# Magento Commerce, what do you guys think?



## Titchimp (Nov 30, 2006)

After months of pre-releases Magento commerce (open source ecommerce system) went 1.0 a couple of days ago. 

has anyone had a chance to look at it? I think it really raises the bar on what Oscommerce etc need to be looking to provide out of the box. 

Ive not really read into the documentation but i think it runs on a module system similar to Joomla so you can easily add and remove options without having to change too much code. (i might be wrong though) 

Magento - Home - Open Source eCommerce Evolved


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

I looked at it pre 1.0, and from what I remember, it had some important missing features. 

I'll have to take a look again to see what the polished product looks like.


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## Titchimp (Nov 30, 2006)

From reading the forums just now people are saying its stable (once installed, some people are having problems with that) but is missing a few things some people may require. I believe though that upgrades will not wipe any modifications you have made to the cart which sounds good to me


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

First look through the shopper side demo...looks very smooth.

I like the one page checkout and the shopping cart flow. I like the way the product images are displayed (zoom and additional product photos)

Nice static page structure, good layout of the add to cart page with essential info up front and details underneath.

First look through the admin side demo...also looks nice!

Nice dashboard with stats as soon as you login. Integrates with Paypal, authorizenet and Google checkout. It can manage static areas of your site (about us, contact, etc). You can create polls with it.

Overall impression is pretty high. I think I'll try an install right now to see how it looks stock, out of the box.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

It does seem pretty nice. Hopefully, they have the kinks worked out.

I'd be interested to see what your impressions are after you download it, Rodney.

I'm going to do the same later tonight (that's when I get most of my work done!), and give my thoughts also.

Obviously, being able to customize the look and feel is something that is going to be important. I'm anxious to see how custom the look can get.


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## Titchimp (Nov 30, 2006)

I look forward to seeing what you guys think, although im not too tech savvy i have tried a fair few carts over the last couple of years, i just need some hosting so i can try this one out. 

one thing im interested in is the 1 page checkout, great for buyers!


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## marcelolopez (Jul 16, 2007)

Titchimp said:


> After months of pre-releases Magento commerce (open source ecommerce system) went 1.0 a couple of days ago.
> 
> has anyone had a chance to look at it? I think it really raises the bar on what Oscommerce etc need to be looking to provide out of the box.
> 
> ...


Well I think I will have to abandon Zencart for now and try Magento, it looks nice and simpler than Zencart.
I spent a lot of time researching online about the easier, friendlier and more customizable online store solution, and the majority liked Zencart.
But I never heard of Magento before, even in the pre-release flavors.

Thank you


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> one thing im interested in is the 1 page checkout, great for buyers!


I tested the one-page checkout and while it is "technically" one page, the shopping still has to click "Continue" several times on that one page to finish the checkout.

They just decided to use ajax to reload each "step" on the same page. 

Still a pretty nice implementation, but it did feel like a lot of clicking to get to the actual "send order" step.


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## Titchimp (Nov 30, 2006)

Rodney said:


> I tested the one-page checkout and while it is "technically" one page, the shopping still has to click "Continue" several times on that one page to finish the checkout.
> 
> They just decided to use ajax to reload each "step" on the same page.
> 
> Still a pretty nice implementation, but it did feel like a lot of clicking to get to the actual "send order" step.


I see what you mean, i just had a fiddle. 

One good thing about the cart as a whole is that it comes with loads of stuff that lots of people wont use, giving everyone else the option to turn it off. Other carts cater for the basic package and make everyone else spend hours to add what they see as the most basic of things.


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## theory3k (Jun 27, 2007)

wouldn't you know that this product would release just as soon as I was knee deep in developing in a different direction. hopefully a blessing in disguise.

it did look like a sweet package, I just had too many hurdles in my own set-up for the betas.

damn.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

After downloading and trying to install it on 1 of my sites, I have found that installation has been a major issue!

The source seems to be the necessity to have php5, when many webhosts are only offering php4.

