WooCommerce stands out as one of the most recommended e-commerce platforms for two key reasons: it’s incredibly flexible and free to use. However, it's essential to explore certain considerations, as this combination of affordability and adaptability may present some challenges that could impact the suitability of the platform for certain online businesses. Let's delve into key factors that warrant consideration among business owners who want to commit to the WooCommerce platform.
1) You Need a WooCommerce Payment Gateway Specific to Your Target Market
WooCommerce’s overall development is largely focused on the mature North American and European e-commerce markets, resulting in a lack of out-of-the-box functionality for smaller markets like the Philippines. For example, the popular WooCommerce Stripe payment gateway is not available in the Philippines, and even if it were to launch here in the future, it might not be able to process several payment methods that are widely used in the Philippines, including QR Ph codes, Gcash, and Maya. Fortunately, you can accept these and other locally important payments on your WooCommerce site by installing the Maya Plugin for WooCommerce instead.
This simple-to-install plugin gives your site access to Maya Checkout, a locally oriented WooCommerce payment gateway. With just a few simple steps, your WooCommerce site will be able to accept any form of digital payment that’s relevant to the Philippine e-commerce market.
2) It Offers Limitless Customization
Unlike many of its competitors, WooCommerce offers truly limitless customization—provided that you have the technical know-how. Fortunately, the platform is very accommodating to new users. WooCommerce is especially notable for its vibrant community of developers and enthusiasts, many of whom offer free apps and themes as well as valuable advice for beginners and advanced users alike.
3) It’s Tied to the WordPress Platform
For all its complexity and features, WooCommerce is still a plugin for WordPress. This means that you can’t integrate it into a site that isn’t on WordPress. If you already have a website on another platform, you may have to remake your site on WordPress before you install WooCommerce.
4) There May Still Be Costs
While WooCommerce itself is free, you'll incur costs for web hosting and domain registration. Also, though the WooCommerce and WordPress app ecosystems offer a wealth of free solutions, you’ll still need to pay for some premium themes and plugins. Lastly, because the platform won’t always give you every single feature you need out of the box, developing a WooCommerce site can potentially be more expensive in terms of web development and maintenance costs than competing all-in-one platforms.
5) It May Be Too Complex for Some Businesses
Though WordPress and WooCommerce were once considered “user-friendly” when they were launched, many newer platforms offer a simpler user experience that requires far less coding know-how. If you don’t have a technically proficient team, the WooCommerce framework may not be the best choice for quickly launching your e-commerce operations.
6) WooCommerce Has Minimal Restrictions on Business Types
WooCommerce can accommodate a wide range of business types and product categories, including some that are restricted on popular competing platforms like Shopify. As such, it offers the unique advantage of catering to a broader spectrum of online enterprises.
Navigate the Unique Philippine Payments Landscape with the Maya Plugin for WooCommerce
Maya Checkout is the WooCommerce payment gateway Philippines' top online businesses use to accept a full range of localized digital payments. Use Maya’s special plugin to quickly install Maya Checkout into your WooCommerce site. Once it’s integrated, you can start accepting payments from popular digital wallets and other emerging payment methods. Create your Maya Business Manager account to activate the custom payment gateway WooCommerce site owners have been raving about.
Signing up for Maya Business Manager entitles you to exclusive perks like the Maya 1-2-3 Grow bundle. Maya 1-2-3 Grow qualifies you for a 1% MDR (merchant discount rate) discount on all QR Ph transactions for 3 months after signing. That’s PHP 14,600 in savings for every PHP 1 million in QR Ph sales.
The Maya 1-2-3 Grow bundle also entitles you to a Maya Business Deposit account for settling transactions on your WooCommerce site. Your Maya Business Deposit comes with an astounding 2.5% per annum interest rate, passively increasing your business’s earnings by PHP 25,000 each year for every PHP 1 million deposit. You’ll also get more savings on your business banking thanks to Maya Business Deposit’s zero maintaining balance and free transfers via InstaPay and PesoNET.
The bundle also qualifies you for a Maya Flexi Loan offer of up to PHP 2 million within just 3 months, which you can use to further expand your e-commerce operations. For bigger loan offers, simply use Maya’s selection of business solutions daily.
Sign up for Maya Business Manager today to activate the Maya Checkout plugin for WooCommerce and exclusive bundles like Maya 1-2-3 Grow.
