Wednesday, 22 March 2017

Magento vs. WordPress ecommerce – a comparison of two leading e-commerce tools

Yes we know this is the ecommerce equivalent of pitching Klitschko against Haye or Federer against Nadal, but these two heavyweights in the world of ecommerce tools do have fundamental differences that are worth exploring. That’s why this week we are comparing Magento ecommerce against WordPress ecommerce to see how the two compare and what they can offer you so that you can feel confident that you know the difference and understand what is most suitable for your needs.

With there being so many ecommerce platforms available out there it can often be difficult to decide what to choose and why, as they offer different functionality. So let’s start with the similarities between Magento web design and WordPress web design:

They are both easy to start up and set up
They are both open source platforms – with both offering a free version
They both allow the ability to integrate blogging into their functionality
They both have the ability to easily add products

So they can both be quite powerful foundations for a successful site. We have themes our comparison to give you balanced view of the advantages of both platforms.

Ecommerce activity

Both platforms support ecommerce activity in that they both enable selling functions.
However, magento was developed solely with ecommerce in mind so is designed to cope with high levels of sales and product management.
Magento also offers a range of plugins designed specifically for enhancing ecommerce processes, from customising shipping options, payment integration, dynamic pricing, gift cards and codes and order fulfilment.
WordPress offers a number of ecommerce plugins, however, they are through third party developed plug ins – which can be less supported and sometimes less secure.
Ecommerce development and growth
WordPress has a number of themes and plugins to add and enhance your site from the tonnes of 3rd party plugins available. These can be added and developed as your site develops and grows.
Magento was developed with growth of business in mind and once the site is developed on a Magento platform it works with you to understand its growth and customer activity to help you determine where to make further change and investment.

Posting content and brand growth

With Magento being primarily a tool for selling and ecommerce there are limitations to what it can offer for the brand and customer integrating elements of your site. Outside of the ecommerce functionality Magento offers mainly visual enhancement options only.
WordPress has been crafted with a content management system in mind. Visually and operationally, WordPress platforms offer innovative and tailored techniques to engage with your customers both existing and potential. Through using multimedia plugins and social networking plugins, your WordPress site can tap into customer profiles that reach very far indeed. WordPress sites can really bank on your branding and promote its awareness very quickly and effectively.

The difference and suitability all boils down to one question – what is the goal for your site? If your site is primarily based around selling a vast array and quantity of products and everything else is additional added value then Magento is probably the best platform for you. However, if your site sells a few products or merchandise but is primarily a brand management and social networking hub to interact and engage with your customer demographic then WordPress is far and away the best option for you.



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