Best Shopping Cart Plugins for WordPress in 2013

Online shopping has been steadily growing in the last few years. As more and more people engage in business transactions on the web, it is fitting for WordPress sites to be ready for this flurry of eCommerce activity. Here are some of what we consider the best eCommerce plugins for the upcoming year.

Cart66

The Cart66 WordPress ecommerce plugin makes selling easier than ever before. With Cart66 you can sell electronics, digital downloads, videos, music, web hosting, legal services, collect membership fees, and more. Online selling need not be so complicated. This plugin makes selling anything as simple and as easy as can be. Cart66 integrates major merchant tools such as Amazon S3, for delivering digital products, and popular payment gateways such as Paypal’s payment system for collecting payments from sales. There is also a Lite Version which can be downloaded for free from the WordPress repository.

Jigoshop

This eCommerce plugin is the basis for the popular WooCommerce solution. While the two plugins have diverged development wise, Jigoshop maintains the clean, well written code philosophy both plugins have. Jigoshop provides you with the features necessary to set up an eCommerce website in no time with the option to create a multitude of product types and apply detailed attributes customers can easily refine your catalog, ensuring they find what they’re looking for in just a couple of clicks. It is one of the fastest growing plugins and has an emerging ecosystem of extensions that go with it.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a free, open source eCommerce plugin that is easy to install, use and extend. This very popular plugin is built for flexibility. It has great built in functionalities such as reporting, tax and shipping capabilities, products and inventory, supports numerous payment gateways, and so much more. The basic functionality can also be beefed up with available extension upgrades to match your business requirements. WooCommerce is an eCommerce tool kit that you can tailor to your specific needs.

MarketPress

MarketPress is an easy to use and powerful ecommerce / shopping cart plugin available for WordPress. This plugin was developed from the ground up to make it simple to set up a stylish online shop, MarketPress has all the features you need, including: Multiple payment gateways (PayPal, Authorize.net, Google checkout, 2checkout, Moneybookers, eWay, Cubepoints and more), fully internationalized by the WPML crew, and includes provision for shipping, coupons, Google Analytics Ecommerce tracking, sale pricing, unlimited product variations. Not only that, it’s also free.

WP Marketplace

The WP Marketplace plugin is a full-featured WordPress Shopping Cart/e-commerce system that is extremely easy to install and even easier to maintain. It has everything you need to build a complete online shop – from front-end management to shipping to payment gateways to analytics to social marketing and SEO features. WP Marketplace is an eCommerce tool that can turn your website into a money making machine.


78 Reasons To Join Elegant Themes

Since around 2008, Elegant Themes has been producing beautiful, and well designed WordPress themes. Each theme has always been a balance between beauty and function.We have always felt that for a website to have a substantial following on the web, it also has to look good on top of working well. Visitors are first drawn to the visual and each theme must be a feast for the eyes. After that initial encounter, they need to be able to find what they are looking for with ease. The experience must be pleasant as this will determine whether they will stay beyond the 30-second time frame and continue going through your content, whether it be reading text posts, watching videos or looking at images. By that time, these visitors need to be fully persuaded that they need to keep coming back for more or eventually subscribe to stay up to date.

Elegant Theme’s latest theme release, Origin, embodies this design and function philosophy. The visuals are indeed stunning and undoubtedly beautiful. As you go through the theme’s demo, it is as equally delightful to discover little design elements and functionalities carefully and thoughtfully dispersed throughout the theme.

Prior to the release of the Origin theme, Elegant Themes also released the business theme Nimble. Nimble’s bold and beautiful play on whitespace and typography created a very professional looking and yet creative theme. The mixture of bold fonts and mildly subdued colors provide a relaxed, calming effect even if the theme were to be used for a business website. Color coordinated sections on the homepage help direct readers to sections most important to them. What is most notable with this theme is the sophistication in managing the amount of detail presented to visitors. The home page does not cram all the information but rather presents design elements in samples, snippets and teasers to whet the appetite of the visitors.

