In under a year’s time, Magento, an open-source eCommerce platform, has become the top-searched eCommerce system online, overtaking popular platforms such as osCommerce and Zen Cart. Not only has Magento impressed business owners, but developers are singing its praises as well. But what’s so great about Magento, and how did it push aside its competitors so quickly? We at The Website Owner’s Manual are here to give you the scoop on Magento, and will help you decide if this popular eCommerce platform is right for your business or development undertaking.
For Businesses
- Magento is open-source, so it’s FREE to download (individual support comes at a price, but the online support forum is free to use)!
- The search engine optimization (SEO) features are top-of-the-line in comparison to other platforms. For example, Magneto allows merchants to create their own URLs for products on the administrator control panel. Most platforms create a product URL upon creation, which are often times unreadable for the search engines.
- Google Analytics, a free tool that allows in-depth tracking of website statistics, comes integrated with the download.
- Multiple stores can be maintained across different domains using only one Magento installation.
- The capability to zoom-in on product images is included.
- Rates for USPS, FedEx, and UPS are integrated at real time, so shipping and handling quotes are always up-to-date.
- Customers can compare products side-by-side.
- There is a one-page checkout system, so customers are only a click away from ordering products.
Magneto also includes a ready-to-go iPhone theme, which will help retailers compete on the increasingly-popular mobile eCommerce market (mCommerce). While iPhone users are only a small percentage of all cell phone users, this is a nice start towards enabling smaller retailers to get their business on the mobile web.
For Developers
- The company backing Magento, Varien, is active in updating the platform’s code and fixing bugs.
- The default template included in Magento is professional and attractive to the average consumer from the get-go. Magento works off of a theme-based structure that separates the templates, layouts, and skins, so that each aspect is easier to locate in the source code and update.
- Even though the Magento platforms comes with an extensive feature-list at download, developers are free to create add-ons and plug-ings to enhance the platform’s functionality.
- Many free Magneto themes are readily available for download
Even though Magento includes features at download-time that were typically only achieved through the purchase of add-ons with other systems, it is still a developer-centric platform when it comes to achieving the look-and-feel that a retailer wants to accomplish. Small business owners wanting to download an eCommerce system that they can stylize and customize on their own may be disappointed with Magento, since a strong knowledge of PHP, AJAX, HTML, and CSS is required to get the most out of this product. If selecting Magento as their eCommerce platform, retailers should be sure that they have a knowledgeable team of developers behind them to reach their goals.
Regardless of your business’ size, Magento is a promising eCommerce platform that can help drive up online profits. With its user-friendliness and simple administrative area, it is no wonder that Magento is soon to be the predominant choice in an eCommerce platform.
Melissa likes the Web and building things that live there. We ask her to do something, she disappears for a while, comes up with an intelligent design, then builds a Web site around that design that will not only do her bidding, but will do the bidding of their new owners. Over the past few years she has worked on (often single-handedly) the design, production and launch of 100s of websites. She usually does this quietly, efficiently, and with a smirk that makes everyone else wonder what she's up to. And, if you ask her nicely, she might also agree to design a tattoo for you, although that will have to wait until after work.