I’ve been a sideline fan of Magento Commerce ever since they launched the first early open source version years ago. Their got-it-together vision with a can-do attitude, and approach of developing an open-source ecommerce platform with other premium-level support features just seemed like a cool move and great approach.
Now, TechCrunch notes that Magento just got a $22.5 million-dollar capital injection in an equity funding round. Wow.
Give it up for the little company that could. Real options for ecommerce dog those of us building sites and stores every day. There are a thousand players out there, of which only a small handful are worth anything. One thing you want to know is that if you’re building a business on a certain platform, is that it’s going to be around in a few years and that it’s going to improve along the way. I think Magento has done a stellar job of doing just that.
The open-source project gives you the ability to get into the code and tweak it as needed. The community support and involvement helps keep the project improving. Wehre it’s gone in the last few years dwarfs the options and features for most of the other players out there.
Setting up shop online is NOT easy. Especially if you want to do anything more than sell one-off items in a simple fashion. Kudos to them for building something good and keeping at it. I look forward to the time I get to build a site on that platform, with a client willing to invest in a real, powerful solution rather than the more straightforward “ready to go” product that lacks some of the serious features that most online retailers want but aren’t willing to pay for.
I’ll handily admit not everyone needs all the bells and whistles, but if you’re serious about selling online, why not go all out and really do it?
Keep watching Magento for developments. Cash might do more wonders to something that already seems pretty well-rounded to me.