Top eCommerce Design Trends 2018 to Follow

There’s no doubt that online stores have become the new “village market.” You can find everything you could want with just a few clicks. Many entrepreneurs have recognized the incalculable value of these eCommerce websites. These days, more and more online stores are popping up, selling their smart concepts and smart ideas. All of them are competing for buyers’ attention on the Internet. If you want to attract them to your online store, you have to offer them an enjoyable online experience.

What Trends Creative eCommerce Websites Should Consider

An online store does not need a collection of design gimmicks. Instead, one should opt for a more creative and interactive approach. That is what will attract and retain customers. It’s simple. If a customer enjoys using your website, they will return and call for friends. Here are some eCommerce web design trends to create that pleasant online experience for them.

More Interactions, More User Experience

An online store should offer the most interactive experience possible. Instead of bombarding your customers with all the information you have, offer some choices or ask them what they would like. You could do this by asking them to input what they’re looking while providing some top products to choose alongside it. Make use of option buttons and search/filter functions. Ensure that there are a logical arrangement and flow of information on your website. It shows that you care about your customer’s experience and they will appreciate it.

Bold Typography and More Space

It can be tedious and confusing when information is presented in one standard typeset. The same is true if the web page is filled with too much text or content. The way to solve this is to use bold letterings to get customers’ attention. It will draw their attention to certain phrases that will show them what a good product you have. Also, ensure your content is not crowded. One should only use the compelling content. The more space your web page has, the more important information stands out. Take a look at Apple’s website: they have lots of white space, beautiful images, bold types, and no mass. Doesn’t it look convincing and expensive?

Cinemagraphs and Authentic Images

A cinemagraph is one of the most popular eCommerce design trends 2018. It is an image, with one single element showing some movement. It is primarily a GIF image but gives the illusion of being a video clip. The moving part emphasizes by being surrounded by a still image. It can be a powerful tool to communicate your ideas to a customer. Another way to do this is to use artful images that are conceptual, relevant and truthful. For example, if you sell wedding accessories, then your imagery should revolve around that concept.

Visualization of Physical Experience

You should take every creative opportunity to show off your products on your website. The customer responds better when seeing actual examples of your product, rather than stock images or product descriptions. They are more likely to make purchases when they see it in action. Product demos are a good idea to demonstrate your products. It turns on customers sight scenes which digest the information much better. Showrooming for jewelry, clothes, and accessories stores is a great way to convince their customers. As it said, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Ability to Create and Customize the Own Product

When a customer gets to customize something, they are more inclined to buy it. Even simple changes like choosing a color or a pattern give the customer a sense of power over its creation. This fact is known as the Ikea effect. Customers tend to place more value on things they have “created,” even partially.

Augmented Reality on Smartphone

This trend is particularly useful if you’re selling physical products, such as furniture, clothes, interior accessories, etc. You can use your smartphone camera and specific mobile app to see a picture of the room in real time and fill it with your products. This ability will show your customers how well your product suits their needs. Companies like IKEA and Houzz already do this. The customer can be reassured that your products will look good in their space.

Mobile Friendliness

It is vital to ensure that your online store is ready for mobile use. Virtually every online customer has a smartphone. It makes sense that your website should provide a great shopping experience for both mobile and desktop devices. Customers love being able to make purchases from anywhere at any time.

CSS Grid Layout for Responsive Online Stores

A CSS grid layout is your best option for an online store. Your customers will access your store from various devices, browsers, and operating systems. Using a CSS grid layout will help ensure that everyone gets the same visual experience. It also makes the web page code cleaner and easier to maintain.

Illustrations and Video Content

Sometimes a picture or a video communicates much better than a written description. Don’t be afraid to show illustrations and videos of your products, perhaps how to use them or how they work. The more your customer understand why your product is right for them, the more inclined they will be to buy it.

Storytelling as a Way of Selling Products

Telling a story takes your customer on a joint journey with you that will inspire a deeper appreciation for your products. You can prepare a beautiful history of its creation. It could also be a real-life story of how it helped someone else. Such stories help your customer connect more with the products. They will be more likely to make the purchase when they understand it more.

Where to Find eCommerce Website Design Inspiration?

You can find some eCommerce design inspiration on the website Awwwards.com. For your purposes, you can check out eCommerce section. You can see how they incorporated the ideas mentioned here into their design. You will also find the best online store design 2017 on this website. One thing to note is that different approaches work better with different products.

We suggest you check sites that sell products related to yours. Observe which ideas they implement and how you can adapt them to work for you too.

All examples of designs in this articles are taken from awwwards.com.

Let’s Design!

The goal is to satisfy the customer with the use of your eCommerce store and leave a positive impression. Creativity is vital in making your website an enjoyable place to shop. These days, customers have a choice of online stores so you must use creative ways to get them to your store. We are confident that these eCommerce design trends 2018 are going to help. If you would like us to assist you, we would love to help. Please feel free to contact us at WEB4PRO, and our creative designer will show how each trend works in action!

How to Speed Up Magento 2 Website

There are lots of large and high-quality online stores these days. And you probably thought how to speed up Magento® 2 if your store is based on this platform.

Speed is one of those critical factors that can convert casual browsing users into actual paying customers. You can buy almost anything if you find the right website. Because of this, it is vital to make your site as attractive as possible to potential customers.

By nature, Magento 2 performs quite fast. But it can get bogged down by incorrect configurations, outdated versions, and additional extensions. In this article, we are going to discuss how to speed up your online store’s performance and some ways to solve Magento 2 performance issues.

Where to Start?

A right place to start is by auditing your website performance with Google Speed Insights. It is an online tool that tests the speed of a web page. When you enter your website’s URL, it will give you a detailed report on the performance of your site. It will include possible reasons for slow performance and recommendations on how you can fix it.

Another way to get maximum performance is to check the technical requirements for your Magento 2 online store. Ensure that you follow these specifications. Magento 2 needs to operate in certain conditions. You can speed up Magento 2 website just by giving it what it needs.

How to Solve Magento 2 Performance Issues?

Here are some practical steps that can help fix the most common performance issues. We suggest that you carry out each one because it will help eliminate many existing and potential problems.

Use Fast Hosting Provider

Your Magento 2 website should ideally be hosted on a virtual private server. The alternative is a hosting service that is optimized for Magento-based websites. Using cheaper shared hosting will slow down your Magento 2 website.

Magento 2 requires at least 2 GB RAM and 20 GB SSD storage. So check out and pick the best hosting for Magento 2 that meets all requirements.

Make Time for JS and CSS Files Optimization

JavaScript and CSS functionality on your website can sometimes slow it down. Bear this in mind when adding features. You should also ensure that these features are optimized so that they run as quickly as possible. There are advanced developer settings that you can use to adjust them to a minimum size so that they take up fewer resources to run. Here is how you can set them:

Turn on Merge CSS and JavaScript in Stores -> Configuration -> Advanced -> Developer.
For the latest Magento 2.2 version, this option is turned on automatically in Production Mode.

Also, Performance Optimization Tool for Magento 2 by Potato Commerce is a great way to go. This extension solves lots of optimization issues, including minifying JS and CSS.

