WooCommerce is one of the best eCommerce store-building tools for WordPress. It enables the eCommerce function within your WordPress site and turns it into a powerful eCommerce store. Elementor, on the other hand, is a popular WordPress page builder that helps you build perfect websites with an intuitive drag-and-drop editor. The combination of both Elementor and WooCommerce will enable you to create a successful eCommerce store.
In this guide, we will show everything you need to start and build an eCommerce site with Elementor and WooCommerce.
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What is WooCommerce Store?
WooCommerce stands as the premier open-source eCommerce platform designed specifically for WordPress. Its popularity stems from its flexibility and complete customizability, empowering users to craft a diverse range of online stores. Whether you’re selling physical products, digital goods, or offering subscription services, WooCommerce provides the robust framework needed to bring your vision to life.
One of the standout benefits of WooCommerce is its extensive array of advanced features, many of which are often behind paywalls on other SaaS-based platforms. Users gain access to an intuitive dashboard that simplifies store management, comprehensive reporting tools for detailed business insights, and efficient inventory and order management systems. Additionally, WooCommerce offers seamless invoicing capabilities and a plethora of other exceptional features that cater to various business needs.
Whether you’re launching a new online business or transitioning your existing brick-and-mortar store to the digital realm, WooCommerce serves as the ideal solution for building eCommerce websites with WordPress. Its open-source nature not only allows for unparalleled customization but also fosters a community of developers continually enhancing the platform. This ensures that WooCommerce remains a cutting-edge, reliable choice for entrepreneurs and established businesses alike.
Why use WooCommerce to build an online store?
WooCommerce stands out as one of the most comprehensive eCommerce platforms available, offering a wealth of features that facilitate the creation of an optimized online store for both digital and physical sales. Its extensive customization options allow you to design a store that perfectly aligns with your brand identity and delivers a seamless shopping experience on both desktop and mobile devices.
One of WooCommerce’s key strengths is its compatibility with a wide range of eCommerce software solutions. This makes it easy to integrate with third-party applications, such as payment gateways and marketing tools, enhancing the overall functionality of your store. Additionally, WooCommerce supports both online and offline sales, enabling features like dynamic coupon creation and mobile-friendly checkout pages to help boost your sales.
Here are several compelling reasons to choose WooCommerce for building your online store:
- Built for WordPress: WooCommerce is designed for WordPress, the platform that powers over 44% of websites globally, ensuring a seamless integration with your website content.
- Theme and Plugin Compatibility: Besides, WooCommerce works with nearly any WordPress theme and plugin, providing flexibility in your site’s design and functionality.
- Versatile Product Offerings: Whether you’re selling physical items, digital downloads, subscriptions, or appointments, WooCommerce can handle it all.
- Unlimited Customization: The platform is highly customizable, allowing you to tailor every aspect of your store to your preferences.
- Scalability: Add unlimited products, users, and orders without compromising on performance.
In summary, WooCommerce transcends the limitations of traditional eCommerce solutions, offering you the freedom to build a store limited only by your imagination. Whether you’re just starting out or expanding an existing business, WooCommerce provides the tools and flexibility needed to succeed in the competitive world of online commerce.
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What do you need to build a WooCommerce store?
Wondering what you need to build a WooCommerce store?
While we will get to these in detail a little later in the article, here’s a list of the bare essentials:
1. Domain and hosting
To begin building your WooCommerce store, you’ll need a domain and hosting. While there are numerous options available, we recommend choosing Bluehost. Here’s why:
- Reliability and Performance: Bluehost is a popular hosting solution known for its reliability and excellent performance.
- WordPress.org Recommendation: Besides, Bluehost comes highly recommended by WordPress.org, ensuring seamless compatibility and support for your WooCommerce store.
- World-Class Support: On the other hand, Bluehost’s support team is top-notch, available around the clock to assist with any hosting-related questions or concerns.
To get started, select a managed WordPress hosting plan that best suits your needs. If you don’t already have a domain, Bluehost does offer a free 1-year domain with the hosting plan subscription.
Choosing Bluehost ensures that your WooCommerce store is built on a strong foundation, providing you with the tools and support necessary to succeed in the competitive eCommerce landscape.
