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.

eCommerce WordPress Themes 2013: Trends

eCommerce has been around since the late 1990s and has been a steadily growing phenomenon over the last few years. As the Internet continues to grow in coverage and in technology, so will the number of consumers who utilize eCommerce tools as their main means of purchasing goods and services over the Internet. In a recent marketing study commissioned by Google, it was found out that 80% of shoppers today do preliminary research online before they actually do their purchase. In light of the rising dominance of eCommerce, here are some trends to watch out for in the next 12 months:

1. Mobile

In a previous article we mentioned that 2013 is likely the year mobile devices will take over. An analysis of 35000 Shopify stores predicts that 1 out of 4 eShoppers this Christmas will do so from a mobile device and this will grow to 43% next year. With 5 Billion mobile phone subscribers expected to convert to smartphones and other handheld devices, developers need to pay attention to truly responsive design with the use of flexible images. Developer also need to put focus on eCommerce engine optimizations for 3G networks found in developing countries where the bulk of smartphone conversions are expected to happen.

2. Shopify

Providers specializing in eCommerce infrastructure are gaining headway. One of the leaders is Shopify, providing its users with easily customizable and highly functional hosted web stores. For a monthly fee starting from $29, one can enjoy estore services without much hassle. WordPress theme developers need to deliver powerful themes with great eCommerce functionalities that are easy to use and available to the WordPress market at a competitive price.

3. Social Media and Viral Marketing

We cannot neglect the way social media has shaped the way people interact and experience the web. Facebook, Twitter and Youtube have taken traditional word of mouth marketing to the next level enabling the emergence of the viral marketing phenomenon. With the continued popularity of Pinterest, Google+, and the recent premium ad services on Facebook, shoppers can easily share and appreciate product details as never before. Product features and price comparisons can be shared to thousands of consumers all in a matter of seconds. New WordPress eCommerce themes should be integrated with various social media tools as well as simple and easy to understand statistics and analytics tools that can provide usage information and statistical data as to how their businesses are doing in light of their social media efforts.

4. Google Shopping

Google has just completed converting Google shopping into a fully paid listing service of products and services. This means only stores who subscribe to Google’s pay per conversion scheme get in the list. WordPress eCommerce themes should be able to support various shopping and payment options while taking note of client demands to integrate the Google shopping system into their websites. Developers must be able to figure out how to generate price comparisons using regular Google search results and integrate these as they design and develop their WordPress themes.

eCommerce has a bright future ahead as the shopping experience becomes more and more digital. WordPress authors and developers have the unique opportunity to create the themes that addresses these developing trends that will make website owners choose WordPress as the eCommerce CMS of choice.

Wedding WordPress Theme 2012 by ThemeFuse

Bring out the bubbly because she just said “Yes!” But wait! Walking down the aisle isn’t that simple nowadays what with all the preparations and planning that has to be done. One of the most challenging things you’ll ever go through in life is to plan a wedding. But what if you had a tool that could help you address all the logistical challenges that go with it? A simple solution is to create a website just for the event that way you can manage certain aspects of the wedding wherever you are.

Many times, coordination and information dissemination can be a challenge as you plan your wedding or even somebody else’s. Just Married Premium WordPress theme is a theme indispensable during wedding preparation activities. This premium WordPress theme is an effective means of communicating the progress of wedding preparation, invitations, attendance, as well as bookings and gift registry. It is also perfect for wedding organizers as they coordinate activities that may be logistically challenging to accomplish.

Just Married allows you to manage information relevant to the wedding. With the theme’s built-in templates, you can post all the information about the ceremony, sponsors, bridesmaids, groomsmen, and the entourage that guests might want to know. You can also post information about the bride and the groom’s story and how the story continues along. Confirming guest attendance is also much easier with Just Married’s RSVP feature. With this feature, guests can fill out the RSVP form to confirm attendance making it easier for the bride and the groom keep track of their budget. The theme also allows you to connect to the couple’s bridal registry pages to their stores of choice making it convenient for guests, whether local or international, to give gifts to the couple. Out of town guests can take advantage of the accommodations feature to book hotel rooms at group discounts set-up with partner hotels.

This premium WordPress theme’s responsive design allows guests to visit the site while on the go. This is perfect for friends and family travelling to the event. Planning a wedding need not be such a stressful activity if you have the right tools.

Features:

  • RSVP Module
  • jQuery Image Lightbox
  • Auto Image Resizing
  • Cross Browser Compatible
  • jQuery Image / Video Lightbox
  • Font-face custom font
  • Powerful Admin Options

This theme includes documentation, video tutorials, as well as access to an AfterCare Forum for theme support. Check out Just Married Premium WordPress Theme today.

