Monthly ArchivesJune 2022

Brick and mortar vs. ecommerce: Which do shoppers prefer? And what is right for your business? Opening a brick-and-mortar store can be expensive, but some people feel like online stores can’t offer a personal shopping experience.

There are advantages and disadvantages to either option, and many business owners are taking advantage of an omnichannel approach to get the benefits of each option. The answer isn’t so cut and dry, but understanding the benefits and limitations of each shopping experience can shine some light on the best way to reach your customers.

Brick and Mortar vs. Ecommerce

All businesses must build relationships with their customers to get and keep their business, but how you do it depends somewhat on the type of business. Online stores rely on social media, email, apps, and live chats. Physical stores can use all those methods and benefit from making in-person connections when a customer visits the store.

When it comes to opening your store, there are costs and benefits to brick and mortar stores and ecommerce shops. Here are some things to consider when deciding what kind of shopping experience is right for your business and your customers.

Brick and Mortar

Opening a brick-and-mortar store can have significant start-up expenses. There’s the expense of the location, the cost of decorating, and the shelving to display the products. Licensing and permits may be necessary to run your business, depending on your location. Then there are also the technology expenses, like the point of sale software and hardware and any security cameras you may need. Plus, a brick-and-mortar shop needs a good sign out front to let customers know it’s there.

But the costs don’t end there. There are also operating expenses, like utilities and rent, insurance, and maintenance. Marketing and advertising are also necessary costs to bring in customers. Every business will incur custodial and office supply expenses and payroll and employee benefit costs.

And even though sales bring in money, they can also create costs. Processing fees for credit cards or charges disputed by credit card companies can add up.

Ecommerce

With an ecommerce store, the start-up expenses are much lower. Even though you need space for inventory (unless you use a dropshipping service), you won’t spend money decorating or creating signage to advertise your location. You won’t need to spend the money to advertise locally in the same way a brick and mortar retail shop would, and the necessary permits and licenses may be completely different.

To operate an online store, you’ll still need a point of sale system to keep your inventory up-to-date and sell your products. Marketing and advertising on social media platforms will still be part of the operating budget, and so will the cost of payroll and staff benefits, although you may not need staff or as many people. And supplies for cleaning and administration may still be a line item in the budget. And just like a brick-and-mortar store, there will still be credit card transaction fees, especially since online stores can’t take cash.

Considerations with Retail vs. Online Sales

American consumers spent $601.75 billion online in 2019. But 70% of fashion purchases happen offline.

So what does that mean for someone deciding between online vs. brick and mortar?

It all comes down to what the customer needs. As mentioned earlier, in some environments like fashion, customers may want to try clothing on before they purchase. The experience of shopping in person is more interactive, and customers can see and feel the product before they bring it home. There are no shipping costs associated with buying in person, and the return process may be much easier.

But in other cases, making a purchase from the comfort of their couch and having it delivered to their doorstep can be a huge selling point for some customers. Online stores that offer customers free shipping can also entice people who may have been on the fence about a product.

Many brick-and-mortar stores are finding success with an omnichannel retail strategy, meaning they use more than one channel to meet their customers’ needs. For example, large chains like Walmart or Target still offer their in-person shopping experience at each store location. But customers can make purchases from the company websites or apps if they’d like.

And when it comes to how major global events can affect a business, being able to serve your customers in a digital environment can mean the difference between thriving and shutting down.

Ecommerce is the Better Option

As a business owner, there’s a lot to consider when choosing between brick and mortar vs. online stores. Looking at it from a customer’s perspective can be helpful.

For many customers, shopping online is a better experience overall. They can price match more easily, it’s more convenient than fighting traffic to get to a store, it’s faster to make a purchase, there are no lines, and it’s easier to find items when searching online than going to multiple stores. And the online shopping market is growing faster than in-person retail. Many customers expect to be able to make purchases online, and the younger the shopper, the more likely they are to prefer online shopping.

If you’re ready to build your online store, get started with StoreBuilder by Hostdedi. StoreBuilder is the best ecommerce website builder for growing your business in WordPress. You can design your custom online storefront to get your online store up and running quickly and easily, without learning to code.

Check out StoreBuilder to get started today.