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2. WordPress
Next, you’ll need to install WordPress. One of the great advantages of opting for a managed WordPress hosting plan, such as those offered by Bluehost, is the ease of installing the software.
With a managed hosting plan, you can use the website setup wizard or the one-click installer available in your control panel to install WordPress quickly and effortlessly. Here’s how:
Firstly, log in to your hosting account’s control panel. Then, look for the one-click installer or the website setup wizard. This tool is designed to streamline the installation process. Simply follow the on-screen instructions to install WordPress. The installer will guide you through the necessary steps, such as selecting your domain and setting up your admin account.
In just a few clicks, you’ll then have WordPress installed and ready to go, allowing you to start building your WooCommerce store without any hassle.
3. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is an eCommerce platform that integrates seamlessly with WordPress, making it the ideal choice for building your online store. Installing WooCommerce is straightforward and can be done just like any other WordPress plugin. Here’s how:
To get started with WooCommerce on your WordPress site, begin by logging into your WordPress admin area. This is typically accessed by entering your site’s URL followed by /wp-admin in your web browser’s address bar. Once logged in, navigate to the Plugins section in the left-hand sidebar of the dashboard. Then, hover your cursor over “Plugins” and click on “Add New” from the submenu that appears.
In the Plugins page, you’ll then see a search bar at the top right corner. Type “WooCommerce” into the search field and hit Enter. WordPress will display the WooCommerce plugin in the search results. Then, look for the WooCommerce plugin by Automattic and click on the “Install Now” button next to it.
WordPress will now download and install the WooCommerce plugin. Once the installation is complete, the “Install Now” button will change to “Activate.” Click on the “Activate” button to activate the WooCommerce plugin on your WordPress site.
Finally, WooCommerce is successfully installed and activated on your WordPress website, and you’re ready to begin setting up your online store!
And that’s it! With WooCommerce activated, you’re ready to start adding products and setting up your store. However, there are a few more steps to ensure everything is configured properly before you can start selling. These include setting up payment gateways, configuring shipping options, and customizing your store’s appearance. Once these tasks are completed, you’ll be all set to launch your online store and begin selling.
4. WordPress theme
A WordPress theme plays a crucial role in making your store look fantastic. Elements such as colours, fonts, typography, and layout structure are all defined by your theme. There are numerous WordPress themes available on the market, ranging from good to excellent.
One such exceptional theme is Astra. Here’s why Astra stands out:
- Speed and Performance: Astra is a super lightweight theme that loads in just 0.5 seconds, ensuring your store runs smoothly and efficiently.
- Ready-Made Templates: Astra offers a host of website templates specifically designed for online stores. This means you can get your store up and running in minutes without having to write a single line of code.
- Customization: Despite its lightweight nature, Astra is highly customizable, allowing you to tweak and tailor your store to perfectly match your brand.
By choosing Astra, you’ll be leveraging a theme built for speed, performance, and ease of use, ensuring your WooCommerce store not only looks great but also performs exceptionally well.
5. WordPress page builder
Finally, to help design and customize your pages, you’ll need a page builder. There are several excellent page builders available, including Spectra. However, for this article, we’ll focus on the popular WordPress page builder, Elementor.
Using Elementor, you can create professional-looking and highly creative websites with ease. Here’s why Elementor is a great choice:
- User-Friendly Interface: Elementor offers a drag-and-drop interface, making it easy for anyone, even those without coding skills, to design stunning web pages.
- Extensive Design Options: With Elementor, you have access to a wide range of design elements, including widgets, templates, and blocks, allowing you to customize every aspect of your site.
- Real-Time Editing: Elementor’s real-time editing feature lets you see changes instantly as you make them, ensuring a smooth and efficient design process.
- Responsive Design: Elementor allows you to create responsive websites that look great on all devices, from desktops to smartphones.
How To Choose WooCommerce Store Theme
A theme enhances the look and feel of your website, but its role extends beyond aesthetics. A well-chosen theme can significantly impact the performance of your website, boosting your store’s success, while a poorly chosen one can harm your performance. So, what are the prerequisites for the ideal WooCommerce theme?
1. Website Loading Speed
Faster loading websites = Better shopping experience = More sales and conversions.
