10 Best Themes for Starting an eCommerce Business

WordPress eCommerce Themes

Okay, so you have your products ready. You wish to reach out to a larger section of target audiences. The best way to do so is by setting up an online store to showcase and sell your products. 

Now you must have been scouring the internet to find out the best possible platform for hosting your e-commerce website. The internet is flooded with many such options. However, the best and possibly the quickest of them all is WordPress. 

WordPress with its e-commerce plugin, WooCommerce, is home to ~40% of all online shopping websites. There are good reasons for that too. 

Benefits of Using WordPress 

The first best thing about WordPress is that it is an open-source platform that is constantly developed and modified by a team of lead developers along with a community of highly qualified volunteers.  Other key features that are very lucrative to the experiences and newbies are: 

  • Gives you complete control over your website 
  • Availability of a wide range of plugins that can meet any of your needs
  • Up-to-date security and privacy features along with new additions 
  • A plethora of online tutorial and how-to videos to guide you through any complications 
  • Innumerable themes to choose from for your website personalization 
  • Allows you to add blogs, and forums in addition to the storefront without any extra payment/fees 
  • No monthly recurring fee structure like other platforms such as Shopify etc. 

Now that we have understood the benefits of having WordPress as the platform for hosting your eCommerce website, let us now see how to get your business online in quick and easy steps. 

How to Get Your eCommerce Store Up And Running In WordPress

Step 1 – Selecting domain name and a hosting service 

A domain name is basically the name for your website — one that will be put in the address bar of a search engine to access the website. Selecting the domain name for your shopping portal is the first step towards building an e-commerce website. 

Once you have finalized the name, you will need to buy it. 

Next, you need to choose a hosting service that will provide you with a server where your website will exist. Now, there are two types of hosts you can choose from. One, where you are provided a common server that you share with other websites as well. This, though cheaper, will result in several issues later including slower upload and download speeds. 

The second option is where you can get an exclusive server for your website allowing you much better speed and performance. 

You can opt for the basic plan, to begin with, as you are setting up the website. However, if you are planning on selling digital products that can be downloaded, then opting for a dedicated server from the very beginning will be the right option. 

Step 2 – Installing WordPress

WordPress can be installed in the following two ways: 

  • One-Click Install 

The easier of the two processes, this is possible if your hosting provider allows direct install and is compatible with PHP 7, MySQL v5.6+ or MariaDB v10.0+, and HTTPS. 

  • Manual Install

 In this, you need to download the WordPress on your system and then upload it on the host server for installation. You will require an FTP client, phpMyAdmin or a cPanel database setup, and access to the webserver. If you need guidance, you can refer to the link here.

Step 3 – Choose Your E-Commerce Plugin 

WordPress as such does not offer any e-commerce elements. However, you can convert WordPress to an eCommerce platform through one or the other e-commerce plugins that can be installed. There are three commonly used plugins available for such functionality: 

woocommerce

Easily the most popular plugin used for eCommerce, WooCommerce has evolved into an extremely flexible and customizable platform over the years. It comes with its backend and gives you the bandwidth to build product pages, shopping cart, and more. The plugin comes with a wide range of paid and free extensions 

Easy Digital Downloads

Built specifically for businesses who want to sell digital products, EDD is a free plugin that allows a host of services to the user. From tracking and reporting downloads, creating discount vouchers, to providing in-depth statistics EDD helps you to do more than just selling. 

Step 4 – Install Plugins 

Once you have decided upon which plugin you will go ahead with, head to your WordPress dashboard and select the Plugin section and then click Add New. Type the name of the plugin you want (we will go ahead with WooCommerce here) in the search bar and press Install Now. Once the plugin is installed you will notice a blue Activate button on the screen. Tap it. 

The WooCommerce setup wizard will then take you through the entire process. 

Step 5 – Fill In The Details

After the plugin has been successfully activated, you will be taken to a series of pages for filling in the necessary details. 

  • Fill in your business details.
  • Choose the payment option best suitable for you. 
  • Select the area that you will serve. 
  • The next step is to pick and choose what complimentary plugins you want to have in your store. Also, pick a WooCommerce theme for your storefront. We will discuss more themes a little later. 
  • The penultimate step is to activate the Jetpack which automatically configures the payment and tax system. 
  • Once the Jetpack is activated, you will now be asked to upload your products. 

