What Is Magento?
Magento is one of the most used content management systems in the e-commerce niche.
And yet many techies I talk to are unaware of it.
Magento remains a mystery for people not directly involved with it or not yet looking for an e-commerce platform.
And while the digital ocean is full of software, Magento is definitely something worth getting to know.
Then why not familiarize yourself with it?
Long story short:
Magento is an e-commerce platform built on open source technology which provides online merchants with a flexible shopping cart system, as well as control over the look, content and functionality of their online store.
Magento offers powerful marketing, search engine optimization, and catalogue-management tools.
What’s more:
The platform was purchased by Adobe in mid-2018, which highlights the interest Magento can provoke in tech circles.
But before we jump into the significance of the software for the digital world, we should take a look at what Magento actually is.
Here’s the deal:
By definition Magento is PHP based, open source software which enables users to create and manage their e-stores.
And Magento was created with the idea of cutting out the middleman.
What does this mean?
Well, if you happen to lack programming skills and want to create a website, you’d most likely need the help of a developer.
Here’s how it goes down:
Magento saves you all that trouble by having a platform to step on when creating your website. In other words, you get a ready to use, customizable website.
Magento also offers a variety of plug-ins and themes which can easily enhance your experience and allow you to modify your page however you like.
But that’s not the end of it:
The other crucial advantage Magento has is open source code. You get to build on top of what Magento already provides, and that makes the platform ideal for any type of requirements.
You’re obviously provided with the option of saving yourself the trouble by just deploying all the pre-built features you need.
Magento creators like to point out that the software is easy to manage even by people with no technical background because of all the functionalities that are just a click away. And the platform is designed to be utilized by someone who isn’t a developer. The Magento community is large and helpful.
However:
Many users believe that Magento does need developers in its integration.
It’s a robust system even at its most basic. Once you begin to integrate it with other systems, you could get overwhelmed and that’s when developers are called upon to adjust Magento.
And still:
The platform openly provides all you need to customize and scale your e-shop. If you think the investment is worth it, you can take the time and learn how to implement it yourself.
Now:
Magento has its pros and cons, but it is the only contents management system that can provide you with that scale of flexibility. The stats below prove it’s still very much the preferred choice when it comes to managing e-stores.
The numbers are clear:
- Around 232,000 websites run on Magento
- The platform accounts for 4% share of e-commerce market
- Merchants using Magento grow 3 times faster, on average
- It is the second most popular e-commerce platform
- Websites running on Magento almost doubled between 2017-2018
Here’s the bottom line:
If you haven’t heard of Magento until now, I hope this introduction gives you somewhat of an idea of what the platform is and what it can offer.
Who knows when you might get the urge to open your very own online business, right?
About The Author:
Nick Galov, Head of Content and Community Manager at HostingTribunal.com. With years of experience as frontline support and system administrator, Nick wants to improve the web hosting industry as whole. Through impartial reviews and detailed case studies he helps people find the most suitable hosting provider. In the rare moments he unplugs from the digital world, Nick enjoys hiking and cycling.