Optimize the Size of Images

Images can add remarkable eye-catching dimensions to your website. Sadly, they also add extra weight when it comes to performance. One way to fix this is to ensure your images are all optimized for web usage. There are several online tools to help you make your images more lightweight. They do this by adjusting the image dimensions and resolution. These actions ensure the media files are minimalized but still look good on screen.

For these purposes, you can use images online compressors, like TinyPNG or the same service but packed into extension Compress JPEG & PNG Images by TinyPNG.

Enable Full Page Caching

Full Page Caching means that the visitor’s cache memory will store your online store’s web pages. That means faster loading times when the users visit a page after the first time. It happens because the full-generated web pages are already decoded and ready to display from the cache memory. It boosts the performance of your website. It also reduces the load on your server. All this contributes to our goal: a faster online store.

To turn on Full Page Caching in Magento 2, go to System -> Cache Management in Admin Panel.

Set off Unnecessary 3rd Party Extensions

Any 3rd party extension on your Magento 2 online store will add extra weight when it is loading on a computer. It makes sense to remove all unnecessary extensions because they don’t serve any productive purpose. Remember that the aim to make your website as lightweight as possible. So, remove any extensions that are not critical to your website’s performance and it will help you to speed up Magento 2 website.

Make Magento 2 Database Optimizations

Loading a database is another crucial element of your Magento 2 website’s performance. One way of optimizing your database to enable the Flat Catalog option. Magento 2 usually stores your catalog data in various tables. Then, it calls the various required bits of information together when the catalog data is loaded. The flat catalog option creates a new table and fills it with the combined information from each table. So it leaves only 1 table to be loaded instead of all of them. The result is catalog data that loads faster than usual.

To turn on Flat Catalog in Admin Panel: Stores -> Configuration -> Catalog -> Storefront.

Run Dependency Injection Compilation

Dependency Injection Compilation in Magento 2 allows for significantly speed up web page loading time. It works the following way:

The classes and dependency injection auto-uploader is implemented in Magento 2.
The key moment here is di.xml – the file that stores dependency injections and operates creation of modifiers, classes, pseudo-classes, virtual types, etc. Every time when loading the web page, this file is parsed by default. But parsing takes much time in the world of page loading speed. Guess what? That influences your website performance. But, we can turn on dependency injection compilation and fix this by running the command:

bin/magento setup:di:compile

We should run it in Production Mode.

Dependency Injection Compilation operation creates dependency injections cache where all specific classes are created automatically. So, the next time when the visitor loads the page, di.xml file modules and classes don’t need to be parsed again. All of them are extracted quickly from the cache. That speeds up page loading rate in several times.

Pick a Reliable CDN Solution (Content Delivery Network)

A content delivery network is a web service that hosts the external resources of your Magento 2 website. The idea is that a CDN provider can load these resources faster than if they were stored on your server. By default, Magento 2 fully supports CDN, and there are no extra extensions needed. There are several Magento 2 CDN solutions that you can choose from.

Install Some Useful Speed Up Magento 2 Extensions

Thankfully, several Magento 2 extensions specialize in speeding up your website’s performance. They use a combination of smart techniques that all add up faster loading times for your site. Some good examples are Amasty Full Page Cache Warmer and Mirasvit Cache Warmer Magento 2. These extensions make your web pages load as fast as possible, even for the first time. They mainly “warm up” your pages so that they are ready to perform as soon as they are called.

Implement Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)

Accelerated mobile pages are web pages built ideally for mobile devices. It is a stripped-down, lightweight version of the original web page. They are developed purely for bearing speed and readability in mind. Images are only loaded when they come into view. It operates on a “light” version of HTML. These pages load extremely fast because they are unencumbered by any fancy scripting or features.

To learn more about AMP, learn the official Google’s Documentation for developers and take a look at AMP presentation. Google even provides a handy tool for testing AMP on your website.

Best Solutions for Magento 2 Amazon Integration to Sell on eBay

Amazon and eBay are two of the most significant sales platforms on the market. Magento® 2 Amazon integration helps Magento 2 website owners increase their online presence. Let’s talk more about Amazon and the other great platform – eBay.

Initially, Amazon began as a company that sold books; however, it has expanded far beyond that. Amazon aims to cut back on prices to bring more people to the online store. Amazon’s unique subscription service, Amazon Prime, which costs $99 for a year. Those who join Amazon Prime receive many benefits. From streaming movies to fast and free shipping, Prime has become Amazon’s signature feature.

eBay works a little like Amazon. Merchants sell their products in exchange for money. eBay offers items from any category. Customers can buy old cars, clothing, antiques, etc. through either a “buy it now” listing, or in an auction. Through Buy it Now, the item is bought immediately; meanwhile, the online auction allows customers to bid on the products they want.

It is useful to use eBay – or Magento 2 Amazon integration with Magento because, especially for smaller businesses, it increases exposure to a broader audience. Below, we suggest several great solutions that solve this task.

Magento Integration Services and Solutions

There are ways for you to integrate Amazon and eBay into your online business. By incorporating these platforms with Magento, you can display products, stock levels, etc. When you begin to sell your stock on Amazon, you can increase your reach. Here are some of the best products for integrating Magento 2 with Amazon or eBay.

Amazon Integration Solution for Magento 2

M2E Pro Magento 2 Extension

M2E’s integration has connected thousands of Magento users to eBay and Amazon. With it, you can customize your experience to make it your own. All of your listings are automatically updated through M2E whenever you adjust a listing on either site.

Discover Advantages

• No listing fees or connection charges.
• Manual service renewal. You won’t be charged if you didn’t cancel your subscription.
• You don’t need investors!

Pricing

There are three different packages with this solution: Startup, Business, and Enterprise.

Startup costs nothing if your sales are less than 10 thousand dollars per month. In the same package, you’ll have to pay either $34 if your revenue is more than 10 thousand or $68 if it’s around 20 thousand.

A business plan provides flexible pricing. If your monthly sales are around 40 thousand, then you have to pay $136. This package goes up to 100 thousand dollars for $340.

Enterprise package starts at $680 for a monthly allowance of 200 thousand dollars. When you exceed 400 thousand dollars of a monthly allowance, you’ll have to contact their customer service for a quote.

Magento Amazon Integration with Store Manager for Magento

This Magento 2 Amazon Integration extension allows you to export products from your store and sell them on Amazon. This tool is a one-time payment so that you won’t be surprised by any extra fees. You can also choose which products are sold on Amazon, or you can choose to have them all listen automatically.

Discover Advantages

• Customizable
• Saves you time
• No recurring fees

Pricing

This solution costs a one-time fee of $199; however, it is currently on sale for $119.

Magento 2 Amazon Extension – Connector for Magento 2

This connector allows you to connect to several accounts without the use of third-party services. You can display the statistics for all of the products you have listed, as well as customize how your extension works when you’re linked to Amazon.

Discover Advantages

• Syncs orders and products automatically
• No monthly fees
• No third-parties required

Pricing

This solution offers either a community or an enterprise edition; however, both have multiple options.

Community Edition

• 3-months plan is the cheapest one and costs $389. You can also choose to add either an installation fee or online training for $189 each;
• 6-month package is $99 more for $488 and offers the same additions;
• 12-months or one year plan costs $538;
• 3-year usage costs $778.

Enterprise Edition

• starts from 3-months package which costs $778 and has the same options for installation fees or online training;
• 6 months will cost you $877;
• 12-month- or 1-year package price is $927;
• 3-year subscription requires $1,167 to pay.

