Opencart: user reviews, pros and cons

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Opencart is a system designed to manage a website. In other words, the engine. The peculiarity of this system is the availability of open source. It is ideal for those involved in e-commerce. For example, for owners of online stores. Compared to other engines, Opencart is less popular. However, it copes with its own tasks no worse than many popular systems.

Features

First of all, you should understand that the Opencart module, reviews confirm this, was created exclusively for online trading. You can only create a marketplace like a store on it. Other projects will not be implemented.

Opencart is a great option for anyone interested in building an online store. To use this engine, you do not need to have specific knowledge. In addition, the content management system boasts a developed communityusers, among whom there will certainly be those who know the answers to your questions.

Opencart reviews confirm that this engine is flawless for those who have no experience in e-commerce, but have an irresistible desire to try.

Pros

The engine has a lot of advantages over its competitors, which can be considered arguments in its favor at the same time.

• High speed operation.
• Russian forum.
• Reporting system.
• Easy navigation.
• Different types of payment systems.
• Free.
• Easy to refine.

High speed operation

This figure is achieved due to a small load on the server. According to this indicator, the engine is ahead of other competitors. It is enough to choose an average hosting for a moderate fee. Based on Opencart reviews, opening a store is easy.

Russian forum

For those who use the engine, this is especially important. After all, not everyone can find answers in original sources, and questions in the process of use will certainly arise. Even if you can't find an answer to your own question, you can create a new thread and ask more experienced users.

Reporting system

It is very important for an online store owner to have access to statistics in order to analyze the situation. A clearer idea will develop if you read reviews about Opencart 2, the store on this engine provides access to statistics fora certain period, it can be one day, week or month. A careful study of the data allows the attentive owner to draw conclusions about the most popular products, customer preferences, etc. Based on this information, it is possible to create an individual offer and increase sales.

Easy navigation

This advantage is relevant for potential buyers. The easier it is to find the right product and place an order, the higher the likelihood that your potential customer will not refuse the purchase and even become a regular customer. That is why considerable attention is paid to this criterion.

Different types of payment systems

The more payment methods an online store offers, the more customers it suits. You don’t want to lose potential customers just because you couldn’t offer a convenient payment method for them. That is why it is convenient to use ready-made plugins from various payment systems.

Free access

This is perhaps the most significant benefit for many users who leave feedback about Opencart. A store on this engine can be created without financial investments. Starting their own business, many entrepreneurs do not have much capital, so the opportunity to save on technical solutions is especially attractive for them.

Ease of completion

OpenCart developers have provided a convenient code implementation. It can be adapted to your own needs. AndLack of knowledge in programming is not a hindrance. The engine is incredibly popular in the market, so you can easily find a specialist ready to fulfill your requests. In addition, you can download additional plugins and in this way extend the basic functionality of the engine. Reviews of Opencart 3.0 confirm this.

Cons

• Problems with optimization. This applies to all sites that are created on the OpenCart engine. Problems can be fixed, but you will have to use additional extensions. As you might have guessed, these are paid features. Theoretically, you can fix errors in the OpenCart code yourself, but you will need programming knowledge or financial investments to pay for the services of a professional specialist.
• Problems with indexing. If you do not use special extensions, deleted pages are still indexed by search engines. As a result, this reduces the position of the site. OpenCart generates links to each page in a unique way, so the same page can open from different links as a result.
• Complicated order form. In the standard version, the form intended for receiving orders from customers is rather complicated. To improve it, you will have to change the code or install an additional plugin, which may be paid.
• Update. After updating the engine, installed plugins may stop working due to incompatibility with the new version.
• Poor quality plugins. Since Opencart is open source, almost everyone who has knowledge writes plugins for it.in programming. However, not everyone can provide a quality result. That's why choosing modules for Opencart 2.3, reviews confirm this, you need to be especially careful. In the work of an online store, a lot can depend on them. For example, an incorrect order form will lead to the loss of potential customers and, accordingly, profit.

Why choose Opencart?

Reviews about stores created on this engine can be the answer to the question. After all, users often share positive opinions.

What options are available to those planning to open an online trading platform?

