To help you make up your mind, we’ll take a look at the features of several popular platforms that are most popular in online store development. Some of them are paid engines and others are free (open source). In this article we will look at the free CMS.
In addition to good prices, product range and a number of other factors, the success of the online store is also influenced by the quality of the technical implementation of the site, namely the available functionality and adjustability.
A critical factor in the success of e-commerce is the choice of CMS. What to stop on: the simplest solution to get started quickly or implement a complex and resource-demanding platform with the claim of an online supermarket? Or maybe there is some optimal solution, the golden mean? In this variety it is easy to get lost.
After the launch and in the initial stages of business development in online trading, it seems that the main thing is to make sales and get the first customers. But once the sales flow stabilizes and the amount of goods and support start to grow, you may face a number of technical limitations. Then comes the understanding that the right choice of CMS for an online store, in fact, is far from the last importance for the success of the project as a whole.
After a few months, it becomes clear that the sales ceiling has been reached, and in order to move forward, the range needs to be expanded. And to reach a new level of development and customer service, significantly refine the technical functionality.
If you initially chose the wrong script online store, it is not ready to scale and load, this task will cost the business owner a lot of money. At the same time, in some cases, the implementation of the set goals may be completely unfeasible. This means that you have to start everything from scratch.
A similar situation is also the case if you use a self-written engine as a CMS for an online store. Such development by default will cost several times more, even in comparison with a paid “box” system. No less expensive will be the cost of support, maintenance, correction of permanent errors, etc. Also, in case of modifications, you will often have to spend the budget on implementing the capabilities that are available in ready-made systems by default.
I think you already understood what the wrong choice of a technical platform for starting a business can be for a business owner. That is the criteria that should be guided when choosing a CMS for an online store.
Design patterns.
This is kind of the face of your online store and therefore this issue should be given top priority. In many ways, trust in the seller also depends on this, because the potential buyer evaluates the site, mainly from a visual point of view. The more free and paid themes available for selection, the better chance you have of creating an online store that looks exactly the way you would like. It should be understood that the same adaptive design has already become a necessity.
Catalog and merchandise file.
These are the most important components of the online store, and therefore when considering the engine for future use, this should be given priority. Adding products should be easy and product catalog management should be flexible and understandable. It should be possible to customize various attributes, inferring additional features, eg discounts, etc. Here is a sample of what a good quality product page looks like:
Similarly, in connection with the product catalog, you should pay attention to the ability to control the display of the list of products and their sorting by using different filters. For example, it can be sorted by price, date of receipt, separate technical characteristics. This functionality from the user is in special demand.
Delivery and payment methods.
Different people have different preferences, and what is convenient for one person will be inconvenient for another. Therefore, the owner of the online store must provide his customers with the possibility to choose between different delivery and payment options. For example, a resident of a big city will approach a method using a courier and cash, but a buyer living in the hinterland will give preference to mail and cash on delivery. You should also remember about such an option as the final count of the purchase price in the basket taking into account the delivery price. The client must see how much he will pay after the fact.
extended capabilities.
In addition to the above points, the functionality of the engine for the online store can include a very large list of prospects. Of course, not all of them are critically important, but some directly affect usability, conversion, and other factors on which profits depend. This includes the removal of recently viewed and related products, best sellers and news, the formation of product bundles, order management and customer data, a wish list, flexible discounts, etc.
The cost of maintenance.
This point usually remains hidden until the business owner is confronted with the negative aspects associated with it. Regardless of whether you are using a paid CMS for an online store or open source, sooner or later you will have to implement various additional works. And its cost can vary greatly depending on the engine. Usually, for a popular system with a high-quality architecture, it is not only easier to find a specialist, but the price of work will be more affordable, as the market dictates.
Free platforms for the online store
There are quite a few CMS available for the online store. At the same time, some of them are already outdated both morally and in terms of technologies, and some are not even supported by the developers themselves. Therefore, we decided to consider the characteristics of those who are in the top three.
Despite the fact that system developers are bribed with promised functionality, technical support and other buns, the open source CMS for the online store is equally popular. The fact is that many of them offer functionalities, which cover 90% of the needs of a typical online store, and the refinements in most cases are of an individual nature, with these tasks perfectly handled by the specialists of the web agency. In this case, there is not much use of the modules available in the basic set. The most popular free engines for online stores are Magento, PrestaShop and Opencart.
Magento
One of the most popular CMS for online stores in the US and other Western markets. One of the main advantages of Magento is the large number of possible templates, plugins and other extensions that greatly simplify the addition of new features. It is true that most of them are paid.
Magento Features:
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The platform developed with great functionality and extensive adjustment possibilities;
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A large number of extensions available on the market, both paid and free;
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The scalability potential allows you not to be afraid of possible problems when developing an online store in the future;
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For high performance and speed, you need a dedicated server.
PrestaShop
CMS with open source code, which, due to its flexibility, is actively used in the development of multi-tier online stores. At the moment, the creators of PrestaShop have integrated more than 300 functions into the system to solve a variety of business tasks. Virtually everything needed is already available for free, and non-standard individual needs are addressed through third-party extensions or additional work.
This engine is a European development and according to Wikipedia data, the number of stores created on this CMS has exceeded 250 thousand!
PrestaShop features:
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A large number of built-in functions, which is more than enough for most online stores;
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A large number of modern design templates, adapted for use on mobile devices, most of which are of very high quality;
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High speed of work even with a large product catalog with tens of thousands of products;
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The ability to scale from a small online store to a large online supermarket;
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The cost of some modules is higher than average (60-70 euros), so in some cases it is more profitable to order modifications than to buy a ready-made solution.
PrestaShop is well suited to those online store owners who want a project “for themselves”, with extensive basic functionality, a modern look and feel and flexible management.
open car
One of the easiest engines to manage for online stores. The main factor is the ease of mastering the admin panel, the ease of adding and managing products. True, the disadvantages of OpenCart. Simplicity of start results in the costs connected with need for constant terminations and correction of mistakes. Web agency specialized in e-commerce solutions, responsive web design, custom web development and creation of online stores on different CMS platforms, individual software development, services, etc. It can help you with the solution of current tasks and improvements.
OpenCart features:
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Ease of management of the online store by the user;
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Lots of plugins, both paid and free;
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The system itself is simple and “light”, it will work on virtual hosting without problems;
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Low cost of additional work, since there are many specialists who work with this system;
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Layout templates are often tailored to a specific version of the engine;
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The large number of duplicate pages generated by the engine is one of its main drawbacks.
In general, this option is only for sites that are small and limited in terms of functionality. If you need to develop an online store running OpenCart, it will require a lot of refinement, and the complexity of scaling will be a key issue.
Which CMS for an online store is better?
In general, each of the engines is good in its own way, and when choosing, you should be based on the specific requirements of your business. It is necessary to take into account the specificities of the trade, the available resources and the planned development strategy. Otherwise, the wrong initial choice will result in wasted time and money in the future.
The particularity of working with free CMS is that if you want you can download and install any of the open source engines to test it at work. But a person without the appropriate technical skills to make the choice of the engine for the online store will not be easy. Therefore, if you have such questions and do not know where to stop, contact the specialists of the web agency and they will surely help you make the right choice.