Amazon Pay – Pay With Amazon Magento2 Extension

We can’t leave without our attention a useful extension by Amazon Payments, Inc. This module will be pretty helpful if you want your customers to be able to pay with Amazon account information in your Magento 2 online store. Your website customers can easily check-out and check-in with their Amazon account without leaving your website.

Discover Advantages

• No monthly fees and efforts to install;
• Optimized for all modern devices;
• Smooth and handy payment process for your customers.

Price

Amazon Pay is free to use for both Community and Enterprise editions. It’s compatible with Magento 2.1 and 2.2 versions.

Magento 2 Ebay Integration Solutions

You already have a list of Magento Amazon integration extensions. Now let’s look at what products the market offers for those who choose eBay.

Codisto LINQ for Magento 2 Integration – eBay, Amazon

Codisto works with several platforms. It can link your eBay account to WooCommerce and Shopify; however, we’re most interested in how it connects to Magento 2. When you buy Codisto, you have a one-month free trial, and they have an entire team that can install it for you.
One of the best parts of this extension is that it’s optimized to work on mobile.

Discover Advantages

• See you eBay orders in real-time
• Categories automatically updated
• Set up multiple shipping options

Pricing

You can choose between either unlimited listings or orders. Both of these options range from $29 to $999 per month, depending on which plan suits your needs best.

eBay Connector for Magento 2

We’ve mentioned this add-on before in the article, but it is one of the most well-rounded extensions on the market. At just $200 regular-priced, you can save time by having your products automatically updated. You can adjust your settings so that it suits your store and the needs of your customers rather than providing you with a one-size-fits-all solution.

Discover advantages

• Customizable
• Saves you time
• No recurring fees

Pricing

This solution costs a one-time fee of $199; however, it is on sale for $119.

What’s Then?

Above, you can find plenty of suggestions so that you can update your products automatically onto your Amazon or eBay accounts.

If you’re running an online store, then there’s a lot of reasons as to why you should add a Magento 2 Amazon integration or eBay integration add-on to your site. For one thing, it increases your exposure around the world by making your store more available to a broader range of people. In doing so, you’ll be creating more revenue for yourself and your company.

Interested? If so, drop us a line. Our WEB4PRO team will consult you about the best integration solution for your particular case or any other possible Custom Magento Development solutions. We’ll be glad to implement it for your Magento 2 website.

What eCommerce Platform to Choose for an Online Store?

If you’re thinking about moving your business or store online, then you’re probably want to know which eCommerce platform you should use. The platform for your website will determine how your business will be run, so it’s vital that you choose correctly.

Keep reading to find out which questions you should ask yourself, how you should choose your eCommerce platform, and how your individual needs will affect which platform you go with!

Thinking Of Choosing eCommerce Platform

You need to be prepared and think about several important things. First of all, you should
ask yourself the following questions:

What Is Your Budget?

Your business won’t go very far if you can’t manage how much money you’re willing to spend on it. Knowing your budget will help you to narrow down which platforms and packages you can choose.

What Is the Size of Your Business?

This question is vital if you plan to upgrade its capacity in the future. A more massive company will need more forward-looking and more expensive plan, and a smaller store will need smaller packages. If you’re thinking about upgrading your online shop from a small business to an enterprise quickly and can afford a more expensive plan, then you can do so right away; otherwise, you can upgrade late on.

How Many Products and Categories Will You Have in Your Online Store?

If you’re running a primary store with simple products, product descriptions, and categories, then you don’t need much to run your online store.

For smaller businesses, you can smoothly go with WordPress or WooCommerce because they have some basic, customizable plans that suit your needs. If you’re trying to run a small, local tea shop, then WooCommerce is the best for you because you can create a WordPress site where you can post all of your products with a small description.

If, on the other hand, you’d like to open a clothing store, then you should look toward Magento® because you’ll probably have a lot of categories and subcategories, as well as clothing sizes and customizations. Larger enterprises, though, will probably want to go with a larger eCommerce platform. It is especially true if you have a lot of products and subcategories for your customers to file through. In these situations, you’ll want to go with a larger eCommerce platform like Magento 2 or Shopify.

That’s because Magento 2 is more versatile and has more force behind it. You can add as many subcategories and descriptions as you’d like as long as you have the right extensions. Also, it provides advanced SEO features that will help you to build a robust marketing strategy for your online store and attract more customers. Companies like Ford, Nike, and Louboutin use Magento 2.

What Payment Systems Are You Going to Use?

The payment system you use will determine which add-ons and extensions you’ll be using as well. Not only this, but you’ll want to make sure that whichever platform you use can integrate your payment method into your site. You should consider that including add-ons on your site could be more expensive.

Magento, for instance, uses payment gateways like Paypal online and cash on delivery offline; meanwhile, WooCommerce uses major credit cards, PayPal, and cash on distribution. If you need the additional options for payment gateways, you’ll need to install some free payment extensions, or you can buy the available ones.

How Your Requirements Match the Out-Of-Box Solutions of Existing Platforms?

If you’re working on a budget, you probably don’t want to buy a custom solution because these are significantly more expensive than other options. Instead, you should consider going with a platform that is flexible. If you need a site that has custom colors, for example, then you can find this with plenty of flexible, existing platforms like Magento, or even Magento 2.

Magento 2 is flexible because it’s an open-source platform, which means that you can edit your site’s code at any time. By doing so, you can always alter the information in your online store. You can also create many stores so that it’s available in different languages; thereby, increasing your exposure around the world and generating more revenue.

Depending on your needs, you can find plans that match them! Magento, for example, has thousands of available add-ons that will allow you to develop your custom site.

Choosing eCommerce Platforms Solution: Criterias You Should Consider

When you’re looking at the differences between platforms, you need to pay attention to a few things:

• Out-of-the-box functionality. You want something that is out-of-the-box and something that isn’t like all the other sites out there. Because of this, you need to choose a platform that functions the way you want it to, as well as one that allows for flexibility.
• Scalability and flexibility. A platform that is scalable is one that will allow you to grow as a company, and one that is flexible is one that will allow you to modify your website as you do.
• Technical requirements and costs. We’ve already spoken a little about the hosting costs, but won’t be any good for your company if you’re paying more than you can afford. You’ll be using money that you can otherwise be using in your business.
• Website security. With any online business, you need to make sure that your customers, and your company, is safe. Your platform needs to have some form of online security.
• Easiness in use. If you can’t code, then you shouldn’t go with a platform that requires you to. Likewise, your platform shouldn’t be too hard to customize or modify.

Easy-to-Use eCommerce Platforms

Some eCommerce platforms are much easier to use than others. These include:

• WooCommerce
• Shopify
• Prestashop

They each have their reasons for being easy to use, but the main reason is that none of these require extensive coding. Magento, on the other hand, requires much more coding, and you many companies hire developers.

Top Enterprise eCommerce Platforms

The main competitors in this category are:

• Magento 2 Commerce
• Oracle Commerce
• SAP Hybris
• Demandware
• Shopify Plus
• IBM Websphere
• Intershop

While critics have claimed that Magento 2 isn’t easy to use as because it may involve coding, every update makes it easier and more user-friendly. It is one of the leaders on the USA market and it allows for thousands of add-ons so that each site is completely customizable.