Ecommerce websites follow a particular format. Or, at least, that’s what comes to mind when you think of common online store features. Products, shopping carts, and a checkout process — right?

But this doesn’t describe the entirety of the ecommerce experience.

You can also find ecommerce stores taking the form of paid directories or online booking systems for events or appointments.

And like typical ecommerce stores, these event planning businesses also require proper tools or plugins. After all, there are plenty of event planning services to automate.

In this guide, we discuss how event management businesses can benefit from plugins, how these plugins help them cater to their target market, and how you can add a calendar plugin to your WordPress website.

Why You Need an Event Management Business Plugin

Here are a few reasons why a startup event planning business would benefit from using an event management business plugin:

• Keep things organized. Taking appointments or bookings means you have to keep a lot of data — and ensure it stays organized. A calendar plugin automates this process and lets your event planning company focus your resources elsewhere.
• Ensure your clients secure a spot. If you manually add bookings to a spreadsheet, it leaves too much room for error. Automating this process with an event management business plugin means appointments go directly onto your calendar when they’re booked.
• Protects against overbooking. Similarly, a booking plugin tracks the booked slots and helps you avoid booking a single time slot twice.

Types of Companies That Benefit From Event Calendar Websites

What small business can benefit from an event calendar website?

You may think of singers, musicians, and the whole entertainment events industry. Entertainment websites can definitely benefit from an event calendar in streamlining their operations.

But that’s not all. There are also other types of events and businesses where you can use calendars and full event management tools:

• Social events — Wedding DJs, nightclubs, and event planners can use an event calendar on their websites to speed up the booking process.    
• Service industries — Florists, caterers, bounce house rentals, party planners, wedding planners, and any other business entity that makes money from event design, trade shows, or other service-based business structures.
• Doctors’ offices — Doctor offices, dentists, and therapists can use these tools for appointment scheduling.
• Spas and massage parlors — Spas and massage parlors can also enable potential clients to book their desired slots.
• Fitness instructors and gyms — If you manage a gym or are a fitness instructor, you can use website calendars in multiple ways. You can use it to make money from gym memberships or appeal to your target audience with individual workout classes.
• Online instructors — You can book attendees to online classes using calendar plugins.
• Webinar hosts — Corporate events, fundraising drives for a nonprofit, social media webinars, LinkedIn summits — you name it. Event calendars help you register attendees and participants for all of them.

Creating an Event Calendar Website in WordPress With a Plugin

As a small business owner with a WordPress website, you can easily add an event calendar to your website using a decent plugin.

A top performer in this category is The Events Calendar for WordPress. It lets you manage small to big successful events with ease. You can create events, add tickets, host virtual events, and run successful marketing for your events using the robust tools it offers.

Key Features of The Events Calendar:

• Showcase the upcoming events chronologically or with photos, maps, or summaries.
• Highlight featured events.
• Configure recurring events.
• Insert the calendar/booking features via a shortcode.
• Import events from other calendars via CSV files.

Pricing of The Events Calendar: Free version is available with limited features. Paid plans start at $99/year for one website, which include premium support, custom fields, and more.

Adding the Events Calendar to Your WordPress Website

Here’s how you can add The Events Calendar plugin to your WordPress website.

1. Log in to your WordPress website.

2. Go to Plugins > Add New.

3. Search for The Events Calendar.

4. Click the Install Now button.

5. Once installed, click Activate.

6. On the next screen, click either Accept & Continue or Skip.

You’ll receive an activation email at the email address associated with your WordPress website. Click the link in that email to activate the plugin.

You’ll then be taken to a getting started page for the plugin.

Creating a Calendar for Your Event Planning Business

Let’s create a calendar.

1. On the getting started page, click Create an Event.

You’ll be taken to a window that looks like the Classic Editor for writing blog posts.

2. Fill in the details for your first event, including a title and description.

3. Scroll down and fill in the calendar-specific details:

a. Start and end time.

b. Venue location.

c. Organizer information.

d. Event website.

e. Event cost.

The created event will look like this on the front end when published.

You can add more events and view all scheduled events in your website calendar. The free version offers a day view, a list view:

…and a month view:

Final Thoughts: Build an Event Planning Business With a Calendar Plugin

No matter the type of business you run, ensuring your website is equipped with the appropriate event management business plugin is key.

