Using Magento to build and run your eCommerce store comes with a whole host of benefits. Here, we’re going to be talking about some of Magento 2’s biggest plus points – the most important features that make it worth considering.
Getting to Know Magento
The Many Faces of Magento
First things first, it’s important to keep in mind that there are three different versions of Magento. Each comes with different uses and features. They are:
Magento 2 Open Source: Also known as the Community Edition, this is the free version of Magento. Downloadable from the Magento website, anyone can use it. However, users are then responsible for hosting, support, and development costs.
Magento 2 Commerce: The full, on premises, premium edition of Magento comes with added features and support. Magento Commerce gives eCommerce business owners complete control of their website.
Magento 2 Commerce Cloud: This is a cloud-hosted version of the full Magento 2 platform. However, it gets rid of the need for self-hosting, which can cut costs for businesses who need it.
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Magento 1 vs Magento 2
You may have heard of two different editions of Magento. If you’re confused, here’s a re-cap of Magento’s history.
Magento 1 was the original version of the platform. First released in 2008, it quickly became one of the most popular tools for building and running eCommerce websites.
However, as eCommerce exploded throughout the 10s, the original version of Magento became outdated and a new version was developed: Magento 2. The aim was to enhance the platforms speed and performance, as well as give customers a more user-friendly experience.
Magento 1 officially reached End of Life in June 2020. Adobe, Magento’s parent company, no longer provides support for the platform. So it’s important that users, both new and old, have their website up to date in order to improve performance and negate security issues.
Magento’s Most Important Features
Here at CreativeMinds, we’re big fans of Magento 2, but today we’re not here to convince you of it’s merits. We are here, however, to talk you through some of the most important features that make Magento the great eCommerce platform that it is. Then it’s up to you to see if you feel it stacks up against its competitors.
1. User Friendly Functions
It was a big ask to expect merchants to move their entire website from Magento 1 to Magento 2. The developers behind the platform knew they’d have to deliver to make it worthwhile, and they put their focus on a more user friendly experience for businesses.
One of the biggest is the introduction of the streamlined admin panel. The admin panel puts control in the hands of – you guessed it – the website admins.
Easy to use with simplified navigation, Magento 2 comes with even more tools to help you easily customize your website and the experience you have while editing it.
2. Improved Product Section
What’s the most important part of any eCommerce store? The products! Magento 2 also features an improved product section that has benefit for business owners and customers alike.
The latest version of Magento brings expanded options when it comes to configuring your product section. Having these features at your fingertips can save you valuable time when it comes to editing your website.
3. Touch Friendly Features
Speaking of fingertips, Magento 2 also comes with added touch sensitive capabilities. The Magento 2 back-end admin dashboard is responsive and touch sensitive, which means you can even edit your website on touch enabled tablets.
This feature highlights Magento’s commitment to continually upgrading their platform, making sure that it keeps up to date with the latest trends and technologies.
4. Upgraded Checkout
Another one of Magento’s biggest plus points is the revamped checkout that came with Magento 2.
The checkout is now streamlined and flows well for the customer. In addition to this, Magento has teamed up with Worldpay and Cybersource to make sure payment protection is as tight as it can be. Magento 2 also saw them add more payment options for merchants as standard, including PayPal and Braintree.
A positive checkout process is one of the most important parts of online retail, so Magento’s focus on making this experience the best it can be is huge positive.
5. Magento Marketplace
The reality is this: you could create the biggest, best, all-encompassing eCommerce platform you could imagine. There would probably still be a feature missing, or something additional that someone, somewhere might want. That’s where the community comes in.
One of the best features of Magento is the availability of good quality extensions that can help to make your eCommerce site even better.
Magento Marketplace does exactly what it says in the name. It serves as a marketplace where developers can share their extensions and business owners can find out more and make a download.
If you’re in the market (see what we did there?) for Magento 2 extensions, check out the extensions from CreativeMinds.
Magento Magic
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Magento’s many features and attributes. With such a powerful platform, there’s so much you can do to customize your website and make the web store of your dreams. So, what are you waiting for?
For a complete list of the features available with Magento 2, check out the features document from Magento.
