As the global e-commerce market continues expanding, estimated to reach $8.1 trillion by 2026, more and more businesses go online to reach out to customers. Building a web store starts with planning and exploring the available options. Let’s talk about one of these — Magento.
Magento is a popular open-source e-commerce platform that provides companies with a flexible and extensible software to build online stores. It is known for its wide range of features, including a large ecosystem of extensions and themes, scalability, and security.
When should you choose Magento for web store development?
Deciding on the right e-commerce platform for the online store is crucial for your success. Magento excels as a powerful and adjustable option, but is it the perfect fit for you? Here’s a breakdown of when choosing Magento website development would be the most beneficial.
You have a complex product catalog or require extensive customization
Magento thrives with intricate product ranges, offering robust features like configurable products with diverse variations (e.g., size, color), grouped products (bundles, kits), downloadable products (ebooks, software), and advanced pricing rules and discounts. Its open-source nature allows for deep customization through themes, extensions, and custom development, tailoring the storefront to your unique brand and product needs.
You anticipate high growth and heavy traffic
Magento’s robust architecture efficiently handles large product volumes and significant customer traffic. The platform’s scalability ensures smooth performance during peak seasons or flash sales. There’s a Hyva theme for Magento 2 that also improves website performance significantly.
Take a look at prominent Magento stores with high traffic loads. In 2023, the online store of U.S. retail giant Harbor Freight emerged as the most visited e-commerce site built on Magento. As of December 2023, the hardware and tools powerhouse boasted a staggering monthly traffic of 31.1 million visits, solidifying its position as a leader in the online retail space. Trailing closely behind Harbor Freight was fashion retailer Sinsay, with 25.9 million monthly visits. Their impressive traffic figures underscore the platform’s ability to handle high volumes of transactions and deliver seamless shopping experiences.
You value control and flexibility
Magento empowers you to take complete control over your online store. Unlike hosted platforms with limited customization, Magento allows you to manage your hosting and server environment, integrate with any third-party tools or services, and develop custom functionalities to cater to your needs.
You have a dedicated development team or budget for development services
While Magento offers a user-friendly admin panel, its advanced features and customization potential often require technical expertise. Having a skilled development team in-house or a budget allocated for development services is crucial for unlocking Magento’s full potential.
You’re building a B2B e-commerce store
Magento excels in B2B functionalities like quotation systems and requests for proposals (RFPs), multi-company accounts and tiered pricing, and advanced purchase order management.
Magento specialists often offer migration services, helping to switch to the newer Magento 2 version of the platform. The business can hire Magento 2 upgrade services providers to gain the latest features, security patches, and updates.
Why hire specialists for Magento development and update
If you are considering using Magento for your online store, you may need to hire a Magento website development team. Magento development can be complex, so finding a developer with experience with the platform is essential. A good Magento developer can help you with tasks such as:
- Customizing your store by adding new features, changing the layout, or integrating with other systems;
- Developing extensions: if you need functionality that is not available in more than 4,000 pre-built extensions available in the official store, a developer can create a custom extension for you;
- Maintaining your store, including keeping your software up to date, fixing bugs, and ensuring your store runs smoothly.
Magento 2 top technologies
The platform offers various technologies to ensure Magento web store functionality and performance. The key techs include:
- PHP: Magento 2 is built on the PHP programming language. It is a widespread choice for web development due to its flexibility and many libraries and frameworks;
- MySQL: Magento 2 uses MySQL as its database management system, which is a popular open-source relational database management solution;
- Zend Framework: Magento 2 is built on top of the Zend Framework, a collection of reusable components for building web applications in PHP;
- JavaScript is used extensively in Magento 2 for front-end development, such as creating interactive elements and dynamic content;
- HTML5 and CSS3: Magento 2 uses HTML5 and CSS3 for front-end development, which provides the latest features and standards for web development;
- PWA (Progressive Web Apps) is a relatively new technology that allows web applications to provide a native app-like experience on mobile devices. Magento 2 PWA implements through the Magento PWA Studio, a set of tools that help developers build PWAs on top of Magento 2;
- GraphQL is a data querying language that allows developers to request precise data from an API. Magento 2 supports GraphQL, which can be used to improve the performance and flexibility of PWA development;
- Docker is an open-source platform for developers to build, ship, and run applications. Magento 2 can be deployed in Docker containers, which can help to improve portability and scalability;
- Cloud: Magento 2 can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud. Cloud deployments can offer some benefits, such as scalability, security, and ease of management.
These are just some of the critical technologies used in Magento 2. Magento 2 is a complex platform with many features, so choosing the right technologies for your needs is essential.
Conclusion
Knowing Magento’s main characteristics and advantages may help determine if Magento’s power and flexibility align with your e-commerce needs and resources. If you’re looking for a platform that scales with your ambition and offers unparalleled control, Magento could be your ideal partner for online success.
