Shopify for WordPress Plugin: Overview
Shopify has launched a brand-new WordPress plugin that lets you sell products directly from your WordPress site using Shopify’s trusted checkout. Your products, inventory, pricing, and descriptions still live in Shopify, and once you connect your Shopify store to your WordPress website, the plugin simply syncs that product data into WordPress so you can place items anywhere using product blocks. This integration empowers businesses to combine WordPress’s robust content management capabilities with Shopify’s powerful e-commerce tools, marking an exciting milestone that enables users to harness two industry powerhouses for an unbeatable hybrid e-commerce solution.
How is the Shopify WordPress Plugin Different from the Buy Button?
The new Shopify WordPress plugin goes beyond the previous Shopify Buy Button, offering real-time product syncing, deeper integration, and native product blocks that make it simple to add products anywhere on your WordPress site. The Buy Button was limited to individual products and required manual setup. The new plugin allows collections, automatic updates, and a smoother overall setup. For anyone running a WordPress site and wanting Shopify’s reliable checkout and order management behind the scenes, it’s a significant step forward.
Who Should Consider This Plugin?
The Shopify WordPress plugin is a strong option for businesses and agencies that want to sell products while keeping WordPress at the heart of their website. It combines the creative flexibility of WordPress for content and design with Shopify’s reliable, high-converting checkout and order management. For those looking to simplify e-commerce, reduce plugin complexity, and streamline online sales, it’s definitely worth exploring.
Key Features of the Shopify WordPress Plugin
Seamless Connection
The setup process is guided, quick, and beginner-friendly. Install the plugin, connect your Shopify store, drop in the product block, and you’re ready to sell on your WordPress website.
Add Products Anywhere
The Shopify product blocks automatically display live pricing, imagery, and descriptions pulled from your Shopify store. Insert Shopify products or collections directly into WordPress pages, posts, or block-based templates using the block editor.
Shopify Checkout Built In
Every purchase goes through Shopify’s world-class checkout, known for its speed, security, and conversion rates that are up to 17% higher than WooCommerce’s (according to Shopify).
Automatic Product Syncing
Update your products in Shopify, and changes appear instantly on your WordPress site. There’s no need to reimport, manually resync or manually edit listings.
Centralised Order Management
While customers browse and add products to their cart directly through your WordPress site, Shopify handles the checkout. Behind the scenes, use your Shopify dashboard to manage fulfilment, payments, and shipping.
Benefits and Limitations
The Shopify WordPress plugin is an exciting advancement for online selling, and like any tool, it has both benefits and limitations.
Benefits
Combine Content and Commerce
Take full advantage of WordPress’s content flexibility while using Shopify’s reliable e-commerce engine.
Simplified Management
With automatic product syncing and centralised order handling, there’s no need to juggle multiple plugins or dashboards. Everything flows through Shopify.
Trusted Checkout and Security
Customers benefit from Shopify’s secure, high-converting checkout process.
Scalable and Reliable
Shopify’s uptime, analytics, and cross-channel selling tools let your business grow without technical headaches.
Replaces WooCommerce and Various Add-ons
The plugin can replace WooCommerce and its suite of add-ons, consolidating cart, checkout, shipping, and payment features into a single, reliable system.
Reduce Plugin Complexity
Fewer plugins mean fewer compatibility issues, updates, and maintenance headaches, which makes a more stable site overall.
Limitations
Requires a Shopify Plan
While the plugin itself is free to download and use, you will need a paid Shopify plan to add your products and process sales. The Starter Plan is the least expensive but has limitations. For example, you won’t be able to create product collections, and the card rate transaction fee is higher.
WordPress Theme Considerations
WordPress default block themes are recommended for the smoothest experience. Older or other themes may need adjustments.
Separate Platforms
Your content lives in WordPress, while products and orders remain in Shopify. For some workflows, this separation may require adjustment.
Less Native WordPress Flexibility for Checkout
The checkout is fully handled by Shopify, so custom checkout tweaks may not be possible without upgrading to Shopify Plus.
Early Stage Feature Set
At the time of writing, the plugin is on version 1.0.0, so it’s in the early stages of feature development. For example, styling options are limited. The blocks inherit their basic style from your WordPress theme. If this isn’t sufficient, CSS is required.
Limited Product Display Controls
Product collection blocks don’t yet offer frontend sorting or filtering options.
Limited Product Display Features
Currently, only the main product image appears on WordPress; gallery images, zoom functionality, and “related products” suggestions are not shown. These features may be added in future updates.
Product Description Placement
On WordPress, the product description appears in a closed accordion beneath the buy button. Shoppers must click to open the accordion. Currently, there is no easy way to customise its placement or layout without a developer's help. This may not suit all sites.
Cart Integration Limitations
Adding a cart icon with a live item count to your site’s navigation is straightforward, where headers are built with blocks. Sites using custom headers or page builders, such as Elementor, may require additional work or customisation.
In its current form, the Shopify WordPress plugin provides a straightforward way to sell through WordPress, making it most useful for content-driven sites, smaller stores, or creators who want to combine WordPress’s content flexibility with Shopify’s reliable checkout and order management. The plugin is in early development. It’s worth testing on your own site to see how it fits your workflow and to understand its capabilities before fully committing.
Shopify WordPress Plugin vs WordPress + WooCommerce
For many WordPress users, WooCommerce has long been the default choice for selling online. The Shopify WordPress plugin offers a compelling alternative.
Key differences
- Simplified Setup: With WooCommerce, you often need multiple add-ons for shipping, payments, and marketing, which can lead to compatibility issues and frequent updates. Shopify handles all of this in a single system.