Now that your storefront is ready, let us now dwell a bit more on how you can further customize your eCommerce platform for your consumers. WordPress allows you to choose from a wide variety of themes. 

Best WordPress eCommerce Themes

Here are 10 best WordPress eCommerce themes for you to choose from. 

Astra 

astra wordpress theme

Astra is a highly customizable theme option that is rich in features and is fully responsive.
It offers a lot of add-ons and widget options to bring your platform alive. The theme also has a retina-ready feature which makes it very lucrative. The theme allows you to choose different layouts and designs basis your needs. 

Divi 

divi

This is one of the best WooCommerce themes that is multipurpose and is a favorite of users for its awesome built-in features and attractive design. It is fully responsive and allows you the bandwidth to create the design of your liking. 

You can choose from a list of more than 1000 pre-designed layouts as well. The theme works best with WooCommerce as it comes with easy integration to make it easier. It also rates highly on user experience. 

Woodmart 

WoodMart - Responsive WooCommerce WordPress Theme

Unlike its name, this theme is not just limited to wood-related eCommerce websites. This is an extremely versatile and multipurpose theme that is built for any number of usages. Everything in this theme is customizable and it is best suited for an eCommerce store with a large number of products. Overall, the structure of this theme is quite clear and can be easily navigated. 

Electro Electronics Store 

Electro Electronics Store WooCommerce Theme

As the name suggests, this theme is typically developed for one specific niche. The theme ranks high on the design front and offers several pre-designed layout options to choose from. From header to footer, you can customize every bit of this theme as per your requirement. 

Monstroid2 

 Monstroid²— New WordPress Themes Generation.

Built to serve any purpose, this flagship theme from TemplateMonster offers a very customizable multipurpose design. With this theme, you get multiple color options, skins, over 500 pre-designed page sections, and more. Tested with commerce this theme is very easy to install and work with. 

Porto 

Porto | Multipurpose & WooCommerce Theme

This is ThemeForest’s second most popular eCommerce theme. The USP of this theme is that it comes pre-loaded with more than 20 design variations built specifically for eCommerce platforms. This theme works best irrespective of the niche you have chosen for yourself. It gives you control over a lot of finer details and has a host of additional features. 

Flatsome 

Flatsome | Multi-Purpose Responsive WooCommerce Theme

With over 100,000 sales, Flatsome is Themeforest’s bestselling eCommerce theme for WordPress. The theme comes loaded with features that make it an instant winner with the users. One of the top features is the theme’s Live Page Builder tool. It allows you to build any type of eCommerce platform with the help of more than 30 modules. Further with the help of Live Theme Options panel every small detail can be customized about this them. 

OceanWP 

OceanWP

 

Packed with a set of pre-formed designs, here is another extremely customizable theme. Along with Retina-ready and fully responsive features, this theme also comes with an in-built SEO and social media feature. The theme excels over others when it comes to helping you out with improving sales by the way of its eCommerce features. Further, you can choose from a variety of add-ons and extensions to make it even more presentable. 

Shopkeeper 

Shopkeeper - eCommerce WordPress Theme for WooCommerce

Another theme from ThemeForest, this one has a very likable modern design that is customized to give your consumers the best experience. Since it is a purely eCommerce theme, all the features embedded are optimized to improve conversions. Some of the key features of this theme support for YouTube video on product pages, light and dark modes, custom header and footer, and the like. 

Depot 

Depot - eCommerce Theme

Suited best for products related to home décor or furniture, this WordPress theme comes with a neat and clean look. The theme offers various template options, design elements, customizable widgets, and more. Along with the eCommerce platform, this theme also allows you to develop a blog and portfolios along with it. The theme is fully responsive and offers features such as product galleries, wish lists, product filters, and more to add to your shopping experience. 

The Wrap Up

So, launching your eCommerce store online doesn’t require a lot of technical knowledge. All you need to do is buy a domain name and hosting, install WordPress and download WooCommerce, choose the right WordPress eCommerce themes, and get going. 

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