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WooCommerce is simplicity and stablility
WooCommerce itself follows the same principle that WordPress has been true to successfully for many years. The core is simple and above all stable and easily extendable.
If you are running a self hosted shop, you need to do configure and extend your shop until it meets you or your clients requirements. There are many, many plugins that you can use to extend your WooCommerce shop.
Here are a few things to consider.
Plugins are not compatible with each other
Plugin A will not work with plugin B and C, unless specifically stated. Software is like hardware in that matter. It has a non palpable but nonetheless real shape and size. Different plugins differ in shape and size.
Building a website is like building a house. Components you buy from manufacture A do not fit the ones from manufacture B. Double check whether or not WooCommerce A plays well with WooCommerce extension B, before you buy.
Every feature has an option or is documented
Read the documentation and check all settings of a plugin. If you cannot see what you are looking for, chances are high it is simply not there.
In my experience most use cases need customisations, either by detailed configuration or coding. You will hardly find a WooCommerce plugin that does exactly what you want just by activating it. In many cases this requires a deeper understanding of the technicalities. At times you will need to hire dedicated help. In my humble opinion: Support is telling you what to do. Service is doing it for you.
Test drive your plugins always before you buy
Take the time to play with a demo of your plugin always.
You can use wcdemo.com to test drive WooCommerce extensions.
In case you are having an active issue, I recommend to always check for conflict. Here is how to do so.
4 comments
Simon Saunders
The fundamental issue here, which I have encountered recently, is a lack of transparency about what comprises basic usability, and whether certain data are mandatory components or basic features of a customer experience.
For example; where a customer sees a column headed “price’, in a plugin generated by Manufacturer A, it would be reasonable for one of A’s customers to expect the price they are paying to be displayed. Things go wrong when Manufacturer A, having sold the product, then tells the customer that this information is only available as a custom feature when, in fact, it’s a basic requirement.
Support isn’t “telling customers what to do”, Constantin; it’s ensuring that your products do what you’ve told them they’ll do.
Con Schneider
> The fundamental issue here [… ]a customer experience.
I agree that there is always room for improvement when it comes to communicating. Please know though that this is unintentional. The lack of transparency is not based on an intention to mislead, it is ignorance.
> For example; where a […]it’s a basic requirement.
I can relate to that.
Consider this though:
Person A says it is basic.
Person B says it is optional.
Who is right?
Neither one.
Because it is not about who is right.
You can only repair and support what is already there.
Putting something there which was not there before, independent of its importance, is adding it.
> Support isn’t “telling customers what to do”, […] they’ll do.
Sure. I am fine with any definition.
Simon Saunders
However:-
“Components you buy from manufacture A do not fit the ones from manufacturer B”
Do you think that users might expect that two components purchased from manufacturer A to work together to display basic and vital purchase information? And that when A’s Plugin 2 breaks functionality of A’s Plugin 1, users should be supported, rather than being told that WooThemes “understand why you might find this suboptimal”.
Do you think it odd that a manufacturer B would offer better compatibility with manufacturer A’s platform and Plugin 1 than Manufacturer A?
And, from a UX perspective, don’t you think customers should be able to see, from product through cart and checkout, the amount they’re paying per item for their products?
In my humble opinion, support is taking responsibility for fixing “suboptimal” work.
Con Schneider
Hi Simon,
Thanks for reading my post and for writing your input.
This post is about providing information rather than what I think what is right or wrong.
I find that the aspects mentioned in this post should be communicated better. As it is now many users run into trouble because they are not aware of these compatibility issues. This post is my contribution so that people can make a better informed decision rather than troubleshooting compatibility problems.