What Should be Expected in 2013

eCommerce is a rapidly growing industry. Every year the number of online stores increases, new solutions appear, dated platforms are forced out from the market, and millions of dollars are spent to survive the strict competition. Still more rapid growth is predicted for 2013, and its not surprising. Internet trading is so popular that “in the future, instead of buying bananas in a grocery store, you could go pick them off a tree in a virtual jungle”. (Yasuhiro Fukushima, business executive). To succeed in eCommerce it is not enough to go with the flow. You have to be one step ahead. Therefore, you will be interested in some predictions for 2013 eCommerce development.

For all appearances, Magento platform will continue to lead the industry, with the constantly growing community of users and developers. Magento always provides merchants with advanced functionality, which includes one page checkout, rich merchandising suit, private sales, customer attribute management, multi store support.

With pent breath Magento 2.0 version is awaited. Developers promise to revolutionize the shopping cart functionality with innovative updates. The most promising changes will be:

– component oriented modules which will give an opportunity to disable unnecessary components

– platform available on github which allows community to add new features, fix bugs and contribute in Magento development.

– Magento 2.0 will be not not backwards compatible so the modules will require to be updated

– New layout with different containers

These and lots of other improvements are likely to keep Magneto on top for the 2013 year and confirm the reputation of “platform for growth”.

Speaking about Magento, such feature as multi store support was mentioned. The feature is becoming more and more popular, and the prediction is – it will bring competitive advantage to the shopping carts which support it. A good example of it is PrestaShop 1.5 version. Though unstable at the beginning, it won a lot of customers adding multi store management to its functionality. Other shopping platforms that can boast of this advanced feature are CS-Cart, OpenCart, and platforms which appeared as a result of OpenCart and Joomla integration such as MijoShop, AceShop. Choosing these carts users will search for the following benefits of multi store:

– ability to theme stores differently

– set products for each specific store

– localize stores by setting different default languages, currencies

– provide discounts for different customer groups

– single admin panel to manage all stores

Hosted platforms are gaining popularity today. The reasons why users will choose hosted and cloud solutions are the following:

– web hosting and maintenance are provided by the company developer

– constant updates are available

– cart installation and store launch are quick and easy

– intuitive management even for non-technical users

– service providers take care of development issues

– not much investment is required

– free trial periods are available to check shopping cart functionality

The most popular hosted solutions, that are predicted to grow even more in 2013 are BigCommerce, Volusion, Shopify and 3DCart. Former users of Interspire cart which discontinued support in 2012 are likely to migrate to BigCommerce as it is an improved alternative from the same company developer.  Shopify continues to amaze it’s users with simplicity and feature set including ecommerce forums to support their user base.

Volusion has disappointed customers at the end of the year having troubles with sites running and cart technology. Hopefully, the shopping cart will rehabilitate in the new year, as it has considerable experience in the industry and has already developed rich functionality. Another benefit which will attract users is that hosted solutions use API. You will not have to download connection bridge to perform the integration with platform.

Unfortunately, some carts are unlikely to survive the competition unless they make updates to catch up with modern trends. osCommerce latest version appeared in 2011 and is still in development. It lacks even basic content management features, not to mention the innovative ones which were added to almost every popular platform. All that osCommerce can offer are add-ons provided by community.

Though Zen Cart can offer more features than osCommerce however the situation is frustrating as well. The platform is developed too slowly. Zen Cart 1.5 was released in 2011 and for a long time was unstable. Obviously, the platform with limited functionality and rare updates is not merchants’ dream. Also, there is a growing tendency to migrate from Yahoo store. The platform is API based and offers some basic functionality, but probably doesn’t justify the expectations of store owners.

Among other predictions for the 2013 is the increased interest in mobile commerce. The use of mobile devices in shopping purposes is more and more frequent so merchants are eager to occupy this niche. Thus, MobiCart platform will attract users providing them with mCommerce store and ability to synchronize it with eCommerce cart.

Finally, the use of content management systems for selling online. It is not new that most popular CMS threesome includes WordPress, Joomla and Drupal. The tendency shows that customers are prone to migrate from Drupal to WordPress, as they find it more user friendly. It depends on specific business requirements. However, WordPress introduced quite promising eCommerce plugin WooCommerce. In combination with WooThemes and numerous features the platform will be a tempting solution for online business owners. As for Joomla, it offers successful integration with OpenCart which results in multi functional and robust platforms – MijoShop and AceShop.

These are just the main predictions based on analysis of previous year achievements and general tendencies of eCommerce development. What new shopping carts, features and opportunities will be presented in 2013 remains a mystery. eCommerce has always been unexpected and dynamic, so the main advice is – stay tuned and be flexible, always ready to meet new trends as soon as they appear on the horizon.

Author Bio: Galya Yefymchuk,  Marketing Assistant at MagneticOne, an innovative software company, developer of  Cart2Cart – automated shopping cart migration service.  Find out the full list of supported platforms here.

