If you happen to personal a service-oriented enterprise and need to promote companies on-line, you’ll discover an array of various options that may assist. It could possibly take some time to sift by means of all of them and discover the correct one for you. It’s possible you’ll even surprise if the advantages are definitely worth the studying curve, trouble, and expense. However when you’re seeking to save time, develop your corporation, and enhance your prospects’ expertise, there’s actually no higher manner to take action than with WooCommerce.
Providing purchasers the flexibility to browse your companies, guide appointments, join subscriptions and memberships, and make funds by means of your web site can streamline your administrative course of, enable you receives a commission extra shortly, and enhance consumer satisfaction. Nonetheless, if the platform and instruments you might be utilizing are too restricted or not fairly the correct match for your corporation mannequin, you might find yourself with extra ache than progress. Â
WooCommerce, however, offers a extremely customizable resolution for nearly any service-based enterprise. Learn on to discover ways to promote companies with WooCommerce and broaden the performance of your retailer to greatest serve your purchasers.
The advantages of utilizing WooCommerce to promote companies
It gives customizable design and performance
There are a lot of nice causes that it’s best to use WooCommerce to promote companies on-line, however chief amongst them is its flexibility and extensibility. You possibly can create just about any design and add limitless performance to your web site due to WooCommerce’s extension library and database of specialists. You possibly can construct a surprising, custom-made resolution tailor-made to your particular viewers.
You possibly can maintain all the things in a single placeÂ
Relatively than utilizing a number of completely different platforms to handle your corporation, you may management all of it out of your WordPress dashboard. Edit your web site content material, add posts to your weblog, and handle your purchasers’ funds with out switching home windows. And, when you additionally promote bodily or digital merchandise, you may see your whole orders on the identical display. This implies much less confusion, fewer errors, and a neater workflow.
For extra detailed consumer relationship administration, you may set up Jetpack CRM. Designed particularly to work with WooCommerce by the individuals behind WordPress.com, the Jetpack CRM extension helps you handle your leads, prospects, quotes, invoices, and transactions all from throughout the WordPress dashboard.
Not like different CRMs, Jetpack CRM doesn’t restrict the variety of contacts or customers and the most costly license is barely $17/month (billed yearly).
You may make funds straightforward in your purchasers
The better the cost course of is in your purchasers, the quicker you receives a commission. With WooCommerce, purchasers can add a service to their cart and take a look at on their pc or cellphone, irrespective of the place they’re situated.
WooCommerce additionally integrates with all the key cost processing companies you might already use, like Authorize.web, PayPal (together with Venmo), Sq., and Stripe. If you happen to haven’t arrange a cost processor but for your corporation, WooCommerce Funds gives fast checkout and recurring cost processing for a wide range of currencies and cost strategies.
You possibly can show companies extra successfully
With WooCommerce you may show and checklist your companies in a visually-appealing manner. You may also make it straightforward in your purchasers to filter your companies and search your retailer to allow them to discover precisely what they’re in search of.
You possibly can upsell and cross promote
With out downloading or putting in a single extension, WooCommerce offers you the flexibility to make ideas for associated companies and provide purchasers upgraded service plans after they’re testing. Study extra about how upselling and cross-selling can increase your income.Â
It allows you to cost recurring funds
Do you cost month-to-month for companies or put purchasers on a cost plan? Use the WooCommerce Subscriptions extension to routinely cost your consumer’s account. No extra handbook invoices or reminder emails!
You possibly can combine with current instruments
WooCommerce gives its personal extensions for lots of the belongings you may must run your corporation. Have already got instruments you’re keen on? WooCommerce seemingly has a fast integration.Â
Most main e-mail advertising and marketing platforms, cost processors, accounting software program, and consumer administration instruments have extensions that connect with your WooCommerce retailer.Â
Unsure in case your platforms will combine with WooCommerce? Begin by looking the extension library. If you happen to don’t see it there, attain out to your software program’s customer support group to see if they provide an integration of their very own.Â
You may also usually use a device like Zapier to make the connection or test the WordPress.org plugin repository to see if one other developer has created one thing.
That’s the great thing about working with WooCommerce – there’s all the time an answer!
Tips on how to arrange companies with WooCommerce
Begin by putting in WooCommerce in your WordPress web site and navigating by means of the Setup Wizard. This can stroll you thru the method of choosing a cost gateway, organising taxes, and different essential first steps. On this case, you solely must arrange transport when you’re additionally promoting bodily merchandise.Â
After setup is full, it’s time to create your companies. In your WordPress Dashboard, navigate to Merchandise → Add New. Within the Product Title discipline, set the title of your service. Then, add an outline and brief description of their respective fields. Study extra about writing efficient descriptions.
