Magento has been noted as the most loved eCommerce platform enjoying a collective 20% market share of all eCommerce websites. With the introduction of Magento2 recently, the number is expected to rise further and so is the demand for premium Magento 2 extensions.
While the default Magento2 already offers adequate great features for the online shopping stores, using Magento2 extensions can help enhance the user experience and make it better to meet the business demand of the store owner. Before you jump into the decision of installing extensions to your store, make sure you keep the following things in mind.
Why you should embrace Magento2
Magento 1.x has been widely admired for the versatility and flexibility it delivers, but users have also pointed out some of its drawbacks like lack of administrative tools and slow loading speed. Let’s talk about the features and capabilities of Magento2 to get the answer of this titular question.
Default Magento2 features make it a better platform over the previous version. Magento2 has the capability to handle many catalog pages pretty well without affecting the website speed. These new features allow it to compete harder with the other existing platforms such as WooCommerce and Shopify. It performs faster by 20% on the average as full-page caching is now built into the platform. The web pages are expected to load faster, probably within 1-2 seconds. Now this is something amazing about the Magento2. If your site can run faster, it leads to more sales and better search engine optimization.
It’s not all. The blog is not why you should switch to newer version of Magento, so let us just summarize the other merits of Magento2. It offers a better and powerful admin interface, intuitive checkout process, mobile-friendly and many others.
Now that you know that Magento2 is a better platform for eCommerce business, the next step you have to figure out is how to choose ideal Magento2 eCommerce extensions.
What’s Your Purpose?
Initiate your search for extensions with the purpose of installation. Why do you need extensions? If you have the answer to the question, then you would have effectively identified a certain functionality you need for your store. Sometimes you have more than one option to get the same functionality to your store. In such case, compare these extensions to zoom in on which one can fulfill your needs better without packaging in other capabilities.
For example, some store owners might need an auto complete search extension. In such cases, we look for the option that can boost searches as well as page loading speed. This is important for multi-product store, allowing customers to get what they want the easiest way.
Trusted Provider for Magento2 Extensions
There are virtually hundreds and thousands of extensions that offer the same features, so how do you know which provider to get the extension from? Followings are some factors you can think about to look for a trusted provider:
Check Updates Frequency: Extension is a kind of software which needs to be updated frequently. So, look for the developers that are on a proactive stance at releasing updated versions and necessary bug fixes. Remember, the advanced version is always a smart choice to add new features. Although most Magento2 extensions are relatively new, you can always compare them with provider’s previous versions.
Read Online reviews: Try searching for genuine reviews on popular social media websites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Youtube. The reviews should make you feel more confident about the extension’s quality. Critical elements to look out for include privacy policy, customer policy. Company’s core values etc. If unable to find enough reviews, reach out to the vendor and speak to them about their services.
Look for Money Back Policy: You need to make sure the paid Premium Magento Extensions fully suit your needs. The vendor should stand behind their product with a reliable money back guarantee. Before you make the final decision, check the terms and conditions.
Look for Demo: Before you make the final decision, check if there is any demo available of it. If you can test both the frontend and backend aspect of the demo, that’s even better. The extension should be easy to setup and runs smooth to breathe life to your Magento2 store.