Which eCommerce Platform Is the Most Powerful?

Overall, Magento 2 is the more powerful platform. It allows for large enterprises to create sites that suit their needs. You get to choose your add-ons, consider your wished website functionality and choose a good web development team. When you’re choosing how your online site is run, you have to decide which platform suits your needs best.

There are lots of other things you should think about, such as:

• required functionality;
• 3rd-party integrations;
• marketing tools you want to use;
• the way of communication with the customers;
• specific shopping and selling features.

How to Become Trustful Partners with Your Outsourcing Service Provider

If you want to become trustful partners with your outsourcing service provider, first, start from defining what trust in business is for you. Then try to build confidence with your partner.

Sounds simple, right? 🙂

Before you start, let’s find out the key to building successful business relationships.

Business outsourcing is some back-office outsourcing. Recently, it has begun to include other internal business functions like HR, finance, and IT services. Forming any business partnership is quite a significant decision. You are handing over part of your business operations to someone else. Trust is a necessity if you want this connection to be productive and beneficial. Here are some important aspects for you to consider.

The Importance of Trust in Business Relationships

Trust is a crucial factor in successful and unsuccessful partnerships. People in business relationships who trust each other communicate well, and they don’t second-guess each other. Partners each believe that the other party is genuinely committed as much as they are. They feel secure enough to drop their guard and instead use all their energy to being as selflessly productive as possible.

Finding the Right Business Partner

It is probably the biggest challenge when it comes to business partners. How does one find the right business partner? Where does one start? Let’s begin by looking at three fundamental issues regarding business partners.

What are the Most Common Business Partner Problems?

Cultural Differences

It may become a problem if partners are not sensitive to each other’s cultural differences. This issue can lead to unnecessary misunderstandings. For example, one partner may feel disrespected by an innocent gesture made by the other.

Communication Barriers

Communication can make or break a business partnership. When partners do not understand each other, things tend to get interpreted differently. It’s evident when business partners do not speak the same language. It is what can also happen if they do not communicate in defined terms. For example, the phrase “as soon as possible” may mean different things to different people.

Ambiguous Expectations

When expectations in the partnership are not defined, they are open to interpretation that leaves a massive opportunity for distorted goals and other problems to occur.

How to Find a Business Partner?

Networking is one of the best ways to find potential business partners. You could network with friends, partners or acquaintances. Your local business community should also have plenty resources to offer. Networking events are a common occurrence so make sure you attend as many as you can. They offer you an opportunity to make connections all in one space. Specialized networking groups are also available online. You should join groups that relate to your field or the areas of interest that you want to attract to your business.

Pay attention to networking websites, such as Linkedin, Meetup.com. They connect professionals and help them to become partners.

How to Choose the Right Outsourcing Partner?

The success of your business can depend on finding the right outsourcing service provider. It is as important as selecting an employee to join your company.

These are some of the criteria you should consider.

Look at the Reputation and Client Reviews

Your outsourcing partner’s reputation in the industry is a good indicator of what you can expect. You may find that their other clients may have had a different experience to what they are offering you. It is easy to talk a good game, but it is results that matter. Check with your partner’s previous clients about their experiences. Ask around about what others think about your potential client.

Check Their Technology & Infrastructure

It is very important if your partner is located offshore. Check that your partner has adequate resources and infrastructure to complete your project. Iy’s great if their company has the all necessary environment, office, and human resources.

Learn More about Their Experience

Spend enough time researching your partner’s experience in the industry. Assess their track record to see how credible they are. It is also essential to find the information about the company or request information from them. If they have available portfolios and samples, review them.

Building Trust in Business Partnerships

As mentioned, trust in a business partnership is fragile but is crucial if you want to succeed. These are some essential elements to remember when building a business partnership.

Save Honesty

Be honest and direct about everything. Transparency in all matters, even insignificant ones, goes a long way. Choose to volunteer information, rather than wait to be asked. When you show that you have nothing to hide, you immediately become trustworthy.

Make Decisions and Resolve Issues

Ground interaction rules between the partners should be fixed in black and white and agreed in advance. This includes how your decisions or disagreements will be resolved. By defining a transparent process for coping with difficult issues, trust grows for both partners.

Be Consistent

Consistency is vital when building trust among team members. Everyone should know what to expect from each other and that those expectations should be met. Inconsistency breeds unreliability. Company standards should be upheld. Job descriptions should be honored. Promises should be kept. Adhering to deadlines is essential. Expected dates for reports and payments must be kept to at all costs. If there are any foreseeable problems, partners should be forthright. A friendly warning or a courtesy heads up goes a long way to cement trust between partners. Honesty in business is always much appreciated.

How to Make Trust in Business?

Establish Expectations

When expectations are established and defined, there is less room for interpretation. That means less room for misunderstandings. Everyone will understand what is expected of each person. Their role will make more sense to them if they are aware of how they fit into the grander scheme.

Keep a Word

At times, a person’s behavior is their only reassurance to another that they can be trusted. Actions speak louder than your words, so it is essential to be a person of your word. Be transparent in all your business plans and communications.

Respect Opinions

When your partner manages a process, they know how to get you the required results. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have chosen them, right? Respect your outsourcing partner and their opinions. Sometimes, they may know your process better than you. Remember that this is their profession.

Best Magento 2 Hosting

The best Magento® 2 hosting is the one that meets Magento 2 technical requirements, that is reliable, stable, and secure. You’ll find the excellent hosting providers for Magento 2 in the lists below.

If you’d like to install Magento 2 on your computer, then you need to have the right host. Websites and services like Magento 2 are hosted on servers so that they can function properly. If you want your site to be faster, below we will tell you the main requirements and list top hosting providers on the market.

Magento 2 Hosting Requirements

There are just three primary technical requirements for Magento 2.

• SSD – 20GB;
• RAM – 2GB;
• Magento optimized hosting.

Magento 2.1 Hosting Requirements

Magento 2.1 has system requirements that are needed to run the application, as well as web versions. With it, users will also be able to connect with Paypal to pay for orders and items. In Magento 2.1, you’ll need Apache 2.2 as a web server (or better). The system requirements are the following: MySQL 5.6; PHP 5.6.5-5.6.x, 7.02, 7.04, 7.0.6 – 7.0.x and one of the supported web browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Apple Safari and required PHP extensions installed.

Magento 2.2 Hosting Requirements

Magento 2.2 needs Linux x86-64 as an operating system. It also requires that you have a Composer, which will allow you to work within the system’s code. Other system requirements include MySQL 5.6, 5.7; PHP 7.02, 7.04, 7.0.6 – 7.0.x, 7.1.x. Like the 2.1 version, you’ll need Apache 2.2 or better as the web server!

And one more important note: you should have the SSH access to the server to be able to make changes and run commands using the command line. Also, you’ll need to have the necessary PHP extensions installed.

Magento 2.3 Hosting Requirements

As for the operating system, Magento 2.3 requires Linux x86-64. Still, to upgrade Magento store to 2.3 version you need up to 2GB of RAM. Web server – Apache 2.2 or 2.4, plus you must enable the Apache mod_rewrite and mod_version modules.

Other system requirements are the following – MySQL 5.6, 5.7, MySQL NDB Cluster 7.4.*, MariaDB 10.0, 10.1, 10.2, Percona 5.7, and other binary-compatible MySQL technologies. PHP should be 7.1.3 , 7.2.x. Don’t forget the latest stable version of the composer to deal with Magento 2 codebase.

