Articles - Page 40

The Top 10 AI Tools for Small Business: From Automation to a Coordinated Team of AI Agents

matt-garrepy

<a href="https://www.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Weebly</a>, one of the world's most popular website builders, has released Weebly for Enterprise.
Chosen to be one of our recommended website builders over at <a href="https://www.websitebuilderscritic.com" target="_blank">Website Builders Critic</a>, Weebly offers a simple drag-and-drop interface enabling users to customize sleek templates.
Weebly for Enterprise combines comprehensive content management, robust APIs, and Weebly signature drag-and-drop editing.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/weeblyenterprise700x0.jpg" alt="Weebly for Enterprise" />
<h2>Scalable, Powerful, Professional</h2>
Weebly for Enterprise has been launched to simplify the process of building and managing hundreds of websites, providing a flexible content management system for a wide variety of applications across industries including technology, real estate, healthcare, and education.
Weebly for Enterprise features include:
<ul>
<li>Powerful Site Creation and Editing: Weebly for Enterprise extends Weebly’s popular creation and editing experience to large organizations giving employees the freedom to design high-quality websites. Organizations can customize site design to match their brand identity and empower users to create and edit sites on their own with ready-made building blocks such as text, images, buttons, contact forms, maps, and videos. They can then publish those sites online in minutes.</li>
<li>Scalable and Customizable Site Management: Weebly for Enterprise offers a powerful CMS to administrators and can be easily scaled to the needs of any organization, streamlining the process of managing a large number of websites and setting up user accounts and permissions. It is fully customizable so that customers can define, limit and build on top of Weebly to meet any specific need.</li>
<li>API Support Simplifies IT Implementation: Weebly for Enterprise comes equipped with full API support, easing the process of integration with existing IT structures and protocols. No need to re-work supporting systems such as billing, CRM software or security protocols.</li>
<li>Central Cloud Hosting: Weebly for Enterprise provides remote site hosting with exceptional site speed, reliability and redundant data centers on Weebly’s servers, letting users access company sites from anywhere and saving time and money on server setup and maintenance when compared to internally hosted sites.</li>
</ul>
<h2>“It Shouldn’t Be So Difficult &amp; Expensive To Build &amp; Manage Hundreds Of Websites.”</h2>
Regarding the release of Weebly for Enterprise, I managed to get some questions answered by Nick Dellis, Weebly's Vice President of Business Development. Here is our full discussion:
<h3>1) What has spurred Weebly into moving into the Enterprise space?</h3>
The idea for Weebly for Enterprise grew out of organic demand. Organizations of all types regularly approach Weebly to leverage our intuitive consumer experience for a wide-variety of applications.
The main requirement they had was for enterprise features like the ability to manage staff and clients, permission control, APIs, automation and things like that. We already have thousands of companies of all sizes using Weebly in this way in a pilot program we kicked off to understand these use cases.
When we dug into the reasons people reached out, the main driver was that the expectations of the average employee are changing, and they want to use enterprise software that’s intuitive, effective and easy to use, just as they can at home. It shouldn’t be so difficult and expensive to build and manage dozens or hundreds of websites, but surprisingly most enterprises are using a costly internal CMS or open source solutions that don’t scale effectively and are extremely resource intensive. We heard horror stories from IT managers who had dozens of requests for simple marketing and content changes to sites that couldn't be done for months. Marketing departments and staff were frustrated because they couldn't just do it themselves.
With Weebly, we can provide the same intuitive site creation and editing experience every customer gets, while also integrating the tools, controls and scalability required in the Enterprise space.
Weebly for Enterprise is the end result, and is a simple, turn-key solution for any organization to build and scale their business on top of the Weebly platform. It’s an off-the-shelf solution that’s fully customizable and has enterprise level controls and robust APIs for easy integration into existing IT structure. We already have customers in over 15 verticals and there is huge opportunity for expansion.
<h3>2) In a nutshell, what are the key differences between “Normal” Weebly and “Enterprise” Weebly? </h3>
The “normal” consumer version of Weebly is a product more intended for a person or a small company who wants to build their own website, blog or eCommerce store — they can choose a theme, drag and drop elements like images or video and enter text quickly and effectively, publishing a site in minutes. It’s perfect for a person or organization who wants to build just one or a handful of sites.
However, for an organization that needs dozens of websites (or hundreds), things get complicated quickly. You need to manage staff members, admins, control branding elements and assets, integrate into your internal workflows and systems, add your own themes, develop your own apps/elements and so on. Weebly for Enterprise is the core Weebly consumer experience with a “layer” on top designed for enterprises to easily do those things.
<h3>3) What does the future hold for Weebly Enterprise, both short term and long term?</h3>
We see expansion into new verticals, where we use Weebly for Enterprise as a base and add components that are specific to certain industries on top.
For example, we are pretty sure that hosting companies who want to sell 100,000 websites to their clients are going to have different needs than a large hospital who is using Weebly for Enterprise to create and lock down 1,500+ physician sites. When you think about digital agencies, universities, franchises and dozens of other use cases, we have a lot of work ahead of us.
To find out more about Weebly Enterprise, check out their official website.
Also, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/weebly/" target="_blank">Weebly through our CMS Directory</a>.

