ZenCart Products Display vs StoreEngine

StoreEngine – The Complete eCommerce Solution to Build and Grow Your Online Store With WordPress StoreEngine is the powerful, modern eCommerce plugin built for small business owners, course creators, and digital entrepreneurs who want a fast, all-in-one solution to sell digital and physical products, subscriptions, memberships, license, and more—without the slowdowns, plugin overload, or extra addon costs. From courses and software to physical goods and recurring services, StoreEngine empowers you to run a full-featured, high-converting online store—all within a blazing-fast, Gutenberg-native experience. Check our overview video of StoreEngine 👇 StoreEngine | Docs | Video Tutorials | Community | Public Roadmap 🎯Who Is StoreEngine For? Agencies: Web design agencies are switching to StoreEngine because they no longer need to stack 5+ plugins for each client. Everything needed to run an online store—digital or physical—is built-in and lightweight, and their clients love it. Solo Entrepreneurs: Digital creators selling ebooks, courses, software, templates, or printables love StoreEngine’s built-in digital file delivery, easy-to-send invoice, license key system, and one-click checkout that works right out of the box. Physical and Digital Product Sellers: Small business owners use StoreEngine to manage inventory, enable fast shipping options, and boost sales with features like upsells, cross-sells, and auto-applied discounts—no extra plugins needed. Subscription Businesses: Coaches, SaaS founders, and membership site owners enjoy the flexible recurring payments, trial periods, upgrade/downgrade options, and dunning system—all integrated without third-party add-ons. Course Creators: Educators running online academies via Academy LMS choose StoreEngine for its native payment gateway, full course checkout integration, and support for bundles and installments. (StoreEngine + Academy LMS) = 🔥 Service Providers: Local businesses offering services (like salons, consultants, and freelancers) use StoreEngine’s invoice generator, variable pricing, and custom checkout fields to sell packages, subscriptions, or one-time appointments. Donation-Based Sites: Nonprofits and campaign organizers use StoreEngine to accept donations with flexible pricing and recurring options—while also offering downloadable resources or physical thank-you gifts Software & License-Based Businesses: Developers and SaaS owners who sell downloadable products or apps rely on StoreEngine’s license key system to automate license creation, activation, and renewals. It helps manage digital rights, track usage, and deliver updates—without depending on third-party tools. Digital Products, Subscriptions, and Services—Handled Natively Other plugins aren’t made for creators or service providers. You’ll struggle with: Broken file links or no license key system No recurring billing without third-party tools Many of them required extra addons/features purchase for digital product, which mean extra cost Many of them need extra plugin for booking or invoicing system for services StoreEngine is creator-first: Built-in digital file system license key management StoreEngine makes digital product selling easier than ever In build Invoice generator and service checkout flexibility Growth Tools You Don’t Get Elsewhere—Unless You Stack More Plugins Most plugins charge extra for features that actually help you grow. StoreEngine is different; it includes powerful tools without extra installs: Upsell & Cross-sell: Increase AOV by showing other products and purchase offers. Built-in Affiliate System: Turn users into promoters with StoreEngine’s native affiliate system. Track referrals, manage payouts, and grow faster Advanced Analytics Dashboard: See key performance data in one place—revenue trends, product performance, conversions, and more. Multi-Tier Pricing: Offer One-Time payment or Subscription model with free trial, and setup fee options for extra revenue. 💥What Makes StoreEngine Stand Out StoreEngine isn’t just another eCommerce plugin—it’s built from the ground up to solve the biggest pain points store owners face with plugins. While other platforms rely heavily on extra plugins to cover essential features and charge high, StoreEngine packs everything inside a fast, secure, and modern core. You get built-in checkout, product filtering, coupon forms, and cart management as native Gutenberg blocks—no coding needed. From login form to checkout button, every element is block-based and fully modular, giving you complete control over your store’s flow. Note: For the eCommerce block you need to install aBlocks Free—The modern Gutenberg website builder. And it doesn’t stop there. StoreEngine includes business-critical features like Subscriptions, Memberships, Webhooks, Invoicing, Catalog Mode, Affiliate tracking, and Email notifications—activated with a single click. Stripe and PayPal integrations work out of the box. Everything just works—securely, smoothly, and without slowing down your site. And these features are completely free. While others upsell you for basic features or charge hidden fees, StoreEngine keeps things simple and transparent. Whether you’re selling digital products, managing a subscription business, or offering services, you’ll find the ecommerce plugin you need already waiting for you inside StoreEngine. This isn’t just convenience—it’s a smarter, lighter, and future-ready way to build your online store with WordPress. StoreEngine Features We know a store owner needs many functions, which is why the StoreEngine developer team is working hard to add more advanced features. Here are some of the key features that StoreEngine users like most: ✅ Sell Digital Products StoreEngine makes it simple to sell digital goods with secure delivery and instant access. Whether you’re distributing software, eBooks, music, or design assets, the platform ensures your files are protected and your customers get what they need instantly. You can also apply licensing or