Ecommerce is the future of business. With the digital revolution, the world is literally at your fingertips. All you need is a smartphone, which undoubtedly everyone has these days. On average, a person spends at least one hour of the day on their smartphone. It is the bare minimum and can vary from region to region depending on the demographics and requirements of the users.
The business organizations recognize the need for digitization themselves. With such staggering statistics about internet usage, it is obvious and quite frankly the only rational choice when it comes to making profits. No wonder digital services such as CRMs, web designing, cloud computing and so on are booming.
The internet has revolutionized the entire playing field. It gives equal opportunities to all sorts of businesses, big or small, local or global. Be it from a small residential room to a large warehouse. The Internet is an equal opportunity playing field.
If you look at the statistics, the number of e-commerce businesses have gone considerably up since the age of smartphones. So much so that having a website is a must for every organization to be relevant in the market.
Though physical presence is important the first entry point for a customer to the business has become the internet. With so many tools that simplify and reduce labor costs, businesses too want most of the work to shift to digital platforms. An additional bonus to all this is, you get to target a large number of people with the least amount of effort.
With all this talk of e-commerce companies popping up and competing in the market. Not all are successful and survive the harsh conditions of the market. Most die off due to lack of funds in the first year. While some push through and bare losses only to have a slow end. Regardless of the endless opportunities that the internet provides. Success is a dish not many have tasted.
In this never-ending battle of survival,” Magento” has surpassed the competition and established itself to be the best B2C e-commerce platform in the industry.
Magento is an open-source PHP platform that allows you to create your very own eCommerce websites. In other words, rather than considering it as an eCommerce business, consider it as a business that manufactures businesses. A factory of eCommerce businesses of a sort.
It simplifies the process of creating an eCommerce website and lets the user customize almost all aspects of the website. But in an industry where so many businesses are striving to survive and competing to stay relevant, surly there qualities are not enough. To be the best in the business there must be some other reason that the customers prefer it over other platforms.
So let’s dive into the reasons why Magento is the best platform to build an eCommerce website.
There are many reasons why a business stands out and shines amongst others. But when it comes down to it, at the core the reasons are almost similar. Although due to the difference in the application the path is different, the end product is the same. Here are some reasons why Magento is the best platform out there that you will find.
Customizable
When it comes to standing out in business, there are many ways to do it. But the best and most impressive method would be creating a unique image in the market. By being unique we don’t mean to reinvent the wheel but to do things in a way that you catch the attention of the customer.
With Magento, anything is possible!
Yes, we mean it. It operates on a very popular coding language, PHP which enables almost anyone to moderate it. It is also an open-source platform which means there are many people who are working towards making it even better than it is right now. All these attributes help the organization to play around with the designs and create a tailor-made e-commerce website that suits the image of the business.
Literally, anything you can imagine can be achieved with Magento. All aspects of the website from design to functions are yours to customize.
Open source means Third-party solution
Bugs are the worst. Small annoying errors that you may think are insignificant but can be devastating when it comes to customer relations. Meaning when it comes to bugs and websites, a lot can go wrong.
The customers need a smooth effortless fun browsing experience these days. But many eCommerce websites out there don’t follow this rule. They have good content and think it will get them through everything. Well, every business would be successful if it were that way.
If you examine the websites carefully they are not at fault. The platform on which they build the website is the one to blame. There are thousands of platforms that can help you create an eCommerce website. But very few that help you manage it. Not all the platforms provide the customer support that you may need and the ones that do are so expensive that it will burn a hole in your pocket.
That is not the case with Magento. The best part about the platform is it is an open-source platform.
But what does an open-source platform mean and why is it relevant?
Think about it. There is a bug in your code and you are not able to figure out what went wrong. You clearly need help but cannot find anyone to help you.
Well, that is where open-source platforms defy general conventions. Users are free to use and make changes to the platform, sharing their information with other users. It helps the user community for the software grow and improves the experience for first-time users.
The open forums and chat boards help the users to interact with each other. Solving problems via brainstorming or shared experience.
So if you are worried about support while using Magneto, worry no more because even if the support team for the platform would not help you. Other users using the platforms will.
Best navigation support in the market
Everyone loves choices but when you have choices, it can get hard to decide what to choose. Free will is a philosophical concept which sounds good in theory but when it comes to practical application, constraints are important.
It can not be truer than in the field of eCommerce, where you want to give the customers as many options as you can. This means pairing similar products on the platform. This can create a dilemma for customers.
Ideally, there is not much you can do because you need to have a variety on your website. But when you create the website with Magento, then it is a whole other story.
It provides a very effective and functional search bar that allows the user to find whatever they need. It also allows various filters for the users to find precisely what they are looking for.
In addition to that, most sales are made by being in the right place at the right time. Magento does just that, providing rational and intuitive suggestions to the user so that they may consider other options as well. It helps the organization improve sales as most users don’t realize they want to buy something until they see it. The right suggestion at the right time makes things easier.
