WordCamp Los Angeles, 2012 #wcla

Presented by Belsien Thomas (@belsien) WP Power Guide http://wppowerguide.com

eCommerce & WordPress: What’s the right solution for you?

• Have been building websites with various programming languages (Java, PHP, ASP) for over 12+ years. Built and designed fully custom shopping carts with Enterprise technology (Java/Oracle) as well as Open Source Platforms like WordPress and Magento.

• Worked with WordPress since 2006 (version 2). I use WordPress & other Open Source Platforms & software everyday.

• Worked on eCommerce for last 7 years as a technology manager working with consumer brands, clients, and companies.

• Visit my Blog http://wppowerguide.com for detailed guides and use cases on how to utilize WordPress as an Application Platform & CMS in powerful ways. “Take WordPress further than a blog.”

About Me – Belsien Thomas (@belsien)

eCommerce & WordPress: What’s the right solution for you?

Agenda

Review of WordPress specific solutions

General eCommerce requirements & factors

Creating a store: What are your choices?

3

2

1 Shopping Cart Graphic here

http://wppowerguide.com

eCommere, why should you care?

Source: Forrester, USOnline Retail Forecast (Feb 2011)(http://www.forrester.com/rb/Research/us_online_retail_forecast%2C_2010_to_2015/q/id/58596/t/2)

U.S. e-commerce market over $200 Billion, Growth rate of 9% through 2015. Yet still only 10% of all total retail in U.S.

What was that again?

What goes into eCommerce websites?

PCI Compliance

Security

SSL Certificates

Merchant Accounts

Payment Gateways

Order Fulfillment

Returns and Refund

Performance & Dedicated Hosting

Analytics

Customer Support

Address Validation

Email Confirmations

Product Search

Coupons & Promotions

Checkout Funnel

Navigation & Filtering

Product Images

Shipping Rates

Taxes

Affiliates

My Account

Order History

Customer Reviews

Mobile Support

Campaign Tracking

Onsite Payments

• Seamless checkout, preserve user experience

• Control over all pages & limit checkout steps

• More work to setup: Dedicated hosting, SSL Certificate Required

• Must meet PCI Compliance• Merchant Account Required

Offsite Payments

• Different website, some users may not be used to bouncing to another website

• More checkout steps• No need for SSL certificate• No PCI Compliance• More fees associated for

handling complexity

Your options when accepting Payments Online

*Hybrid Solutions exist like Stripe: No PCI Compliance needed, but still need SSL Cert and development integration to work.

Customer Places Order on Secure

Server

Application attempts to

Authorize Credit Card data.

Credit Card Data Securely Transferred to Payment Gateway

Payment Gateway connects to actual Bank (Authorize)

Funds are transferred to

Merchant Account (funds are Captured)

Payment Processing: Authorize & CaptureWhat that happens in the few seconds

when you place an order?

• PCI-DDS has 12 total requirements all merchants & businesses that transmit and store credit card data for online payments have to meet.

– Build & Maintain a Secure Network– Protect Cardholder Data– Maintain a Vulnerability Management Program– Implement Access Control Measures– Regularly Monitor & Test Networks– Maintain Information Security Policy

Full Standard here: https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/security_standards/pci_dss.shtml

• Enforced by Credit card brands Visa, MC, Amex, etc. Fines as much as $50,000 each offense

• You are legally responsible to ensure your business & website is PCI compliant. Even though you may not own the servers or networks used.

Payment Card Industry (PCI) Compliance Requirements

• Tell your web host you are doing eCommerce and specifically ask which plans are PCI compliant.

• Most, if not all, shared hosting plans are NOT PCI compliant. Even VPS plans may not be compliant. Best to go with dedicated hosting solution.

• Shared hosting environments do not have enough resources to run most eCommerce software. Will need at least 128MB (preferably more) of dedicated server memory.

• SSL Certificates require dedicated IP’s as well.

Other Security & Web Hosting Requirements

eCommerce & WordPress: What’s the right solution for you?

Agenda

Review of WordPress specific solutions

eCommerce requirements and factors

Creating a store: What are your choices?

3

2

1

Shopping Cart Graphic here

✓

http://wppowerguide.com

What are your choices for an Online Store?

• Do you have some web design & development experience?

• Can you purchase an Enterprise shopping cart platform?(Demandware, Marketlive, ATG/Oracle)

• If not, can you leverage an Open Source Shopping Cart platform? (WordPress, Magento, Drupal, osCommerce, etc.)

• Hosted eCommerce options exist

• Do you want less software maintenance?

• Do you want your site live sooner rather than later?

Buy it!

Build it!

• Do you have years of web design and web development experience?

• If not, can you afford to hire someone/team to built it from scratch?

• Can you continue to support software & fix bugs?

• Do you require many features which are not already developed by any prebuilt solution?

• Are you willing to wait months or over a 1 year to have your store live?

-Easy to start selling quickly-Least amount of technical steps involved-Common Marketing features available

-Website functionality and features are not in your control.-Websites designs and templates are mostly poor, little to no differentiation between stores.-SEO customizations hard to make.-Shipping Integration options limited-Monthly costs and fees add up and limit growth. Pricing based on Catalog size and Transactions

Fully Hosted (Shopify, BigCommerce, Volusion)

-Comes with plenty of eCommerce Features -Great support for Catalog Management (unlimited product attributes)-Product Search works well-Multi-store support-Internationalization support-Solid Development Framework for extending core features-Regular Software Updates

-Steep learning curve: Higher Complexity & Harder to troubleshoot. Requires experienced developer for many tasks.-Admin interface is not intuitive, options are buried in unrelated & different sections.-Very little (if any) control over Theme options such as Navigation menus & styles by non-developers.-CMS features of community edition are rudimentary, page hierarchies only allowed in Enterprise version.-Poor & outdated documentation. -Very intensive server requirements, otherwise runs very slow.

