Magento is an open-source CMS (or Content Management System), purpose built for Ecommerce websites.

Magento allows developers and owners of websites to manage their ecommerce site effectively, editing it while also monitoring orders and deliveries made online.

While Magento has everything one would need to build and manage an ecommerce website, there are ways that can make the process more personalized to the preferences of the developer and web builder.

Modules are add-ons or plugins that have been built by Magento developers to extend the platforms basic functionality. These modules expand the possibilities of an ecommerce site further, increasing its capabilities.

Williams Commerce, a Certified Magento Partner specialises in building Magento ecommerce websites for clients, has put together a list of the top 5 Magento modules that they make use of when developing websites.

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1. Sphinx Search

The Sphinx Search Magento extension adds a search function to an ecommerce websites, but unlike the default search options, Sphinx Search offers a refined search engine that returns better results faster.

43% to 50% of ecommerce site users make use of the search function to find the products that they are looking for. If the search function is not capable and they are unable to find their desired products, the customer will leave the website without making a purchase.

Sphinx Search returns the most relevant results from a search, while also returning results much faster, especially on websites with a larger range of products. This, along with it’s many other benefits, makes Sphinx Search an invaluable tool for any ecommerce website.

2. One Step Checkout

The ultimate goal for many ecommerce sites is to get people past the checkout stage and to make an order. A website could have the most comprehensive range of products out there, but if the online ordering process has issues, be it too complex or buggy, the website will be losing money.

One Step Checkout is a Magento module that simplifies the checkout process. By doing this, an ecommerce website can strongly improve their websites conversion rate. By reducing the six standard magento checkout steps down to one. All delivery details are filling in on the same page instead of separate pages for both, resulting in more customers placing orders and lowering shopping cart abandonment.

3. Sweet Tooth Loyalty

One of the biggest challenges for any Ecommerce business is to get as many returning customers as possible. By getting customers to visit the website more than once to place orders is vital to an ecommerce businesses success. However, sometimes where customers may benefit from a little incentive, and this is where the Sweet Tooth Loyalty Magento extension comes in.

Sweet Tooth allows web developers to create a reward and loyalty scheme for their ecommerce website. By creating point earning rules and determining the ways in which customers can earn points for their purchases, developers can have complete control over the loyalty scheme.

They can push certain products with loyalty incentives; promote returning customers, while also incentivising customers to refer their friends. As a result, new customers can be introduced to the business as well as retaining old ones as a result of Sweet Tooth.

4. Sage Pay

On an ecommerce website, it is vital that payments are processed safely and securely to ensure that the customers money reaches the business successfully. To do this, a business must employ a payment system that they can trust. With all payment encrypted to the highest global standards, Sage Pay offers exactly that: a trustworthy payment method. In our experience Sage Pay offers one of the best integrations with Magento from a payment perspective. By offering tokenised payment to store customers credit cards securely, fraud screening updated back into Magento and robust integration with OneStepCheckout we highly recommend Sage Pay.

All transactions made through sage pay go through a powerful fraud prevention check, ensuring that all payments are safe and secure. Using this Magento module will ensure that all transactions that are made over your website are process safely.

5. NavToMagento Dynamics NAV to Magento Integration

NavToMagento is a module that was designed by Williams Commerce. NavToMagento integrates Microsoft Dynamics Nav, which is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software with Magento ecommerce websites.

Microsoft Dynamics Nav helps businesses manage many aspects of their business, such as their accounting and finances, supply chain and operations. These are all key elements to managing a business, and so for them to be integrated into Magento makes it much easier for a business owner to manage the business of a Magento website.

NavToMagento (for pdf. brochure, click here) offers a seamless yet simple way of managing your Magento stores from within Nav, and is an excellent tool to manage your business.

Robert Williams, managing directory of Williams Commerce, speaking of the usefulness of Magento Modules said, “The Magento modular architecture allows our customers to easily enhance their Magento ecommerce site with the help of a Certified Partner like Williams Commerce. Not only are there 1000s of great modules available, they are relatively low cost and offer great functionality.”

While these are Williams Commerce’s Top 5 picks, there are till many more Magento modules to customise your Magento website.

To see the full range of Magento modules, visit the Magento website here, or for your Magento web-designing needs, contact Williams Commerce by calling 0116 326 1116, or emailing [email protected]