• Rent an online store in a specialized service that offers full user support. However, in this case, you will have to make monthly rental payments, as if you were renting a space in a shopping center.
• Use a free engine like OpenCart. You need to install it yourself on the hosting, which is incredibly simple and does not take more than 10 minutes.

Well-known Russian services focused on online store owners release plugins that can be integrated with OpenCart. For example, by connecting "Yandex. Checkout", the owner of the trading platform will be able to accept payments from users.

To use OpenCart, reviews of the engine confirm this, you do not need to have special knowledge. Many hosting providers offer one-click installation of the engine, so the potential owner of an online store does not have to delve intoin technical details, leaving time for other, more pressing business-related issues.

Who chooses OpenCart?

There are two categories of users who prefer this particular engine among dozens of alternatives. First, those who want to open their own online store for free. Secondly, those who do not have experience in e-commerce and creating online trading platforms. In the second case, OpenCart is ideal for starting and testing an Internet business. It is possible that the owner will not receive due returns and decide to close it. Thanks to the use of a free engine, this will happen with minimal financial losses. After all, goods can be sold even at cost to return the initial investment in the online store.

OpenCart is recommended for those who combine their main employment and their own online store. The free engine contains all the necessary functionality for e-commerce. However, it does not require financial investments. As already noted, you can start using it absolutely free.

OpenCart is ideal for beginners. The control system has a really simple interface compared to the competition, making it incredibly easy to operate.

So, if you need an online store, opening it on Opencart, the reviews confirm this, is easy to do. The technical side of the issue is thought out by the developers so competently that the user is not required to haveprofessional knowledge.

Plugins

Thanks to the incredible popularity of OpenCart among Russian users, online store owners have no difficulty finding plugins that allow them to implement additional functions. Moreover, many of the plugins are available absolutely free.

For example, there should be no problem accepting payments from customers. After all, the most famous payment aggregators offer ready-made solutions for owners of online stores created on the OpenCart engine. For example, "Yandex. Cashier", ROBOCASSA and others.

Besides this, there are many additional features implemented using plugins. For example, users of an online store created on Opencart can leave product reviews using a simple and understandable form. It is worth noting that installing plugins takes only a few minutes, but it allows you to improve the functionality of the engine and make the interface more convenient for potential buyers.

Design

When installing the OpenCart engine, a potential site owner should be prepared for the lack of a visual editor that allows you to change the appearance to suit your needs. If you need to change the design, you will have to work with template files. Reviews on Opencart 2.3 claim that this requires special knowledge in the field of programming.

Otherwise, you can use alternative options. For example, use another ready-made template that suits your preferences more,or turn to a professional who is ready to realize your wishes regarding the appearance of the site on which the further opening of the online store is planned.

When choosing a design for your own site, the owner must consider several factors.

• Engine version. The template must be designed for your version. For example, it could be Opencart 1.5. User reviews claim that if the template and the version of the engine do not match, the site may not work correctly. Agree, in the case of e-commerce, such problems are highly undesirable. After all, the result of such an illiterate approach may be the loss of potential orders and, accordingly, profits.
• Template adaptability. It is necessary to take into account the fact that visitors to an online store can view the site not only from a PC or laptop, but also from other devices. For example, from smartphones and tablets. That's why you need to make sure that it will display correctly on all devices.
• Design possibilities. You need to know in advance what appearance settings the user can change without editing the source code. If it's a paid template, it should be possible to test the demo before buying. Based on such testing and your own impressions, you can decide whether to purchase a template.

User reviews

Due to its popularity, OpenCart receives a lot of different opinions from online store owners. Someone is completely satisfied with the functionality of the free engine and even does withoutpaid templates using basic functionality.

In addition, open source allows many developers to create their own templates and plugins. Someone provides them to users absolutely free of charge, and someone - on a paid basis. Every online store owner has the right to choose.

Among the advantages are also noted the wide functionality of the engine. Using the above content management system, you can create an online store of almost any level of complexity.

Some users of the engine are unhappy that you have to pay extra for additional features. Indeed, in this case, OpenCart is not as free as it was originally announced.