Victoria HeckstallWhen it comes to business, the Internet has offered businesses the ability to reach more customers. There are dozens of programs available to allow you to conduct business online. However, some of the best programs are actually open source. Open source offers many benefits for small businesses, especially their ability to be customized to fit your needs. They are also lower in price and many offer more support options. Here are the top five open source platforms available in 2015.
PrestaShop is written in PHP and the template is based on the Smarty template. You will get more than 310 features and over 2000 modules and templates integrated. You will be able to cross-sell products, as well as allow one-page checkout, shipping discounts, and export products. PrestaShop has been downloaded over four million times and is currently being used in roughly 160 countries. Found in 65 languages, the program has over 600,000 members in the forums to answer questions and troubleshoot, as you need. It is the best program when looking for a one-stop shop.
Similar to PrestaShop, OpenCart is an eCommerce solution that is written in PHP and is open source. This platform is great for online merchants and has a very active community that is loyal and helpful. You will find answers to all of your support questions from other users, as well as professional partners to help with installation and customization. Using only one admin interface, you can manage all of your shops and allow multiple ways to pay or ship. OpenCart offers over 20 payment options and over 8 shipping methods in their standard product, but they have an extension directory that offers hundreds of additional shipping and payment options for a small fee. You will also find over 2700 themes in OpenCart’s online directory.
Magento is another very popular eCommerce solution for business owners, but only the Magento Community Edition is finding support. The Community Edition is the free version of the eCommerce platform, and Magento has already announced their Magento Go is closing. This platform offers technical support only in the online forum full of users. Over 200,000 businesses use this platform for their store, as merchants can install their own themes using the Magento Connect marketplace.
With roughly 150,000 members in the community forums, Zen Cart is another popular open source eCommerce platform. This application is written in PHP and offers multiple customizable solutions. Zen Cart is a branch from osCommerce code and was founded in 2003. This solution is based off templates and offers roughly 1800 extensions in nearly 20 different categories. You will find answers to any question imaginable in the online forums, as there are nearly 200,000 threads.
Based on Ruby on Rails, Spree Commerce is another high-quality open source eCommerce platform. You will find the ability to configure the platform to meet every need you have. It will act as a supplement or a replacement to any other eCommerce platform. It has been used for roughly 45,000 online stores around the world, including the ever-popular Chipotle restaurant. This product is available in over 30 languages.
Closing Thoughts
If you have a WordPress business site, you might find WP e-Commerce an excellent solution for your needs. Drupal is also highly desired. When you are shopping for the perfect eCommerce solution, you want to make sure you know your needs and find the product that best meets your needs. The open source solutions often offer the best customer support through the online forums, which is why they are so highly praised.
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