Pros and Cons of Using Magento for your eCommerce Website

magento logoMagento is an open source e-commerce web application for online businesses. If you are seeking eCommerce software that allows for efficient scalability, then Magento could be it. This software serves both high end and low end online businesses, it has a free version as well as costly premium versions of the application.

Online businesses are universally regarded as thriving enterprises and Magneto is considered one of the fastest growing e-commerce platforms. The following are pros and cons of Magneto.

 

Pros

 

Unique features

Magento software comes with unique features not found in other e-commerce software. Some of these features include its ability to manage multiple store fronts. It also supports multi-language and multi-currency capabilities allowing it to be used anywhere in the world. This frees you from the need for a translator or a calculator when converting your currency. Magento is optimized for mobile devices which means it is accessible while you’re on the move. Best of all, it was designed to be search engine (SEO) friendly. These unique features are a plus in terms of gaining added advantage for your business from competitors.

User friendly

This software is user friendly in all aspects, especially when it comes to administrative navigation. Technical jargon is kept to a minimum with an emphasis on clarity and ease of use. The home page is well organized and straight forward. This allows users a convenient environment in which they can work efficiently.

Cost relations

The best part of using Magneto is that the community version of comes free of charge. Being an open source web application software, this version needs no investment on your part. This is the version designed for tight or nonexistent budgets.

Community coverage

Magento software comes with access to a wide community of users across the world. These users have developed many extensions and plugins. These are essential as they act as support features that will grow your business. This global community also creates a link between businesses.

Customizable and flexibility features

Magento software allows for extensive customization. As such Magnetos allows different businesses to individualize processes despite using similar software. Your site will therefore look exactly as you want it. This gives a business full control over the codes necessary to develop and design their desired business related platform. Such customization is advantageous in that it allows you to design the application to fit your specific preferences.

Built to scale

Magento has the capability to handle a variety of capacities and a wide range of products. It takes into account both small-scale and large scale businesses. This is why it is also preferred by global brands.

 

Cons

 

Lack of suitable developers

Due to the complexity of developing a Magento system, it is difficult to find good and qualified developers. This system has over 20,000 files and 200 database table. Due to this level of complexity, expertise is required in its execution.

Cost prohibitive versions

While the community version of the application does come for free, other, more complex versions do come at escalating costs. The Enterprise version has a starting price of US$ 14,420 per year. The Premium Enterprise version has a start price of US$ 49,990 per year and is designed for large businesses. The price will also be affected by the developer installing it. The better the developer, the more Magento is likely to cost.

Limit to hosting

Magento is suitable for even large scale e-commerce enterprises. Due to its size and complexity, it is best hosted on dedicated servers that can be configured by you. Using Magento within a shared hosting structure will make slow which in turn will unfortunately result in a cumbersome and congested user experience.

Time consuming

Given Magneto’s various applications, complexity and variations, setting it up also requires that quite some time due to its complexity.

 

It is evident that even with all these limitations, Magneto’s compelling pros outweigh its few minor cons. Depending on the needs and preferences of your business and the aforementioned pros and cons, you are now empowered with the data necessary to decide if Magento is the right solution for your business’s e-commerce objectives and goals.