If it is sensible in your companies, add a picture to the Product Picture discipline on the right-hand aspect of the web page. You may also add extra photographs and a product video to the product picture gallery when you’d wish to additional showcase your companies.Â
Add classes and tags to assist arrange your companies to make them extra simply discoverable by your prospects. For instance, when you provide pictures companies, you may categorize them as New child Periods, Weddings, and Headshots.
Then, navigate to the Product Knowledge part and test the field beside Digital. In case your service has a number of choices that prospects can choose from, select Variable Product within the dropdown field. If not, depart the auto-filled Easy Product. You need to use product variations to permit purchasers to pick out a time period size, kind of service, size of time, kind of rental, or different choices.
Within the field titled Common Worth, go forward and add the worth in your service. Or, when you chosen Variable Product, observe the steps on this information.
Whereas there are different service choices you may arrange, for a fundamental service providing, you’re good to go! Click on the blue Publish button within the prime proper nook.
One different possibility you’ve got is to promote blocks of hours utilizing the WooCommerce amount discipline. Let’s say you cost $50 per hour and need to enable your prospects to purchase no matter variety of hours they’d like. Create a easy product titled, “Hours,” or no matter you’d like, and set the worth to $50. When your prospects try, they will use the amount selector to decide on one hour, 5 hours, or fifty hours.
Select the structure of your companies
WooCommerce permits for just about limitless design prospects in the case of displaying the companies that you just’ve created. Â
Phi Phi Pirate Boat excursions, for instance, selected to put out their reservations in a calendar.Â
Car2Go went with a grid format as a substitute, which highlights the images of their accessible rental vehicles.
WordPress themes that have been constructed for WooCommerce typically present layouts and settings to showcase your listings. One nice possibility is the Storefront theme, developed by WooCommerce, which even gives a baby theme constructed particularly for lodges and lodging.
You may also use WooCommerce shortcodes so as to add your product listings to any web page and customise their design while not having to edit difficult code.
If you happen to’re in search of an alternate structure and pictures aren’t essential to your choices, attempt the WooCommerce Product Desk plugin. You possibly can arrange easy-to-consume tables of your companies and add one-page ordering.
Accepting funds from purchasers
Whether or not you’re a graphic designer, advertising and marketing professional, tour information, or personal chef, accepting funds is a vital a part of your corporation. WooCommerce integrates with accounting companies like Xero and Quickbooks, which can routinely sync cost knowledge and maintain your accountants pleased – even when that accountant is you!Â
WooCommerce core offers built-in performance for simple, one-time companies, however there are numerous further methods that you could broaden your invoicing and cost performance to suit your actual wants.
1. Enable purchasers to call their value
The Title Your Worth extension permits your purchasers to pay an quantity of their selecting in your companies. So, for instance, you may e-mail them a digital bill with a hyperlink to a “title your value” product web page. The consumer can then fill within the quantity of the bill and pay proper in your web site. There’s no must create particular person merchandise for each bill!
For instance, Poppy Floral expenses a set deposit for his or her floral companies, then makes use of Title Your Worth to gather the remaining steadiness. This makes the invoicing and assortment course of a lot simpler.
2. Ship PDF invoices
With PDF Invoices’ customizable, branded e-mail invoices, you may automate the billing course of. Your purchasers can log into their account, obtain, and print earlier invoices.
3. Settle for deposits
Enable your purchasers to make a deposit or use a cost plan with WooCommerce Deposits. This can be a nice possibility in case your purchasers pay over time or when you require an up-front cost earlier than delivering your companies.
4. Supply subscriptions
Do you provide upkeep plans or service subscriptions? Automate recurring funds and keep away from the trouble of billing each week, month, or yr with WooCommerce Subscriptions. Your purchasers also can improve or downgrade their plan with none effort in your finish.
Enable prospects to guide appointments or lodging
If you happen to promote experiences, guide lodging, or make appointments together with your purchasers, WooCommerce gives a number of extensions that have been constructed only for you.
1. WooCommerce Bookings
WooCommerce Bookings provides a reserving calendar that enables your purchasers and prospects to pay immediately in your web site. You possibly can block off dates that aren’t accessible, set a minimal and most variety of individuals, and even provide reductions for sure days or for big teams. Ship out reminders that assist cut back no-shows and permit prospects to cancel their appointment on-line.Â
Plus, WooCommerce Bookings syncs with Google Calendar, so you may maintain all the things in the identical place.
If you happen to’re a house inspector, for instance, you need to use this extension to permit your prospects to guide appointments primarily based in your schedule. Use WooCommerce Deposits to gather a payment upfront, after which ship a reminder to your buyer 24 hours earlier than their appointment. You possibly can even make helpful info like warranties accessible to your prospects by means of their dashboard.
