Magento

Why Magento Is Better Than Other Shopping Cart Platforms

The city of Las Vegas has become a popular place for those looking to establish their careers in nearly any industry, including that of ecommerce. But if you operate an online store, you know how important it is to have an authentic, fully-functional shopping cart system in place. Not only does it streamline the entire transaction process for both you and the customer, but it also adds that extra level of security to your website. And as hackers and identity theft are constant threats on the World Wide Web, security should be your number one concern. But when you are deciding on a shopping cart platform for your website there are several different options you can choose from. In the past, the most popular ecommerce systems were Zen Cart and osCommerce; but as you are about to find out, they have been overshadowed by the newest shopping cart platform available - Magento, which has quickly taken the world of ecommerce by storm.

A Brief Comparison Of Ecommerce Platforms

OsCommerce made its debut in industry of ecommerce in March of 2000, and made use of a variety of basic features such as PHP compatibility and quick and easy web-based installation, as well as more intricate features like customer payment and shipping options, multilingual support, and SSL support. Furthermore, osCommerce is based on open-source technology, which means that ordinary, average computer users are able to add to the support code in an attempt to increase the functionality. While osCommerce used to be the industry standard when it came to eCommerce software for your online store, it has since been replaced by newer, more innovated software suites. Based on the original source code used by osCommerce, Zen Cart was developed in June of 2003. While Zen Cart does include all of the basic functionality that you would expect from an ecommerce platform, they have little more to offer beyond the basics. Because their design and development staff is limited, Zen Cart doesn't even include the level of functionality seen with other ecommerce systems such as osCommerce and Magento. And if you are trying to compete in the 21st century from a small building in a city like Las Vegas, you'll need all of the functionality you can get.

Magento Enters The Ecommerce Industry

Thankfully, the open source shopping cart platform Magento was launched in March of 2008 after nearly a year of development, and ecommerce experts are already raving about it. Furthermore, online store owners are already embracing it as well, as is demonstrated by the fact that Magento has had well over 500,000 downloads in its short lifespan. Created by Varien Inc, this newest ecommerce system expands on the open-source, object-oriented Zend Framework; a web development platform that has already been in use for several years.

Basic Features Of Magento

When comparing the different types of ecommerce shopping carts today, there are a few basic features that are common to nearly every single software suite. Magento is no exception - but just because these features are basic necessities doesn't mean that they can't be improved upon; and that is exactly what Magento does. For starters, Magento includes all of the basic functionality you would expect from an ecommerce platform - it has all of the payment and shipping options seen in other ecommerce software like Zen Cart and osCommerce, and because of its multilingual support Magento is even able to accept foreign currencies, as well. Product and catalog browsing options allow your users to navigate your online store with ease, and the analytics provided by Magento will help you make improvements to your site in order to better cater to your customer's needs.

Advanced Functionality of Magento

Obviously you'll enjoy all of the basic ecommerce functionality no matter what software suite you use - whether it is Magento, osCommerce, or Zen Cart. But what really sets Magento apart from its competitors is the advanced functionality seen in this platform that you simply can't find elsewhere.

  • -Advanced search engine optimization (SEO) strategies and techniques
  • -The ability to manage multiple shopping cart systems across several websites
  • -Expanded customer account options allow for a more interactive and user-friendly experience, such as the option of making and saving wishlists for the future
  • -Customers can post their own reviews after making a transaction on your site, which may help other customers decide on a purchase
  • -Optimized mobile ecommerce options, allowing you to monitor Magento from wherever you are
  • -Flexible pricing options, including the ability to implement coupons and discount codes into your online store

    • As you can see, Magento has much more to offer your online store than osCommerce or Zen Cart can even hope to provide. While this is a rather new ecommerce platform, Magento has already proven itself to be even more comprehensive than some of the other systems that have already been in use for years. Add in an unmatched level of security, stability, and technical support and you have an open-sourced ecommerce platform that simply can't be beat; whether your online business is based out of Las Vegas or any other city around the globe.