Coding and more coding…

I’ve created a number of custom WordPress themes for clients, as well as converted existing static HTML sites into WordPress powered sites. I know my way around XTML, CSS, and how to create WordPress themes.  So much so that I was a little apprehensive about a theme that provided so many layout and design customizations from within the WordPress dashboard.  But I took the leap and am 100+ % satisfied with what I found.

I took my existing WordPress theme design elements and recreated a much improved but similar layout within Frugal in about an hour.  Now that I know my way around Frugal, I could probably do that in half an hour!  And with the Frugal framework now running my (this) site, I have so many layout options. I can change the layout of any page with a few clicks.  And when I’m ready for a new look, just create a new Frugal Skin for my site — all within Frugal’s options and design pages within the WordPress dashboard. It really couldn’t get easier.

But don’t let the easier part fool you.  This is a powerful WordPress framework that allows for unbelievable design and layout customization.

And how about support?

I’ve never experienced more prompt, thorough, solid, and reliable support.  Eric Hamm, Frugal’s creator, obviously loves Frugal and those folks using Frugal.  You won’t be left in the dark with this WordPress theme.  Not only does he respond to questions in the forum within moments, a few hours at the most, but he has tons of video tutorials to get you up and running with your Frugal theme.

Code withdrawals?

Only for a few minutes as you learn your way around. And, you can still create custom styles for the custom style sheet if you prefer to work that way, but once you discover the power built into the theme options, you really won’t need to dive into the code.

Frugal works wonders for designers/coders, as well as for non-designers/non-techy people.

Highly recommended

Well, that’s an understatement.  Seriously, if you are looking for a commercial WordPress theme, then please take a look at Frugal.

And, yes, this is an affiliate link — actually the first affiliate link I’ve ever posted — because Frugal meets and exceeds all my affiliate requirements:

• It must be a product or service that I use myself;
• And I must be delirously ecstatic with the product or service.

Long Live Frugal and much success to Eric for creating such an amazing theme, and for providing such awesome support.

You have two types of options — an e-commerce plugin that works with your existing WordPress site or a theme that includes an e-commerce plugin.  And there are a few options for each type.  I’ll start with the stand alone plugin and then look at the theme+plugin options.

E-Commerce Plugins

The two main e-commerce plugins are Shopp and WP-E-Commerce. There are a few other plugins, like eShop, that you may also want to consider.   I’ve spent most of my time, though, reviewing Shopp and WP-E-Commerce and can therefore only make observations on these plugins.  If you want more information on eShop, here’s a  good review on eShop by Tyron Shum.

WP-E-Commerce

WP-E-Commerce seems to be the most used plugin and has been downloaded over 500,ooo times ~ probably the reason it was the first option I found when I started my search.

The Good Stuff

• I downloaded version 3.7.5.3 and installed it with no problem.
• It adds a new menu to your Dashboard called Products and you can easily navigate to the cart options and to your orders.
• It’s really easy to add and customize new products.
• It comes with several widgets that you can easily add to your sidebar — Latest Products, Product Categories, Product Tags, Product Specials, Shopping Cart.
• You can add unlimited categories and subcategories to your shop.
• It integrates with Chronopay, PayPal, PayPal – Express, Google Checkout, and manual payment (for cash or money orders).
• It works with most existing themes, and the cart is easily customized to match your existing theme. Which also means you can easily change the look of your site simply by installing a new theme.

The Not So Good Stuff

This is harder to answer and please note that this is my personal experience and observation. It may change over time, as I will certainly continue to watch WP-E-Commerce and may eventually use the plugin.  But a few initial observations encouraged me to continue my search.

• Although the core plugin is free, you will need to purchase the Gold upgrade to get product search, multiple image upload, gallery view, Grid View and multiple payment gateway options.  Which kind of makes it not really a free plugin, as those are fairly standard functions for an online shop.
• Documentation.  Although there is adequate online documentation, you’ll probably want to purchase the most thorough documentation — WP-E-Commerce Bible —written by a user of the plugin.  If I felt confident with the support forums, I wouldn’t feel it necessary to purchase the WP-E-Commerce Bible but…
• Support.  After spending some time in the support forums and even posting a few questions, I just didn’t feel confident that the support would be there if I really needed it.  I posted a few simple questions and have yet to receive a response.  And I see a number of posts that have gone unanswered.

Overall, WP-E-Commerce does seem to be a very powerful plugin that can easily transforms your WordPress powered site into an online store. But having to upgrade to the Gold cart to get all the needed features, possibly purchase more documentation, and not feeling so secure with the support, I decided to look at other options.

Commercial Solutions

Plugins

There are a few commercial plugins that are worth considering.  I can’t really offer a thorough review, as I haven’t purchased and used each one, but here’s a few that I looked at in my search:

• Shopp has really thorough online documentation, the support forums are active with quick responses to posts, and it is a full featured cart for only $55. Here’s a link to all of  Shopp Features
• WordPress Shopping Cart Plugin I didn’t spend much time here, as their online demo is limited and doesn’t contain any products.  But you may find more information if you dig around on their site.

Plugins+Themes

All the options above require that you already have a WordPress theme, and the shopping cart plugin simply adds the e-commerce functionality to your site.  But another option is to purchase a WordPress theme with an e-commerce plugin built into the theme.  I’ve looked at a few of these options, and I’ve been most impressed with Store from Templatic.

It has all the standard features plus more.

• You can sell tangible or digital downloads.
• Multiple product images.
• Grid view.
• Bulk upload (CSV) to import your products if you’re currently using another shopping cart.
• Coupon codes.
• Easily add and customize your products…

Find all the features at the Store details page.  And after you read through the features, be sure to take a look at the demo.  The shopping cart is smooth, elegant, and simple, and the theme is attractive and well structured.  Also note that this not just an online shop theme; it also incorporates your blog posts as well.

One of the most important things for me, though, is support, and Templatic’s support is rock solid.  I’ve purchased other themes from Templatic, and their support has been quick and reliable.

[see Update at bottom of post]

There are a few other plugin+theme options, like Market Theme , that you may want to investigate, but  I’ve decided on the Store theme+plugin from Templatic for my current project.

The not so good thing about this option, though, is that the e-commerce plugin is tied to the theme, which will make it more difficult to change the look of your site in the future.  But  Templatic continues to release new themes for their plugin, so there will  be new themes to choose from in the future.

[disclosure: none of the links on this page are affiliate links]

Would love to hear your experiences with the various e-commerce solutions for WordPress, as it is truly a dynamic and wonderful combo. And though there may not be an ultimate, ideal solution as yet, there are some very good options out there.

[Update: I actually tried the Store Theme+Plugin and discovered it didn't work as expected. I need to write a part two to this post, as I discovered another plugin that looks very promising -- PHPPurchase -- which I now plan to use to develop next WordPress Ecommerce site.  ]