Building an eCommerce website is a great way to reach more people and increase sales. However, just creating the store isn’t enough. You want to make sure it has proper design and navigation to keep users engaged.
Website design impacts user experience, which ultimately impacts conversions. So when creating the online store, it’s crucial to use the right theme.
Before we discuss about free WordPress themes for eCommerce, let’s talk about whether you should buy a free or paid theme.
Free Vs Paid WordPress Theme
When setting up a WordPress website, you have two options: either use a free theme or a paid one.
While free themes cost no money, paid WordPress themes on the other hand offer advanced features.
If you are a small business with a tight budget, you can go with a free theme. With a free theme, you will have to compromise on several aspects.
The main issue with free themes is they lack customization options. If you have installed a free theme and want to customize your eCommerce website, you may need some programming knowledge.
Besides plenty of customization options, another good thing about premium themes is they offer ongoing updates and support. If you can afford it, you should definitely use a paid theme.
Best Free WP Themes For eCommerce
While there are tons of free WordPress themes in the market, you need to select one that is responsive and has all the features you need.
If your eCommerce store lacks essential functionality and its design isn’t up to the mark, visitors will leave without taking any action.
Check out this list of free themes to build an eCommerce store:
- Astra
- Botiga
- Sydney
- Neve
- OceanWP
- Zigcy Lite
- GeneratePress
- ShoppingCart
- Zakra
- Tyche
Astra
For eCommerce website development, Astra is the best free WordPress theme right now. It currently has more than 1.6 million users.
The theme is highly customizable and is compatible with popular eCommerce page builders (like Elementor, Beaver Builder, Visual Composer, etc).
With this theme, you get access to tons of customization. Besides great customization features, Astra also offers amazing speed performance.
To unlock additional customization and premium features, you have to opt for Astra’s premium version.
Botiga
Botiga is a WooCommerce theme that lets you create a beautiful online store faster. This is the perfect free theme for you if you want to give a minimalist look to your eCommerce store.
It lets you choose from different listing styles and product galleries. Besides this, it also lets you select from different badge styles, checkout styles, header styles, and more.
You can further customize the Botiga theme by adding your brand colors and typography. For pro features (like custom sidebars, HTML components, header icons, mega menu, etc.) and premium support, you can buy its paid version. The price starts at $69 per year.
Sydney
Sydney is another free WP theme using which you can customize and create an elegant eCommerce store. This theme goes really well with the Elementor page builder.
With Sydney, you get all design features, including button styling, colors, header, menu bar, and footer.
If you don’t want to design the store from scratch, Sydney offers 22 pre-designed starter sites. 5 of them are included in the free version. The price is the same as the Botiga theme (starts at $69 per year).
Neve
If you want to build a fast-loading eCommerce store, consider using the Neve theme. This theme is compatible with AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages). By integrating AMP into the website, the website will load at a lightning speed.
Besides this, the Neve theme is really easy to customize. You can customize colors, and fonts, and give your eCommerce store the desired look. Using the Elementor page builder, you can customize the store the way you want to.
OceanWP
OceanWP is a theme bundled with a ton of eCommerce features. The theme is compatible with WooCommerce. OceanWP theme’s free version offers plenty of amazing features, including a custom menu, custom links, website layout, page layout, and WooCommerce integration.
By purchasing its pro version, you can avail more premium features like Elementor widgets, side panel, cookie notice, and more. Pro version’s price ranges from $39/license to $129/license.
Zigcy Lite
Zigcy Lite is built especially for developing eCommerce websites. It is a highly customizable free eCommerce theme. It is super flexible and provides great customization options. Zigcy Lite also comes with six demo sites to get started.
Customization with this theme would work smoothly. It is compatible with the WP Bakery page builder. So, you would be able to create a beautiful online store using drag-and-drop functionality. The price of the Zigcy Lite theme is $50/license.
GeneratePress
GeneratePress is one of the most popular WordPress themes out there. This lightweight theme is great for eCommerce stores, standard business websites, and blogs. The GenerateBlocks plugin it lets you create an eye-pleasing website without any page builder plugin. To build a beautiful eCommerce website from scratch, you can integrate it with WooCommerce.
Its free version is pretty amazing, however, it lacks several features. For example, it doesn’t include demo designs.
ShoppingCart
ShoppingCart is a theme built especially to create eCommerce stores. It comes with plenty of amazing features for eCommerce development. However, it can create blogs and standard websites as well.
ShoppingCart theme offers easy customization settings so that non-technical people can also build an eCommerce website without stress. The price of this theme’s premium version ranges between $59 per year to $99 per year.
Zakra
Zakra theme can also be a good choice if you are looking for a lightweight, fast-loading eCommerce theme. Like the ShoppingCart theme, this one’s also built especially for eCommerce development. Zakra theme developers have focused on two important aspects: loading speed and shopping experience.
With over 50 free & premium pre-built demo designs, it offers a wide range of design options. You will find Zakra’s demo sites in different industries, including pet, fashion, photography, furniture, and gift. The price of the premium plan ranges between $69 per year to $299 per year.
Tyche
Tyche is a lightweight theme that loads really fast. Just like Zakra, Woostify is also built with page loading speed in mind. Fast-loading speed ensures a better shopping experience and improved SEO performance.
For creating an eCommerce website, use with WooCommerce to get the best out of customization and eCommerce features. The price of its premium version starts at $49/year.
Final Thoughts
With so many free and paid theme providers out there, it can be confusing to figure out which one’s the best.
Several things you need to look for in an eCommerce theme are mobile responsiveness, page builder compatibility, eCommerce platform compatibility, ease of customization, pre-built designs, and customer support.
If you are finding someone who can build an eCommerce store from scratch, contact us: support@encircletechnologies.com
Also Read: How Much Do WordPress Developers Charge?
