The popularity of online commerce, commonly called e-commerce, barely needs an introduction nowadays. From a school-going teenager to an elderly neighbor, millions of people have become accustomed to buying things online. From baby napkins to skincare products and branded garments, nearly everything is sold by online stores. Now, e-commerce websites can be built using several tools and frameworks. Among the top e-commerce site development tools, Magento deserves a special mention.

Nuances of Magento for E-commerce site development

Before you learn how to develop a responsive website using Magento, you must get the basics clear. Magento is a leading e-commerce development platform, and it is a CMS too. It is preferred for its customizability, functionality, scalability. Magento 2, unveiled in 2015, comes with several enhancements compared to the predecessor.

For creating compelling e-commerce websites using Magento, there are two choices. Those with a modest budget can go for the Community edition, which is free to use. Do not think it lacks the necessary features to develop a stunning e-commerce site just because it does not have licensing fees! On the other hand, those with deep wallets can choose the Magento Enterprise Edition, which comes loaded with so many bells and whistles. Besides, there is the Magento Commerce Cloud offered as a PaaS.

Why choose Magento for e-commerce site development?

There are plenty of e-commerce development tools, but Magento has managed to carve a special niche, and that is surely not without reason.

1. Magento scores over many other CMS tools for e-commerce development. This is owing to the fact it has been designed especially for creating such sites.
2. Magento 2 makes it easy to analyze user needs and online activities.
3. Magento supports many third-party extensions, and those can be useful for enhancing the functionality of e-commerce websites.
4. With Magento, easing the checkout process of an e-commerce site is possible. Hardships in checking out make many potential customers leave the websites, as it has often been seen. It lets the buyers wrap the checkout process only in 2 steps.
5. Magento 2 supports most online payment and shipment options. This helps the eCommerce brands cater to customers in many countries.
6. Magento comes with embedded marketing and promotion strategy development tools. With it creating several promotional programs is easy.
7. Magento is based on PHP, and it supports PHP 7 too. So, sites made with Magento run fast.
8. Magento 2 comes with decent inbuilt security options. You can enhance the security level using third-party plug-ins as well.

Why pick Magento for responsive e-commerce site development?

An e-commerce site has to be responsive to gain traction with the target users. Nowadays, a lot of online shoppers use mobile devices for buying things. So, such websites have to be optimized for mobile devices and browsers. Magento 2 is built with a strong focus on responsive site design. So–the developers need not spend much time making the designed sites mobile-friendly. It also helps in enhancing the SEO ranking of the site. Magento 2 ships with embedded SEO features too.

Creating a Magento e-commerce website- the process demystified

1. Reviewing the technology stack requirements Like you have to do while using other website development platforms, you need to choose the right technology stack requirements. These comprise of:
   • Operating System- Magento does not run on Microsoft Windows and macOS without using third-party simulators and NAMP applications. So, you have to use Linux x86-64 or compatible Linux distributions.
   • Web Server- You should make use of Nginx 1.x or Apache 2.4.
   • Security-A valid SSL certificate for HTTPS
   • Memory requirement- The application needs a minimum of 2 GB of RAM.
   • Database- MySQL version 5.6, 5.7, 8.0. and PHP 7.2-7.4.
   • Mail Server- MTA, SMTP server
2. Picking a hosting provider Without picking a stable and reliable web hosting agency, you can’t ensure your Magento site runs smoothly and caters to user needs. You have to check that the hosting agency is capable of fulfilling Magento 2 runtime requirements. It is better if you can locate a hosting agency that caters exclusively to Magento sites. Another thing you have to assess is the hosting server performance. The hosting plan has to include an SSL certificate. Magento 2 hosting prices can vary from one agency to another. You also need to check out the support options offered by the hosting agency.
3. Downloading and setting up Magento The Magento development team recommends that users should always use the latest version. However, veteran Magento developers think a new version takes some time to offer stable and reliable performance.
   • You will need to create an account at the Magento official website. This will make you eligible to download and use the Magento Open Source edition. Even at the download stage, registration can be done.
   • After choosing download, you have to pick from 2 options- Composer or Archive. Most users opt for the composer method, but it also requires some technical skills.
4. Completing the general configuration Post-installation, you have to type in basic data about the website to be developed. For this, you have to navigate to Magento 2 Admin Dashboard. Choose Stores > Settings > Configuration > General. Offering this information is necessary for meeting legal compliance. It will also offer the buyers basics about your online store. Then, you have to complete the General Configuration section.
5. Tweaking the store design Now that the CMS is installed and the basic configuration is done, it is time to update the store design. First, head to the Admin sidebar and then choose Content > Elements > Create new Pages, Blocks, and Widgets. Then choose Content > Design > Configuration and edit to make the changes you want. First, it is necessary to pick a suitable theme for the store. The default theme is LUMA.
6. Tweaking store catalog You can develop categories, subcategories as well as products. CSV files can also import data. However, it can be time-consuming, and you need to upload product videos and images. Next, you have to organize the categories and subcategories.
7. Setting up payment and shipping Next, you will have to set up payment and shipping methods. Magento offers plenty of payment and shipping options. You have to navigate to Store > Setting > Configuration > Sales > Delivery Methods. The supported payment modes are Amazon Pay, PayPal, Cash on Delivery, Bank Transfer, etc. You will also have to use API integration for third-party payment modules.

After these, you will have to preview the site and make it live. Finally, you can find resources on installing Magento online in case you face difficulty in any step.

Summing up

Setting up Magento and developing a functional and responsive e-commerce site using the tool is not tedious. However, you have to know the requirements in terms of hardware, and finding the right hosting service provider will also be necessary. Thankfully, you can make use of the huge online resources available on the CMS.