Like you have social media accounts, a well-thought-out business plan, and a solid business name, you also need a way to book appointments. And a calendar plugin is the way to do that.

Want to support your event planning business with a robust ecommerce presence?

You can build an ecommerce website that works for your business with StoreBuilder. It’s a quick and easy way to launch a new online store and keep your startup costs low. Select a template and go.

Check out StoreBuilder to get started today.

With the rise of data breaches, spam calls, and hacking attempts, it’s essential to protect your personal information wherever you can.

Unfortunately, registering a domain name could inadvertently expose your private information to the internet.

Before you close your internet accounts and run for the hills, hear us out.

You have a way to protect your data and keep your personal information private: domain privacy protection.

In this guide, we discuss whether or not domain privacy protection is worth it, the reasons to consider it, and how to add it to your domain names.

Domain Privacy Protection 101

Domain privacy protection is a security service that hides key details about your website and the domain registrant (you, the domain owner) from the public WHOIS database.

You can often acquire this supplementary security service when purchasing a domain name.

What Is the WHOIS Database?

WHOIS is short for “Who is responsible for this domain name” and is an apt description of what the database contains. It lists registration data verified by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for every registered domain name on the internet.

Domain name registration companies use the database to enable customers to see if their preferred domain has already been taken and contact the owner if they want a taken domain name.

Besides acting as a collection of all registered domain names, the WHOIS directory includes detailed information about the domain registrant like:

• Name.
• Physical address.
• Mailing address.
• Phone number.

Do You Need Domain Privacy Protection?

Yes. Unless you want to sell your domain name, you need domain privacy protection to prevent people from accessing your personal contact information, reduce spam sales calls, and protect your website from hacking attempts.

Is Domain Privacy Protection Worth It?

Domain privacy protection is worth it.

Why?

Because domain privacy protection enables you to secure your personal info, and it helps you:

Prevent Strangers From Accessing Your Personal Data

You can use domain privacy protection to decrease the risk of data breaches. It lets you avoid handing over your personal data to the entire internet.

The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) shares that data breaches affected 189.5 million people in 2021, leading to phishing attacks, spam calls, and identity theft.

Reduce Unsolicited Sales and Spam Calls

Another reason domain privacy protection is worth it is due to the spam calls and texts people receive each day. Sales calls, phishing texts, spoofed-number spam calls, and even spam emails from scammers are quite widespread.

For instance, TrueCaller shares that 59% of Americans reported receiving scam phone calls and text messages related to COVID-19 in 2021, an increase of 15% from the prior year. 

By enacting domain privacy, you eliminate a source spammers use to retrieve new numbers to call.

Minimize Hacking Attempts on Your Website

IBM X-Force observed that 22% of attacks in Q2 of 2021 were tied to stolen credentials. What does this have to do with domain privacy?

Without domain privacy protection, you give one part of your credentials — your email — without any effort. And with your name, physical address, and WordPress website information present at their disposal, hackers have plenty to go on to crack your password.

How To Make Your Domain Name Private

Usually, it’s good to get domain privacy protection when you buy your domain name. Go through your domain name registrar and tick the relevant checkbox during the buying process to get this protection.

It’s a simple process and adds only a small additional fee per year.

For instance, here’s how you can get domain privacy protection when you purchase your domain name via Hostdedi.

1. Enter the domain name you’d like to purchase on the domain registrar page.

2. Verify the domain you’d like to register and add any additional domains you want on the next page.

3. At the bottom of the screen, under Add-ons > General, check the box next to Whois Privacy.

4. Click Add to Cart and complete the checkout process for your new domain name — with privacy protection included.

Can You Add Domain Privacy Protection Later?

You can add domain protection after domain registration. Log in to the control panel for your domain provider and purchase Whois privacy as an add-on.

Still, adding domain privacy at the outset is preferable because your personal information will be posted publicly until you do so.

That will give scammers time to grab up your personal data.

Can Everyone Get Domain Privacy Protection?

Unfortunately, even if you realize domain privacy protection is worth it, not every website owner can get it. Some domain endings are restricted for use in specific countries or specific purposes.