These two themes are part of the growing inventory of 78 and are representative of the quality of themes that Elegant Themes churns. Not only are all 78 themes aesthetically outstanding but they are all also functionally excellent in keeping with WordPress code standards. Nothing pretentious. Just good design and honest code. More than a million and a half customers speak for itself.

If you are on the fence and still thinking of one good reason to sign up with Elegant Themes, you already have two – Origin Premium WordPress Theme and Nimble Premium WordPress Theme. Imagine having access to all 78 themes – 78 reasons to create stunning websites for you and your clients. Membership starts at only $39, approximately $.49/theme. Even a Happy Meal costs more. With Elegant Themes membership, you will definitely bring happiness to your clients and put a smile on their faces because they simply can’t help “Lovin’ It!”

Join Elegant Themes for Only $39

WooThemes: The Reboot

Just this month, WooThemes introduced a club revamp and implemented new tiered licensing and support packages. Previously you could purchase one theme for $70. With it you get 2 bonus themes plus lifetime support. Now, with the new tiered licensing scheme, WooThemes introduces 3 more packages in addition to its Standard Package offering: the Developer Theme Package, the Standard Club Package, and the Developer Club Package.

Standard Package – $70

WooThemes retains this package everyone has gotten used to. You still get the theme you want with unlimited domain usage plus two other themes of your choice. Previously, however, you got lifetime support for your purchased theme while in the new scheme only 1 year of support is included. WooThemes has explained that revenues gotten from the initial purchase 3 years ago will not sustain the support services obtained during the lifetime of the product. Users have the option to purchase lifetime support service for an additional $30. This package does not include PSD files.

Developer Package – $150

This package is similar to the Standard package. You get unlimited domain usage for the theme you purchased plus 3 other themes. The Developer package includes PSD files for additional customization capabilities. Service is likewise for 1 year with the option for lifetime support for an additional $30.

Standard Club Package – $20 per month + $125 start-up fee

This package gives you access to all 82 themes in the WooThemes inventory with unlimited domain uses as well as an additional of at least 1 theme a month. It gives you access to support services as long as membership is current. This package does not include access to PSD files.

Developer Club Package – $25 per month + $200 start-up fee

This package also gives you access to all 82 themes in the WooThemes inventory with unlimited domain uses as well as an additional of at least 1 theme a month. PSD files are included with this package. Support access available as long as membership is current.

Similarly extensions of the popular WooCommerce plugin are now under a tiered licensing scheme. You can purchase single site use, usage for up to 5 sites or unlimited site usage.

While a lot of folks have accepted the changes in WooThemes some have expressed dissatisfaction with the new setup. One user stated that from his point of view WooThemes jacked the prices up and lowered the support quality. Another user lamented the shutting down of support forums as support is not email based in response to the new system. The majority of users, however, still think WooThemes needs to do what is necessary to sustain its business in response to the growth the WordPress industry.

Sometimes, in order for businesses to survive in an ever evolving business environment, changes have to be undertaken to ensure the viability and profitability of such. Otherwise, to remain in business without profitability is a futile endeavor. Any change, especially in businesses, does not happen at a whim. Surely, the people behind WooThemes have put in the thought process before they arrived at their new scheme. The tricky part is in the area of providing support and for how long. Unless there is a guarantee that every theme that comes out of WooThemes is fail-proof (all things remaining constant) up to a certain point, no matter how many updates and plugins come out, – people will still expect to receive support. And if they don’t they will simply switch providers. It’s as simple as that.

See the WooThemes Reboot

Changing Affiliate Programs is a PAIN

As mentioned in our previous article on ThemeFuse’s new Club Membership, members now enjoy 30% commission on initial fees and 10% on monthly fees of every user that goes through a member’s affiliate links. This scheme departs from the previous direct commission to a multi-tiered referral scheme.

In theory, commissions tied with a membership have the high likelihood of being a continuous income stream because it is associated with a long term business relationship rather than a single purchase. This is why direct selling clubs and multi-level marketing companies have emphasized membership over purchases. The question is whether or not ThemeFuse’s new scheme is truly advantageous to the affiliate or not.