For the full list of requirements for Magento 2.1 – 2.3, you can check the official website.

Types of Best Hosting for Magento 2 Available

Magento 2 Shared Hosting

A lot of web hosting sites have shared hosting. Essentially, shared hosting means that on a single server, the service provider provides its services for several different websites. Linux has a shared hosting platform that you can use. But keep in mind that any shared hosting is appropriate for the sites with the low and medium-sized traffic. It is the most affordable solution but not always suitable for Magento 2.

Magento VPS

A VPS, unlike shared hosting, runs its version of a website. With a virtual private server, more control is put into the user’s hands. You’ll be able to change settings and configurations, as well as run any updates that run on your OS. VPS resists high traffic load, and it will be a good option if your online store is on Magento 2.

Dedicated Server

As its name suggests, a dedicated server will only serve one organization. If you run an online store, then it will just help your site. This hosting is the exact opposite of the aforementioned shared hosting. It also costs much more.

Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting is a lot like other kinds of hosting; only, the servers run in a cloud. A cloud is a form of online backup which saves data through a network. The network is available through a virtual server that relies on many other physical servers; it doesn’t matter as much if a physical server crashes that creates improved reliability.

The List of the Best Magento Hosting Providers

Cloudways – Magento Tailored Hosting 

Pricing:

If you’re looking for the perfect managed cloud hosting at the right price, you can choose Cloudways where pricing plans start from merely $10. With the Pay-As-You-Go model, you only have to pay for the services you use.

About:

One of the leading managed Magento Hosting platforms with different cloud infrastructures including Amazon Web Service, Google Cloud Engine, Digital Ocean, Kyup, Vultr, and Linode. It is exclusively designed to get rid of technicalities and gives customers the ultimate peace of mind. Equipped with advanced technologies and a cache mechanism for matchless Magento 2 performance.

Offering all the advanced technologies. All you have to do is follow these simple steps: Firstly, select your app, choose the cloud infrastructure, and launch your website without any technical complexities. You even get free SSL certificate and ability to scale the server resources according to your needs.

It is one of the tops and trusted managed hosting providers, build for convenience. Their Magento 2 hosting solution completely meets all technical requirements and includes 24/7 security support. If you want a stable, safe, and litespeed hosting, Cloudways is a good choice.

Specification of technologies:

Nginx and Apache as web servers, PHP-FPM, MySQL/MariaDB, Cloudways Full Page Cache for Magento 1.x, Varnish for Magento 2.x and Memcached/Redis as optional.

Amazon S3 – Magento 2 Cloud Hosting

Pricing:

Amazon S3 will only charge you for the services you use. You can calculate how much it would cost you to run your Magento site on Amazon S3 by using their AWS Monthly Calculator. The prices will vary depending on how much data and storage you use per day.

About:

This system is especially useful because Magento 2 requires a lot of memory to be able to run efficiently. Amazon S3 allows you to store any amount of data from any device! The site claims to have 99.99% durability, and it promises to keep all of your information secure.

Specification of technologies:

Amazon S3 has versions for Java, .Net, Python, PHP, Node, and Ruby.

Zero lag – Magento 2 Dedicated Hosting

Pricing:

To get the right pricing, you need to request a quote from the company.

About:

The service is designed to focus on the user that’s using Zerolag rather than the company that’s being created from it. Zerolag allows you to customize your experience so that your site is unique.

Byet – Free and Premium Hosting Services

Pricing:

With Byte hosting, you have the option of choosing from several different plans. They provide dedicated servers with a full server control that are suitable for Magento 2. The price of the dedicated server is $150 per month.

About:

Byet hosts over one million websites on their servers. The company has been running for more than a decade and claims to offer free support. here are many benefits to using Byet, including nightly backups, server monitoring, and engineering and migration support no matter what location do you have.

Rackspace – Magento Managed Environment

Pricing:

Like Amazon’s cloud service, other server pricings will depend on what you use. You can request a free quote to know the exact price of the solution you need. You also can read a review or check different opinions and decide whether it suits you or not.

About:

Rackspace has been named the #1 managed cloud company, and it has been up and running since 1999. With Rackspace, you can request a free quote, it’s incredibly secure, and you always have access to their technical and expert support.

A2 Hosting – Magento 2 VPS, Dedicated, Cloud, and Shared Hosting

Pricing:

Prices for VPS start at just under $33 per month, and you can choose the option of managed and unmanaged hosting and 75GB of storage. Cloud hosting for Magento 2 will cost you from nearly $60 per month, and Dedicated Server price starts from $100 per month.

About:

A2 Hosting uses what they call “turbo” servers, meaning their servers run quicker than others. They provide VPS, Dedicated Server, and Cloud Hosting. They also use Guru as their crew support, and you can get your money back at any time.

Nexcess – Magento Optimized Hosting

Pricing:

The price starts from $20 per month for a year for shared Magento optimized hosting. There will be thirty accounts and nine additional stores. But if you choose a Dedicated server, it will cost you $540 and more.

About:

Nexcess allows you to choose the package that suits your needs and the needs of your customers. The servers are stable and offer options for both Magento 1 and Magento 2. It provides Magento optimized hosting solutions: Enterprise servers and Dedicated servers.

Things you should consider when choosing Magento 2 hosting:

• Magento 2 technical requirements. If you’re trying to run Magento 2 on a system that doesn’t fit its needs, you’ll find yourself out of luck very quickly.
• SSH access to the server should be provided.
• The traffic load of your website (the number of visits monthly) should be taken into account. The more visitors you have on your website, the more powerful and fast hosting you need.
• Service provider reputation. The hosting provider should be a reliable partner (refer to the partner directory above). If you don’t choose a reliable host, you can find yourself with problems in your system’s security, as well as glitches and bugs.

Magento 2 is heavy enough; it’s better to choose from the following options: Virtual Private Server, Dedicated Server, or Cloud Hosting. And that would be great if the hosting is Magento optimized.

5 Great Magento 2 Payment Extensions From Marketplace

Lots of successful online stores make use of payment extensions. They are functional modules that add features to your website. A Magento® 2 custom payment method module can turn a boring catalog of items into a complete online shopping experience. It adds more capabilities to your online store. Payment extensions can give you secure transactions and smarter functionality. That helps to increase your website’s sales.

What Tasks Payment Extensions Solve

There are a lot of advantages which Payment Modules can give your online shop:

• they extend the functionality without changing Magento 2 core;
• payment modules allow your customers to use the most common payment gateways which are convenient for them;
• extensions provide secure payments that that has critical importance for customers.

There are some useful extensions available for eCommerce websites that make use of Magento 2. Let’s look at some of them.

5 Best Magento 2 Payment Extensions

MultiSafepay by MultiSafepay

Rating: 5/5 stars

Functionality
MultiSafepay is a service provider that handles payment collections. This extension lets your customers make online and mobile payments easily. The process is seamless, quick and simple. MultiSafepay transactions are extremely secure, and it allows access to several payment methods.

