Do you own a WooCommerce store and aren’t sure which plugins you need for its efficient operation? Then today’s article is just for you. You’ll find out which 3 essential plugins are must-haves for every online store. And at the end, we’ll add a bonus tip for a WooCommerce plugin that will help you increase sales.
1. Shipping plugin
As the name suggests, shipping plugins help with order delivery. Thanks to these plugins, you can connect your store directly with shipping service providers. This saves you significant time, reduces manual work, and minimizes errors.
The most important features these plugins provide include:
- Sending shipment data to the carrier’s system: API integration allows you to send shipment details directly without manual entry.
- Advanced shipping method settings: Configure shipping options in detail (e.g., cash on delivery, surcharges, free shipping, conditional availability, etc.) without conflicting with the carrier’s services.
- Shipping options displayed at checkout: The plugin shows customers currently available shipping methods and a map widget for address selection.
- Complete shipment management from the store admin: Handle the entire fulfillment process—sending data to the carrier, ordering pickups, printing labels, and sending tracking links to customers—directly from your WooCommerce admin.
- Automation: Shipping plugins allow you to automate the entire fulfillment process and save time. You only need to pack the goods and attach the label.
Shipping plugins always display currently available shipping methods for each order at checkout. At the same time, they reduce time spent on shipment management and minimize errors by eliminating the need to manually enter data on the carrier’s website. These plugins send shipment data automatically, retrieve tracking information, enable label printing, and allow you to order parcel pickups.
Individual shipping plugins may also offer specific features depending on the carrier’s services. Choose from our wide range of WooCommerce shipping plugins!
TIP: Need help choosing the right carrier for your store? We covered WooCommerce shipping options and service comparisons in our article WooCommerce Shipping: Delivery Options and Carrier Comparison.
2. Payment plugin
With a WooCommerce payment plugin, you can offer customers multiple payment methods at checkout. Nowadays, an essential option for any online store is a payment gateway and QR payments.
2.1. Payment gateway
The primary function of a payment gateway is card payments. However, it usually also supports digital wallet payments (Google Pay, Apple Pay), bank buttons, and instant bank transfers, which are increasingly popular among customers.
Setting up a payment gateway requires a contract with the provider and a WooCommerce plugin that connects the gateway to your store. Only then can you start accepting payments. Take a look at Toret payment gateway plugins and choose the right one for your store.
TIP: Choosing the right payment gateway? Read our guide on how to choose a payment gateway for your online store.
2.2. QR code payments
Another option you can offer customers is QR code payment. For this, you’ll also need a WooCommerce plugin that generates the QR code and displays it to the customer at the right moment. Compared to traditional bank transfers, QR payments are faster and more convenient. While customers often postpone or forget standard bank transfers, they usually scan a QR code immediately.
You can also find a WooCommerce plugin for QR payments in our offer. Explore the features of the Toret QR Payments plugin for WooCommerce.
3. Invoicing plugin
Another essential plugin type is an invoicing plugin. It will simplify invoice creation, sending, and payment matching with orders. A WooCommerce invoicing plugin connects your store with an invoicing platform and allows you to generate invoices directly in the store admin without switching to other systems. This saves time and reduces invoicing errors.
With invoicing plugins, you can:
- generate invoices, proformas, and credit notes based on order data without manual rewriting
- set up automatic document generation based on order status changes
- automatically attach documents to customer emails
- automatically match orders with payments without manually searching for incoming payments
- set notifications for missing invoices
Invoicing plugins are a crucial part of a functional online store and significantly speed up its operation. Check out Toret invoicing plugins for WooCommerce.
4. Bonus to increase sales: Product comparison plugins
The WooCommerce plugins mentioned above are essential for smooth store operation. While you can run your store without the following plugins, investing in them will help you reach a wider audience and significantly increase sales. We’re talking about product comparison plugins.
Product comparison and shopping search platforms allow customers to search, browse, and compare products they want to buy. Thanks to platforms like Heureka, Zboží.cz, and many others, you can reach more customers with your offer.
Advertising on comparison websites is not complicated and can be automated using the XML Feeds plugin, which generates feeds for comparison platforms. These feeds ensure that your current product offer is displayed on the comparison sites.
To measure conversions and import reviews, product ratings, store ratings, and satisfaction certificates from comparison websites, we created the WooCommerce Product Comparison plugin. Reviews and certificates help build customer trust and encourage purchases. Conversion tracking helps you evaluate whether your marketing strategy is profitable.
Plugin compatibility is key
For smooth and trouble-free operation of a WooCommerce store, you need plugins that handle shipping, payments, invoicing, and optionally product comparison advertising. Mutual compatibility of the plugins used is essential for proper functionality. Incompatible plugins may not work correctly and can disrupt your store.
When using Toret WooCommerce plugins, you can rely on their compatibility. In addition to being compatible with each other, we also test them with commonly used WordPress plugins and extensions. Check out our full range of WooCommerce plugins.
Need to fully equip your WooCommerce store with plugins? Get access to all Toret plugins at the best possible price and purchase our complete plugin bundle. ↓
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