Last updated - July 8, 2021
WooCommerce is one of the most popular options to create an eCommerce store. It is a free, open source solution that works as a plugin for WordPress. Almost 30% of all eCommerce stores use WooCommerce, and there is a knowledgeable community to support it. In this article, we will discuss the benefits in using WooCommerce services to build your eCommerce store, along with tips to sell services using the platform. In addition, we will discuss two extensions (previously known as WooCommerce Services), and list out a few companies that offer WooCommerce development services.
Benefits of using WooCommerce to build your WordPress eCommerce store
You will find several reasons when you try to understand the popularity of WooCommerce. First, we will take a look at some of the benefits of using WooCommerce to build your online store using WordPress.
- Customizable – WooCommerce is an open source solution and is highly customizable. That means you will be able to make modifications to the core software to suit your business requirements.
- Comprehensive – It is a comprehensive solution that offers everything you need to get started with an online store. WooCommerce integrates payments, shipping and order management seamlessly.
- Flexible – WooCommerce is flexible for your business needs. You can use it for a small store with a few products, and for a large outlet with a huge catalogue, with equal ease.
- Can sell anything – WooCommerce lets you sell anything you want. From regular clothing to virtual services, you can sell anything on your store.
- Manage store on the go – You will find a mobile app for WooCommerce that will let you manage every aspect of your store while you are on the move.
- Plugins – There are abundant plugins to help you extend the features of your store. Right from adding unique product types like Subscriptions, you will find a plugin for everything you need.
- Themes – Themes allow you to customize the appearance of your site without advanced coding efforts. Most of the popular WordPress themes are compatible with WooCommerce.
- Easy integrations – You can easily integrate your store with popular advertising, marketing and reporting tools.
WooCommerce Shipping and Tax (previously known as WooCommerce Services)
There are two options for shipping and tax management offered by WooCommerce, which were formerly referred to as WooCommerce Services. These services are hosted on WooCommerce servers, and as a result your website’s hosting server will not be burdened. At the moment, these are two separate options that are powered by Jetpack. Here are a few details about both these options.
WooCommerce Shipping
With this service, you will be able to print shipping labels right from your WooCommerce dashboard. It saves you from the trouble of copying order information into a separate fulfillment tool. In addition, you will get access to discounted rates from the carriers. This service will help you save time and money, as you can easily drop off packages to the shipping carrier after affixing the labels. Currently, you can print labels for both USPS and DHL using the WooCommerce Shipping service.
You can install the WooCommerce Shipping service for free by downloading it from the WooCommerce website, and by integrating Jetpack. Currently the service is available only in the United States. You will not be able to display real time shipping rates on Cart and Checkout pages using this service. If you are looking for comprehensive shipping carrier extensions, you can check out WooCommerce shipping carrier extensions or ELEX shipping plugins.
How to set up WooCommerce Shipping?
Once you have enabled the services, you can access the settings through WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping > WooCommerce Shipping & Tax > Shipping Labels.
Choose a paper size, payment option, enable email receipts, and save the changes.
Next, you can choose custom packaging or carrier provided packaging.
Once the settings are saved, you will be able to print labels from the respective order section by clicking the Create label button.
You can also choose additional options like PO box shipping, address verification, etc., based on availability and your business requirements.
WooCommerce Automated Taxes
Calculating sales tax can be a headache for WooCommerce store owners. With this service, you will be able to automatically calculate sales tax amounts specific to a country, state or a city. The service is available for 30 countries at the moment including United States, United Kingdom, Canada and a range of other countries. You can install it free from the WooCommerce marketplace.
How to set up WooCommerce Automated Taxes?
It is quite easy to configure this as there are no complex steps. You can go to WooCommerce > Settings > Tax, and simply choose the ‘Enable automated taxes’ option from the dropdown.
Please note, when automated taxes are enabled, it will overrides any other tax rates you have added manually.
If you are selling from more than one location, you will need another extension to handle it.
Check out some of the interesting WooCommerce sales tax extensions.
You can also download the WooCommerce Shipping & Tax plugin from the WordPress repository.
Selling services using WooCommerce
As mentioned above, WooCommerce allows to sell products of all kinds. You can use it to sell different types of services that can be charged. These include professional services for medical services, repair work, legal advice, graphic design, etc. You can also easily manage virtual consulting and coaching using WooCommerce as well.
It is especially easy if you are starting your own service business as WooCommerce integrates different payment gateways seamlessly. WooCommerce also allows you to market your services effectively. You can easily offer different variations of your product and also create subscriptions with recurring payments using WooCommerce Subscriptions extension.
How to create a service as a product in WooCommerce?
WooCommerce lets you create a service just like any other product. It will have its own name, description, image, price, etc. The important aspect is that you will have to tick the Virtual checkbox in the Product Data meta box. Rest of the aspects are similar to other products, except that there won’t be any shipping option. If needed, you can create different variations for the same product as well.
Companies that offer WooCommerce development services
There are several companies that offer development services for WooCommerce. Here is a list of some of the prominent ones.
Neuralab
Irrespective of the size of your venture, you can collaborate with Neuralab for your WooCommerce project. You can rest assured as they have a wonderful team of creative professionals who will handle every aspect of your project. Their projects include quick fixes, complete website building and extension development.
WisdmLabs
Another WooExpert, WisdmLabs offers creative solutions to help you manage your WooCommerce store more effectively. They keep you updated at all stages of the project to avoid miscommunication, and has no hidden charges. In addition to WooCommerce setup services, they also offer plugin development, design services, migration help, third party software integration and more.
MakeWebBetter
This is one of the innovative WooCommerce service providers that you can rely on. They will help you with your store setup, common problems as well as custom design and development services. In addition, you can get their help for security and maintenance, store migration and API integration.
Virtina
Online retailers of all sizes can make use of the services of Virtina to build and optimize their store. They will help you ensure the best customer experience on your store. Their services include design help, extension development, migration support, complete site building, etc.
ELEX Custom Development Services
ELEX is one of the top extension development company in the WooCommerce ecosystem. They offer custom development services to help you customize ELEX plugins according to the specific requirements of your business. In addition, they will also help you set up a full-fledged customer support system from scratch.
Hopefully, you got a better understanding on different contexts for the term WooCommerce services. We wish you the best for your WooCommerce-powered online store. Feel free to leave us a comment if you have a query. Happy selling!
