By Miguel Balparda, Magento Developer at Santex
More than ever, eCommerce is at the front and center of the retail strategy conversation. In the first quarter of this year, online shopping surpassed $50 billion USD, while also breaking records in Latin America. Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina are the biggest markets. Leading the technology to drive eCommerce applications, Magento has become the #1 platform for online shopping. In fact, this software platform has grown so popular that eBay bought it in 2011.
Technically speaking, Magento is an open source web application based on one of today’s most popular and complete frameworks: Zend Framework. The framework itself has everything a developer needs to use and fits really well with Magento Core. This rich eCommerce solution has some of the most accepted features in merchant stores, is easy to install, and comes integrated with Paypal. Another major plus is that Magento is written in PHP, one of the most-commonly used programming languages in the world. Moreover, big and small package carriers such as UPS and FedEx have integrated Magento into the backbone of their infrastructure to unify ordering and shipping.
One of Magento’s biggest advantages is that it provides the merchant with a full set of reports regarding the status of their online store. For businesses with an international client base, Magento offers store management in different languages under the same installation process. This means that the platform stock control only runs through the decision making of one administrator.
There are a few drawbacks that should be considered before implementing a Magneto framework. One of its most common problems is its slow response capacity. In order for it to run smoothly, it must have at least a VPS (Virtual Private Server). Some advance caching systems are needed for rapid loading times. Another important disadvantage for this technology is that it has a steep learning curve. Time and effort are required to operate the system, even for the most technically sound of developers.
However, the platform really is a complete suite for running a fully functional enterprise. Stock and price points can be managed, as well as customer subscriptions and newsletters. A Content Management System (CMS) is provided as a regular feature. Magento also owns a marketplace for its extension: Magento Connect. Through this option, merchants can purchase extensions to customize and enhance their online platform. In fact, the Magento community is varied and developers can access numerous tools and resources like Magento Commerce boards and StackOverflow.
About the author – Miguel Balparda has been developing Magento for almost four years. During this time, he has witnessed the exponential growth the platform has undergone; today it is one of the largest and most popular online stores in the world. There is a great deal of documentation and resources available for both merchants and developers. It is best to start by scanning the official Magento website, where you can find resources to get in touch with the application, as well as free extensions to learn the structure of modules. Miguel can be contacted at communications@santexgroup.com
Sources
- Magento Is The Leading eCommerce Platform For Alexa’s Top 1M Sites – Magento Blog See more at: http://bit.ly/15zpF2d
- Magento – Wikipedia. See more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magento#History
- What is magento? See more at: http://ampersandcommerce.com/what-is-magento/
- El comercio electrónico crecerá en LATAM un 70% entre 2012 y 2016. See more at: http://bit.ly/16tIIxf
- Magento Commerce Boards. See more at: http://www.magentocommerce.com/boards/
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