If you happen to’re a advisor, your purchasers can simply guide periods with you primarily based in your schedule, and reschedule if one thing comes up on their finish. The probabilities are limitless!
2. WooCommerce Lodging Bookings
A free add-on for WooCommerce Bookings, WooCommerce Lodging Bookings is designed particularly for lodges, mattress and breakfasts, and different varieties of lodging. It permits your company to guide in a single day stays in just some clicks, with full management over check-in/check-out instances and particular charges for holidays or weekends.
Journey Parc Snowdonia permits prospects to guide actions, reserve glamping pods, and even buy present playing cards all in the identical place. When somebody selects an exercise, they will select between numerous expertise ranges and lengths of time. For each actions and lodging, a calendar is accessible for guests to decide on their desired dates. It’s a seamless, well-designed course of that retains prospects coming again.
Market to service-based purchasers
If you promote companies on-line with WooCommerce, you’ve got full management over advertising and marketing to your prospects and purchasers. Attain out to them earlier than, throughout, and after the shopping for course of with these useful extensions:
1. Comply with-up Emails
Ship emails to segments of your buyer base with a coupon, sale, or thanks word with Comply with-Ups. Set reminders to the touch base at a later time and ship customized coupons primarily based in your purchasers’ actions.
2. Social media extensions
Rapidly combine with Fb, Pinterest, and Instagram utilizing a social media extension. Arrange social media adverts, checklist your companies on Fb and Pinterest, and even create a seamless assist system with Fb Messenger immediately in your web site.
3. Electronic mail advertising and marketing integrations
WooCommerce integrates with many fashionable e-mail advertising and marketing platforms, together with trusted options like MailPoet.Â
Enable your purchasers to subscribe to your e-mail checklist, ship focused emails primarily based in your purchasers’ actions, and encourage them to improve their plans or buy further companies. Section your viewers primarily based on age, gender, quantity spent, and extra. Analyze your e-mail campaigns by monitoring conversions and gross sales to find out their lifetime worth.Â
Accumulate helpful info previous to finishing companies
If you happen to promote companies on-line, you may accumulate further info out of your prospects earlier than they make a purchase order. You may want particulars about their wants in an effort to decide the correct resolution for them. Or, you may want them to ship information, like signed waivers, logos, or web site content material.
WooCommerce integrates with Gravity Types, one of the vital highly effective type plugins accessible for WordPress. You possibly can create customized varieties in your companies with radio buttons, checkboxes, file uploads, and extra.
These varieties will be as complicated or so simple as you’d like. So when you want your consumer to signal a doc or add a picture, simply insert an add discipline. Or, you may create varieties with dozens of choices and even add conditional fields, which change primarily based in your consumer’s earlier solutions. This stage of customization lets you construct a personalised onboarding course of that meets the precise wants of your corporation.
One other nice possibility is the WooCommerce Product Add-Ons extension. You possibly can add further fields and choices in your prospects with checkboxes, dropdowns, and picture alternatives. Plus, it integrates with WooCommerce Bookings and WooCommerce Subscriptions.Â
Bike Excursions Puerto Rico makes use of Product Add-Ons to supply extras for his or her prospects, like helmets, pads, and gloves. The worth modifications primarily based on every choice and web site guests can select multiple possibility primarily based on their preferences.Â
Use the shopper account web page as a consumer hub
The WooCommerce buyer account web page is accessible to any logged-in person after they’ve made a purchase order. Usually, it’s used to permit prospects to assessment and edit their orders, view transport info, and so on. however, with just a little creativity, it might probably turn out to be a hub in your purchasers.
With out making any modifications, your purchasers can handle recurring funds and subscriptions, edit their bookings and reservations, entry downloads that they’ve bought, and alter their account particulars. This is a superb start line and, in lots of instances, all you’ll want.
If you happen to do need to flip your dashboard right into a consumer portal, you may make PHP modifications to the myaccount.php template or use Jetpack CRM with the Shopper Portal add-on. Including essential info and insurance policies, documentation downloads, duties, and hyperlinks to your consumer portal can present a wonderful option to join together with your purchasers and provides them a seamless expertise.
Don’t wait to promote your companies on-line
It doesn’t matter what kind of companies you provide – from medical {and professional} companies, to auto restore, guided excursions, and all the things in between – WooCommerce offers an answer. Take a look at our showcase to see extra websites promoting companies with WooCommerce and go to our extension library to study extra concerning the limitless performance that WooCommerce gives.
If you promote companies on-line with WooCommerce, you’ll develop your corporation and supply a greater expertise in your purchasers and prospects. Managing your web site, weblog, buyer relationships, and funds beneath one roof may even prevent time and drastically enhance your workflow.
If you happen to’re able to get began promoting on-line, try our documentation or construct your retailer immediately.