Drupal is an open source content management system (CMS) and most popularly used as a web design platform. It provides a lot of modules and themes that allows Drupal developers to develop all kinds of websites. However, when it comes to eCommerce solution development it is not ranked as popular in usage. This is due to many other platforms that have been built specifically for eCommerce solutions and most online businesses tend to use them only. They think that since they were purposely built for eCommerce platform they are more optimized for it than others like Drupal for which eCommerce was an afterthought. Some people think that Drupal cannot be good enough for eCommerce and it might be lacking in functionality. Such assumptions have led many to overlook Drupal’s potential as the best eCommerce solution especially for small and medium-sized enterprises.

However, Drupal is one of the most powerful web design framework for eCommerce websites and online store application development. Many Drupal developers have come up with great eCommerce solutions for online stores. Critically analyzing the features of Drupal in comparison with most of other eCommerce web design frameworks, you find out that Drupal is a better choice for eCommerce solutions development. It provides the developers with a collection of all modules and interfaces that they need to build great eCommerce solutions for small and medium- size online enterprise eCommerce solutions. Here are some of the reasons why Drupal is an excellent eCommerce solution for SMEs:

1. ECommerce development requires good platform development, product details and descriptions and a lot of customization as well as a secure payment gateway. Drupal comes in handy for eCommerce development since it is a website system that involves content management, displaying pages, themes, tracking statistics, handling users and all. It is also a platform for applications that provide great flexibility, extensibility and security which makes for a perfect eCommerce solution. Drupal developers can build great solid eCommerce solutions for SMEs.

2. Drupal is highly modular with well organized code that is easy to customize and fix bugs. This makes it the best choice to build all modules for a perfect online store. The modules allow the eCommerce website to be kept more optimized and run more effectively. Contrary to what many think, that the many modules of Drupal degrade performance due to the large code being executed, performance is made even better. With many modules it means that less code is executed and the only the necessary enable modules are executed. Performance and navigation of the online store can be improved through the various modules.

3. The Platform allows easy customization and integration with other applications which is very crucial for an eCommerce solution. Customization is very important to keep your websites up to date with the current trends in the dynamic eCommerce industry for your business to thrive in the competition. As a small/medium-sized business owner you have to keep on your toes to increase the business sales for success. With Drupal you do not have to edit the code and validate any installation instructions for customization as it is the case with some of the eCommerce platforms. It is very simple as all you need is to upload the customization codes to the modules that you want and you hook up the various parts of the site using Ubercart APIs and Drupal. To integrate third party applications into your eCommerce website you just add them like modules and themes. This way you can integrate any Drupal eCommerce website with any shopping cart plugin that you like. The modules also make the online store more user- friendly and thus Drupal is one best choice for SMEs eCommerce solutions.

4. Drupal provides for portal site development. This is very helpful as it is important for an eCommerce website to maintain multiple member login, feature classifieds and advertisement. Nowadays social media and networking is the way to go for internet marketing. Drupal has readily available modules for social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook among others. The modules allow you to integrate the APIs of the social sites to your web site. This way your visitors can easily share the web pages on their profiles for marketing. It is also easy for businesses dealing with real estate to add maps to the website for their customers to easily track the locations of property. Drupal also helps in creating SEO friendly URLS, and meta tags which are important for any online business to thrive.

Most small and medium-sized online businesses are in great competition and each is doing the best to have an edge in the competition. One way is by getting the best eCommerce solution for their businesses such as Drupal. With the above features, it’s definitely the best platform to build an awesome eCommerce website.

Written by Mark Wilston: Mark Wilston works with PixelCrayons, an IT consultancy company. PixelCrayons helps its partners meet their long-term goals, not just the short-term ones. With services such as wordpress, joomla and drupal development the company aims at giving true value to the investment of its clients. Company also deals in ecommerce and mobile web apps development.