You’ve probably heard of WooCommerce, the popular open source eCommerce platform. With over 14 million downloads and 25,000 active contributors, WooCommerce is the #2 most downloaded WordPress plugin ever. WooCommerce is basically what runs all the popular eCommerce giants, like Shopify, Big Commerce, and Volusion. If you’re looking to launch a professional-looking eCommerce store on a budget, you’ve probably heard of WooCommerce and its impressive community of developers.
WooCommerce is a fantastic choice for eCommerce store developers because of its robust feature set and extensive community support. However, what happens when you reach the point where you want to scale your business and need to convert your WooCommerce store to a more advanced eCommerce solution?
The Downside Of WooCommerce
If you’re coming from a development standpoint, you’re going to appreciate the perks of WooCommerce. The platform is incredibly friendly to developers because of its intuitive design and ease of use. For instance, when you’re using WooCommerce, you don’t need a single line of code to get your store up and running. Even the most basic of stores can be activated immediately upon purchasing the necessary software. So not only do you not need to worry about programming, but you can instead focus on implementing your marketing strategies.
On the downside, WooCommerce is a very basic and limited platform when it comes to marketing and sales. In order to achieve the necessary functionality, you’ll either need to hire a marketing specialist or find someone who is skilled in eCommerce development. Also, the sales functions within WooCommerce are rather limited, as you can’t automate many of the tasks that a professional eCommerce store would rely on.
The Upside Of AWeber
If you’re coming from a marketing standpoint, you’re going to appreciate the perks of AWeber. AWeber is, in fact, the pioneer in email marketing software and services. Launched in 1997, the company now has more than 15 million monthly active users and is considered one of the “Big Four” email marketing platforms along with MailChimp, Infusionsoft, and HubSpot.
AWeber is known for its advanced functionality and in-depth analytics, as well as its elegant yet simple user interface. The platform is also mobile-friendly, which means that customers can access your campaigns and orders no matter where they are. Another great thing is that AWeber is completely free, as it relies on a Freemium model.
On the downside, AWeber is, well, quite a bit more expensive than WooCommerce. You’ll either need to purchase the software upfront or on a yearly basis. In addition, migrating an eCommerce store to AWeber can be quite the task, as you’ll need to rebrand everything and set up all new campaigns. Not only that, but you’ll also need to train your employees to use the new software and systems. Overall, AWeber is definitely not a one-size-fits-all solution.
Convert A WooCommerce To An AWeber Webform
If you’re looking to scale your eCommerce store and need a solution that is both flexible and robust enough to handle complex marketing and sales, you’re going to want to take a look at AWeber. AWeber is perfect for those who want to create a more professional-looking storefront, need to automate certain processes, and want to integrate their store with other platforms (like MailChimp).
To migrate a WooCommerce store to AWeber, you’re going to need to set up a new marketplace or shopping cart of sorts. AWeber has some great integrations with other platforms and services like MailChimp, and you can connect your WooCommerce store to these integrations easily. You can then use AWeber’s email marketing functionality to send out automated email campaigns to your customers, following their orders and dealing with any complaints. Finally, you can use the built-in analytics to track the success of your email marketing campaigns.
Now, you might be wondering how much this whole process is going to cost you. Well, thankfully the team over at WP Conversion Engine, a WooCommerce plugin that can help you migrate your store to AWeber, has you covered. Just follow the steps below and you’ll be up and running in no time.
Step one: Find the best-fit template for your new AWeber store.
The first step in the process is to find the best-fit template for your new AWeber store. You can use the free trial version of AWeber to test out the different templates and see which one suits you best. When you find the perfect fit, download it and save it to your computer. You’ll need this file as a template for the next step.
Step two: Customize your template with your branding.
In Step two, you’re going to need to customize your template with your branding. You can upload a logo, add a couple of lines of copy, and change the colors and layout so everything fits your brand. Don’t worry too much about the small details like the header, as you’ll be changing that later on in the process.
Step three: Install and configure your new template.
Once you have your fully customized template, it’s time to install and configure your new template. To do this, simply click on the ‘Install’ button within AWeber and follow the prompts. Once you install your new template, it will show up within your AWeber Dashboard. You can now configure it by following the prompts (make sure to use your own email addresses for this part).
Once you have configured your new template, it’s time to test it out by creating a few marketing emails, following up with a few sales emails, and creating a few automated emails to ensure all the functions work properly. You can use the AWeber Free Plan to test out the different functionality without having to pay for it, so make sure you explore this part thoroughly.
Once you’re confident that everything is working properly, it’s time to move on to the final step.
Step four: Update your store with your new brand.
In the final step, you’re going to want to update your store with your new brand. To do this, head back over to your WordPress admin area and navigate to the store’s specific settings page. Once there, you can update the logo, site name, and other little details like the opening hours. To keep things interesting, you can also add a physical address to the store (if it’s a brick-and-mortar location).
Once you’ve updated your store with your new brand, it’s time to test it out. You can either send out a few test emails to ensure everything is updated and working properly, or just log in to your AWeber dashboard and check out your store’s details. Doing this a few times will help you ensure everything is updated and working properly (and give you an idea of whether or not your customers are having any problems).
If everything is updated and working properly, it’s time to sit back and enjoy the benefits of a fully functioning eCommerce store.
Migrating an eCommerce store from one platform to another can seem daunting, but it’s worth it in the end. Using a tool like WP Conversion Engine to assist with the migration makes the process smoother and more streamlined. Plus, you get to take advantage of a fully functioning eCommerce store with all its features and functionalities. If you’re looking for a robust and flexible solution that can help you launch a successful eCommerce store, you can’t go wrong with AWeber.