download restrictions for added control. ✅ Physical Product Selling Manage your entire inventory of physical goods with robust SKU tracking, variant support, and stock status. From apparel and electronics to handmade goods, StoreEngine is built to support your product types. Integrated shipping tools make fulfillment smooth and efficient. ✅ Tax Management Easily configure taxes per product, region, or entire store using flexible tax rules. Whether you’re managing VAT in the EU or sales tax in the US, StoreEngine keeps you compliant. You can display prices as tax-inclusive or exclusive depending on your preference. ✅ Memberships & Access Control Build membership sites with gated content, exclusive resources, or private communities. StoreEngine enables one-time or recurring access control, perfect for online learning, content hubs, or SaaS-style platforms. No third-party tools needed—everything is native. ✅ Affiliate Marketing Tools Turn your customers and partners into promoters with a built-in affiliate system. Track referrals, manage commissions, and grow your user base through organic word-of-mouth. It’s ideal for boosting visibility and conversions without increasing ad spend. ✅ Coupons & Discounts Easily run promotional campaigns with built-in coupon and discount options. Offer flat-rate or percentage discounts, set expiration dates, and control usage limits. It’s perfect for seasonal promotions, loyalty rewards, or flash sales to drive urgency. ✅ Academy LMS Integration Seamlessly connect with Academy LMS to sell online courses directly through StoreEngine. Manage course access, payments, and enrollments from a single dashboard. No need for additional plugins—it’s a native integration built for smooth operation. ✅ Subscription Products Offer subscription-based services or products with flexible billing cycles. Whether it’s monthly memberships, yearly software plans, or custom periods, StoreEngine handles it all. Customers can manage upgrades, cancellations, and renewals easily. ✅ Shipping Module StoreEngine’s shipping system supports multiple zones, flat-rate pricing, and real-time integrations with carriers. Set up region-specific rates or offer global shipping with full control. It’s ideal for both local deliveries and international fulfillment. ✅ StoreEngine Invoice Automatically generate professional invoices for every order—no third-party tools needed. Customers can download their invoices instantly from their account area, and store owners can manage, resend, or print invoices with ease. Ideal for physical products, digital goods, services, or donations. ✅ StoreEngine Upsell and Cross-Sell Increase your average order value with built-in upsell and cross-sell tools. Suggest related products before checkout, offer special add-ons after purchase, or create dynamic bundles—all from a single interface. No additional plugin or sales funnel tool required. ✅ Webhooks Connect StoreEngine with your favorite tools or platforms using webhooks. Automatically send order data, customer details, or subscription events to CRMs, automation tools, or custom systems. It’s perfect for developers and businesses looking to extend workflows without limitations. ✅ Email Notification StoreEngine sends beautifully formatted transactional emails for new orders, completed purchases, refunds, and more. Customize email content, branding, and triggers—all without writing a line of code. Keep your customers informed and your communication on-brand. ✅ Migration Tool Switching from another platform? StoreEngine’s migration tool helps you import your products, customers, and orders from plugins like WooCommerce. It’s fast, accurate, and doesn’t break your layout or store setup—making replatforming stress-free. ✅ PayPal Accept global payments securely with PayPal integration. StoreEngine connects directly to your PayPal Business account, enabling instant payments, refunds, and subscription billing. All transactions are handled through PayPal, ensuring PCI-DSS compliance without storing sensitive data. ✅ Stripe Enable fast, secure credit/debit card payments with Stripe integration. StoreEngine supports one-time purchases, subscriptions, trial periods, and upgrades—fully powered by Stripe’s robust system. All payment data is processed by Stripe directly, keeping your store PCI-DSS compliant. ✅ Catalog Mode Want to showcase products without selling them online? StoreEngine’s Catalog Mode hides checkout functionality, allowing you to display your items without pricing or purchase options. It’s perfect for wholesalers, product previews, or stores under construction. ✅ CSV Import / Export Addon Easily transfer store data in bulk with the CSV Import / Export addon. Quickly upload or download products, customers, and orders in a standardized format—perfect for backups, migrations, or batch updates. Save time managing large catalogs without manual edits. ✅ Razorpay Payment Gateway Accept payments from millions of customers across India with Razorpay integration. Support for credit/debit cards, UPI, net banking, and popular wallets ensures a smooth checkout experience. All transactions are processed securely through Razorpay, keeping your store PCI-DSS compliant. ✅ Free Checkout (Zero Total) Let customers complete an order without payment when the total is zero. Apply a 100% discount coupon, and StoreEngine skips the payment step—ideal for free trials, giveaways, or complimentary items. A quick, frictionless way to deliver products without charging a cent. ✅ License Management Automate license creation, activation, and renewals for digital products. Control activations, manage expirations, and track usage—all from your StoreEngine dashboard. Perfect for software, SaaS, and digital file sellers who want secure, built-in license delivery without extra tools ✅ Product Bundles Increase average order value by selling multiple products together in a single offer. Create smart product bundles for courses, software, digital downloads, memberships, or physical products—all without extra