Magento is a popular open source web-based software package for ecommerce applications. The Magento community edition is available to online business owners free of charge. Professional web designers have created templates for Magento users to easily customize and set up their websites. These designers apply their vast experience in incorporating all the required and good-to-have features. All of them are fully responsive and automatically adjust the size to fit the screen of the device being used. Existing templates are enhanced and new ones are added all the time. Here are 15 of the latest Magento templates that will boost the appeal of any ecommerce website.

1. Imagination:

Imagination has a powerful theme options module and an endless range of colors and patterns that can be controlled through the admin panel. Further, sub-themes can be created for more variety.

· The fully customizable slider header offers various effects while the sidebar can be positioned to the left or right of the page.

· The My Cart page can be viewed in the standard or accordion layout.

· The blocks for More views and Related products on the main page and Wishlist on the sidebar can be displayed as
sliders.

· Categories and Shop By blocks on the sidebar can be displayed in accordion fashion.

· The grid page accommodates 2, 3 or 4 products on each page.

· It has powerful cloud zoom in place of standard zoom.

· With SVN integration enabled, any template fixes and updates can be installed while maintaining the previously selected customization settings.

2. Metro Responsive

This theme for Magento lends a modern look to the website of any online store. Customers will enjoy a great user experience with the shopping cart quick view and the Back to Top button that instantly returns them to the top of the page without having to manually scroll up.

· 14 static blocks and a touch slider give scope for creativity on the home page.

· A badge is shown next to new products or those on sale to highlight them.

· The two theme colors are blue and pink.

· The list of products has the previous and next tabs for easy navigation.

· Products can be viewed using cloud zoom.

· Metro has connectivity to the two most popular social networking sites: Facebook and Twitter in the footer and on the product view.

· It has a jQuery-powered Superfish menu.

3. Antares

Antares is a responsive premium Magento theme. One of its outstanding features is its powerful admin panel. There is a handy button to take the user to the top at any time. Users can also subscribe to the store’s newsletter through this template.

· It is built with HTML5 tags and CSS3 features.

· New products can be affixed with the appropriate eye-catching labels.

· Custom Ui widgets can be used for new products, featured category products, tabs and social links. Products can be given social bookmarks.

4. SportShop

It is available in 4 skins; colors and backgrounds can be changed easily. With the main features listed below, it is ideal for heavy stores that support many languages; examples are stores selling sports goods, clothing, footwear, cosmetics and flowers.

· The main menu can be displayed in two styles.

· It includes Slideshow banner images; there is a slider for featured products and another for the brand logo.

· The header dropdown cart is useful for customers to review their purchases before making the payment.

· Thumbnail images can be scrolled through.

· LightBox images effect.

· SportShop is integrated into the main social networks.

· It has a detailed user guide with complete tutorials and great after-sales customer support.

5. Independent

This is one of the best Magento templates from the designers of Imagination and Antares with very similar features. This theme uses a striking color combination of red against a white and grey background.

· Distinct features include a Contact Us form at the bottom-right to capture the important customer details.

· A search facility is provided for the entire store.

6. Funky Store

The Funky Store theme loads at super-fast speed. It supports SEO and has compatibility with all the major browsers. It can be used for a client, personal or commercial website or even an intranet site project.

· It has an attractive AJAX Add to Cart feature.

· Slideshows are present for featured, latest and upsell products.

· Static links are present in the footer.

· Columns can be customized.

· The structure and comments of the HTML5 and CSS3 codes allows a high level of customization.

7. Dresscode – Magento Template

Dresscode theme for Magento uses an elegant black background with white text and red highlighting. In the products list, tabs are available for exclusively viewing any of the new and bestseller items as well as those on sale. The individual products are also tagged with new and/or sale labels. This template has an SEO-friendly design and is perfect for a store that wants to maintain a newsletter to keep its readers abreast of the latest updates.

· The Skeleton CSS framework uses a grid 960.

· It has a custom dropdown menu and an exclusive banner-cum-slider.

· Twitter and Facebook widgets are provided for social media links; it also shows the latest tweets on Twitter and the Facebook fan box

· Button at the bottom-center can show or hide the footer as desired.

8. Ves Gift

There are many Magento themes for customizing your website but none as elegant as Ves Gift. The stylish and modern look makes the user feel that the products sold by this company will also be refined. It can also be used for fashion, toys stores and gift ideas. There are 3 brand colors: pink, green and blue; the bright layout is in contrast with the simple design and appeals to customers.

· It supports mega menus.

· With its Control Panel module, the user can easily handle the width and direction of the template and can change themes.

· Thumbnail view for the products featured in the gallery.

· It uses a lower level of configuration and thus, simpler codes that load fast.

9. Ultimo Fluid Responsive

Ultimo has endless color options and is open to customization. Any store that is trying out custom projects can use this theme. Its 75-page user guide is the most comprehensive among all Magento templates. It hardly takes a minute or two to install, upload and activate.