Magento offers a "work-around" for this problem by providing a download of a php5 binary that you upload to you cgi-bin, but after searching through their forums, it doesn't seem to fix the problem.

I've been trying to get it to work for the last couple of hours with no luck. They really need to fix this install problem.

I can't wait to see if Rodney got it to work. Hopefully, he had more success than I did.


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## peteVA (Nov 11, 2007)

Like Rodney, I found it lacking a few things in the past. But that was some time ago. Seems to me it wouldn't even work with PayPal at the time.

I'm deep in setting up my own autoresponder service and affiliate plan this week, so no time to play. I'll definitely keep an eye out here to see what you all have to say about it. 

Again, like Rodney, I did do a quick run trhough the demo and found the term "one page checkout" was a bit of a stretch. From a truth in advertising standpoint they are not off to a good start.
.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

I've got too many domains and a host that I am *absolutely thrilled* with to switch just because they don't have php5.

I just wanted to see what the cart was like, out-of-the-box, and try out the customization for myself. I'm very happy with the features and customization abilities of cubecart.


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## flagdaddy01 (Apr 1, 2008)

Titchimp said:


> After months of pre-releases Magento commerce (open source ecommerce system) went 1.0 a couple of days ago.
> 
> has anyone had a chance to look at it? I think it really raises the bar on what Oscommerce etc need to be looking to provide out of the box.
> 
> ...


this looks great...might well be our answer. we're in our 60's but need to still look forward.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Ok, just finished the install. 

While a lot of hosts are now moving to PHP5 (since php4 has already come to the end of life), Magento does have some specific requirements that many hosts may not have by default.



magentocommerce.com said:


> PHP 5.2.0 or newer, with the following extensions/addons:
> PDO/MySQL
> mcrypt
> simplexml
> DOM


I cheated a bit to make sure my test server was recompiled with PHP5 that matched the required specs 

The install process went pretty smoothly. I didn't set the right permissions on one folder (I didn't follow the instructions to the letter since I thought I knew better ). Once I followed the install instructions, it went smooth.

I didn't have any errors about required modules or components missing because I took care of that beforehand 

Out of the box, the default store looks just like the demo store on the magentocommerce website.

*You can see my install here:*

wcwv.com/magento-shop

As of this post, it doesn't have any products in it yet.

My next step will be adding a test t-shirt product with size and color attributes.

Then I'll try to customize the look.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

> I cheated a bit to make sure my test server was recompiled with PHP5 that matched the required specs


I don't want to get too far off topic, but when you say you cheated a bit, did you already have php5 available, or did you have to "hack" it in some way (like magento suggests, downloading phpt) in order to php5?

Because I'm really stuck. I tried everything that they suggest, and like many on their forum, it's just not working for me.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> I don't want to get too far off topic, but when you say you cheated a bit, did you already have php5 available


It's a dedicated server that I run, so I had the server technicians upgrade the server to PHP5 and match all the specs required for magentocommerce (mcrypt, PDO, etc)


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

I see!

Yeah, that is cheating, _a bit_.

I'm going to try to figure this thing out because I really like the cart, and want to see for myself what it can do.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

I'm more familiar with adding products and size/color attributes in cubecart, so it should be interesting learning a new "system".

They have some nice video tutorials on their site that I should probably watch first.

Magento - Magento Screencasts - Creating a Simple Product - Open Source eCommerce Evolved

Magento - Magento Screencasts - Configurable Products - Open Source eCommerce Evolved

Magento - Magento Screencasts - Creating and Managing Attributes - Open Source eCommerce Evolved

I like the cross sell and upsell features that are included by default.

Maybe I'll do a video screencast of me creating my first product to show how it is to someone brand new to the system.


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## peteVA (Nov 11, 2007)

Not cheating at all. 

I never have a problem with something like this. Not even dedicated, but if I need something they install on the whole system, within a day.

I'm already running php 5.2.5 and MySQL 5.0.45. They did the PHP for me last month. And I've got a ticket in on the rest right now.