A faster-loading website equates to a better shopping experience, ultimately leading to increased sales and conversions. If your website takes too long to load, there’s a high likelihood that customers will leave, causing you to lose potential sales. Additionally, page speed is a critical factor for Google rankings. A faster website not only improves user experience but also enhances your chances of achieving higher search engine rankings. To ensure your theme loads quickly, use tools like PageSpeed Insights and Pingdom to test its performance.
2. Mobile Responsive
Ensuring your website is optimized for mobile devices is essential, as nearly 62% of customers won’t return if they have a poor mobile experience. Hence, a responsive theme provides a great user experience across all devices, from desktops to smartphones. While most themes claim to be responsive, verifying this early in the selection process ensures a smoother launch and better sales performance when you go live.
3. Customization
Besides, flexibility in customization allows you to tailor your store’s appearance to perfectly match your brand. This includes adjusting colours, fonts, typography, layouts, headers, footers, and more. Some themes can be customized using the WordPress customizer, while others come with built-in editors that facilitate quick and easy design tweaks. The ability to fully customize your store ensures that you have complete control over its look and feel.
4. Seamless checkout process
A seamless checkout process is crucial to reducing cart abandonment, which can be as high as 70%. Extra costs and complicated checkouts are the primary reasons customers abandon their carts. To combat this, ensure your WooCommerce theme includes a conversion-optimized checkout process. A smooth and straightforward checkout experience helps retain customers and boost sales by reducing abandonment rates.
5. Website demo templates
Launching your store quickly is made easier with ready-made website demo templates. Instead of building your site from scratch, you can import a professionally designed store template and customize it to suit your needs. This feature allows you to get your WooCommerce website up and running in minutes, without writing a single line of code, making the setup process efficient and straightforward.
6. Support
Having access to reliable support is crucial as you may encounter issues that require professional assistance. Most WooCommerce themes also offer support via email, chat, and online ticketing systems, with some premium themes providing priority support. Knowing that you have a support team to help you whenever needed can provide peace of mind and ensure that any problems are resolved quickly.
7. Secure
Security is a major concern for online shoppers, and building trust is essential for encouraging customers to share their payment details. A secure theme helps establish this trust. Additionally, displaying trust markers such as security badges, certificates, and third-party endorsements like Google Customer Review or Better Business Bureau badges can further reassure customers. Ensuring your WooCommerce theme is secure not only protects your site but also instills confidence in your customers, which is vital for successful online sales.
These key aspects are essential when selecting a WooCommerce theme. Ensure the theme you choose offers speed, responsiveness, customization options, a seamless checkout process, website demo templates, reliable support, and robust security. By prioritizing these criteria, you will set up your WooCommerce store for success, providing an optimal user experience and building trust with your customers.
Why use Astra and Elementor to build a WooCommerce store?
Astra stands out as the most popular non-default theme within the WordPress ecosystem, boasting nearly 2 million active installations and over 7 million downloads. In addition, it’s known for its lightweight design and user-friendly approach, Besides, Astra offers a wide array of professionally designed website templates suitable for virtually any niche. The recent release of Astra 3.9 introduces several notable features aimed at enhancing eCommerce capabilities:
- A completely revamped modern skin for the shop page
- Easy creation of image galleries on product pages
- Updated layouts for the cart, checkout, thank you, and account pages
- Enhanced variation swatches for WooCommerce stores
- Seamless integration with the Stripe payment gateway plugin, among other impressive features.
These updates ensure a significantly improved shopping experience for customers across all aspects of the online store.
Elementor, on the other hand, is a highly popular WordPress page builder with over 5 million active installations. Featuring an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, Elementor empowers users to create visually appealing and unique websites quickly and effortlessly.
By combining Astra as the theme and Elementor as the page builder, users can leverage the strengths of both platforms to build exceptional WooCommerce websites. This combination not only facilitates seamless customization but also enhances conversion rates by delivering high-quality, user-friendly shopping experiences. Whether you’re looking to launch a new eCommerce venture or enhance an existing one, Astra and Elementor provide the tools and flexibility needed to create standout online stores efficiently.