To check if your domain ending qualifies, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Domain ending TLD reference provided by Google Domains.

2. Click your domain ending.

3. Click Privacy. If allowed, it should say so, as shown below.

If your domain ending can be protected, consider doing so. It’s a quick and easy way to prevent unwanted emails, unwanted calls, and hacking attempts.

Final Thoughts: Do You Need Domain Privacy Protection? A Quick Guide

To sum it up, domain privacy protection is worth it if you want to prevent your data from falling into the wrong hands. That may mean protection from hacking attempts or a haven against scammers.

Register your domain with Hostdedi and enjoy full anonymity with the Whois Privacy add-on.

The U.S. inflation rate is four times higher than before the pandemic. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 8.5% (data for March 2022). From gas to gadgets, everything’s more expensive.

As an ecommerce business, you’ll likely see your margins shrink. Suppliers might raise prices, you’ll pay more for shipping your products, and your employees will ask for a raise.

The government has put the wheels in motion to bring inflation under with the tools at its disposal. The high inflation period won’t stay around forever, but it will be a while before things go back to normal. In the meantime, you’ll need to come up with a strategy to combat inflation.

Here are some ways to deal with inflation:

1. Raise Your Prices

Raising prices is the quickest answer to the effects of inflation.

If you’re not comfortable raising the prices, you can negotiate a better deal with suppliers. Just note that suppliers won’t agree to a lower price in most cases because they, just like you, need to preserve their margins.

Most ecommerce owners feel at least some reluctance about raising prices because it can drive down demand.

One of the biggest ecommerce business issues is owners tend to overestimate the customer’s sensitivity to price changes. But customers also focus on your product’s quality. As long as your product is of good quality, you probably won’t see a significant reduction in demand.

Not raising prices can reduce your overall profitability and purchasing power.

Suppose you sell a kilo of tea for $10, with a $2 gross profit margin, and the supplier raises the price by $0.50. If you continue selling at the same volume, say 1,000 kilos, your gross income will decrease by $500.

But that’s not it. Even if your gross income is $1,500 ($1.5 x 1,000 kilos), it’s less valuable because of inflation.

For example, last year, you may have spent $1,500 on 550 gallons of gas. With prices up by 48%, you’ll only be able to buy roughly 372 gallons of gas for the same amount.

2. Find Other Suppliers

Changing suppliers isn’t as easy as it may sound to some. You’ve worked hard to find your current suppliers and build a relationship with them. Finding new suppliers means you’ll need to start from scratch.

But with economists saying inflation will take years to normalize and that it will have a lasting impact even once it does normalize, finding new suppliers may be worthwhile. You don’t want to source low-quality products in an attempt to improve gross margins. Stick with the current quality and look for suppliers willing to offer better pricing and payment terms.

Remember that you don’t only pay for the price of a product. You also pay for shipping. Finding suppliers that are closer can trim a considerable amount from the product’s price.

3. Manage Cash Flow Well

A cash-starved business is destined to fail. Cash flow management is a key part of your ecommerce business’s financial planning, even more so when in an inflationary environment.

Higher prices mean you’ll need more cash to pay suppliers for each order, but there’s more to consider. Ecommerce inflation doesn’t just impact your product’s cost. It will also affect your utility bills, salaries, and other operational and administrative expenses.

Price increases across the board mean you’ll need more cash on hand. After all, if you run out of cash, you might have to halt your business’s operations.

There are several ways to manage cash flow when trying to navigate inflation:

• Negotiate longer payment cycles: Ask your suppliers for longer payment cycles so you can hold more cash for longer.
• Manage inventory well: Keep your inventory lean, but always have safety stock. This way, you can continue deliveries even if your supplier delays the delivery because of shortages or supply chain disruption.
• Cut back on expenses: Overspending is a common ecommerce business issue. For example, if you sell fashion products, it’s great to have fashion magazine subscriptions for your employees to keep up with trends. But when you’re trying to preserve cash, you can opt for free resources and cut back on expenses wherever possible.
• Get a business credit card: A credit card will ensure you always have access to money in an emergency. Sure, you can get a short-term loan, but you don’t pay interest on a credit card if you pay the amount back within a month. Note that it’s best to use your credit card as an emergency fund and pay it back in time. Credit cards charge higher interest rates and can cost you a lot of money.