3 Main Advantages

• It supports over 15 local and international payment methods. That includes credit cards from VISA, MasterCard, and American Express. It also works with local payment methods like iDEAL and Bancontact. Gift cards from over 20 providers can also be used.
• It’s entirely PCI compliant. Your customers’ payment details are processed securely. When purchasing on your website, they will be redirected to the MultiSafepay payment platform. The transaction will get processed using a secure SSL connection.
• It supports responsive payment pages. MultiSafepay’s mobile channel puts your customers at ease. There are also several in-app payment solutions available to enhance their shopping experience.

Price

MultiSafepay is free to download.
Compatible with: Magento Community 2.0, 2.1.

PayPlug Payment Gateway by J2T Design

Rating: 5/5 stars

Functionality
This extension allows your Magento 2 website to use the PayPlug Payment Gateway. It is the only solution designed for SMEs specifically. It provides a friendly check-out service. Using their Smart 3-D Secure feature, it reduces the chances of fraud significantly.

3 Main Advantages

• It’s effortless to install. It can be ist up with a single click, and no merchant account is required.
• It includes excellent tools to track orders. Customers often judge stores on how well the online shop manages their orders after purchase. You can retain your customers’ loyalty by offering this kind of excellent after-sales service.
• It has an infrastructure on par with registered banking institutions. It is PCI DSS certified, and it is registered as a payment agent at the ACPR. All funds are secured in French banks

Price

It is free to download and is available for Magento 2 Community Edition only. You may purchase a 1-month service agreement for $45-00. You may also add the optional installation service for an additional $120-00.

Compatible with: Magento Community 2.0, 2.1.

Stripe Payment Gateway and Subscriptions by Magenest 

Rating: 5/5 stars

Functionality

Stripe Payment Gateway and Subscriptions for Magento 2 gives your website the ability to accept once-off and recurring payments securely. It allows store owners to accept all major payment cards to create payment method in Magento2. One notable feature is that it even lets you receive Bitcoin payments via Stripe’s API.

3 Main Advantages

• It has a Level 1 PCI DSS security level. It is the highest possible compliance level of PCI DSS certification. It means outstanding security for your website’s transactions.
• It supports Bitcoin payments. So your customer base will expand. Bitcoin is a widely popular form of currency. More customers will be inclined to make purchases with Bitcoin on your website.
• It allows for smarter payment processing. This Magento 2 custom payment gateway lets you set up payment filter rules for different payments. Also, some countries have laws that restrict the act of buying and selling of specific products. This extension lets you limiting payment from particular countries.

Price

The download for Magento 2 Community Edition is $149-00. The download for Magento 2 Enterprise edition is $349-00. You may purchase an optional installation service for each version for $50-00.

There is a free 6-month service agreement included with each edition. But you also can extend to 9-month and 12-month service agreements at an extra fee:

Community Edition:

The 6-month service agreement is free.
The 9-month service agreement is $50-00.
The 12-month service agreement is $80-00.

Enterprise Edition:

The 6-month service agreement is free.
The 9-month service agreement is $100-00.
The 12-month service agreement is $150-00.

Compatible with: Magento Community 2.1, 2.2; Enterprise 2.1, 2.2

Amazon Pay by Amazon Payments, Inc.

Functionality

Amazon Pay lets your customers easily check-in and check-out on your Magento 2 website. It uses the information already stored in their Amazon account. They can do so without even leaving your website. It supports both desktop and mobile sites. Amazon Pay consists of 2 main components. The first element is a login module that lets customers register and login using their Amazon account. There’s no need to gather any additional information. The second component is a payments module that allows customers to complete checkout using their stored Amazon payment methods.

3 Main Advantages

• It increases your online credibility. It reassures the customer with common Amazon features and security that will help capture sales from customers who are hesitant to enter their information online.
• It provides a smooth and seamless payment process. Customers won’t need to leave your site to enter any payment or shipping information. All this information is extracted from their existing Amazon account.
• It has no hidden fees. There are no unexpected add-ons for monthly use, setup, or cancellation. It will inevitably save you money by lowering the total cost of accepting payments for your online store.

Price

Amazon Pay is available for Magento 2 Community and Enterprise editions. Both are free to download. They each come with a 1-month service agreement included which is free of charge.

Compatible with: Magento Community 2.1, 2.2; Enterprise 2.1, 2.2

Mollie by Mollie Payments

Rating: 5/5 stars

Functionality

Mollie gives your online store the support it needs to accept payments and donations online. It helps expand your customer base internationally by supporting all primary global payment methods. It does this through a single integration.

3 Main Advantages

• It allows quick and easy setup. The process of creating and activating your Mollie account is a matter of minutes. You could even start accepting payments within 15 minutes.
• It includes a personal dashboard. It contains all the real-time insights you need. All this information is held in a single panel and can be exported to every kind of accounting software.
• It lets you process refunds efficiently. Refunds can be issued right from the Magento 2 backend. Partial and extra refunds are both supported.

Price

Mollie is available for Magento 2 Community edition only. It is free to download.

Compatible with: Magento Community 2.1, 2.2.

How Much Does Magento eCommerce Cost?

If you want to know what it will cost to create Magento® 2 online stores, we are going to make the things clear today.

The cost of building a Magento online store depends on the choice of your edition and further customizations. The process should begin with a full assessment of what capabilities you want your online store to have. You should also differentiate between features that are necessary versus non-critical. The main goal of doing this is to ensure that your budget can cover all the critical operational features of your store first. Once you can cover this cost, you can use the rest of your budget for other non-critical features. Every business needs to make the smartest use of its resources. The critical features of your online store should be established first. Then you can include other items.

It may seem like a complicated exercise, but we promise you, it is not. In fact, we have laid out everything you need to know to guide you through Magento eCommerce cost structure. Let’s start with the initial software cost.

How Much Will a Magento Website Cost Me?

There are two pricing approaches that you could take. You can either opt for the Magento 2 Open Source edition and then add on whatever capabilities you require. But the costs of too many additional extensions can add up. This approach may end up costing more than you budgeted for.

The other option would be to opt for the Magento 2 Commerce Edition. But this method may end up being a wasteful exercise if you don’t need the full power of this version. Therefore, it is essential to establish your critical needs first. When you know what you need, you can then see which approach suits your pocket best.

Magento Small Business Pricing

Let’s highlight they key pricing points and price range for the package. Magento Open Source is entirely free as a package. You can request the demo, and then after reviewing it, you can download the recent Magento Open Source edition and start to work on it.

Magento Enterprise Pricing

The price of all Magento Enterprise editions is dependent on what your exact needs are. The final price will depend on your store yearly revenue.

Magento 2 License Cost

For the Magento 2.x Commerce, license cost starts from $22,000 for the year plan. This Magento 2 Enterprise Edition Price is for merchants generating less than $1 million. Commerce Cloud costs around $40,000 for the year plan. The price varies from $22,000 and $40,000 to $125,000 and $190,000, if company generating between $25 – $50 million per year.

The stats above are showing the average price for packages and relies on the gross revenue of the store. However, the price also relies on the functionality implemented, and the maximum that we pointed here is for the fully functional Magento Commerce Store.

Basic Magento Website Cost Structure

Some factors contribute to the basic eCommerce website price of a Magento store. Let’s look at the most important aspects that you need to know about.

Magento 2 Server Costs

A Magento 2 server needs to be able to run a Linux x86-64 operating system. This should be supported by at least 2Gb of RAM, or else a swap file will be required. Databases must be built with MySQL 5.6 minimum. The servers that will run your Magento 2 solution must be able to perform to these standards. The cost of the actual Magento 2 server solution will depend on which edition you decide to use.