How to build a WooCommerce Store with Elementor and Astra
Building a WooCommerce website with Elementor and Astra is a straightforward process. Assuming you have already purchased a domain and set up managed WordPress hosting, here’s a step-by-step guide:
Step 1: Install WordPress
Firstly, log in to your hosting provider’s control panel. For example, if using Bluehost, you can use the one-click installation feature to install WordPress. Then, complete the installation by selecting WordPress as your application and following the prompts. Once done, you’ll have access to your WordPress dashboard where you can begin building your website.
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Step 2: Install the Astra Theme
To begin customizing your website’s appearance with the Astra theme, start by logging into your WordPress dashboard. Then, navigate to the Appearance tab and click on Themes. Here, select the option labelled Add New to explore additional themes for your site.
Next, in the search bar located at the top right corner of the screen, type “Astra” and hit Enter. Once the Astra theme appears in the search results, click on the Install button next to it. After installation completes, click Activate to make Astra your active theme for WordPress.
Now that Astra is installed and activated, proceed to set up its options for optimal customization. From the WordPress dashboard, navigate to Appearance again, then choose Astra Options. Within this menu, then select Install Importer Plugin to enhance functionality. For seamless integration with the Astra theme, specify Elementor as your preferred page builder.
With Astra and Elementor configured, it’s time to choose a Starter Template that aligns with your website goals. You can then browse through the available templates or use the search function to find templates suited for an online store by typing “Store”. Select a template that best fits your vision and website requirements.
Once you’ve chosen your template, proceed to customize it further to reflect your brand identity. Add your logo, adjust colours, typography, and other visual elements to ensure consistency with your brand’s aesthetics and values.
When you’re satisfied with your customization settings, click on Submit & Build My Website to initiate the installation process. This typically completes in under a minute, after which your customized website will be ready for viewing and further content integration.
Once installation is complete, click View Your Website to see how your site looks on the front end.
Step 3: Install WooCommerce
If you’ve chosen a store-related Starter Template during your setup process, WooCommerce is likely already activated and integrated into your website. Starter Templates are designed to include all necessary components for building a specific type of site, including WooCommerce for eCommerce functionality.
However, if you didn’t use a Starter Template or need to add WooCommerce manually for any reason, follow these steps:
- Navigate to Plugins: From your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New.
- Search for WooCommerce: In the search bar, type “WooCommerce”.
- Install and Activate: Click on Install Now, and once installed, click Activate.
Step 4: Setting Up Your WooCommerce Store
Now that WooCommerce is installed, it’s essential to configure some key settings before adding products to your store:
- Access WooCommerce Settings: Go to WooCommerce > Settings. You’ll start on the General tab.
- Configure Store Details: Here, you can enter your store address, set the default currency, configure shipping options, integrate payment gateways, set up email notifications, and manage other store-related settings.
- Payment Methods: If you need to add a payment method, navigate to the Payments tab. Enable your preferred payment gateway and complete the setup process as required.
- Explore Settings: Take the time to review and adjust other settings based on your store’s needs. WooCommerce offers a setup wizard to guide you through these steps, but you can also configure settings manually for more customization.
Step 5: Adding Products to Your WooCommerce Store
To start adding products to your WooCommerce store:
- Navigate to Products: Go to Products > Add New.
- Enter Product Details: Enter the product name, description, upload images, and fill in other necessary details in the editor.
- Product Data: Scroll down to the Product Data section. Here, you can select the product type (simple, variable, grouped, etc.), manage inventory, set shipping details, and configure other product-specific settings.
- Additional Information: Provide optional details as needed to enhance your product listings.
With the latest version of Astra, your store template includes advanced features like Variation Swatches for WooCommerce by CartFlows. This feature allows you to showcase product variants—such as different colours or sizes—using attractive swatches instead of traditional dropdown menus. You can even use image variants and label swatches to provide a richer shopping experience for your customers.
Essential WordPress plugins for WooCommerce Store
Here are some essential WordPress plugins that can enhance the functionality and performance of your WooCommerce website:
UpdraftPlus: WordPress Backup Plugin
UpdraftPlus is a reliable WordPress backup plugin that ensures your website data is secure by allowing you to schedule backups and store them in cloud services like Google Drive, Amazon S3, Dropbox, or Rackspace Cloud. This ensures you have a backup ready in case of website issues or server crashes, allowing for quick restoration.