When discussing how to deal with inflation, cash flow is key. It can play a big role in helping you sustain your profitability and fueling growth.

Why Learning To Deal With Inflation Is a Must

Milton Friedman, a Nobel Laureate, suggested that inflation can be thought of as a hidden tax. You don’t pay it explicitly, but it takes money out of your pocket year after year. It does so implicitly by reducing your purchasing power.

Inflation requires careful consideration for planning both business and personal finances. You might be happy about a 5% increase in revenue, but you’ve lost money if the inflation is 8%.

Similarly, investing in savings accounts also makes little sense during high inflation. If you’re holding emergency cash for your ecommerce business in any account that offers a rate lower than the prevailing rate of inflation, you’re losing money.

The effect of ecommerce inflation will also carry through into your growth strategy. As assets become more expensive and your current funds continue losing value, you’ll need to bring in more profits for capital expenditure.

Most importantly, you’ll need to reassess your cash flows. Your cash outflows will increase during an inflationary period. Running out of cash can threaten business continuity, and that’s why you need to deal with inflation.

Final Thoughts — How To Deal With Inflation: A Guide for Ecommerce Businesses

Ecommerce inflation can impact your finances in more than one way. With inflation at a 40-year high, it’s time for ecommerce business owners to reevaluate their finances and create a roadmap to navigate inflation. Once you know how to deal with inflation, you’ll be better positioned to strategize your growth through an inflationary period.

Raising the prices of goods is a good starting point, but you’ll need to do more.

Look for suppliers that can offer better prices and look at other expenses you can trim. For instance, check out Hostdedi’ managed WooCommerce hosting for a reliable, pocket-friendly hosting plan.

Online shoppers can’t buy a product if they can’t find it, so your product page SEO strategy is critical.

Implementing the best search engine optimization for your product pages ensures your products don’t languish on the last page of search results. But getting to the top of the first page of results requires utilizing content and technical best practices. This post reviews why product page optimization helps sales and offers our 12 best tips for product page SEO.

How SEO for Ecommerce Product Pages Drives Sales

Most buying journeys begin on shoppers’ phones. Even if someone purchases something in a brick-and-mortar store, odds are they started shopping on Google or another search engine. The harder someone has to work to find your product, the more likely they are to give up and buy from a competitor.

Unless you have the most brand-loyal customers in the world, buyers will search for an item and click on one of the first few results. Search engine optimization makes your products easier to find and thus more likely to end up in customers’ carts.

12 Tips and Product Page Seo Best Practices

So how do you ensure your product pages are fully optimized for search engines? Follow these 12 tips to help your product pages climb the search rankings.

1. Start With Keyword Research

To optimize your product pages so buyers can find them, you need to know what search terms people use. Utilize a keyword research tool to identify the best keywords related to your product. Analyze your competitor’s product pages to see what keywords they’re using and which ones they rank for. Then build your strategy around trying to outrank your competitors and capitalizing on the keywords your competitors overlooked. To learn more about building a keyword strategy for product pages, check out our ecommerce SEO guide.

2. Include Important Details and Keywords in Your Titles and Meta Descriptions

The title and meta description are the first things buyers see. Search engines display those two elements on results pages. Don’t stuff them full of keywords. Instead, write natural-sounding phrases that give buyers everything they need to know about the product, including:

• Product Name, Brand, and Model. Be as specific as possible to capture people searching for that exact item. For example, Jordan Zoom Separate by Nike. 
• Basic Description. You also need a basic description for people who weren’t searching for Nike Jordans, but instead searched for shoes. Something like “light-weight low-top shoes.”
• Unique Selling Points. Highlight why someone would want to buy that particular product.

3. Utilized Structured Data

Structured data can be a game-changer for product page SEO. Many websites fail to take advantage of this technique. Structured data tells search engines where to pull information from a website. You’ll add the markup to your product page code to denote information such as brand, categories, ratings, and reviews. Schema.org lists all the possible structured data points you can add to product pages.

