Is Magento, a CMS System?

In the world of e-commerce, Magento is a household name, renowned for its versatile functionality and ability to power online stores of all sizes. However, there is often confusion about whether Magento can be considered a Content Management System (CMS). In this article, we will delve into the core purpose of a CMS and explore Magento’s capabilities to determine if it truly fits the CMS label. We will also examine the evolution of Magento’s content management features over the years, particularly in its latest version, Magento Commerce 2.3.

I. Defining a CMS and Magento’s Role

1.1 The Essence of a CMS

A Content Management System (CMS) is primarily designed for creating and publishing digital content, including text, images, videos, audio, and more. Typical CMS usage involves managing web content such as product descriptions, company news, and announcements. It serves as the backbone for presenting information to the audience.

1.2 Magento’s Multi-Dimensional Role

While Magento undeniably handles content management, it is merely one aspect of its extensive functionality. Magento was initially developed to serve the specific needs of e-commerce businesses. Its core strengths lie in managing product catalogs, customer information, processing orders, and implementing e-commerce promotions. Viewing Magento solely as a CMS would be an oversimplification of its capabilities, as it offers a comprehensive solution for the entire e-commerce journey.

II. Content Management in E-commerce: Expectations and Reality with Magento

2.1 The Importance of Content Marketing

Both B2B and B2C companies heavily rely on content marketing to engage with customers effectively. However, the specific CMS features required to meet the diverse requirements of online retailers are relatively concise: a page builder and versatile content formats.

2.2 Beyond Creativity: Technical Solutions for Retailers

Retailers seek to enhance the shopping experience by providing additional value through various content formats, such as blogs, lookbooks, and customer stories. However, they often lack the expertise of UI designers or programmers. Therefore, they require a user-friendly technical solution to create new pages without compromising on aesthetics.

III. Magento’s Content Management Evolution

3.1 Before Magento Commerce 2.3

Historically, Magento’s CMS functionality lagged behind its e-commerce capabilities. It had limitations such as:

• Restriction of content formats to fundamental e-commerce and default pages.
• The default WYSIWYG editor, while useful for basic content, fell short in handling complex layouts and designs.
• Content created in the editor did not always appear the same on published pages, leading to inconsistencies.

These limitations hindered Magento admins from creating engaging content without extensive HTML and CSS expertise.

3.2 Overcoming Limitations

To address these issues, businesses had several options:

• Upgrading to the latest version of Magento, which regularly introduced improvements in content management, security, performance, and functionality.
• Implementing separate systems for e-commerce and content management, with a full-fledged CMS software for effective page editing.
• Exploring the Magento Marketplace for additional functionality, such as DragDropr Visual Content Editor and Advanced Content Manager.

IV. The Impact of Magento Commerce 2.3

4.1 A Paradigm Shift in Page Building

Magento Commerce 2.3 marked a significant milestone by introducing a drag-and-drop page builder to replace the WYSIWYG editor. This transition streamlined content creation, allowing non-technical users to design pages effortlessly. The new editor offers the flexibility to choose page layouts, add content blocks (e.g., headings, banners, media), and preview changes in real-time. Magento developers can extend its functionality due to its unencrypted code, enhancing its capabilities.

4.2 Licensing Considerations

While Magento Commerce 2.3’s page builder is a game-changer, it’s essential to note that its license cost starts at $24,000 and increases with a company’s sales gross revenue. Smaller e-commerce businesses may find this price excessive and opt for the free Magento Open Source version. To make an informed decision between the two, a thorough comparison of Magento Open Source vs. Magento Commerce is recommended, considering specific business needs.

4.3 Content Diversity Limitation

Despite the advancements in page building, Magento Commerce 2.3 retains a limitation regarding content diversity. It still primarily offers standard e-commerce pages by default, with limited options for custom content types.

4.4 Overcoming Content Diversity Limitations

To address this limitation, businesses can explore cost-effective solutions, such as installing relevant plugins. Depending on their content diversity needs, they can opt for all-in-one plugins that offer various content types or choose specific solutions tailored to their requirements, such as blog plugins.

V. Conclusion

In conclusion, Magento is not merely a CMS system; it is a robust e-commerce platform with evolving content management capabilities. While its CMS functionality has come a long way, especially with the introduction of the drag-and-drop page builder in Magento Commerce 2.3, it still falls short in offering diverse content types out-of-the-box.

Businesses considering Magento should weigh their content management needs, budget, and licensing costs carefully. They may need to explore additional plugins or integrations to fully harness Magento’s potential for content-rich e-commerce experiences. Understanding Magento’s true potential beyond being just a CMS is crucial for businesses seeking to thrive in the competitive world of online retail.