So, having the right host / server can make a lot of difference. If you're one of the 10 billion on Hostgator or one of those, you wait. If you get with an smaller provider you get personal attention. I get different request like this monthly from different clients and they all get handled promptly.

So it's not cheating, it's getting away from the mainstream megahosts.
.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

Not all of the mainstream megahosts are bad.

My mainstream megahost just upgraded for me, and I'm on my way!!!!

Wish I had thought of it late last night/early this morning.

I'll install tonight and see what this magento is all about.


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## peteVA (Nov 11, 2007)

You are right, not all are bad. Some are quite good and try to stay ahead of the curve.

But there are a number who work on their own timetable and you'll get what you want only when they are ready to give it to you.

I'm glad you have one that will work with you. 
.


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## Titchimp (Nov 30, 2006)

I look forward to seeing what you guys come up with. I wont have a chance to play around with it till may (damn uni coursework).


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## peteVA (Nov 11, 2007)

Whew!

Got a reply from my server guys. I've got it all, as a matter of course.

Now I just need time. 

In the meantime, I'm dialed in on Rodney's experiment. But he's more knowledgeable than I am, so that won't totally prove anything. Just that I've got a chance.
.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

> In the meantime, I'm dialed in on Rodney's experiment. But he's more knowledgeable than I am, so that won't totally prove anything. Just that I've got a chance.


Exactly! That's how I feel, a chance.

I'll definitely be playing around with it, though.


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## AustinJeff (May 12, 2007)

This looks very promising.

However, I did come across this blog post claiming that the skinning system is extremely complicated.

That could be a problem. On the other hand, if you are a designer, it certainly sounds like an opportunity to sell some skins.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

Hmm. Not an encouraging read at all.

I'm going to give it a go anyway, though!


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## Titchimp (Nov 30, 2006)

The skinning system is different, anyone thinking they can skin it because they have skinned oscommerce or something similar will probably find they cant, the guy who wrote that blog looks to have dived in without looking at any of the docs.. Magento - Designer's Guide to Magento - Open Source eCommerce Evolved This outlines the design priciples in magento


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## Yabba (Apr 4, 2008)

**disclaimers**
I know bugger all about skinning commerce solutions, I know even less about t-shirts .... other than I wear one when the weather's a tad naff .... ohhh, and I wrote the blog post 



Comin'OutSwingin said:


> Hmm. Not an encouraging read at all.


It's not all bad, just takes a tad of wrapping your head around ...... I'll still charge a fortune for the next one though 



Titchimp said:


> The skinning system is different, anyone thinking they can skin it because they have skinned oscommerce or something similar will probably find they cant, the guy who wrote that blog looks to have dived in without looking at any of the docs.. Magento - Designer's Guide to Magento - Open Source eCommerce Evolved This outlines the design priciples in magento


Actually it was also one of the first times I'd looked at oscommerce ..... damn ugly moment

I also read that outdated link ( outdated in the sense that the information on it doesn't reflect the current skinning system ), but it really didn't help with fulfilling our clients needs.

Take my blog post in the vein it was posted though, I'd had a long day learning new software whilst trying to satisfy a client 

.... but the skinning system is seriously over-complicated :|

¥


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Just an update on this. 

After trying to wade through the Magento documentation and customization methods, I just finally gave up.

In my opinion, Magento is waaaay too complicated for the average person trying to get an online store setup. I'm pretty technically savvy, and the process was confusing for me.

I think they are aiming Magento at web developers (actual programmers) who sell their web development services to larger corporate clients. It almost feels like they made the software extra complicated so you'd have to hire them or buy support from one of their partners.

I'm sticking with CubeCart - Free & Commercial Online Shopping Cart Solutions  

Although, I did see another shopping cart recently that looked like it had some nice potential. Not free, but very feature packed for the price: LiveCart - Shopping Cart Software

Another one that I ran across today that has just about every feature you would need is: Shopping Cart Software by Interspire The $995 version is the one that inlcudes inventory tracking down to the product option level (although there is a mod for cubecart that does this for less money )


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## peteVA (Nov 11, 2007)

My thoughts exactly. I've been saying that for some time. 