plugins. ✅ Installment Plans Allow customers to pay in smaller scheduled payments instead of paying the full amount upfront. Perfect for selling high-ticket courses, memberships, software, coaching, and premium digital products with lower buying hesitation. ✅ Direct Checkout URL Generate direct checkout links with specific products and coupons pre-applied. Perfect for marketing campaigns, email promotions, sales funnels, and high-converting one-click purchase flows. ✅ Multi-Currency Support Sell globally with native multi-currency support and currency switching. Let customers browse and pay using their preferred currency for a smoother international shopping experience. ✅ Secure File Downloads Protect digital products with secure signed download URLs and controlled file access. Deliver software, courses, PDFs, templates, and digital assets securely without exposing direct file links. ✅ GeoIP & Location-Based Commerce Automatically detect customer location to improve shipping, checkout, currency, and store experience. Perfect for global stores that need smarter location-aware commerce functionality. ✅ Activity & Error Logger Track store activities and monitor system errors with built-in logging tools. Quickly identify issues, debug payment problems, and manage store operations more efficiently. ✅ Order Pay Allow customers to complete payment for pending or failed orders later without creating a new order. Improve payment recovery and reduce lost sales from failed checkout attempts. ✅ Setup Wizard Launch your store faster with a guided setup wizard that helps configure essential store settings, payments, and basic ecommerce functionality in minutes. ✅ Inventory Manage physical product inventory with stock tracking, quantity adjustments, low-stock alerts, and product movement monitoring from a centralized system. Track sales, restocks, returns, and manual stock changes with better inventory control for growing ecommerce stores. ✅ Multi Vendor Turn your store into a multi-vendor marketplace where vendors can register, manage products, and sell from their own dashboard. Track vendor commissions, manage approvals, and build scalable marketplace platforms with centralized admin control. **✅ Multi Location Inventory Manage inventory across multiple warehouses, stores, or stock locations from a centralized system. Track stock availability, transfers, and inventory movement across different business locations with better operational control. **✅ Cost & Profit Tracking ** Track product costs, profit margins, and overall store profitability directly from your ecommerce dashboard. Monitor real business performance with better financial visibility for smarter pricing and inventory decisions. **✅ POS Terminal ** Sell products in physical stores with a built-in POS terminal designed for fast in-person checkout and inventory synchronization. Manage online and offline sales together from one unified commerce system. **✅ Suppliers & Purchase Orders ** Manage suppliers, create purchase orders, and track incoming inventory from a centralized workflow. Simplify restocking and supplier management for growing ecommerce operations. **✅ Return / RMA System ** Handle product returns, refund requests, and return approvals with a structured RMA management system. Improve customer support workflows and simplify return handling for physical product stores. **✅ Couriers Management ** Manage shipping couriers, delivery workflows, and order fulfillment operations from a centralized system. Improve shipping management with better courier handling and delivery tracking support. **✅ SEO Addon ** Built-in dual-mode SEO engine that integrates with Yoast, Rank Math, AIOSEO, and SEOPress — or works fully standalone. Exposes SEO data over REST for headless storefronts. **✅ AI Content Generation ** Native WordPress AI generation for product copy, SEO meta, and bulk content — no API keys required. Powered by WordPress 7.0’s built-in AI capabilities. **✅ GDPR & Privacy Compliance ** Built-in GDPR tools wired to WordPress Privacy API — covers data export, erasure requests, guest order matching by email, and in-place order anonymization. **✅ EU VAT & EU Compliance ** Built-in EU VAT validation, sequential invoice numbers, and a consent log to keep your store fully compliant with EU regulations. **✅ Brand Management ** Organize and display products by brand with a dedicated Brand addon — ideal for stores with multiple manufacturers or product lines. **✅ Native Stripe Subscriptions ** Webhook-driven Stripe subscription renewals with an opt-in setup. Supports early “Pay Next Renewal Now” for manual and offline subscriptions. **✅ Admin Global Search & Command Palette ** Search across all admin settings with deep-link jump-to-field support. Launch any setting instantly with Cmd/Ctrl+K command palette. **✅ SKU & Barcode Generator ** Auto-generate SKUs and barcodes for products. Barcode Labels are free with logo, store name, and product name toggle support. **✅ WP-CLI Support ** Manage your StoreEngine store from the command line with full WP-CLI support — including seeder commands for demo content generation. **✅ Subscriptions + One-Time Products in Same Cart ** Customers can now add subscriptions and one-time products to the same cart and complete them in a single checkout — no separate orders needed. 🤝 Join the thriving StoreEngine community today! Dive into a thriving network of eCommerce entrepreneurs, course creators, developers, and online business experts by integrating StoreEngine with your platform. Be a part of our mission to empower seamless, scalable, and secure online selling experiences worldwide. Stay connected for the latest updates …

Having your online stores featured products or special offer products or even the new products displayed via a sidebar is a good way of extending the reach of your products. This plugin allows you to add your zen cart’s featured products, via a widget, to your sidebar(s). Initial version, so very basic but will add other features/options as required.