Just Married Theme: $49 | Demo & Download

35 of the Best eCommerce WordPress Themes 2013

Believe it or not, 2013 is right around the corner, and we want you to be prepared. Thanks to some big advancements in eCommerce functionality for WordPress in 2012, the Best eCommerce Themes of 2013 are sure to be amazing. eCommerce is simply the commerce conducted through the Internet. With millions of websites, blogs, and Internet users, more and more businesses are taking their products online. The successes of sites like Amazon and Ebay has dispelled all skepticism about eCommerce websites – not to mention the scores of “mom and pop” operations selling everything from ebooks to digital hugs…yes…some people are making money selling completely made up things.

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Responsive WordPress Themes 2013: Trends

For decades web design has always been centered around the desktop. We’ve always created our themes with the assumption of a user sitting in front of a desktop with high speed internet connection and using the most powerful web browsers available. The advent of mobile platforms have forced us to rethink this paradigm and we have had remarkable progress in creating themes that work on both desktop and mobile platforms. A few years ago, it was predicted that mobile devices will overtake desktops as the dominant Internet access device. With this continued trend to towards mobile computing, are we really prepared to respond to this technology inflection point?

The necessity for asking this question comes with the realization that a lot of design practitioners still follow a graceful degradation doctrine of design. We develop a top of the line theme version designed for the most powerful infrastructure users may have and allow the theme’s functionalities to disable when weaker systems are encountered. We have done this effectively with the use of fluid grids, flexible images/elements and media queries. However, if iOS and Android devices become the new mainstream, shouldn’t our themes be designed primarily for these devices and allowed to progressively enhance when more generous systems are encountered?

The point we are putting forth is this: 2013 will likely be the year mobile devices take over. The challenge for us is to create our themes for this new environment. The next question: “Among mobile devices what should our base platform be?” Based on the latest mobile internet trend numbers, tablets, particularly the iPad, are now coming to the forefront. Smart phones are still on the early stages of growth with a lot of mobile subscribers anticipated to convert in the next couple of years. The growth of the mobile internet is driven by emerging markets led by China, India, Indonesia, Philippines and Nigeria. As such, upcoming themes should be optimized with iPad sized tablets in mind, comprehending how the site will load in light of 3G infrastructure still being mainstreamed in global markets. These designs should be light on cache on these memory limited devices. Features for high performance desktop systems should not in anyway be downloaded to mobile devices but should remain in the cloud to be activated only when the appropriate device is detected.

So what comes next? What do we look forward to beyond 2013? We still have about 5B mobile phone users anticipated to convert to smartphones. By then, our designs will have to be for the small screen. For now, our general trend is “miniaturization” of the desktop. Quite appropriate for a world that is becoming smaller and smaller everyday.

25 Helpful Twitter Plugins for WordPress 2013

Twitter is one of the most visited social networking platforms on the planet. WordPress is one of the most widely used blogging platforms. When the two meet, you can expect beautiful things to happen.

Below we present you with 25 helpful Twitter plugins for WordPress – Plugins can make your WordPress site do virtually anything.

Here’s an example of what you can achieve with one of these Twitter Plugins for WordPress.

It is a common habit nowadays that people sign into their Facebook, Twitter, and Gmail accounts when they start their computer, and after checking their accounts they typically close all these web pages but do not sign out of their accounts. Instead they go on to work on new web pages and they occasionally return to their accounts to check any latest updates. Now there is a plugin named “Simple Twitter Connect”, no. 5 below in this list, which enables you to log into your WordPress dashboard through your Twitter profile. Once you install the plugin and sync everything then you can login to your WordPress dashboard with your Twitter account. If you have the habit of being logged into your Twitter account all the time then you can log into WordPress by just a click of the button – you will just have to hit the “Sign in with Twitter” button and you will be in.

This is just one example of the power of the Twitter Plugins presented below. Scroll down for more info on these wonderful Plugins for 2012 – 2013.

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Photography WordPress Themes 2013: Trends

Photokina 2012 just wrapped up recently and major camera manufacturers have just announced and released new camera models and camera products for all sorts of buyers. One of the major innovations to the professional digital camera line is the Wifi or GPRS feature that enables one to transmit and post images over a wireless network or the Internet – functioning in a way almost like a mobile phone.

The mobile market has also seen its own latest tech upgrades. The recent release of new and more powerful camera phone features and software updates for both iPhone and Android users boasts of more sophisticated camera features like panorama capabilities and multiple photo filters. The continued popularity of Instagram and Pinterest has flooded the Internet with images of food, places, and random stuff. Legitimate and professional photographers are also opting for lighter versions of their heavy gear allowing Lomography and iPhoneography to flourish.

Given the rate that this technology is gaining momentum and even its own following, we can anticipate that photographers who manage their own websites will want to incorporate quick and easy posting of their images straight from their cameras – no matter what type of camera or device they use – to the Internet.

