If you are launching an eCommerce site, you are probably thinking about using Opencart as your main platform for online retail. This open-source website builder is extremely popular among digital retailers due to its numerous practical advantages, but one of the biggest benefits is the fact that you can augment Opencart with many different extensions.
Opencart already powers almost 400 thousand eCommerce stores and serves over a million users, but the platform keeps growing and winning over more clients globally. However, it’s not easy to get around so quickly and choose the best plugins if you are not familiar with the platform.
This is where we step in to save your day and show you the pros of using Opencart along with the 20+ best Opencart extensions.
Why You Should Use Opencart
Before we begin discussing the finest Opencart extensions, we want to explain what makes this platform such a powerful eCommerce tool. It all starts with a price since Opencart is one of the rare online retail platforms that you can use free of charge.
And there are no tricks here: Opencart is not charging you any hidden fees and you can count on all of its functions and features long-term. Besides that, the features we love about Opencart are the following:
• You can list as many products as you want.
• A single user can administer multiple stores simultaneously.
• Extensive reporting that reveals everything about website performance.
• Opencart is developed for multilingual and multi-currency usage.
• You get all the major eCommerce functions like filters, calculators, discounts, etc.
22 Opencart Plugins You Should Use
We briefly discussed the benefits of Opencart, but now it is time to focus on the most important aspect of the topic. Without further ado, let’s see 22 plugins that make Opencart even better.
1. Coming Soon
Building an eCommerce website is not difficult, but you do need to let the world know that it’s under construction before the actual launch. Coming Soon is the best solution in this case because it allows you to create the first pages without any content and start collecting user information immediately. With this plugin, you instantly add a subscription for to the website along with social links and other contact details.
2. So Page Builder
So Page Builder will help you to create a standout eCommerce website in no time. This Opencart extension offers you drag-and-drop features that make it easy to play with website elements and tailor content based on the peculiarities of your business. The plugin contains numerous shortcodes so it enables users to design price tags, galleries, CTA buttons, and all other details relevant to online commerce businesses in general.
3. Blog Module Free
Now that you have a perfectly functional eCommerce website, you should immediately begin publishing quality blog posts to boost search engine ranking. Opencart gives you the opportunity to do it through Blog Module Free., a native blogging plugin that makes content creation seem simple and effortless. Being a part of the Opencart toolkit, Blog Module Free is fully compatible with the platform, so you can exploit its free functions (posts, categories, reviews, and authors) without limits.
4. Assignment Masters
We understand that blog writing is probably not something online retailers want to bother with, which is why we suggest using MyAssignment Help and expert writers. It’s a team of essay writing service and best paper writing service reviews who specialize in eCommerce and digital marketing,, so you can order any business-related topic and get it done as quickly as you need it. If you want reliable writing service for your Opencart blog, Assignment Masters is the way to go.
5. SEO Backpack
We already mentioned how important it is to begin publishing content with the help of best essay writing service and best essay service straight away and earn your ranking in engine searches. The task becomes much harder if you don’t use tools such as SEO Backpack, a comprehensive optimization plugin that covers every aspect of SEO performance. Using SEO Backpack, you don’t have to worry about finding the right keywords, optimizing metadata, and increasing website discoverability. The plugin is designed for all types of eCommerce markets, so you can even use Arabic characters to optimize content for local customers.
6. Intuitive Shipping
Shipping is a big part of eCommerce business, so you could definitely use a good plugin to ensure smooth and simple delivery service through the Opencart store. Intuitive Shipping is one of the most reliable tools out there because it successfully handles over 40 shipping requirements, from weight and dimensions to quantity and distances. You can also integrate Intuitive Shipping with commonly used providers like USPS or FedEx.
7. Nitro Pack Cache
Nitro Pack Cache is a super-efficient eCommerce optimization tool designed specifically for Opencart-powered stores. The plugin does so many things, but the one we consider most relevant is page load optimization. Namely, users expect a website to load in two or three seconds maximum and anything more than that means losing valuable customers. Nitro Pack Cache speeds up online retail stores, cuts page load time to the bare minimum, and improves customer experience.
8. Order Success Page
Speaking of customer experience, it is necessary to highlight the importance of the post-purchasing phase. Once the purchase is made, you should control what the customer sees by using Order Success Page. First of all, the plugin gives you the option of confirming order completion and displaying order information. Secondly, it allows you to continue promoting products giving closely related suggestions and offering special discounts for additional purchases.
9. So Mega Menu
The next thing you want to do is ensure that each page and product is perfectly arranged and positioned on your Opencart site. This is where So Mega Menu steps in to help you as it is a user-friendly tool with amazing customization possibilities. The plugin offers you a wide range of features, from product images and descriptions all the way to lists and subcategories. But So Mega Menu goes way ahead and you should definitely take some time to check it out.