4. Use Readable URLs

Use natural language in your URLs. A URL with a setup like /product-category/product-name-here will rank better than /product?=102020e9040945. The URL is another place to include important product information or keywords.

5. Write Unique Content

Don’t just copy and paste the product descriptions from your distributors. Unique content performs better in search and helps your listing stand out from the competition. Also, distributors don’t always utilize SEO best practices. You’ll want to incorporate your own keyword strategy into each product description.

6. Enable Customer Product Reviews

Reviews boost search and conversion performance. The social proof provided by a review encourages shoppers to purchase an item. Search engines like reviews because they’re a form of user-generated content and are a great source of keywords.

7. Add Images and Videos to Product Pages

Buyers want to see a product before they buy it. Adding high-quality images and videos to your product pages increases conversions, but image and video content help search results too. With images, you can add keywords to the alt-text description. Search engines also prioritize engaging websites, so videos help boost your site by increasing visitors’ time on the page.

9. Include an FAQ Section

Like product reviews, FAQ sections are another great way to add keywords to your product pages. When doing your keyword research, look for any questions that appear as search terms, and be sure to answer them in your FAQ section.

10. Don’t Delete Out-of-Stock Products

Don’t delete out-of-stock products. Once a page ranks, you don’t want to undo all your product page SEO work. Give shoppers the option to get an email alert when the item is available again.

11. Develop a Linking Strategy

Backlinks and internal links help product pages too. Many people focus their linking strategies on their homepage and category pages, but these tried-and-true SEO techniques apply to product pages too. Consider using an ecommerce content strategy, like a blog, or the answers in your FAQ sections to link to related products to add internal links.

12. Ensure Your Site Loads Quickly

Site speed is a vital factor in search algorithms. Search engines rank faster loading sites higher than slow-loading ones. Also, if your site loads too slowly, shoppers will bounce and head to a competitor’s site. Remember, today’s shoppers are used to the one-click speed and convenience of buying on Amazon. Keep things moving quickly for search engine and conversion rate optimization.

Create a Faster Loading Product Pages with Hostdedi

Fast-loading product pages start with a quality web host. Hostdedi Managed WooCommerce hosting plans offer lightning-fast loading times and the convenience of automatic updates to ensure your plugins and core software are always up-to-date. Pick your plan and sign up today.

Are you trying to learn how to install a Magento 2 extension? You can do it in two ways — using Composer or a .zip file. Although Adobe recommends using Composer, we’ll teach you both ways.

The steps to install Magento extensions are similar to those required to install a Magento theme, with a few crucial differences.

For instance, when installing a theme using a .zip archive, you must place the theme files in the app/design/frontend directory. In contrast, when installing a Magento 2 extension using a .zip file, you need to place the files in the app/code directory.

Are you ready to learn more?

Here’s what we’ll cover in this tutorial:

How To Install a Magento 2 Extension

1. Upload the Magento 2 extension files to your server.

2. Extract the .zip extension file.

3. Verify and copy the Magento extension files into the app/code folder.

4. Install the Magento 2 extension and check its status.

5. Clear Magento cache and disable maintenance mode.

Before we show you how to install a Magento 2 extension, make sure you backup your server, set pre-install file permissions, enable developer mode, and put Magento in the maintenance mode.

It also helps to install the extension on a testing server or local development environment to check for extension compatibility.

Step 1: Upload the Magento 2 Extension Files to Your Server

Log in to your Magento server as the file system owner.

Upload the .zip archive file to a new folder inside your user’s home directory using SSH or SFTP.

Step 2: Extract the .zip Extension File

Extract the .zip extension file into a new folder called extension using:

<pre><code>

$ unzip <archive>.zip -d /home/magento/extension

</code></pre>

Once you finish the extension installation process, you can delete this folder using:

<pre><code>

$ rm -R /home/magento/extension

</code></pre>

Step 3: Verify and Copy the Magento Extension Files Into the app/code Folder

Verify the extracted component file structure meets Magento’s required “vendor/module-name” format.

