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Magento Enterprise: Store Owner Advantages

Nov 4, 2014 4 min read 285 views
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Magento Enterprise: Store Owner Advantages

Free software is very convenient in terms of saving money which is very important now. But is this statement right in the field of internet business?

Let us review the advantages of Magento ® Enterprise, a paid Magento ® edition, as well as some facts about Magento ®  Community edition.

Magento Enterprise Reference

Magento ® is an open source code platform. A free edition can be downloaded from the official site and it is used by quite a significant number of online businesses. Over 25% of entrepreneurs use this Magento enterprise edition. Originally, the system founders designed it to meet the requirements of customers from completely different business spheres.

What are the advantages of the free Magento ® Community edition:

1. There is a separate section where design files are stored. Unlike most of the site building systems in which design settings need to be looked for in various folders, Magento ® has a specific directory for design configurations.  This helps to keep everything in a more organized fashion so that administrative duties are much easier to accomplish.

2. A huge quantity of additional modules. You can use different extensions for Magento ® to extend your web store functionality. This is very convenient and efficient. The extensions can also be free or paid (paid options offer more functional capabilities, of course).  By providing a more robust site to your viewers and potential buyers you empower their ability to view, navigate and make purchasing decisions from your eCommerce store solution.

3. Easy system upgrade. You do not need any specific skills to upgrade Magento ® Community systems, the only disadvantage is that it is necessary to install each version in strict order, e.g. you cannot jump from 1.5 to 1.9 at once. You will need to upgrade it to 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 and only then install the version 1.9. From the other point of view, this is even good and will help you to avoid upgrade confusion.

4. At the very beginning, Community edition was created with a consideration for both programmers and marketing specialists. The configuration of SEO, payment modules, product lines, sales, etc. – all is possible without a necessity to use third-party extensions.  In this way, your store takes on full functionality of an eCommerce store out-of-the-gate instead of trying to figure out what is wrong and how it needs to be corrected once a successful launch has been accomplished.

But, despite all that, in time Magento ® presented a more extended edition which is mostly used by large companies. It is called Magento ® Enterprise.

Main peculiarities of Magento Enterprise

We should mention that Magento ® Enterprise is not a cheap purchase. It costs $15,550. However, for that price, you get the whole set of functions that were not available in earlier editions.

Magento Enterprise advantages

1. A mobile web store. You can configure the system to work on mobile devices without installation of any third party extensions. The necessary module is built into the system which is very convenient.  Given the rise in popularity of mobile browsing and Google’s position on not ranking sites that fail to offer such amenities, there is every reason to ensure your eCommerce solution is mobile ready (aka responsive).  If you need any assistance with the configuration you are welcome to contact the experts of GoMage and ask for advice.

2. The option of extended product offers is very useful. Now web store owners can offer their customers those products in which they are actually interested. The list can be created with the help of order history.  Knowing the preferences of your audience’s interest can help you to custom make their experience within your store which results in greater purchasing power being realized from previous, current and future customers alike.

3. A widened multi-language option, extended currency support and other useful features for large international web portals and stores.  By increasing the convenience of your viewer geographically as well as linguistically you strength the possibility of not only receiving a purchase but also building a loyal following that will trust you for years to come.

4. Extended SEO possibilities. For example, automatic sitemap generation, the creation of an address list of sites that may serve as link agents, filling in metadata, etc.  Google still receives the lions share of search engine traffic.  Further, there are other search engines reaching your target buying audience.  Not taking advantage of the power provided by search engine optimization (SEO) is, therefore, a very unwise course of action.  By being where your audience is before they get there you increase possibilities of securing new and additional sales opportunities.

5. You can use the admin panel to manage customers’ data such as their location and order history. Besides, you can control all their actions.  Not having this type of power with your eCommerce store can lead to disappointed or disillusioned customers, decreased purchasing power and increased returns if customers do not perceive their individual needs are being taken care of appropriately.

6. You have a possibility to run a private sale for VIP customers. This is very convenient for online auctions or just for stores that sale rare expensive products, such as Antiques, fashion boutiques, jewelry stores.  While #5 points out many things you can do to drive customers away, here it should be noted that there are plenty of actions you can take to increase customer loyalty.  Making your frequent flyers fill valued and appreciated is certainly one of those ways that should be at the top of your list.

7. The company states that Magento ® Enterprise edition performs catalog re-indexing much faster, is better optimized for the search engines and is more flexible compared to Magento ® Community.  At first blush, these points may seem minor but they are major both in the eyes of user experience and as search engines (ie Google) are concerned.

8. A very simple and flexible tax calculation system that works without any additional extensions.  The more convenient the process is for your potential buyers the greater the possibility that they will proceed in those buying decisions you desire them to be making.

9. But the most necessary option is probably the possibility of site certification to be able to accept direct credit card payments without installation of additional modules.  This process allows HTTP sites to convert to its more secure alternative of HTTPS.  Now you do not need to install additional extensions from PayPal or other payment processing extensions.

These are by far not all advantages of the paid Magento ® edition. Naturally, it is only really large internet portals that actually need it, as they perform trade operations with a huge amount of clients every day.

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