We have done a quick comparison of both commission schemes to determine the advantages/disadvantages of one over the other. It is apparent that a single purchase of an all theme pack has higher yield than a club membership. Membership commission only comes at par with a single theme pack purchase only when the member stays for 34 months. This is too long a period for financial projections in the industry.

  Single Purchase Scheme Membership Purchase Scheme
Transaction: $389 $199 (one-time) + $17 (monthly)
Commission: 30% 30% of $199 + 10% of $17
Total: $116.70 $71.10

In addition to the financial disadvantages of ThemeFuse’s new affiliate programme, one has to deal with the logistics of redoing or changing affiliate links. This tedious and error prone process may lead to referrals being dropped because of un-updated links. In times like these, you wish that an automated link changer was available if ever there was one.

With all the inconvenience and hassle arising from these changes, it somehow makes you wonder if starting afresh under another affiliate program is a more acceptable option. Although, on the other hand, one also has to consider the financial impact of making a switch from one Affiliate program to another because this is a significant business move. Conservatively, it is best to take a step back and study the ramifications of such a strategy to determine a solution that grants a win for all stakeholders involved.


HOMEPAGE

#1) Elegant Themes – The BEST Deal In WordPress (MUST JOIN) Elegant Themes continues to be our absolute top pick in all of WordPress. To learn more about how you can get 70+ Premium Themes (plus all future themes) for …


HOME

WordPress Themes – May, 2012 Find The Best WordPress Themes! SUN MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT 1 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 …


StudioPress Review: The Good, Bad, & Ugly About StudioPress.com

StudioPress, the brain-child of CoppyBlogger’s own Brian Gardner, is quickly becoming one of the most popular Theme Clubs, and we want to show you why (and how you can save over $600 by joining their all-access wordpress theme club).

If you are interested in learning more about Studio Press and the Genesis Framework, be sure to read this entire review. From theme by theme reviews to tips and trick to maximize your StudioPress Theme’s impact, we’re excited to take you behind the scenes at StudioPress.com.


What Is A WordPress Framework?

Each and every wordpress theme in the StudioPress Club is running the Geneis Framework with version 1.6 currently in beta. Now for those not familiar with a framework, the best way to think of this is like a dashboard for your dashboard.

In a nutshell, frameworks allow for fast and quick development by creating a “framework” that people can use to quickly build in the features they desire.

To be certain, the true definition of framework is about as varied as the sites you visit trying to explain it, but if you take WordPress’ definition, they conclude, “A Theme framework is a Theme designed to be a flexible foundation for quicker WordPress development, usually serving as a robust Parent Theme for Child Themes. Some Theme frameworks can also make theme development more accessible, removing the need for programming or design knowledge with options pages.” Cool, right?

Well…kind of. The problem with frameworks is often the same problem with WordPress Themes. In theory, they are simple enough and serve a purpose. In reality, their usefulness is only as good as the coding that goes into them.


What Makes The Genesis Framework Different?

Automatic Updates – So much goes into creating your site, blog (or client’s site or blog). The last thing you want is for a new WordPress core update to completely crash the jumbled mash of code and plugins you’ve rigged together to call a site. Genesis helps take the guessing game out by using automatic updates so your code is always state of the art and fully optimized for search engines.

Turnkey Designs – When you purchase the full StudioPress membership, you get access to all of the dozens and dozens of Premium WordPress Themes ever created (both now and in the future) for a reasonable one-time price.

Unlimited – You can use the StudioPress WordPress Themes on an unlimited number of sites (no “developer” price to pay), you get access to unlimited support (for any questions or help), and you get unlimited updates for any and all code changes, future releases, new themes, all of it. When StudioPress says Unlimited, they mean it!

Security – StudioPress brought in one of WordPress’ leading developers to make sure each and every StudioPress Theme has the best security possible.

Easy Customization (Really) – It seems that every developer these days says that customizing there themes are easy. That is most certainly not the case. If you are looking for themes that are both HIGHLY customizable without getting into the code while still allowing you to build in extremely high-end and custom functions, StudioPress is not just a good choice, they are probably the best.


