WooCommerce online stores for Chicago businesses
Quick answer: WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin that turns a WordPress site into an online store. It handles products, carts, checkout, payments, shipping and local pickup. 45Squared builds WooCommerce stores for small businesses and quotes each store at a fixed price after reviewing the catalog.
What is WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is the standard store plugin for WordPress, built by the company behind WordPress.com. It adds products, a cart and checkout to your existing site, so your store and your website are one thing, not two. There’s no separate platform login and no second monthly bill. Your products live in the same WordPress admin as your pages and blog posts.
When is WooCommerce the right choice?
WooCommerce fits well in these cases:
- You want your store and content in one place, like recipes next to the products they use.
- You want to own your store and move it to any host.
- You sell a manageable catalog, from a few products to a few thousand.
- You want local pickup and shipping side by side.
It’s a weaker fit if you need a complex marketplace with many sellers. We’ll tell you if that’s you.
What does a store build include?
| Part of the build | What we do |
|---|---|
| Catalog | Products, categories, variations like size and color |
| Checkout | Payment setup, tax settings and order emails |
| Shipping and pickup | Rates, zones and local pickup options |
| Design | Product pages built to sell on phones |
| Launch checks | Test orders, receipts and inventory before going live |
Have you built stores before?
Yes. We built the online store for Wilde Thyme Foods, a family-owned food brand that sells direct to its customers, including its product photography. Each store is quoted at a fixed price, because catalogs vary so much. We test every payment method, tax rule and shipping option before launch.
Sources and further reading
Common questions
Is WooCommerce free?
The core plugin is free and open-source. You pay for hosting, payment processing fees on each sale, and any paid extensions your store needs, such as special shipping rules or subscriptions. Many small stores need no paid extensions at all. We list every recurring cost in the quote, so nothing surprises you after launch.
Can customers pick up orders at my Chicago shop?
Yes. WooCommerce supports local pickup alongside shipping, so customers choose at checkout. You can offer pickup at one location or several, add pickup instructions, and skip shipping charges for those orders. It suits Chicago shops whose customers live nearby and would rather collect an order in person than wait for a delivery to arrive.
Can you connect my store to my point-of-sale system?
Often, yes. Many point-of-sale systems offer WooCommerce connections that sync stock and products, so a sale in the shop updates the website. Square has an official WooCommerce extension, for example. Tell us which system you use, and we’ll check exactly what the connection can do before we quote the work.