Navigate to the Magento project root directory and copy the extension files to the app/code folder using:

<pre><code>

$ cp -R /home/magento/extension/* app/code

</code></pre>

The app/code directory doesn’t exist in the default Magento filesystem. If this is your first attempt to install a Magento extension manually, create the directory using:

<pre><code>

$ mkdir app/code

</code></pre>

Step 4: Register the Magento 2 Extension and Check Its Status

Complete the Magento 2 extension installation process by executing:

<pre><code>

$ php bin/magento setup:upgrade

$ php bin/magento setup:di:compile

$ php bin/magento setup:static-content:deploy -f

</code></pre>

The “setup:upgrade” command registers the Magento 2 extension and updates the Magento database schema and data. The subsequent commands compile Magento code and deploy static view files.

Note: You don’t need to deploy static view files in developer mode unless your extension developer’s documentation mandates it.

Verify the status of the extension:

<pre><code>

$ php bin/magento module:status <VendorName>_<ComponentName>

</code></pre>

If it’s disabled, you can enable it using:

<pre><code>

$ php bin/magento module:enable <VendorName>_<ComponentName>  –clear-static-content

</code></pre>

Step 5: Clear Magento Cache and Disable Maintenance Mode

Clear the Magento cache using:

<pre><code>

$ php bin/magento cache:clean

$ php bin/magento cache:flush

</code></pre>

Follow Adobe’s guide to set permissions for a production file system. Then, disable maintenance mode using:

<pre><code>

$ php bin/magento maintenance:disable

</code></pre>

Nice work! You’ve learned how to install a Magento 2 extension using a .zip file.

How To Install a Magento 2 Extension With Composer

Before we show you how to install a Magento 2 extension via Composer, make sure you:

1. Back up your server.
2. Set pre-install file permissions.
3. Enable developer mode.
4. Put Magento in maintenance mode.

Once you’ve met the above conditions, follow our installation guide.

Step 1: Obtain the Extension’s Composer Name and Version

Log in to your Magento Marketplace account and navigate to [Your name] > My Profile.

Go to Marketplace > My Products and click My Purchases.

Locate the Magento 2 extension you want to install and note its Component Name.

Click on the Versions available dropdown and note the version number to install a specific version.

Step 2: Update the Magento composer.json File

Log in to your Magento server as the file system owner and navigate to the Magento root folder to install the module via Composer.

Update the composer.json file from the command line interface (CLI) using:

<pre><code>

$ composer require <component-name>:<version>

</code></pre>

Replace “component-name” and “version” with the values obtained in the previous step. For example:

If prompted to enter access keys, copy and paste your public key as the username and private key as the password.

Wait for Composer to update the Magento project dependencies. In case of errors, address them before proceeding.

Step 3: Register the Extension and Clear Magento Cache

Run the following commands to register the Magento 2 extension, compile code, and deploy static view files:

<pre><code>

$ php bin/magento setup:upgrade

$ php bin/magento setup:di:compile

</code></pre>

Clear the Magento cache by executing:

<pre><code>

$ php bin/magento cache:clean

$ php bin/magento cache:flush

</code></pre>

Step 4: Check the Magento 2 Extension Status

Verify the extension status:

<pre><code>

$ php bin/magento module:status <VendorName>_<ComponentName>

</code></pre>

If disabled, enable the extension:

<pre><code>

$ php bin/magento module:enable <VendorName>_<ComponentName>  –clear-static-content

</code></pre>

Step 5: Update File Permissions and Disable Maintenance Mode

Set file permissions for a production file system based on your hosting setup. Then, disable maintenance mode as follows:

<pre><code>

$ php bin/magento maintenance:disable

</code></pre>

Congratulations! You’ve successfully learned how to install a Magento 2 extension using Composer.

Final Thoughts: How To Install a Magento 2 Extension

Learning how to install a Magento 2 extension is the best way to add and extend Magento store functionality. Since Adobe deprecated the Web Setup Wizard in Magento 2.3.6 and above, you can only install Magento 2 extensions using the methods described above.

No matter which method you choose, make sure you backup your server before you begin and set production file permissions after you’re done.

If that seems too much work, sign up for managed Magento hosting with Hostdedi and enjoy the convenience of automatic nightly backups and a secure Magento 2 hosting environment.

Browse our plans to learn more.

You’ll pay a lot less to start an online business than to open a traditional brick-and-mortar store. Let’s look at why more people are launching new businesses online as we answer the question, “How much does it cost to start an online business?”