· Over 40 CMS blocks.

· User can create sub-themes, which is rare among themes for Magento.

10. Styler – Responsive Magento Template

There are currency and language options for simplifying transactions, making it the ideal theme for a business having many stores and using several languages. Another unique feature is that videos can be added with the products tab. Overall, it is a very stylish template for an online store.

· 2 design layouts for the home page – either with thumbnails for the categories or a banner slider.

· It has Quick view for a chosen product.

· Ajax Add to Cart and Checkout functionality on the product page.

· Lightbox technology is used to zoom into pictures.

· Backwards and forward navigation is possible in the products list.

· A touch slider is provided for product categories.

· Header and footer can be collapsed and expanded at will.

11. Wiser – Magento Theme

This is quite a clean and elegant Magento template with an unlimited range of color and background options, and other configurable settings through the admin panel. Google fonts and static blocks are available with Wiser Magento theme. It gives the store’s online designer a lot of flexibility in personalizing the overall look and feel of the website.

· Popular and newly arrived products are displayed in slider format on the home page.

· Ajax Add to Cart functionality can be customized and loads quickly and easily.

· Smaller product images can be enlarged using cloud zoom; it is as simple as clicking on the image to get its original size.

· CSS3 provides interesting animations for various buttons.

· The designers of this template provide high level of user support through their forum.

12. Sandal

This theme includes 16 skins. The menu has standard / fish and wide style options.

· A slideshow banner for images on the home page and a slider for new and featured products.

· It uses Cloud zoom with LightBox images effects and a thumbnail scroller.

· Products can be displayed in 2, 3 or 4 rows on the category page.

· A dropdown shopping cart is present in the header.

· It has good integration with social networking sites.

· All these features make it ideal for stores dealing in clothing, footwear, cosmetics and other fashion-related goods.

13. Shopper – Retina-ready Magento Template

This theme has many flexible CMS blocks and a fluid slideshow to give business users plenty of creative opportunity with the products listing on their online store. The template creators have recently introduced a dedicated support forum. It is not only responsive like all other latest Magento themes but also retina-ready to keep up with the cutting-edge technology on laptops and mobile devices.

· The main page can be configured with a customizable banner slider and sidebar with newsletter signup feature.

· The Shopper Magento template offers custom colors to make each of the categories unique.

· Moreover, the user can choose from 2 layouts; either 3 products per row or 4 without a sidebar.

· The slideshow can be displayed on every page of the website.

· The price slider is based on Ajax technology; product price ranges can be adjusted on the fly; they will get updated without refreshing the page.

14. Ves Lingerie

This template is specially designed for a lingerie, fashion or accessories store. The layout has a bright appearance in keeping with the products being sold, yet is strict enough to make a good impression on the customer.

· There are 5 theme colors to choose from, including orange, pink, blue, green and black

· It supports Mega menu; the VesTheme Control Module gives the user easy flexibility with Template Direction, Template Width and Changing Theme.

· All the layout customization options are configured quickly from the backend, making this Magento theme lightweight and fast-loading.

15. Fashion World

This is a great solution for fashion stores. It comes in green, pink and purple skin color options which are attractive and make a style statement on the viewer. The home page has an attractive slider at the top with product listings at the bottom. The product manager easily handles new labels for products.

· It has a touch slider to display products in an attractive manner.

· There are 14 static block options for ease of layout customization.

· Advanced search facility powered by Ajax is available on the top-right of the Fashion World theme.

· The user can get a quick view for the Shopping cart.

· Back to Top button is provided for a better user experience while navigating the website.

· Social links are provided in the footer and also along with the product view.

Summary:

Any of these 15 latest Magento templates will be very useful for an ecommerce website but it is better to choose a theme that is aligned with the specific goods being sold. Some of the Magento themes are freely available over the Internet; even the premium themes that are charged are a worthwhile purchase as they can really enhance online business for the store owner.

ECommerce continues to be a popular way to do business in the 21st century. It is fast, convenient and, given the international trends in businesses lately, the easiest way to send money back and forth between parties. ECommerce sites are certainly a growing trend in this field, and as such, site builders are looking at the varying ways they can appeal to potential buyers. Of course, because humans are a visual species, website designers are looking to leverage the most appealing visuals in order to draw the buyers in. There are several different web themes available; Magento is an open source eCommerce software package which offers a wide range which appeals to a broad audience.

The top 20 best Magento templates for 2012:

Continue reading 20 best Magento Templates for 2012 →

Magento was launched in early 2008 as an open source ecommerce web application, and has since grown like wild fire in the ecommerce world. It was built upon the Zend Framework, but the only free version is the Magento Community Edition. Part of the strength of Magento is the adaptability via extensions. It is a very powerful ecommerce solution and here are some of the best Magento themes for 2012:

1. Kemper
Continue reading 20 New Best Magento Themes for 2012 →