10. Facebook Store
With over 2.3 billion active users, Facebook is by far the largest social network in the world. This stat alone should be enough to convince you to use Facebook Store, a plugin that enables you to create a parallel version of the Opencart store on Facebook. This is a great opportunity to popularize your eCommerce business and gain additional exposure reaching millions of possible customers on a daily basis.
11. So Social Login
Although largest, Facebook is not the only social network online. On the contrary, there are also platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn that you can take advantage of to attract new customers. So Social Login can help you with that because it allows users to log in to your Opencart store with only a couple of clicks. This makes the buying process a lot simpler and drastically improves customer experience.
12. Social Referral Coupon / Discount
Online retail stores can hardly function without special offers and discounts. It’s the only way to keep pace with competitors and outperform your biggest rivals. Social Referral Coupon / Discount is giving Opencart store owners the possibility to set exclusive offers and drive more conversions. The tool is very simple so even first-time users don’t have a problem figuring it out.
13. Promotions
This item on our list represents another tool for online retail promotions, but this one is even more comprehensive. Promotions offer a broad scope of exclusive deals, while its developers highlight the following features:
• Three types of discounts
• Ability to discount on all products in manufacturer
• Option to skip discounts on products with specials
• Option to skip discounts on condition products
• Multilingual promotion name
• Promotion listing page
• Displaying promotions in the product tab
14. Product Bundles
Online retail stores use all sorts of marketing tricks to boost sales and product bundles represent another interesting weapon in their arsenal. This is exactly why you need a plugin like Product Bundles to create standout cross-selling offers. Jake Gardner, an eCommerce expert at assignment masters, tested Product Bundles and noted that the tool was easy to set up: “Besides that, it allows you to create an unlimited number of bundles simultaneously, while you can create and display new offers on any given page.”
15. Pro Email Template
Email is one of the oldest digital marketing tools, but it is still highly efficient. Pro Email Template is an Opencart-focused plugin that makes it easy to customize email messages and send newsletters that perfectly suit the needs of each subscriber individually. Needless to say, Pro Email Template uses a beautiful format that immediately grabs the attention of the target audience, but you can also choose to tailor it so as to match your own specific requirements.
16. Abandoned Carts
Do you know that the global cart abandonment rate is 75%? Three of four eCommerce store visitors leave without completing the purchase, so you can drastically increase sales if you manage to get them back somehow. Abandoned Carts is a plugin developed with the purpose to convince possible customers to go back to your website and buy the targeted item.
17. Also Bought
Also Bought is an Opencart plugin that “shows the products that are most often purchased together.” In other words, it’s a cross-selling platform that suggests products compatible with the ones your customers already purchased. Of course, Also Bought enables you to customize the feature by determining the number of products displayed and controlling their dimensions.
18. Order Reviews
Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tactic, but you must do your best to invite people to leave product-related reviews. Order Reviews allows you to collect feedback effortlessly by sending customers an automated email upon purchase. One option is to ask users to write a comment by replying to your email. The second solution is to ask users for a nice review in exchange for discounts or special offers. That way, you don’t only get positive feedback but also contribute to the sales increase.
19. Excel Port
If you are running an all-encompassing digital store with dozens or even hundreds of products, then you could probably use a plugin like Excel Port. As you can probably guess, the platform allows you to export all eCommerce-related data into Excel files automatically. In other words, all you need is one click to transfer data to the Excel document. But that’s not it as you can also modify data in Excel and import them back in Opencart for further usage.
20. Mastercard
Online retailer customers can never be too sure when it comes to security, so you have to provide them with fully credible payment options. Mastercard is certainly one of the most reliable solutions in this field, so feel free to add this plugin to your Opencart store.
21. Popup Window
Let us be clear about this one and point out that website visitors hate popups. However, it is something you probably cannot avoid even if you tried because popups simply work on way too many occasions. This is exactly why we recommend you to use Popup Window as the simplest way to highlight special offers, discounts, and new products.
22. Ajax Quick Checkout
The checkout process is a genuine pain point of many eCommerce stores, but it doesn’t have to be if you opt for Ajax Quick Checkout. The platform creates a single-page system that helps users to complete the order within seconds.
Conclusion
Opencart is a free eCommerce provider that allows clients to build websites quickly and effortlessly, but it does require certain improvements if you want the platform to function flawlessly. You can upgrade the tool using some of its major extensions, so we decided to show you the top 22 Opencart plugins. Make sure to explore these tools and test them on your platform – it could make your online retail store much more productive!
AUTHOR BIO:
Sharon is a marketing specialist and blogger from Manchester, UK. When she has a minute, she loves to share a few of her thoughts about marketing, writing and blogging with you. Currently, she is working as a marketer at writemypaper4me org reviews, https://www.rush-my-essay.com/ . You can follow Sharon on Facebook.
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