WordFence: WordPress Security Plugin
WordFence is a robust security plugin designed to protect your website from malicious attacks, spamming, and unauthorized access. It includes features such as malware scanning, firewall protection, and brute force attack prevention, ensuring your website remains secure and your data is protected.
Yoast SEO: WordPress SEO Plugin
Yoast SEO is a popular plugin that helps optimize your WooCommerce store for search engines. It enables you to optimize your content with meta tags, generate XML sitemaps, improve readability, and enhance overall SEO performance. This plugin is essential for increasing your website’s visibility on search engine results pages.
Site Kit by Google: WordPress Plugin for Website Traffic Analysis
Site Kit by Google integrates Google services like Analytics, Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, and AdSense directly into your WordPress dashboard. This plugin also allows you to track website traffic, user behaviour, site performance, and other crucial metrics to make informed decisions about your marketing strategies.
ShortPixel: WordPress Image Optimization Plugin
ShortPixel is a powerful image optimization plugin that compresses images without sacrificing quality, thereby improving page load times and enhancing user experience. It supports all popular image formats, including WebP, ensuring your product images look great while maintaining optimal website performance.
Elementor: WordPress Page Builder Plugin
Elementor is a versatile page builder plugin with a drag-and-drop interface that simplifies the process of designing and customizing your website pages. It comes with a variety of widgets and templates to create visually appealing layouts without needing to write code. Besides, if you want additional customization options, consider installing Ultimate Addons for Elementor, which extends Elementor’s functionality with extra widgets and pre-built section blocks.
By incorporating these essential plugins into your WooCommerce setup, you can enhance security, optimize performance, improve SEO, analyze website traffic, optimize images, and create visually stunning pages with ease. These plugins collectively contribute to a seamless and efficient eCommerce experience for your customers while empowering you with tools to manage and grow your online store effectively.
Best Elementor WooCommerce Store Themes
Here’s an overview of some top WordPress themes compatible with Elementor and WooCommerce, each offering unique features to enhance your eCommerce website:
1. Astra WooCommerce Store Themes
Astra is a lightweight and highly customizable WordPress theme with a strong focus on performance and compatibility with Elementor and WooCommerce. It offers several ready-made WooCommerce demo sites that can be easily customized using Elementor, making it ideal for creating fast-loading and responsive online stores. Key features include:
- Faster Loading: Astra is optimized for speed, which can improve conversion rates.
- Drop-down Cart: Allows users to view their cart from any page, enhancing user experience.
- Conversion-Optimized Checkout: Helps reduce cart abandonment with a streamlined checkout process.
- Sales Bubbles: Visual cues that can boost sales by drawing attention to promotions.
- Fully Responsive: Ensures your store looks great on all devices without additional coding.
- Astra Pro Features: Upgrading to Astra Pro unlocks features like infinite scroll, advanced checkout options, enhanced product display options, and more.
2. Hello Elementor + Theme Builder WooCommerce Store Themes
Hello Elementor is a lightweight theme designed to work seamlessly with the Elementor page builder plugin. It’s a minimalistic option that provides a solid foundation for building WooCommerce stores using Elementor’s WooCommerce Builder. Key features include:
- Customization with Elementor: Utilize dedicated WooCommerce widgets to design store and product pages.
- Flexibility: Allows for extensive customization without the bulk of additional theme features.
3. GeneratePress WooCommerce Store Themes
GeneratePress is another lightweight and fast WordPress theme known for its compatibility with WooCommerce. It offers robust customization options via the WordPress customizer and integrates well with WooCommerce features. Key features include:
- WordPress Customizer: Configure elements like drop-down carts and distraction-free checkout.
- GeneratePress Premium: Provides access to advanced WooCommerce settings and additional customization options.
4. Neve
Neve is a WooCommerce-ready WordPress theme that combines simplicity with powerful features for eCommerce. It offers several pre-built demo websites powered by Elementor and supports WooCommerce integration out of the box. Key features include:
- WooCommerce Compatibility: Fully supports WooCommerce, with additional features available in the Neve Pro version.
- WooCommerce Booster Module: Enhances customization options for store, product, and checkout pages.
