you customize the theme, without any coding. In fact, you can customize and refashion all the aspects of Storefront theme without any hassles.
With this extension, you can modify the header layout of your store, and experiment with colors, font, and layout of most of the elements. If you want to alter some text or modify the checkout flow, that is also possible with this extension. There is the flexibility to apply changes in the individual product level, or in a global level for all the products. And you get the option to preview any change before implementing it.
A quick look at the features of Powerpack
Now, let’s take a detailed look at some of the features of this extension. You can easily configure header components like the logo, cart, and navigation by simply dragging and dropping. Elements like margin, padding, etc., play an important role in getting the right layout. With this plugin, you can simply make adjustments to these elements instantly. And, you know how important the checkout flow is for conversions. This extension helps you experiment with your checkout flow with options such as ‘distraction free’ layout.
You can also edit the text, buttons, and layout of the homepage. The simple and familiar editor makes the whole process a lot easier. You also get to edit the configurations of the product page globally. And, if you want to get rid of any unwanted fields or elements on the product page, that is also possible. The extension enables you to change the appearance of the image gallery and many further modifications. Overall, with this extension, you get the control to modify anything on the site. This includes structural elements like main site container and visual elements like buttons. Additionally, you can modify how your products are displayed as well.
Please note that this extension will only work with Storefront theme for WooCommerce. You can purchase the single site license for $59. The five-site license is available for $89 and the 25 site license for $119.
Pootle Pagebuilder Pro
This is an intuitive page builder tool that helps you to creatively enhance your WordPress site. It has features to customize product and shop pages of WooCommerce too. Thanks to the simplicity and the easy to use drag and drop interface, it is preferred widely. In fact, seasoned professionals and even beginners find it incredibly easy to use. Moreover, you can use it on any device, as it works as smoothly on a mobile phone as it does on a laptop. In addition, there is no limit on which themes you can use. It works practically on any theme, and you can even combine it with popular plugins like Ninja forms.
Some of the interesting features of Pootle Pagebuilder Pro are listed below:
- Drag and drop functionality for ease of use
- Create and reuse templates on any WordPress site.
- Live editor to see the changes that you make real time.
- Easy to create landing pages or other promotional pages for marketing purposes.
- WooCommerce builder module to work seamlessly with WooCommerce product and shop pages.
You can get the single site license of this plugin for $99. Five site license is available for $135 and for an unlimited site license, you have to pay $149. With recommendations from a lot of WordPress experts, this might be a great choice for your site.
Storefront Pro
Similar to Storefront Powerpack, this plugin helps you customize WooCommerce Storefront theme. You can customize everything related to Storefront using this plugin. Shop and product page layouts, colors, font, header, footer, etc., can be customized according to your liking. Used by over 5000 sites globally, this one too is getting popular though not as much as Pagebuilder Pro.
With Storefront Pro, you get to choose appropriate font, colors, and icons that suit your store’s branding. Moreover, you can customize the primary navigation, and create mega menus in a single click. If you want to change the layout of your blog, you can do that effortlessly using Storefront Pro. You can easily create mobile-friendly pages for your WooCommerce store. In the present scenario, where mobile shopping is on the rise, this is especially relevant.
Furthermore, there is quite a range of features associated with Storefront Pro that will help you in improving the appearance of your store. ‘Product quick view’, ‘Horizontal product tabs’ and ‘Distraction free checkout’ are some of the highlights of this feature rich product. In addition, you can find a few free add-on modules too. There are four license options that you can purchase. Single site – $49, 5 site – $75, and 25 sites – $99. If you want to use it for unlimited sites, you have to pay $199.
PimpMyWoo
Another great option to customize your WooCommerce store without coding knowledge is PimpMyWoo. Some of the most sought-after customization requirements are effectively met by this one. And that too in a simple and easy to use interface. And, it works with any WooCommerce theme, so you don’t have to worry about any compatibility issues. Interestingly, there is no limit to the scope of this one, as it helps you modify visual elements and layout as you please. You can apply the changes to ‘Add to Cart’ buttons, default product pages, prices, etc. The regular license of this plugin is available at CodeCanyon for $22.
Why customizing your WooCommerce store is important?
When you start with a WooCommerce store, you need to take some decisions early regarding customization. However, these should be based on insights gained from an understanding of the market. If you are not able to do a proper market research in advance, you can still use some customer-oriented thinking. Let’s look into some of these aspects in more detail
Consistency in visual elements
The visual elements that you choose for your store decides the identity of your store. With some of the tools mentioned above, it is quite easy to change the visual elements any time. However, it is best to keep these changes in less conspicuous, functional areas. Because, once your customers are used to a certain identity of your store, that defines your presence in their minds. If your changes are not well thought of, it might lead them to think negatively of your store. Choose your store’s name, logo, tagline, and colors after getting some insights from an experienced designer. It is especially important to maintain consistency across all aspects of your store. For example, if your online store presents a certain color tone, your printed materials and packaging should follow a similar pattern. Certain motifs like logos and taglines should be consistently presented in marketing channels, social media, etc., as well.
Design is largely dependent on the theme that you use
The design of your WooCommerce store and a lot of front-end functionalities are determined by the theme that you select. There are quite a large number of themes available in the WordPress WooCommerce community. So, switching from one to another would not be such an arduous task. However, any change in themes should be backed up with relevant insights on customer behavior or store performance. Read our article to get acquainted with some of the latest responsive themes in the market.
Storefront would be an ideal choice for a WooCommerce store that is just starting out. This is because you can download it for free, and it offers seamless integration with your store. Moreover, there are quite a number of child themes that you can choose from. And, if you prefer to not use any of the themes available, you can hire an expert who can help with a custom design.
Design homepage with customers’ interest in mind
The homepage of your store is the first place where your customers interact with you. The design and layout of the homepage should be in alignment with your product line and customer interests. Several elements on the homepage have the potential to attract or repel your site visitors. The trick is to optimize a strategy to ensure maximum conversion. You need to think creatively about how much visual impact you need to make on your store. For example, if your store is selling designer labels, you may want to use great photographs with models wearing your products. On the other hand, if you are selling online WordPress plugins, your focus should be more on depicting the features and functionalities. You need to put in a lot of thought in the placement of widgets and other functional elements in your store as well.
Seamless checkout
If all the other elements of your site are successful to guide a visitor to the checkout page, it all comes down to the design and content of that page. Here are some useful guidelines to optimize the checkout page. Some of the reasons for potential customers abandoning cart while on the checkout page can be easily avoided. For example, see any additional costs like shipping or taxes are demotivating them. Also, the lack of options in terms of payment methods can be an important factor.
Conclusion
While setting up a WooCommerce store, you need to consider your customers’ interest and your set of products. The design and layout of the site should be in alignment with the store’s identity. One of the important aspects that determine the look and feel of your store is the theme that you select. The other important thing is the customization options that you have. This article has compiled a list of the best WooCommerce customizer plugins that you can try out. Just follow the expert-approved strategies we discussed at the end of the article. Happy selling!