StudioPress Themes

While we could go on forever about even more reasons why StudioPress creates some of the absolute best WordPress Themes in 2011 (through features like: My Tweets, User Profiles, eNews/Updates and more), we now want to show you all the themes you’ll receive when you join StudioPress today.

Fabric Theme: If you are looking for a modern and pastel colored theme then Fabric is the perfect fit for your personal or business site. Coming with all the functions you know from the StudioPress framework you can’t go wrong with this template.

Demo Fabric

divider

Generate Theme: This theme is targeted towards marketing people who would like to get their message across. Bright colors make this theme stand out of the crowd which gives you the option for easy call to action texts.

Demo Generate

divider

Eleven40 Theme: When looking at this theme you instantly notice the focus on content which makes this template perfect for all bloggers out there. Write and share your content with your audience anytime, anywhere!

Demo Eleven40

divider

Balance Theme: Balance is a minimalistic theme which is the perfect solution for people who like to put the attention on their content rather than having fancy distracting graphic elements on their site.

Demo Balance

divider

Blissfull Theme: Need a homepage for your wedding? No problem! Blissfull makes it easy to setup a dedicated site for your wedding or other celebrations.

Demo Blissfull

divider

Decor Theme: This theme is fully responsive and looks samazing on your tablets or smartphone. If you are looking for an elegant solution for your website you can’t go wrong with this beauty.

Demo Decor

divider

Associate Theme: This business orientated template is the perfect theme for your company. If you want to have a professional looking website which is easy to edit and add new content then WordPress and this oustanding design from StudioPress will satisfy you.

Demo Associate

divider

Apparition Theme: Is a very basic template which is perfect to showcase your recent pictures or stories that you want to share with friends or your followers. A simple front page layout gives the viewers all the information they need.

Demo Apparition

divider

Backcountry Theme: Backcountry is a multi-purpose theme which you can use for any genre of site that you want. The dakr color scheme of Backcountry makes it perfect for nearly any website.

Demo Backcountry

divider

Luscious Theme: Colorful and bright that’s what makes this theme stand out. If you want to go against the minimalistic theme trend and want to shock your viewers with colors that make them never forget your site this template is perfect for you.

Demo Luscious

divider

Metro Theme: Wether you use this theme for your magazine website or personal blog it always gives your visitors the impression of a professional and quality site. With minimalstic approach but still some contrast in the header this is one of the best StudioPress themes.

Demo Metro

divider

Mindstream Theme: Share your thoughts and stories with your audience. Simple, stylistish and modern. Enough said.

Demo Mindstream

divider

Minimum Theme: When you love white then you’ll love this theme. While some people might call this template boring others believe in simple is more. It is up to you if you like or hate this design but the trend is going towards minimalistic themes like this one.

Demo Minimum

divider

Modern Theme: Modern and easy to use. StudioPress created a clean and modern design which is useable on a broad variety of sites.

Demo Modern

divider

Pretty Pictures Theme: If you have pretty pictures that you want to showcase then Pretty Pictures is as the name states the perfect solution for you. Showcasing photos and videos within seconds make this theme even for beginners a good choice.

Demo Pretty Pictures

divider

Scribble Theme: Scribble focuses on content and typography. People who rather write than post pictures will love this template. It is all about your content and what you want to share with the world.

Demo Scribble

divider

Quattro Theme: Quattro is a basic blog theme. Nothing special but has it to be always special? Sometimes something solid can be the perfect choice. If you share this opinion check out this template.

Demo Quattro

divider

Stretch Theme: This theme is very creative and due the fact that you can set a full-width background it is very customizeable. Besides those options you have a wide range of page templates which will help you to publish your content faster.

Demo Stretch

divider

Bee Crafty Theme: Bee Crafty will display your wonders to the world. Snap in your own handmade header, stitch together a beautiful photo showcase home page, or draw up a unique and wonderful blog.