The introduction of more user-friendly online store builders and managed web hosting makes starting an online business easier and cheaper than ever before. In this post, we look at the average cost of starting a business online compared to opening a physical location and how you can quickly and affordably launch your own ecommerce business.

How Much Does It Cost to Start an Online Business?

Online businesses can be launched with little up front — as low as $300 and upwards of $1,000. That’s much less than a typical business, which can range from a couple thousand to several hundred thousand dollars. While other businesses with traditional brick-and-mortar locations must invest large sums in buying and leasing space, equipment, and inventory, how much you’ll spend starting your business depends on what type of business you want.

Common startup expenses for traditional businesses include:

• Retail or office space
• Equipment and fixtures
• Supplies
• Phone, internet, and other communication methods
• Electricity, water, gas, and other utilities
• Professional services such as accountants or lawyers
• Insurance
• Business and building licenses and permits
• Inventory
• Employee salaries
• Advertising and marketing
• Web and email hosting

Use this template from the U.S. Small Business Administration to calculate your startup costs.

Starting an online business is much cheaper than starting a business with a physical location because you don’t have to lease or buy the space. But the high costs are not due to the real estate alone. You also need to buy furnishings and shelves for the space, inventory to put on the shelves, and hire employees to stock the shelves and run the cash register.

Benefits of Starting an Online Business

An online business eliminates many costly aspects of operating a physical storefront. Cheaper startup costs, lower overhead, better inventory management, and ease of setup are the main advantages of starting a business online.

Cheaper Startup Costs

Businesses that operate exclusively online have lower startup costs. You can launch a website from any place you have a computer. You don’t have to set up a physical location. Many people start and continue to operate ecommerce businesses out of their homes. Operating an online business also requires fewer licenses and permits. Read our step-by-step guide to getting a business license for ecommerce for more details.

Lower Overhead

Online businesses have lower startup costs, and ongoing operating expenses are much lower than traditional businesses. An ecommerce website is open 24/7 to accept sales. A brick-and-mortar business requires space, staff, and utilities to open. You have to pay the electric bill and your employees even if you don’t make a sale all day.

Better Inventory Management

One of the challenges of operating a brick-and-mortar store is identifying what items to stock. Order too much of the wrong thing, and you could end up selling it at a loss in an end-of-season clearance sale.

With an ecommerce store, you can invest in smaller quantities of items and then buy more once sales start to take off. You also could utilize dropshipping where you don’t keep any of the inventory on hand. You list the product on your website and pass the order information to the drop shipping company that packs and ships the order. You only pay for what you sell instead of buying inventory upfront.

For more about dropshipping, check out our posts: Dropshipping vs. Ecommerce: A Beginner’s Guide and How Do I Find the Right Dropshipping Suppliers?

Ease of Setup

Setting up an ecommerce store has not always been simple or cheap. In the early days of ecommerce, you might have spent countless hours or thousands of dollars trying to integrate credit card payments into your website. Thankfully, those days are long gone. Setting up an ecommerce store is mostly plug-and-play with modern ecommerce platforms.

Ecommerce Startup Cost

So what do you need to start an online business? Most ecommerce businesses will need an ecommerce platform, domain registration, and web hosting. If you’re using drop ship fulfillment, you won’t even have to buy inventory. You could easily build an online store for less than $300 in your first year.

But keep in mind, that’s only your hard costs for the website. That doesn’t include paying for your time. The low cost of entry makes launching an ecommerce store a great option for people who already have another job. Many entrepreneurs build up their business on the side before they quit their day jobs.

The Most Affordable Way to Start an Online Store

StoreBuilder by Hostdedi offers an affordable and easy way to build an online store. You can launch your store in days, not months. The online store builder offers secure managed hosting from Hostdedi and an easy-to-use WooCommerce-powered online store. WooCommerce is the most popular and powerful open source ecommerce platform.

StoreBuilder makes WooCommerce more approachable with a guided setup wizard and pre-installed plugins. With a price of only $19 per month, StoreBuilder helps aspiring entrepreneurs keep their ecommerce startup costs to a minimum.

Sign up today for a 30-day free trial.