Is Joomla the Best Choice for Your New Ecommerce Website?
One of the most important decisions you can make when starting an online business selling products is what CMS platform to use. Joomla has been a long time favorite and has droves of fans, but is it your best choice? Here is a quick overview of the most popular ecommerce platforms available.
1. Joomla
Joomla is most commonly teamed up with VirtueMart as a comprehensive ecommerce solution. VirtueMart has a ton of add-ons which makes it extremely customizable. It also has been around for some time, so there are a large number of themes readily available to help customize your website. Joomla also have several other options available, however few have all of the options that VirtueMart has. Additionally, if you already have a good handle on Joomla the learning curve is not very high.
2. Magento
The Magento community continues to grow. It may be the most flexible CMS ecommerce solution that is available however it has several drawbacks that need to be considered. While Magento is extremely flexible, it is also very bloated. This means that it has an extremely high learning curve with stops some people from trying it in the first place. It also tends to run very slow on anything less than a dedicated server. It also can be very difficult to customize past its designed flexibility. So while it is a complete ecommerce package, it is definitely not for the faint of heart.
3. Wordpress
Wordpress has not historically been a popular choice as an ecommerce platform. However, with the Simple CMS and either the WP e-commerce or WP Shopping Cart plugin it can be very effective. Wordpress always has lingering concerns about security that you will need to consider when deciding whether or not it is right for you.
4. Drupal
Drupal is considered by many as a solid ecommerce solution. However, it seems that most people who choose Drupal as their ecommerce solution have already used Drupal. It can have a very steep learning curve regarding customization. If you choose Drupal, you will also likely use the Ubercart module. It is very powerful, but again has a very high learning curve.
There are many more popular options available and everyone seems to have their own opinion about which one they like best. Each one is designed a little differently which means that they each handle differently. The best choice is the one that matches you and the way you think the best.
If Joomla seems to be the right fit for you, or you already use Joomla as your CMS solution then there are several very good options available as an ecommerce solution.
1. VirtueMart
VirtueMart is consistently considered the best alternative if you are going to have a large ecommerce site. The best part is that it is free. However, many people feel that it is too big for what they need. If you are looking for a lightweight option, then VirtueMart is not for you. That being said, it has more add-ons and templates than any other Joomla ecommerce solution. It is hands down the most advanced solution available.
2. OpenFreeway
OpenFreeway is another free option that is growing in popularity. It is much easier to handle than VirtueMart and has several advantages. It gives you many more payment gateway options as well as many more shipping options. However, it has some limitations as well. If you need support and cannot find the answers yourself in a forum, then getting help is going to cost you. All of the customer support is commercial which means that if you get stuck, you are going to have to pay for help. It also does not integrate well with Google Analytics which can make tracking your customers difficult.
3. iJoomla Digistore
iJoomla Digistore is great for a lightweight ecommerce solution. However, unlike the other two, it is not free. It is currently $79.95. It also does not have as many payment gateway options as the other two. However, it does have all of the major ones, such as: PayPal, 2Checkout, PayPal Pro, and Authorize.net. Other limitations include: lack of multiple currencies, lack of language options, limited and layout modification. The one big advantage is that it is extremely simple to use. It is easy to understand and easy for customers to navigate. If you need a simple solution, the Digistore is not a bad choice.
There are a number of options available, and none are particularly better than the rest. The questions really lies on what exactly you need. For a massive ecommerce option, VirtueMart is still king. However more lightweight options like OpenFreeway and iJoomla Digistore are great for sleek, streamline solutions.
I love working with Joomla
I love working with Joomla the easiest most robust CMS out The admin panel is a breeze article posting is super easy and with all the modules like CB and Virtumart there is very little limit to what you can do in Joomla
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