Magento Commerce (Community & Enterprise)

WordPress(wp e-Commerce, WooCommerce,

Shopp, etc.

-Easy to use & intuitive admin-Can customize Theme look & feel without touching much code-Multiple Low cost eCommerce solutions, support for standard & advanced eCommerce features-Over 19,000+ existing plugins for additional features & functionality (SEO)-Very Strong & Flexible CMS-Active Support Community & Documentation-Regular Software Updates

-No real “Multi-store” support, WPMU installs don’t work well with many eCommerce plugins.-No common support for Integration Enterprise Systems (Shipping & Warehouse management, Accounting)-eCommerce support relatively new, only 5 years since first plugin developed (wp-eCommerce circa 2007)

Enterprise Software (Marketlive, Demandware)

Grow/Hire Dedicated Development & Designers (Custom Look & Feel)

Setup & Configure Complex Network & Web Server Infrastructure

Integrate with Shipping, Accounting, and other Enterprise Software Systems

Customize advanced shopping cart code & features

Magento

Find Experience Web Developer with knowledge of Framework (not just Frontend Templates)

Setup & Configure Multiple Web Servers

Build Integration with existing Software Systems

Customize shopping cart code, features, & Templates

WordPress

Setup Single Dedicated Server

Install eCommerce Plugin & add-ons/extensions

Find compatible Theme, change settings in Admin.

Customize as needed

Typical Lead Time & Preparation with various solutions

eCommerce Platform Enterprise Provider

Magento WordPress

Budget $1M - $100,000 $50,000 - $1,000 $1,000 - $100

Orders Per Day 1000+ 500+ Under 500

Products in Catalog 100,000+ 10,000+ Under 1000

Other Software Integrations Multiple Systems (Warehouse,

Accounting, CRM)

1-2 Systems (Warehouse, Accounting)

0-1 System(Accounting)

Development Skills & Resources Large Team 1-5 0-1

Internationalization/Multi Language YES YES YES

Ideal for Multiple Stores YES YES NO

Which solution is ideal for your business size?

• Most economical choice• Least technically complicated to setup and

maintain• Easy to use & flexible CMS• Leverage thousands of Plugins and Themes• Active User & Development Community• Best option for solo-entrepreneurs, startups &

small businesses

Takeaways: WordPress vs. other choices

Your own sub headline

Agenda

Review of WordPress specific solutions

eCommerce requirements and factors

Creating a store: What are your choices?

3

2

1

Shopping Cart Graphic here

✓

✓

eCommerce & WordPress: What’s the right solution for you?

http://wppowerguide.com

Plugin• More flexible, works

with many difference themes

• Usually single plugin itself is not complete solution. Additional Modules required

• Finer Control over storefront features

• Takes more time to setup

Theme• Takes over the entire

User Frontend Experience

• Usually comes with many Widgets & Plugins built into theme

• Easier to setup, good if purpose of website is to sell a single type of product/service.

eCommerce on WordPress 2 Types of Solutions

• Templatic: 11 Themes built on Custom eCommerce Framework (Great Professional UI)

• StoreFrontThemes: 12 Themes build on WP e-Commerce Plugin (extra modules are additional cost)

• Splashing Pixles: Design studio focused on eCommerce themes for multiple plugins (WP e-Commerce & WooCommerce)

• WooCommerce: 24 Themes built on WooCommerce Plugin

• MarketPress by WPMU (theme + plugin): Focus on Multisite & BuddyPress Support

• Themeforest.net Over 70+ eCommerce Themes

WordPress eCommerce Themes

Full Free: cart66 lite,

Ecwid, eShop, Easy Digital Downloads,

TheCartPress

Full Paid (single/multi/dev license): Shopp,

Cart66 Pro (PHPurchase), MarketPress

Core Free/Paid Modules:

WooCommerce, WP e-Commerce

Jigoshop

Popular WordPress eCommerce Plugins

1. Cost Involved: Software + Support

2. Features & Overall Completeness of eCommerce Solution

3. Theme Options & Providers

4. Support & Developer tools

Factors to consider when choosing an eCommerce Plugin

• WP-eCommerce– First eCommerce plugin on WP, circa 2007– Upcoming overhaul of code v3.9+

• WooCommerce– Popular choice for features & themes, plenty

of extensions & add-on

• Shopp– All in 1 solution, different approach to support

& services

Review of 3 Popular eCommerce plugins

Scorecard

Summary of eCommerce plugin review

WP e-Commerce3.8.8.5

WooCommerce1.6.5.1

Shopp1.2.3

Core Plugin FREE FREE $55 (single) / $299 (unlim)

Additional Modules $47 - $197 $20 - $75 $50 - $75

Professional/Priority Support $47- $247 External partners $49 - $199

Marketing Features & Overall Completeness (scale 1-4)

3 4 3.5

Theme Options & Providers (scale 1-4) 3 4 2

Support & Developer Tools (scale 1-4) 2.5 3 3.5

• Providers need some standardized integration tools to 3rd party software systems for larger businesses (Accounting, Warehouse, CRM etc.)

• Need more adoption & buy in from larger business clients.

Future Improvements for eCommerce on WP

eCommerce & WordPress: What’s the right solution for you?

Slides available online: http://wppowerguide.com/wordcampla

Upcoming Hands-On WordPress Workshops in Los Angeles:

1. Oct 6th: Intensive Guide to WordPress • Signup via Southern California WordPress Group

Meetup Group Event Page

2. ~ Late November: eCommerce Workshop • Updates on Event Signup http://wppowerguide.com

THANK YOU!