Hello
I am a bit confused here. What is a Magento Template? Is it different from other JA templates, and if yes how and why?
RJ
2 answers
Hello
I am a bit confused here. What is a Magento Template? Is it different from other JA templates, and if yes how and why?
RJ
Magento is a separate open-source eCommerce system -- kind of like VirtueMart, but MUCH more robust and feature rich (in my opinion). It’s built upon a different PHP framework than is Joomla (Zend), so at this time, it cannot be easily integrated with Joomla templates as VirtueMart can. Nevertheless, from the stores I’ve seen that have been developed using Magento -- I seriously believe that Magento is the open-source eCommerce platform to watch.
Check out these featured stores built on the Magento framework —> http://www.magentocommerce.com/blog/…ento-spotting/
Among the features that Magento offers (out-of-the-box) that VirtueMart does not:
-- Layered Navigation
-- Wish List
-- Configurable Products/Bundles (see the "build a computer" example in t he demo)
Now, the one issue that I am a bit frustrated with at this time is how the few Theme Makers for Magento themes/templates are charging an arm-and-a-leg for their themes/templates (or clubs). I think this is because they feel that there is so little competition out there at the moment, that they can get away with charging more (i.e. the law of supply and demand). I’m hoping that more and more innovative developers will hop on board the Magento train and begin to load the market with more and more themes for Magento -- thereby driving the price down to a much more reasonable range than they are now.
In my opinion, JA could make a big splash (and some serious revenue) in this arena if they do a couple of things . . .
-- Offer Magento Themes at a reasonable price ($29.95 to $49.95 depending on the complexity and features available within the theme
-- Hire a separate team of "Magento ONLY Developers" to concentrate on monthly Magento themes
-- Develop dynamic EXTENSIONS for Magento
-- Offer step-by-step VISUAL TUTORIALS on how to design within the Magento file structure
(i.e. moving things around, creating new blocks and positions on the page, configuring eye-catching product pages, etc.)
