I use WordPress, a lot. There are a lot of reasons for this. Namely, it’s relatively easy to learn and use which is nice for my clients when they want to make simple edits of their own site. It has features that make it very easy to adjust the look and feel of the site and there is a very large community out there programming almost any piece of functionality you can think of for easy WordPress integration (and often, you have your choice of a number if plugins that provide roughly the same functionality). In my limited exposure to Joomla, Droopal and a number of other CMS (Content Management Systems), I’ve found roughly the same to be true.

Recently, a past client approached me with another web project. I had previously put together a WordPress driven e-commerce site for one of their brands. This time they wanted one of their larger brand sites to be redesigned using Magento. I jumped at the chance to dive into a new e-commerce specific CMS. I’ve now been working in Magento for a couple of weeks and here are my first impressions.

Learning Curve:
There is certainly a learning curve with any new piece of software you dive into. Even two pieces of software that are designed to do similar things will have different terminology and content layout. Some have a better designed admin panel and their terminology is better and more clearly defined. I would put Magento on the lower end of  Content Management Systems that have “intuitive” admin panels. Magento is, admittedly, a very large and expansive e-commerce system but some of the functionality seems to be buried under a number of clicks and expanding panels. Something as basic as showing all of the specs of a product can be 5 or 6 clicks and a dropdown selection away. For a new user this can be a little frustrating and may require a bit of time spent in forums.

Also, with other CMS I’ve worked with, adding a new plugin or extension is a click and an automatic download away in the admin panel. Again, not the case in Magento. Adding new functionality or extensions is done via a buried and poorly labeled admin panel and often requires multiple steps to activate the extension. The same is true for implementing a theme. Expect to read through and follow instructions from a lengthy document to get a theme added to your site.

Ease of Use:
As stated earlier, this is not the most intuitive or user friendly system. A basic knowledge of server side file and database management is required. Often there is a lengthy implementation time for adding new features and themes to your site.

Flexibility:
This is one area where Magento shines. The flexibility of the system (especially related to product information and layout, product category management and customer management) is impressive. There seems to be no limit to the information and organization to the items in the products catalog and user groups. As this is a system for facilitating online product sales, this is expected, but to date I haven’t come across a situation where I am left wanting of some way to add and display additional information for a product. You need a different sku for variations of a product? No problem. Different pricing for variations of a product? no problem. You need a different way to display a product weight from the default unit of weight, need to sell “virtual” products, need to have recurring billing for a what you’re selling? Again, no problem. The system is very adaptable and there seems to be no end to how you can manipulate the system to your needs.

Additionally, the feedback you get from the system is powerful. In addition to sales analytics, the post sales management tools and built in pre and post sales marketing tools at your disposal are impressive.

Design Options:
The system is based around sales and product management, so the front end of a Magento site seems to be very similar when compared to other sites using the same system. However, this is a system that places a premium on function over form so that is to be expected and makes the level and ease of design manipulation adequate.

Community:
As I stated earlier, the community for WordPress is expansive. There has, to date, not been an issue I’ve needed to troubleshoot that I haven’t found multiple forum entries addressing. Additionally, the number of plugins and easily integrated functionality available to the WordPress user is impressive. Admittedly, The potential users for the Magento platform is a much smaller group and the reasons to use the platform are much more focused (Magento is exclusively created for the person or group demanding a robust online sales platform). However, the community once again seems adequate to help when troubleshooting most problems. Additionally, The amount of plugins/extensions available to the Magento user are less than other Content Management Systems, but they are more focused to providing functionality that supports online sales so they, once again, seem to be adequate for most users’ needs.

Overall Initial Impression:
Overall I would say that Magento is certainly up to the task of being the giant in the online sales platforms. If you can get past the initial learning curve and get used to digging through many layers of admin panels to complete seemingly simple tasks, then the payoff is worth it. Given these concerns and the cost of using Magento, it’s certainly not for everyone. There are better options available to those looking at only modest online sales. However, if you are projecting a healthy amount of income from online sales, then try Magento on and see if it fits.