Weebly For Enterprise Announced

mike-johnston

Welcome to yet another featured week here on CMS Critic! For the next five days, our focus will be on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ecwid.com/">Ecwid</a>, the cloud-hosted shopping cart that integrates with your existing website or social media page. Impressively, over 900,000 merchants make use of Ecwid to power their online stores.According to Internet Retailer, 42% of all mobile sales generated by the world’s leading 500 retailers came from mobile apps during 2014.Furthermore, the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.statista.com/statistics/330695/number-of-smartphone-users-worldwide/">number of smartphone users is forecast to surpass 2 billion</a> by the end of 2016 – meaning that the demand for mobile shopping experiences is only increasing.With these statistics in mind, Ecwid recognized that they couldn’t rest on their laurels as just an eCommerce solution. They needed to be an eCommerce solution that give merchants the power of the app.<h2>App Power</h2>Thanks to Ecwid’s recently released ShopApp feature, Ecwid users can now launch their very own native iOS and Android retail app.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ios-img.jpg" alt="ios-img" />ShopApp’s store content, such as inventory, prices and product descriptions, is fully synchronized and integrated with a retailer’s online store and includes one-touch checkout with Apple Pay, providing a seamless omnichannel ecommerce solution.And perhaps best of all – the ShopApp is available for free to all Ecwid Unlimited users.<h2>Your Store In Your Customer’s Pocket</h2>This goes beyond simply adopting responsive design to meet the needs of mobile device users. By having a native app, you give your online store a whole new shiny layer of professionalism.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sync-img-1024x684.jpg" alt="sync-img" />With your store in your customer’s pocket – a mere finger tap away – sales are bound to increase.Ecwid’s President, Jim O’Hara, called the release of ShopApp a “huge leap”:<blockquote>“With ShopApp, Ecwid is making a huge leap in how native ecommerce mobile apps are created and operate for smaller retailers globally.Similar to how the dramatic innovation in web development introduced by DIY sitebuilders like Wix, WordPress and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.weebly.com/">Weebly</a> democratized website creation, Ecwid now allows our merchants to create their own ecommerce apps instantly.”</blockquote>For me, this release is nothing less than exciting. In fact, I almost want to start a brand new store with Ecwid just so I can launch my own app.But for now, I’ll be keeping tabs on it to see just how much of an impact it has on the bottom lines of Ecwid’s merchants.To find out more about Ecwid’s ShopApp, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ecwid.com/">check out their website</a>.