Demo Bee Crafty

divider

Agency Theme: When you’ve got lots of content and you need a professional way to show it off, Agency is the theme for you. Use it to showcase your company, services and what you can offer.

Demo Agency

divider

AgentPress Theme: The AgentPress theme is an ideal solution for real estate agents looking to market themselves and rise above competition. AgentPress includes multiple page templates that can be used to create a complete real estate website. From single property templates to a custom homepage, AgentPress is right for you.

Demo AgentPress

divider

Amped Theme: You’re busy touring, writing, and signing autographs on everything put in front of you. You shouldn’t have to worry about the nuts and bolts of your website. Amped was built to spotlight your latest video, showcase your music and the show dates you need to promote… all at your fingertips and built on the rock-solid Genesis Framework for WordPress.

Demo Amped

divider

Church Theme: Got lots of magazine-style content and need a stylish frame? The Church theme is a great choice for sites that have a lot to say. Choose from StudioPress’ content-friendly soft color schemes and widgets that support everything from video to in-depth articles to great photography.

Demo Church

divider

Corporate Theme: The Corporate WordPress theme for the Genesis Framework is a corporate-style theme that will provide a professional look for your business website. When you’ve got lots of content and you need a professional way to show it off, Corporate is the theme for you. Use it to showcase your company, services, and what you can offer.

Demo Corporate

divider

Crystal Theme: Got lots of portfolio-style content and need a stylish frame? Crystal’s a great choice for sites that want to showcase work. When you have a lot of content and you need a professional way to show it off, Crystal is the theme for you. Use it to showcase your company, services, and what you can offer.

Demo Crystal

divider

Delicious Theme: Easily create a dynamic portrait of your company or project for your customers. You’ll bring them inside, before they step in the door. Delicious effortlessly projects the exact image you desire, and allows you to focus on other content as well.

Demo Delicious

divider

Education Theme: Your institution has a great deal of information to convey in a short period of time. Text, audio, video, curricula, and more. Help students, faculty and press find what they need fast, without the homework.

Demo Education

divider

Enterprise Theme: The Enterprise child theme for the Genesis Framework is a corporate-style theme that will provide a professional look for your business website.

Demo Enterprise

divider

Executive Theme: Looking for a high-end corporate look? The Executive WordPress Theme is a corporate-style theme that will provide a professional look for your business’ internet address.

Demo Executive

divider

Expose Theme: When you come in from the field, you want to effortlessly create a stunning display of your photographic work. With a few clicks, Expose will give you the perfect WordPress Theme to exhibit your passion worldwide.

Demo Expose

divider

Family Tree Theme: Your full life never stops making priceless memories… where do you put all those stories? Family Tree is a safe and imaginative home for your family’s unforgettable moments.

Demo Family Tree

divider

Freelance Theme: You’ve got enough to do with building and marketing your business. You shouldn’t have to worry about your website. Freelance places a strong, professional face on your business, so you can get back to work.

Demo Freelance

divider

Focus Theme: We’re living in the Age of Distraction, with unlimited options pulling your readers in countless directions. It’s time to focus. The Focus Theme was built to bring your words, pictures and videos into sharp relief. It’s a clean and powerful theme with one critical objective: concentrating your priceless reader’s attention.

Demo Focus

divider

Going Green Theme: Maybe you want to save the earth. Maybe you want to save your neighborhood. Going Green is the clean and stable platform you can tell the world from. Make a difference with your website, and get the Going Green Theme.

Demo Going Green

divider

Landscape Theme: It’s a great big world out there, and you want to shoot it all. Shouldn’t your work have an exceptional home? The Landscape WordPress Theme is sophisticated and invisible enough to reveal the beauty in your pictures.

Demo Landscape

divider

Lexicon Theme: You might be a journalist striking out on your own. Maybe you’re going to create the next big celeb blog. Whatever the story you want to cover, do it in style, cover it in Lexicon.

