• 02/10/15
• imagine

With online sales growing 18% last year and the rate of growth only set to continue, all small, medium sized and large businesses need to ensure that their ecommerce operations are up to date and ready for the future of online selling.

Like many areas of the internet, online shops and the platforms that support them have evolved hugely over the last few years. With many innovative developers creating easy to use plugins and programs that allow local businesses in regional hubs like Norwich to create professional and comprehensive online stores.

Two of the most popular platforms currently in use are Woo and Magento, both of which enable businesses to update their online stores without the need for extensive technical knowhow.

 

Woo

Designed to work with WordPress, Woo is powerful, easy to install and very user friendly. An open source plugin, Woo is aimed at small and medium sized businesses, and allows them to transform their WordPress site into a fully functioning online store.

A big advantage of Woo is that is allows users to create professional looking sites, categorise products and set sale process with minimal technical knowledge; a big bonus for companies in places like Norwich that are trying to keep costs down while evolving with the market.

With very few server requirements and a backend that’s similar to WordPress, Woo is the perfect platform for small, local businesses in Norwich and those just starting out in the world of ecommerce.

Magento

A hugely popular platform Magento is currently behind around 1 in 4 online businesses. Though more powerful than Woo and boasting more features, Magento is also relatively easy to use, however most businesses will find they need a developer to set the platform up and optimise it for their use.

Like Woo, Magento is open source, so there is lots of potential for growth and development. The platform also offers a wide range of templates and themes as well as the ability to manage multiple stores from one admin panel.

With both Woo and Magento offering cost effective, easy to use platforms, creating an ecommerce store has never been easier for businesses in Norwich and other regional business hubs.