5. OceanWP WooCommerce Store Themes
OceanWP is a versatile WordPress theme with over 700,000 active installations, making it popular among WooCommerce users. It includes numerous built-in features tailored for eCommerce, along with dedicated WooCommerce demo sites powered by Elementor. Key features include:
- Product Quick View: Allows customers to preview product details without leaving the current page.
- Drop-down Shopping Cart: Provides convenient access to cart contents from any page.
- Floating Add-to-Cart Button: Enhances user experience by keeping the purchase option visible.
- Distraction-Free Checkout: Streamlines the checkout process to reduce cart abandonment.
Each of these themes offers unique advantages and customization options tailored to meet the needs of eCommerce websites built on WordPress using Elementor and WooCommerce. Choosing the right theme depends on your specific design preferences, performance requirements, and desired eCommerce functionalities.
Elementor vs. Elementor Pro
Choosing Elementor Pro over the free version can significantly enhance your WooCommerce website’s functionality and design capabilities. Here are several reasons why opting for Elementor Pro, especially for an online store, can be advantageous:
1. Theme Builder Capabilities
While both Elementor and Elementor Pro allow you to customize your website’s appearance visually, Elementor Pro’s Theme Builder takes it a step further. It enables you to design and customize every aspect of your theme, including headers, footers, archive pages, and single posts. Besides, this flexibility surpasses the limitations of your WordPress theme, allowing for seamless integration with WooCommerce and enhanced branding opportunities, all without needing to write a single line of code.
2. Advanced Form Builder
Elementor Pro includes an advanced Form Builder widget that simplifies the creation of contact forms and other interactive elements. Unlike using separate plugins for forms, Elementor Pro allows you to design forms directly within the page builder interface. You can customize form fields, set up conditional logic, configure email notifications, and integrate with various automation and CRM tools effortlessly. On the other hand, this integration streamlines customer interactions and enhances user engagement, crucial for maximizing conversions on your online store.
3. Extensive Template Library
Elementor Pro expands upon the free version’s template library with a wealth of professionally designed templates and blocks. These templates cover a wide range of use cases, from landing pages to product showcases and beyond. With Elementor Pro, you have access to more advanced design options and animations, enabling you to create visually stunning and highly functional pages tailored specifically for eCommerce needs. Customizing these templates to match your brand’s aesthetics is intuitive and efficient.
4. WooCommerce Store Integration
For WooCommerce users, Elementor Pro offers specialized WooCommerce widgets and features that enhance product displays, category pages, and checkout processes. Besides, these widgets include product grids, carousel sliders, custom product pages, and more. By leveraging these tools, you can then create a cohesive and optimized shopping experience for your customers, improving usability and ultimately driving sales.
While Elementor’s free version provides robust tools for designing WordPress websites, upgrading to Elementor Pro unlocks advanced features tailored for eCommerce and online stores. Whether you’re looking to enhance visual customization, streamline form creation, leverage extensive template libraries, or integrate seamlessly with WooCommerce, Elementor Pro offers the tools and flexibility to create a compelling and high-converting online store experience.
Final Thoughts: Elementor + WooCommerce: The Perfect eCommerce Store Builder
Building a WooCommerce store using Elementor and the Astra theme offers a powerful combination for creating a highly functional and visually appealing online store. Here’s why this combination is often preferred:
WooCommerce is renowned for its versatility and integration capabilities with WordPress. As an open-source platform, it provides a robust foundation for building eCommerce websites of any scale. Whether you’re selling physical products, digital downloads, subscriptions, or services, WooCommerce offers extensive customization options and supports a wide range of plugins and themes to extend its functionality.
Elementor, on the other hand, is a leading WordPress page builder known for its intuitive drag-and-drop interface and extensive design capabilities. It allows you to visually create and customize every aspect of your website, including headers, footers, product pages, and more. Additionally, with Elementor, you can leverage its WooCommerce widgets to enhance product showcases, create custom landing pages, and optimize user experience without needing coding skills.
Astra complements Elementor and WooCommerce with its lightweight and fast-loading design. It offers pre-built WooCommerce demo sites that can be imported and customized effortlessly using Elementor. Astra’s focus on performance ensures that your online store not only looks great but also delivers an optimal browsing experience across all devices. Features like optimized checkout processes and responsive design contribute to higher conversion rates.
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