Magento Hosting

The hosting cost of the actual Magento 2 server solution will depend on which edition you decide to use. Please, take into account that different hosting providers charge a specific price for the hosting solution. Simple hosting starts at $3,99, and for the advanced plan, you can pay from $200 per month.

Magento Website Development Costs

Developing a Magento website does require specific specialized skills. Developers that can perform this task have different costs. This cost is dependent on what kind of site you expect. A website with a simple checkout protocol will be cheaper to develop. A website that needs more functionality will be more expensive because it will require more development.

Additional Module Packages

The costs of developing your online store will increase if you decide to add functionality by means of using module packages. Some modules are free to download. But several of the most useful modules can only be purchased. The cost of your website will increase with each module package that you buy. To learn more about the prices for Magento 2 extensions, you can visit Magento Marketplace where you’ll find lots of useful modules for various needs.

Marketing Costs

Marketing is not directly related to developing a website. But once your website is created, you want to direct as much traffic as possible to it. The costs involved to market your website are counted as part of your development costs. This is because marketing is part of making your Magento store as successful as possible. Some marketing strategies include SEO, online marketing campaigns and content management. Marketing costs are usually counted as an optional cost. But realistically, marketing your Magento store is necessary. No matter how great your store is, people still need to be told about it.

Magento Development Cost

Total web development costs consist of developers’ hourly rates and the scope of work needed.

Magento Development Hourly Rates

Magento developer cost per hour can range from $20 to $100. The actual rate will depend on several factors. The development requirements of your Magento store is one such factor. A simple shop that requires little technical development will be cheaper and vice versa. Another factor is the developer(s) location. Different developers may charge different rates for the same job. Their rates depend on the country where the developers are from. Some regions, such as the USA, European countries can have higher rates than Ukraine or Poland, for instance. It depends on the world market and the tax system in the country.

Also, besides the rate, we recommend you to pay attention to the experience and skills of a web developer. There are specific skills that only experience can teach. And a professional developer is more likely to have these skills. You can check it by requesting the developer’s CV and portfolio, conducting the face-to-face interview, or taking several trial hours for free.

What Are the Other Important Elements That Can Affect the Pricing?

Every Magento online store has essential features that they must have to be operational. Let’s look at the necessary works that your online store will need:

• Requirements for brief creation (it usually takes nearly 40-80 hours).

It is a significant milestone that helps to clarify your exact needs and the functionality your online store will include.

• Project architecture creation (also 40-80 hours).

On this stage, the team thoughts out the whole project core and architecture it will have.

• Magento 2 installation (1-2 hours).

After that, you get Magento 2 out-of-box functionality that needs customizations.

• Backend implementations (needs at least 200 hours and depends on customizations you may need).

It usually includes modules set-up, custom module development, API development, and 3-d party integrations.

• Frontend implementations (starts from 200 hours).

It includes setting up a theme or designing a custom theme.

The approximate realistic total for a project of this scope will take around 1000-2000 hours.

Custom Magento Website Cost

What the customization means as an action. The customization is necessary if you want to rebuild or change specific default feature for your business needs. This requires additional developer’s work and could be counted as extra development hours.

You can customize the theme, modules, and any store features as products, orders, search, login, checkout, etc. Also, you can contact us so that we can customize any feature for your store and help to clarify the costs according to our estimation. A customized solution ensures that you do not waste money on paying for features and capabilities that you may not need.

What Is the Cost to Maintain My Magento Website?

You can calculate actual development costs as:

The number of development hours * web developer hourly rate

If we will calculate the approximate costs, it will look like the following:

This is not the final amount. All the factors mentioned in this article will contribute to your total. You should keep in mind that initial development costs may seem expensive. But your Magento online store will begin seeing more revenue, and you will start recovering your investments.

Best Websites to Outsource Web Development for the USA in 2019

Outsourcing is an efficient way to get work done for your business without needing to add these departments to your company structure. It can be intimidating when trying to find companies that outsource web development. Let’s look at a few risks involved.

The Main Risk of Outsourcing Web Development Projects

Risk 1: Quality Control

It can be challenging to be fully involved in the web development process. It can result in an end-product that is not exactly what you expected.

Risk 2: Security and Privacy Leaks

Outsourcing web development does involve handing over some access to sensitive information. If your developer does not assume responsibility for this security, you could end up with leaked private information.

Risk 3: Lack of Customer Focus

Sometimes, agencies take on too many clients. So, they tend to take a somewhat generic approach to development. Another reason could be that web development has a creative element which an “outsider” may not fully grasp.

How to Outsource Web Development Confidently

The good news is that some useful outsourcing websites can help you find the talent you seek. Here are 5 of the best outsourcing platforms in the USA and globally.

Clutch.co

About

Clutch is an independent research company. They maintain an in-depth database of service providers and vendors. Web development is one of their focus areas. It uses verified company reviews and a “leader matrix” to create relevant recommendations for clients. The leader matrix is composed of several evaluation metrics like quality, cost and client portfolios.

How it works

If you need a service provider, you would first need to select the domain that your requirements fall under (e.g., software development, web design, etc.). You will receive with leader matrices of possible company choices. You can check their profiles, rates and previous client reviews.

Benefits

• The potential service providers are based partly on positive customer reviews. Service providers who perform poorly are marked as such, so potential clients are fully aware of their performance.
• The process of assessing and choosing service providers can be a lengthy and expensive exercise. Clutch takes care of this by doing the legwork for you. You just need to determine the leaders.

Upwork

About

Upwork is a platform for freelancers from all over the world. It is a virtual meeting place where businesses and freelancers can find each other. Upwork is one of the largest freelance marketplaces available. Clients can list jobs, along with specifications like project requirements, deadlines, budget, and required experience level.

How it works

Freelancers create profiles on Upwork with detailed information related to their skills and experience. You can search the Upwork database for freelancers that meet specified criteria. You can also list your job on the news feed. Freelancers will browse these jobs and submit proposals. You review the proposals and choose a freelancer. They are contractually obligated to do the work. Projects can be billed per milestone or when the service provider completes the entire project. It can also be charged per hour. For fixed-price jobs, you can use Upwork’s Escrow service to release funds automatically as milestones are met.

Benefits

• An entry-level freelancer can do a simple project. A sophisticated project should be done by an experienced professional. Upwork lets you find the right match for your project.
• Upwork has a host of online tests that they administer to freelancers. You can use this to help verify if freelancers are skilled in their advertised areas.

LinkedIn

About

LinkedIn is a cross-industry networking platform. It’s a great option if you’re looking to hire people or keep updated on business acquaintances. By joining LinkedIn, you become visible in professional communities. The emphasis is on networking for professionals.

How it works

All LinkedIn users have a professional profile that is linked to other professional profiles, like a “friend of a friend” approach. You can search for individuals or companies by location, the field of expertise and skill level. You can also keep the search restricted to people within your network or who are only one degree removed.

Benefits

• The community-based structure of LinkedIn makes it easier for you to connect with like-minded people. You can choose who you want in your “community.”
• LinkedIn is an excellent environment to build brand awareness for your business.