Demo Lexicon

divider

Lifestyle Theme: Got lots of magazine-style content and need a stylish frame? Lifestyle’s a great choice for sites that have a lot to say. Choose from five content-friendly soft color schemes and widgets that support everything from video to in-depth articles to great photography.

Demo Lifestyle

divider

Magazine Theme: When you’ve got lots of content and you need a magazine-style format to show it off, Magazine is the theme for you. Magazine is sleek, up-to-date, and always cutting-edge… just like your content.

Demo Magazine

divider

Manhattan Theme: When you’ve got lots of content and you need a professional way to show it off, Manhattan is the theme for you.

Demo Manhattan

divider

Metric Theme: Thankfully, the days of the starched, buttoned-down corporate website are over. You’ve got a way to build exactly what you need. Metric delivers a warm new media professionalism to your online customers.

Demo Metric

divider

Mocha Theme: Mocha is the perfect theme for fashion, music, and style blogs… or anyone who craves stylish design. Mocha’s sophisticated design, upscale color scheme, and uncluttered layout always deliver a delicious experience for your audience.

Demo Mocha

divider

News Theme: Got lots of news-style content and need a stylish frame? The News theme is a great choice for sites that have a lot to say. Enjoy using the featured areas and custom widgets that support everything from video to in-depth articles to great photography.

Demo News

divider

Outreach Theme: A church is one of the most information intensive organizations on earth. Don’t let your message get lost. Outreach gives you the framework you want, so you can give your people the message they need.

Demo Outreach

divider

Pixel Happy Theme: Looking for a bright, modern-looking theme that showcases great images? Pixel Happy is the perfect choice. Pixel Happy’s sophisticated color scheme, generous white space, and slideshow and gallery functionality make the perfect framework for photography and other image-heavy sites.

Demo Pixel Happy

divider

Platinum Theme: Have a great story to tell? An incredible show to put on and to let people know about it? How about showcasing your vocal skills? Let the modern Platinum theme take the back seat while you take the stage. It’s your time to shine.

Demo Platinum

divider

Pretty Young Thing Theme: There’s a fresh, vibrant generation out there, and you’re a part of it. Pretty Young Thing can capture the essence of your experience and reflect it back to a world that badly needs a dose of youthful exuberance!

Demo Pretty Young Thing

divider

Prose Theme: Prose is an elegant theme with point-and-click design controls. With Prose, you can easily change things about the appearance of your site (like colors and fonts) without knowing anything about code. Maybe your readers prefer a larger font. You probably have certain colors you’ve chosen to reflect your individual brand. If you can point-and-click, you can customize Prose.

Demo Prose

divider

Serenity Theme: Got lots of magazine-style content and need a stylish frame? Serenity’s a great choice for sites that have a lot to say. Choose from an amazing selection of widgets that support everything from video to in-depth articles.

Demo Serenity

divider

Sleek Theme: There was a time when the gadget-inclined were relegated to the basement. Those days are long gone and now you can show that. Get your geek on with Sleek, bring your brilliance to the world.

Demo Sleek

divider

Social Eyes Theme: One of the great benefits of Social Media is the ability to meet people where they are. On Facebook? Over at Twitter? No problem. Social Eyes is an elegant and easy way to assemble a stunning home for all of your Social Media work, and to expand it with your own unique take on what’s going on.

Demo Social Eyes

divider

Streamline Theme: Your website shouldn’t get in the way of your stories. Here’s your chance to tell it like it is. Streamline throws light on your work, letting you get back to what’s important. Focus on the things that really matter.

Demo Streamline

divider

Tapestry Theme: You take pictures, you write stories and opinions, you make videos, you link to cool stuff all the time. Tapestry takes everything you make online, and makes perfect, beautiful sense of it.

Demo Tapestry

divider

Venture Theme: You’re not playing a game. You’re in business, and you’ve got the numbers to prove it. Venture is as stylish and bold as you are, ready to show the world what you’re made of.

Demo Venture

divider

If you’ve been counting, that’s nearly 40 Premium WordPress Themes plus all the bonuses, support, and lifetime updates you simply won’t find elsewhere. Join StudioPress Today.