In view of all that, what do we expect to see in 2013 as far as WordPress photography themes go? Here are some of the few things we think will become part or if not staple features in WordPress photography themes:

  • Eye-fi/Wifi/GPRS ready with Custom Image Resize Function – Mobile posting capabilities with built-in image resize function to resize large images to web friendly proportions.
  • Retina display ready – Crisper and clearer rendering of images without the added bulk or load time.
  • Social sharing function – Ability to post across multiple sites (Instagram or Pinterest integrated functions).
  • Infinite or vertical scrolling features (lite version) – Infinite scrolling is a great feature but sometimes it can cause frequent browser crashes. WordPress authors or developers can create a plugin that allows this feature while minimizing the bulk buildup that could result to slower loading sites.
  • Quick and easy bulk upload features (for mobiles) – Ability to manage multiple image uploads.
  • More eCommerce options – Some photographers prefer to use their website as an online gallery while others do that while also maintaining a store front. eCommerce should be a standard built in theme option which may be enabled or disabled if preferred.

As the world becomes increasingly mobile, WordPress theme users needs will continue to evolve. In line with that, theme authors and developers need to anticipate these developments and be two steps ahead of all these changes.

5 Best Ecommerce Themes for October 2012

The holidays are almost here and what better way to spruce up your website than with some great eCommerce themes to improve the look and function of your e-store. Here’s a rundown of some of the best eCommerce themes to get you ready for holiday shoppers:

1. Sold! Responsive/E-Commerce Theme

Sold! Premium WordPress Theme is an excellent mix of style and function. The clean, white space design does not distract and serves as the perfect backdrop to highlight choice merchandise. Sold has a beautiful slider where you can put your most interesting items on sale. You can even define points on the slide where you can add comments or even zoom images ala Flickr. This is perfect for highlighting detail on specific points of the product. Sold! uses two of the most powerful plugins – WooCommerce and Jigoshop – making it an effective eCommerce solution. Its multi-lingual capability, responsive features and easy customizability enables your store to service both local and global market.

Sold! Theme: $55 | Demo & Download

2. Mercor Responsive WooCommerce WordPress Theme

Another interesting theme worth mentioning is Mercor. Mercor Premium WordPress Theme gives you the look and feel of a department store or supermarket weekly catalogue. This responsive theme’s clean, fresh layout and white space styling creates an uncluttered look that’s easy on the eye even if there are numerous images and texts on the page. Mercor has a dynamic Nivo homepage slider to highlight store specials or to announce store events and sales. Mercor is fully responsive and uses WooCommerce to power e-commerce transactions. This powerful feature combination makes your site current, competitive and able to address the emerging mobile shoppers market.

Mercor Theme: $55 | Demo & Download

3. Intrigue Premium WordPress Theme

This latest eCommerce theme from CSSIgniter is bold and eye-catching. Intrigue Premium WordPress Theme is a responsive eCommerce theme that combines the power of WooCommerce and CSSIgniter’s straightforward theme design. This means that setting up a powerful eCommerce site need not be a complicated and tedious task to accomplish. With Intrigue, you can use a plethora of widgets to create the functionality you require. This theme comes out of the box in a hot red and black color scheme but you can also choose from the available 7 color schemes to create the look most appropriate to your market. Intrigue Premium WordPress Theme is not over the top and includes just the right amount of features and functionalities for whatever you need.

Intrigue Theme: $39 | Demo & Download

4. Mearishop – Clean Responsive E-Commerce Theme

Mearishop Premium WordPress Theme is a great eCommerce solution that’s edgy and modern. The Lookbook-ish appeal makes it a perfect match for a fashion and accessories store. Customers can check out the portfolio or lookbook pages to determine the style that best suits them. Mearishop uses the powerful Hana panel combined with WooCommerce functionality to give you the power to control almost every aspect of the theme. With tons of options available, this features makes this responsive theme perfect for both WP noobs and experienced developers to use. Choose from unlimited color options, 7 backgrounds and 34 patterns to define your custom look. You can even upload your background image. With 7 sliders to choose from, Mearishop gives you the options you to reach your target market in style.

Mearishop Theme: $55 | Demo & Download

5. Xing Business/eCommerce WordPress Theme

Xing Premium WordPress Theme is a modern and clean theme designed to meet the eCommerce needs of both small and large scale business alike. Xing is primarily an eCommerce theme but it is also flexible enough to be used for creative portfolios or for magazine/editorial blog type websites. Xing uses several jQuery powered features like the Flexslider and the jQuery Product Carousels(for WooCommerce recent/featured products). This highly customizable and responsive theme gives you tons of options to create the look you want. Xing is not wanting in anything – from shortcodes, to custom post formats, to custom widgets, to 8 portfolio layouts, to social sharing features and other features and functionalities to help you to create and customize your eCommerce site. Check out Xing today.

Xing Theme: $55 | Demo & Download

Keep your eyes peeled for more WordPress holiday roundups in the next few weeks!

25 Very Useful WordPress Calendar Plugins for 2013

Time management is one of the biggest problems faced by business owners be they digital business or brick and mortar. There are too many things to do and when you do one thing you obviously can’t do something else (MBA programs call this the “opportunity cost”). Therefore, to manage your time properly and make the most out of the few working hours that exist each day, you must find the best tools to help you manage your time properly. Enter digital calendars.

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