Magento, now Adobe eCommerce, is a content management platform released in 2008 by Varien Inc to help developers create beautiful e-commerce websites. Hundreds of thousands of businesses (including Samsung, Néstle, Ford, Nike, and others) use Magento for their e-commerce stores. LitExtension ranked Magento as a top 3 platform merchants migrate to.
Features
Integrated B2B functionality
Magento lets your customers self-manage their accounts. Customers can create tailor-made pricing, catalogs, and experiences for their buyers. They can also access quick order forms and request quotes anytime, among many other functions.
Live Search
Customers can get what they are looking for at the click of a button. This is possible through ML Adobe sensei category pages synced in real-time with AI-powered search results. Adobe Sensei gives each shopper real-time personalized rankings such as “most viewed,” “trending,” and “recommended for you.”
Payment Services
Magento uses a revamped, all-in-one payment feature that gives merchants the power to manage all their storefronts on a single panel. Merchants can get deeper insights into their business’ cash flow and improve reconciliation.
Scalability
This solution is designed to meet the growing needs of your expanding store without tying up extra resources. The Adobe Developer App Builder extends native Adobe Commerce capabilities to build unique shopping experiences and integrate with third-party apps. You can add your preferred payment options on your platform or integrate with CRM or ERP. You can easily select from a wide array of extension services and APIs so you can deliver your shopping experience the way you want.
Pricing & Plans
Magento is available to download and install without charge. The free version gives you basic features and themes. But you’ll have to invest in a paid plan to create a fully functional Magento website. Here are some of the costs to expect.
Hosting
Depending on the hosting provider, you can expect to pay anywhere between $25 to $500 a month. Additional costs to expect include domain name registration, SSL certification, and extensions.
Payment Processing
Magento supports the payment methods below. Prices for the extensions tend to fluctuate, but Magento doesn’t charge any sales or commission fees.
- Cash on delivery
- Purchase order
- Check/money order
- Bank transfer
You can also integrate any of the following payment gateways:
- Authorize.net
- Paypal
Pros
- You can fully customize Magento and modify your store to your liking
- Magento has SEO-friendly features to attract high-quality traffic to your site
- Non-technical teams can easily use it to design intuitive and user-friendly E-commerce sites
- Magento offers the fastest page load time compared to other platforms
- It can integrate effortlessly with other third-party extensions, add-ons and plugins
- You can use a single Magento account to manage multiple stores
Cons
- Magento is beleaguered with bugs
- Magento web development is costlier than alternatives like WooCommerce or Shopify.
- Migrating to Magento 2 is complex and tedious. It’s almost like building your site from scratch
- Customers complain of lackluster support from Magento’s technical team
- Magento might run slower if you run your store on shared hosting platforms.
The Verdict
Magento is a powerful solution for retailers who want to establish a powerful eCommerce presence. Its range of features is customizable to ensure your site scales in sync with your business’s growth needs. Although it costs more than the alternatives, it is much more secure and user-friendly.