For instance, You are out buying a printer online. When suddenly you see a 20% discount on the cartilages of the printer suggested to you. Now you know you will get a pair of free cartilages with the printer but it will run out so you realize you need the cartilages as well and buy it along with the printer.
Search engine optimization compatible
SEO is all the rage out there in the market. Every website or organization wants to get out there and sell to as many people as they can. But doing so on their own is impossible. There are millions and millions of companies out there who have the same objective. So how do the internet gods decide which one to promote and which one to neglect?
If you think there is no internet god then you might be wrong. Or you just need to change the definition of god a bit.
Digital giants such as Google, Microsoft, and Facebook platforms can be the digital gods for the internet era. These entities have the power to promote the business on a global level and turn a small company into an MNC. Consider that and tell me that it is not a miracle!
But these companies don’t randomly pick a name out of a hat to promote. There is a proper algorithm that is completely autonomous and unbiased. Based on certain criteria the websites are ranked accordingly and henceforth ranked. These ranks are the main criteria that tell the platforms which businesses to promote and the entire process is called search engine optimization.
Customer support
No matter how great you are at operating digital platforms customer support is something everyone requires. Although you may be well versed with all the features and functions of the platforms. You cannot know more about the platform than its maker and there are some issues that only they can resolve. It may not be completely accurate for open-source platforms as there are many people out there who can help you out.
However, the quality of support from the open-source community may vary and you may not always get the kind of help you are looking for. So even though platforms are open-source some support from the parent company is required.
Luckily, Magento leaves no stone unturned when it comes to customer support and assistance. The platform is free to use but to gain access to advance level features, which in truth will be required as your business grows, you will have to buy a premium version. To be honest, is not a bad deal considering what the platform can do for you. With the premium subscription, you can gain access to the customer support which is ready to assist at any given point in time.
Responsive
Suppose you are a good soccer player. You play on a grass pitch and are the star of the locality. But then you moved away and now you have to play on a muddy surface. Will your performance remain the same?
The obvious answer is no! Despite what philosophical answer you may give about its the player and not the surface. There will be a dip in performance no denying that. But as you will practice you will get used to it and start performing on the same level again.
So how can we expect a digital program to perform the same on different platforms such as laptops and smartphones.
Websites these days are not limited to desktops. They are accessed from almost all devices that can support the internet. Even smart televisions allow you to access websites. So how can a website made for a smartphone run on television?
It simply cannot. Websites these days have to be responsive. It has to change according to the need and platform it is accessed from.
When it comes to being responsive, Magento is the master of them all. Its elegant design allows an easy transition from device to devive without compromising with the beauty of the website. Allowing for an enjoyable and interesting browsing experience.
There is a long list of generic features we can list. But that is something everyone promises. So why should you consider Magento over other platforms?
Well, the answer is simple don’t believe in what the company says about themselves but checkout their clients and their reviews online. With the access that the internet provides you may even reach out to companies to get in-depth insights.
Fear not we got you covered on that front too.
The client list of the business is like the character certificate for the business. It explains how the business runs and how can it help you achieve your goals. So here are some for Magento.
Hewlett Packard (HP)
Known for their computers, laptops, and workstations. HP is one of the leading names in the industry for desktops. However, the main influence of the company is in the west. But with more than half of the world population living on the other side of the globe. The opportunity is too good to let go. Hence, when Hp decided to expand its reach to the Asia Pacific region they turned to Magento for help.
With assistance from Magento, HP set up multiple stores across the region. Creating a strong link between the stores and catapulting the company to the top of the computer industry in the region as well.
Rubik Cubes
Everyone has played with it as a kid at least once. Even if you did not know its name then. Rubik is a household name that has been a part of many people’s childhood. But that was before the internet entered our lives and we had immersive games to play online. But you will be shocked to know that the cube has not lost its audience and still have a great demand.
The best part about the company acknowledge the strength of their adversary and chose to use it to their advantage. Taking the business online and guess who they choose to help set up their shop online?
No, it is not WordPress but Magento. Yes, the company partnered with Magento and started their online journey. From there on out the company has seen steady progress. Even enjoying a growth rate of 150% in the United Kingdom. All with a little magic from Magento.
Bauhaus
Although, not the world knows. Bauhaus is a pretty serious deal in Germany as a home improvement service provider and home improvement equipment seller. The company has over 250 stores across Europe. In 2011 the company decided to enroll the help of Magento for their eCommerce solutions and since 2015 has seen a growth of 296% in online profits. Selling over 50 thousand products online.
In the end
To tell the truth, Magento is not for everyone out there. It is a very powerful eCommerce tool and any company that wishes to grow should opt for it. It can help businesses establish a quality online store that can help generate more profits. But it is important to buy the premium version to enjoy the full extent of its capacities and abilities.
If you are an expert coder or programmer. You can take the free route and access the free resource that are provided by the company but considering the work that goes into setting up and running an eCommerce website. Time and effort are two resources that are not freely available in the Magento open source community. In all, if you are considering Magento for your eCommerce website. Do consider the premium version for better performance.