Developed by Varien in 2008, Magento is a professional open source platform, which allows users to have complete control over their website. Users can customize the look, content and functionality according to their own requirements. Magento is scalable and can be used for providing powerful marketing, merchandising and content management solutions.

One of the major reasons for the massive popularity of the platform is that Magento provides users with powerful reporting features and can handle complex discounting and voucher systems. It can also be integrated with other systems like accounting and stock control. So, it basically provides all the resources any serious eCommerce owner would require.

Customization

Magento is extremely customizable and most of the customization can easily be handled via the admin panel. The look and feel of the website even can be revamped with a click of a button. Users can add or delete any functionality for a website, depending on the requirements.

Plugins

To enhance the features of a website, Magento offers various plugins which can be quickly installed onto the platform. With the help of theses plugins a user can dramatically increase the capabilities and audience impact of a website.

Community

As compared to other CMS platforms like Drupal, Magento is still relatively new. Yet it has managed to get the support of thousands of developers from around the globe (as well as the attention of EBay). With its massive community, Magento manages to provide comprehensive support around the clock. Magento has an active forum which can be used by developers and users to seek solutions to the problems they might be facing with the platform.

The following is a breakdown of core features and capabilities of the CMS system for eCommerce purposes:

Catalog and Product Browsing

Setting up the components allowing for shoppers to browse and search for products is made easy with Magento, as it allows you to add features such as:

‚¬ Add User reviews
‚¬ Wishlists
‚¬ Multiple images for products
‚¬ Advanced product filtering system
‚¬ Product comparison

Catalog Management: The Magento platform allows for seamless inventory management, as it supports batch import and export of products, different tax rates per location, and additional product attributes.
Order Management: Order management is effortless with Magento and can be managed via the admin panel. The Admin panel allows business owners to create orders, multiple invoices for varying shipments and even add credit memos.

Payment: Depending on the requirement, business owners can use the Magento platform to accept payment via credit cards, PayPal, Authorize.net, Google Checkout, checks, or money orders. Magento also provides comprehensive support for external payment modules such as Cybersource, ePay, eWAY and many more.

Shipping: Adding features like shipping to multiple addresses can be tricky. However, with experienced Magento developers a company can easily add features such as flat rate shipping, UPS, UPS XML (account rates), FedEx (account rates), USPS, DHL, and other domestic or international shipping services.

Bottom Line: With various content management systems available in the market, it can be daunting to choose one as each possesses its own advantages and disadvantages. However, when it comes to eCommerce development Magento is hands down the best platform for today's online brands.