There are some who are geeks first and business owners second who will spend the needed time, but for most small business owners, it's not a viable solution.

It will become the backbone of many $ 2,000+ custom carts, but not for most here.


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## cookiesa (Feb 27, 2008)

I have been persisting with Magento (currently use zencart & cubecart) but as Rodney has said it is soo over complicated.

It is very lacking in tutorials/how to's and if you are using them there seems to be some major differences between when they were written and how the program works now.....

I am about to embark on colouring the site and adding a new logo as I want to completely change the feel of my site. (There is my own logo there but it is a temporary one and only a few products)

If anyone wants to take a look it is platypusscreenprinting.com.au/magento
(To compare to my current zencart store drop the magento of the address)

just entering products and setting up attributes is a pain in comparison to the others... (although it does allow for uploading excel files etc so would be good for those migrating) But to me adding products should be straight forward.

Everything you do just seems so cumbersome.

However I like the layout and feel of the cart so I will persist for a little longer.. (And I have found the magento forum next to useless)


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> Everything you do just seems so cumbersome.


That's what I noticed as well. It doesn't seem intuitive.

Check out the livecart.com one and see what you think. They make editing the layout much easier with that cart. A lot of it is point and click.


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## Edder (Apr 24, 2008)

Magento is really resource-intensive and for the most part, runs slow. The software itself is still in its early stages, considering all the bugs that have been reported. While I find it to have potential as a feature-rich ecommerce system, it's still a bit clunky and not the streamlined product that I am looking for; several people have recommended zencart to me, which I am testing right now...


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## cookiesa (Feb 27, 2008)

OK I no longer play with Magento.. way too much hassle

Gone back to Zencart, might not have as many features but much easier to use and customise,

Plus the support network is fantastic.


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## whale343 (Dec 15, 2007)

Yeah, I thought it had great potential too... they did a really good job on the marketing of it on their webpage 

In practice though there were lots of hurdles... starting with the install and I didn't get much further than that. If you go with a Magento cart, I would suggest going with a hosting company that specializes in them and will install it for you for free. 

Its not ready for prime time I don't think but I am interested to see where it goes in the next couple years. 

I had a customer interested in one, so I put out an RFP... the lowest price that any companies bid on the job was $800, with most bids at about $1000 for a complete Magento site, with templating and all items added to the store. 

John


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> I had a customer interested in one, so I put out an RFP... the lowest price that any companies bid on the job was $800, with most bids at about $1000 for a complete Magento site, with templating and all items added to the store.


Actually, that's not too bad for an ecommerce store setup. From the marketing on their website, I got the feeling it was more in the $5000+ range


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## whale343 (Dec 15, 2007)

It was an overseas company that bid on the project through Elance. 

I think they were from Argentina. 

Good people from what I gather, and they had a really good track record.

To me $1K is about mid-range on an ecommerce project. A cart itself, from my perspective, isn't that hard to set up... its the graphic design thats priceless. That's what sets the image for the e-store.


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## nsaramago (Mar 2, 2007)

Hi All,

I heard that there will be major updates for the Magento soon, specially in handling the product attributes.
I think it´s the best e-commerce solution, for those who wish to have a real "organic SEO" shop, Magento besides being a "beast" is the way to go.

Regards,
Be Fun...Be Cool.http://www.be-extreme.com


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> I think it´s the best e-commerce solution, for those who wish to have a real "organic SEO" shop


I don't think it's the best e-commerce solution by far. There are many ecommerce solutions out there that have organic SEO features that are easier to use and easier to customize than Magento.


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## nsaramago (Mar 2, 2007)

When I call it "beast" it was not in a good way...I know it´s hard and heavy to deal with, but the future will tell...


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