Magento implementation - 3 things you need to remember
Implementing Magento is a serious and often strategic project. After all, the platform is supposed to maintain the eCommerce sales channel. Like any IT system implementation, and in this case too, it is worth bearing in mind a few key aspects. Let's talk about them.
Choosing the right licence - free or paid?
Magento (currently Adobe Commerce) comes in two licence versions, free and paid. The free version is a fully functional online shop system.
What distinguishes the paid version from the free version are primarily:
- more capabilities (including B2B modules, automation, etc.),
- support from Adobe,
- access to services supporting the operation of the shop, such as a search engine with built-in AI Sensei.
Seemingly not much, but nevertheless quite a lot. If you wanted to implement these features yourself, it would take a lot of time. This is how Adobe provides it in the licence package.
In this situation, is it better to take the paid version or the free version?
There is no clear answer to this question. Every business is different and you should consult and count the ROI before making this crucial decision. As a certified Adobe partner, we can join forces and help you choose.
It is important to remember that the time from when the licence counts is not the production implementation but when the project starts. The larger the scope of the implementation, the later the shop on Adobe Commerce will see the light of day.
Designers and architects
Magento is a mature ecommerce engine with a fairly complex architecture. To avoid falling into the trap of excessive and inappropriate customisation, you should have a policy in place.
There are two variables/unknowns in this one sentence. Inappropriate customisation and policy. Let's start with the first unknown.
When, through inexperience in Magento, one implements business process handling incorrectly this can have serious consequences:
- Impediment or blocking of updates,
- serious impact on shop performance, which will manifest itself in low CWV, PageSpeed and similar indicators,
- unpredictable errors and anomalies that will be difficult to detect.
Taking all this into account, a policy is recommended.
A policy is an architect who has knowledge of Magento backed up by certifications. By having such a person on the project, mistakes at the implementation stage can certainly be avoided.
Additionally, more time spent on architecture issues at the beginning of the implementation and deployment process will have an impact on:
- the number of errors,
- the rate of future changes,
- ease of updates (and these are provided by Adobe once every 3 months).
A consistent architecture is the key to Magento's long-term good health. This is something that should not be skimped on.
Time and business value
At the start of most projects, we establish the scope. We often call this the MVP. Nevertheless, this MVP has the hallmarks of a full product. Let me explain.
An MVP, or Minimum Viable Product, is the minimum version of a product that a company can and wants to release. The aim of this approach in implementations is to minimise the budget of implementing something that will have real business value.
This value occurs when the software we have bought and paid to implement starts to make money for itself. From that point on we can add features and make changes, also using customer feedback.
That is, a customer points out a missing feature or a difficult process and you have the chance to change it. Through this, the development of the platform towards increased conversions can take place more quickly.
So much for examples, now to the core of the problem. Without a strong Product Owner on your company's side, there will be no real MVP. There will always be a process or functionality that will seem very important to someone in your organisation.
I'm not even talking about the Board of Directors. Their ideas need to be prioritised too. Or at least make them aware that anything on priority can spoil the scope.
Pay attention to this on your side. Choosing the right person for the role will definitely increase the chances of success.
Good luck with your Magento implementation! Whether it's a new implementation or a migration. It's worth it, because Magento is powerful!