Magento is by far one of the most well-known e-commerce platforms out there. The good news is that due to the popular demand, Magento 2 is out! ...the bad news, however, is that new version of Magento basically translates to fewer plug-ins available (plug-ins are not necessarily forward-compatible). This is the reason why we decided to publish this list of must-have, newest Magento 2 extensions. Let’s begin!
1. Exto Analytics
Running an online store without a good analytical platform is quite difficult, to say the least. You don’t know who’s buying, for what reasons, and which articles bring in most clicks. Most importantly, it’s nearly impossible to create a marketing strategy for your store without this data.
If you’re not happy with the built-in Magento 2 analytics, give Exto Analytics extension a try.
Here’s why:
- 3 types of reports are auto-generated: overall Sales Report, Per Item Report and Per Category Report.
- Date-driven approach: you can easily select a timeframe and compare your sales results to another period.
- Per Item Report allows you to point out the best selling items, as well as to set sale KPIs.
- Per Category Report allows you to sort your inventory according to categories such as manufacturer, size, color and etc. This allows you to point out which combinations sell the best, as well as to recognize trends.
- You can segment your data according to order status, order date, etc.
- Graphs visualize the data from each report.
- Features a real-time mobile interface, so you can inspect your sales on-the-go.
- Reports are easy to manage - you can sort data in columns and enable/disable selected columns.
- All the data you have collected so far will be automatically imported into the new Exto Analytics installation.
2. Free Blog
A well-tailored blog always brings in more clicks through search engine positioning. Moreover, it’s a great way to retain the attention of your customers. Free Blog is a Magento 2 extension which will allow you to do exactly that. Features worth mentioning:
- You can easily import categories and blog posts from an existing WordPress blog.
- Blog search is built-in.
- You can combine related entries and products.
- Contains “last post” and “archive” widgets.
- Automatically creates an XML sitemap and adds RSS Feed functionality.
3. Security by Mageplaza
When selling online, security is always an important factor. After all, we’re talking about handling personal information of many clients who trusted us with their data.
With this in mind, Mageplaza developed a plug-in for Magento 2:
- The extension automatically sends out warning emails about potential intrusion attempts.
- Includes warning email templates.
- It can detect logins from an IP blacklist.
- Enables back-end security control.
4. Sales Pop
Buying something on-line almost always feels a bit impersonal. There are no salespeople to talk to, there’s no physical store location and often it’s difficult to establish the credibility of an online store.
Large selling platforms, such as Amazon or eBay don’t have this problem, as they already possess a certain feeling of an online community. However, smaller e-businesses don’t have that luxury.
This is why Magento 2 extension Sales Pop exists – it allows online stores to visualize their business transactions to new clients. For example, the plugin can create a small pop-up which displays which items have just been purchased by your last client. While it’s not a replacement for an online community, it nonetheless shows your prospective clients that your online store is alive and kicking, that they’re not alone and that you’re running a legitimate online business trusted by others.
Key features:
- Shows last-purchased items.
- Has easy integration with Magento 2; ergonomic interface.
- Possess configuration panel.
5. Store Manager Connector
Store Manager Connector is a great tool if you want to centralize all your operations in one place. This free Magento 2 extension is designed to effectively manage your inventory, sales and purchases in one place.
The Store Manager Connector plug-in allows you to:
- Edit, move and copy products and categories.
- Export products to .csv or Excel files and import products from .csv, .xls, .xlsx, .txt, .ods files.
- Control procurement.
Moreover, it’s important to point out that the Store Manager Connector can be an offline extension. Changes will be updated when the connection is established.
In Sum
We’re happy to see the Magento Team come out with the latest version of their e-commerce platform. As always, extensions at first might be a little lacking, but as time goes on and stores migrate to the newest versions, plug-ins will follow as well. It’s just a matter of time. In the meantime, if you’re selling online, considering selling online or thinking about upgrading your existing platform, you can easily start with these extensions.
If you have any questions, comments or simply need a brief consultation, we’re here to help – after all, we’re your Magento and E-commerce experts. Free consultations are available.