- Reliable Checkout: Shopify’s checkout is fully hosted and optimised for conversions, while WooCommerce relies on your WordPress hosting and extra plugins to manage payments securely.
- Fewer Plugins, Less Risk: The Shopify plugin reduces the need for multiple e-commerce extensions, making your site more stable and easier to maintain.
The Shopify WordPress plugin replaces the typical WooCommerce setup with a simple, reliable, and conversion-focused solution. It’s particularly appealing to businesses seeking stability and less maintenance.
Considering a WooCommerce Switch?
If you’re thinking about moving from WooCommerce to the Shopify WordPress plugin, it’s possible to export your existing products from WooCommerce and import them into Shopify. Keep in mind that this process may require some manual adjustments, such as handling product variations, images, categories, or custom fields, to match your existing store’s setup.
Shopify WordPress Plugin vs Shopify Website Only
If you already have or are considering Shopify as a standalone platform, you might wonder why you’d bother with WordPress at all.
Key differences
- Content Flexibility: WordPress excels at content management, blogging, and custom page layouts. Pairing it with Shopify gives you this flexibility while still using Shopify for checkout and e-commerce.
- Full Control of Site Design: With WordPress, you can design pages exactly how you want, add custom features, and integrate other tools, whereas a standard Shopify site is more rigid in layout and templates.
The Shopify WordPress plugin is ideal if you want the creative freedom of WordPress combined with Shopify’s e-commerce power, while a standalone Shopify website works best for businesses that prioritise e-commerce over content flexibility and design freedom. It’s worth noting that the Shopify WordPress plugin isn’t designed to replace a full Shopify store or a deeply customised WooCommerce setup. Instead, it’s best suited to sites that focus primarily on content and want to introduce a simple, reliable ecommerce layer, rather than those that need advanced custom workflows or large-scale catalogues.
Implications for Businesses
The Shopify WordPress plugin opens up new opportunities for businesses of all sizes by combining the strengths of two industry leaders.
Who benefits most?
- Content-Driven Businesses: Bloggers and brands that rely on rich content can integrate Shopify products directly into pages and posts using product blocks. They can showcase and sell products alongside their content without the learning curve and ongoing maintenance of other commerce products like WooCommerce and its many add-ons.
- Small to Medium-Sized Businesses: Companies that want a simple yet professional e-commerce setup will find this plugin a major time-saver.
- Agencies and Developers: Replacing WooCommerce add-ons with one plugin streamlines client sites, reduces maintenance, and offers a reliable e-commerce solution.
- Hybrid Sellers: Businesses that already use WordPress for content but want Shopify’s trusted checkout can combine platforms without compromising user experience or performance.
Analytics and SEO Considerations
Analytics and sales tracking are managed through Shopify, so detailed reporting won’t appear in WordPress. Similarly, there may be SEO considerations, as product pages are primarily controlled through Shopify. Businesses that rely heavily on WordPress-based analytics or SEO tools should plan accordingly when using the plugin.
FAQ
Can I connect the plugin to my existing Shopify store?
Yes. You can connect any existing Shopify store on a paid plan to WordPress by installing the plugin and following the setup prompts. Your products will sync automatically.
Do I need a paid Shopify plan to use the plugin?
Do I have to manage both a Shopify store and a WordPress website?
Yes and no. The plugin lets you sell on WordPress using Shopify’s checkout, so you will need both WordPress and a Shopify account. You can sell exclusively on your WordPress site or on both platforms, whichever fits your business, though all product management, inventory and fulfilment happens on Shopify.
Which WordPress themes are supported?
Shopify’s WordPress plugin is officially supported with default block themes like Twenty Twenty-Three, Twenty Twenty-Four, and Twenty Twenty-Five. Other themes may still function, but could need some manual adjustments.
How do I display Shopify products on my WordPress site?
Add your products or collections in Shopify first. After installing the Shopify WordPress plugin and connecting it to your Shopify account, use the product blocks in WordPress to insert them into pages or posts. Make changes to your products in Shopify, and those changes sync automatically with WordPress.
If I update my Shopify products, will the changes be automatically reflected on my WordPress website?
Yes. Updates made to your products on Shopify will sync automatically to your WordPress website.
Can I customise the look of products and the checkout?
The products’ basic styling, such as button colours and fonts, is inherited from your WordPress theme. Currently, the Shopify blocks don’t have any further styling options, though additional customisation can be achieved with CSS. The checkout is fully handled by Shopify, though, so if you’d like to customise the checkout, you will need a Shopify Plus account.
Can I have separate WordPress and Shopify websites?
Yes, you can keep WordPress and Shopify as two separate websites if you prefer. However, if you use the official Selling on WordPress theme, you can create a more seamless experience by having the logos on your checkout and order confirmation pages link back to your WordPress site. This theme also disables the Shopify storefront and redirects all storefront traffic to WordPress, so you won’t be able to maintain a separate Shopify website alongside WordPress when using this setup.
Can I use the Shopify WordPress plugin with Elementor or other page builders?
No, unfortunately not, at least not without the help of third-party plugins or a developer.
Final Thoughts
The Shopify WordPress plugin opens up a powerful way to combine the best of two worlds: WordPress’s flexibility for content and page design, and Shopify’s reliable, high-converting checkout and order management. It’s particularly appealing to content-driven sites, small to medium-sized businesses, and agencies looking to simplify their e-commerce setup while maintaining creative control.
While the plugin is still in its early stages, with some limitations around styling, product display, and cart integration, it already provides a solid foundation for selling online through WordPress. The best way to understand its capabilities and where it may need extra work is to test it on your own site. For businesses looking to streamline sales, reduce plugin complexity, and harness Shopify’s checkout power without leaving WordPress, this plugin is a compelling new option.