Meetup.com

About

Meetup.com is an environment for you to connect with others, based on similar interests. It is a great way to connect with users involved in web design that could potentially be a good employee for you. The Meetup groups are centered around specific fields. It helps narrow down your search for people involved in web design in your area quite efficiently.
How it works

When you sign up, you can request to join groups. You can also create a group if you don’t find a suitable one. By merely being in the same community as other like-minded people, you can easily find people that would be an asset to your business.

Benefits

Since Meetup.com has a robust location-based search option, you can easily find people based in your area.

Meetup.com is an interest-based platform. That means that the people who join have substantial interests in their fields. It will be easier to find talented employees who are genuinely passionate about their interests.

Outsourcing Company’s Website

About

There is a full portfolio of information available online. You can easily see what their strengths and specializations are. If you have any questions or would just like more information, you may contact them at any time. You can also keep updated with any special offers that are running.

How it works

When a company is visible in Google search results, it is a good indicator that they take care of their brand. It’s especially true if the potential customer uses generic keywords like “outsourcing company.” That means they have invested resources into their brand because they believe in the products they are selling. One should also evaluate the content quality of the website and how useful their information is. The website visitors should have easy ways to contact the company and have in-depth coverage of who they are. Portfolios, reviews, and company assurances are usually also should be visible on the corporate website.

Benefits

A website with good quality content shows customers that the business is established and is confident in their product. It inspires confidence in the customer and reassures them that the business can take care of their needs. Customers tend to assess businesses based on the quality and visibility of their online presence.

5 Magento 2 Extensions Useful for an Online Store

Magento® 2 is one of the best eCommerce platforms on the market. What makes it so great? It’s customizable. You can ultimately choose how your online store will be run through Magento by buying extensions and add-ons.

Here, we’ve picked 5 Magento extensions that can be useful for each online store!

What Tasks Magento 2 Modules Solve

Magento plugins solve a variety of problems on eCommerce platforms. Today we’ll talk about the customers’ journey. For one thing, M2 modules can make it easier for customers during checkout. They can also separate your page into different sections; for example, clothing stores can have a section called “Shop by Brand.” You can have product bundles added, as well as shipping calculators.

Essentially, extensions are used to make the customer experience better. When your customers are happy, they’re more likely to come back to your store! Today let’s talk about Magento Marketplace extensions that earn special attention.

5 Great Extensions for Magento 2

Store Locator by Amasty

Rating: 4.8/5 stars

Functionality

Store Locator is the perfect extension for any online store. Whether you’re running a small, medium, or large-sized business, your customers might want to find your location(s), which is why you should consider buying this extension.

Get technical support. At the very least, you have three months of free technical support. This is beneficial as you get used to using the extension, but it is especially useful if you’re going to install the extension on your own.

Display store location on your site. Store Locator connects Google Maps to your online store so that your customers can see where you are and how far away you are from them. You can also put information about each of your locations.

Organize your store locations. This extension allows you to assign specific brands and categories to your store locations so that your customers can see what each store has to offer.

Compatible with: Magento Community 2.1, 2.2; Enterprise 2.1, 2.2

Price

There are two different packages available for this extension.

The first is for Magento 2 Community Edition with the price of the extension itself is $200, and which has a technical support option:

• $129 for 12 months,
• $79 for 6 months,
• free for 3 months.

No matter which one you choose, you have the option of buying a $60 installation fee.

The second edition is the for Enterprise Edition. This package is $500 at its base and has a $60 installation fee that you can choose to buy. The technical support costs:

• $219 for 12 months,
• $149 for 6 months,
• free for 3 months.

Check out Suite by IWD Agency

Rating: 5/5 stars

Functionality

This extension puts everything on the same page. It’s customizable, so you can choose your layout and your colors to match that of your store. Overall, it makes your entire website function easier.

Enjoy user-friendly pages. Right when your customers go to checkout, they have the option of customizing their products. They don’t have to move backward or move through different tabs. It’s all on the same page!

Customize it. With this Magento 2 module, you have complete control over your website. That means you can edit your layout, the fields that appear during checkout, colors, and much more!

Work with advanced options. That is what will set you apart from other companies. Checkout Suite allows your customers to tell you when they need their product delivered for so that you can try your best to respect their needs. Not only this, but you can give them the option to gift wrap products with a special message to the recipient.

Compatible with: Magento Community 2.2, Enterprise 2.2

Price

The version for Community Edition is free, and it comes with the option to have it installed for $85.

The Enterprise Edition base fee is $689 in comparison, with a $60 installation fee. You can choose to have customer service for:

• $551 for 12 months
• $413 for 6 months.

Product Bundled Discount by Krish TechnoLabs

Functionality

The reason this product works is that it promotes your business through marketing. Some people scoff at it because they aren’t gaining as much money as they usually would, but this extension could be the thing that makes your customers keep coming back.

Increase sales. Everyone loves a deal. This extension allows you to provide your customers with more products at a discounted price! Instead of buying one or two items, they’ll buy bundles of products!

Save time. Customers will be able to buy your products with only one click!

Sell dead inventory. Every store owner knows that there are some products which do not sell out completely. There are always extras that hang around in your warehouse, and this can be annoying. Instead, you can offer the product for a bulk price, so customers are more inclined to buy those extra products.

Compatible with: Magento Community 2.1, Enterprise 2.1

Price

Just like the previous two options, this extension has two packages.

The first is a Magento 2 Community Version, which costs $299, has the prospect of a $99 activation fee, and service agreement:

• $180 for 9 months,
• free for 6 months.

The next package is for Magento 2 Enterprise Edition for $600. The installation fee is the same, and it only comes with a free six-month service agreement.

Shop By Brand by Aheadworks

Functionality

This Magento 2 brand extension allows you to create brand pages. That will enable merchants and customers to go to your site and look at specific brands you’re offering; subsequently making shopping time faster and easier. And it is one of the best Aheadworks Magento 2 extensions.

Increase your sales. When customers choose their brand, the extension also shows the products they might like based on their choice, which will gradually bring you more sales.

Get loyalty from brands. Brands appreciate being shown off. Using Shop by Brand will likely get you loyalty from brands because they’ll be represented more.

Provide a faster shopping experience. A lot of people hate shopping for hours on end. With this, they can click on the brand they want and add it to their cart.

Compatible with: Magento Community 2.1, Enterprise 2.1

Price

The Community Edition is $79. It has a $55 option installation fee, as well as service agreements:

• $149 for 12 months,
• $99 for 6 months,
• free for 3 months.

The Enterprise Edition Version comes for $349. The installation fee is the same, but the service agreements are:

• $399 for 12 months,
• free for six months.

SimiCart Mobile App Builder by SimiCart

Functionality

Not everyone knows how to build the perfect mobile app for their site. That’s what makes SimiCart Mobile App Builder especially handy! Almost everyone has a smartphone, which is why you might want to make your company mobile-friendly!

Turn your website into an app. The app configures for your site.

Increase your sales. People are on their phones more and more. When they’re out at work or running errands, they can’t go onto their computer. By going mobile, you can sell items at any moment, from any smartphone.

Interact on social media. This extension will allow your customers to connect with you through social media like Facebook Connect and push notifications.

Compatible with: Magento Community 2.0, Community 2.1

Price

There is only a community edition available, and it’s free for trial! Then you’ll need to buy the monthly subscription which starts at $49/month.