Launch Your Own Retail App With Ecwid’s ShopApp

<a href="https://mithra62.com/"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-8.png" alt="sshot-8" /></a>
<a href="https://mithra62.com">Backup Pro</a> has now been serving the CMS community for five successful years, and they’re celebrating this milestone by having a mega sale for a limited time only. The CMS agnostic backup tool was launched in 2011 by <a href="http://blog.ericlamb.net/">Eric Lamb</a>, and now serves as a worthy alternative to SaaS backup platforms.
Currently, Backup Pro supports; WordPress, Prestashop, <a href="/concrete5-marketplace-gets-backup-pro/">Concrete5</a>, Craft CMS and ExpressionEngine (2 &amp; 3). However, support for more CMS is in the works. 
Unlike SaaS data backup systems, Backup Pro is a tool that only has to be purchased once, giving you a life-long disaster recovery tool to use at your website’s disposal. It can be hosted anywhere, from local storage to Amazon S3 Cloud. 
<h2>Keeping Data Safe For 5 Years</h2>
With five years of experience under its belt, Backup Pro <a href="https://mithra62.com/projects/view/backup-pro">comes packed with the features needed</a> for complete disaster recovery. 
Backup Pro’s features include:
<ul>
<li>Online database restoration</li>
<li>Remote storage options</li>
<li>Granular file backups</li>
<li>Automation friendly</li>
<li>Console routing</li>
<li><a href="https://mithra62.com/projects/feature/backup-pro/single-and-common-format">And more</a></li>
</ul>
<a href="https://mithra62.com/"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-9.png" alt="sshot-9" /></a>
To claim your discount, simply head over to Backup Pro website and use the coupon code “Celebrate5Years”. <a href="https://mithra62.com/projects/view/backup-pro">Buy your copy of Backup Pro now</a>. And as always, be sure to explore the <a href="/backup-pro/">Backup Pro hub</a> here on CMS Critic.

70% Off Backup Pro: Celebrating 5 Years of Data Backups

Update [November 2015]: CMS Critic has published an updated <a href="/boonex-dolphin.pro-review/" target="_blank">Boonex Dolphin Review</a>.
Boonex Dolphin is a social networking platform that can be used for creating communities or dating-based social networking sites. Boonex Dolphin has been around for quite some time and has a pretty big following of users. In this Boonex Dolphin Review, I'm going to take you on a tour of the free edition and discuss some of my thoughts on the product and its uses.
This video gives you a bit of an introduction to the product:
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bu5ySi8G3gc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Boonex Dolphin is available in a number of licenses. You can get it for free (the community edition) or in a plan which gives you various options. The plans range from $99+. Pricing is pretty reasonable considering how much you get for the product. The one drawback to using the free edition is that there are embedded ads for Boonex Dolphin within the product that cannot be removed without purchasing a license. Having said that, I feel it's a fair trade-off considering what you get for free. Let's get to the Boonex Dolphin Review.
Installation is pretty straightforward.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-07-15-at-7_42_54-pm-620x506.png" alt="Boonex Dolphin Review" />
Once you click past this installation screen, the system does a quick permissions check to see if your host is configured correctly. If not, you may have to make some permissions changes.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-07-15-at-7_44_44-pm-620x535.png" alt="Boonex Dolphin Review" />
Once you've got your permissions sorted out, the system will attempt to detect all of the paths such as the URL, the file folders and more.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-07-15-at-7_45_07-pm-620x437.png" alt="Boonex Dolphin Review" />
Next, it's time to configure the system with a site name, admin credentials and email for various system purposes.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-07-16-at-10_02_31-am.png" alt="Boonex Dolphin Review" />
Once you get through the installation, you'll be greeted with the default implementation of your social networking site, which looks like this:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-07-16-at-5_48_47-pm-620x428.png" alt="Boonex Dolphin Review" />
Obviously, you aren't going to want to stick with the default, but it's a good time now to browse through the system and see what you've got to work with for your social networking website. The default setup is nice and clean and gives you a decent idea as to what you can expect.
Once you've had a chance to explore, you can log into the admin system and get tweaking! Here's what the admin side of things looks like:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-07-16-at-5_51_43-pm-620x344.png" alt="Boonex Dolphin Review" />
Clicking on the Members module will bring you to a list of the various members of your site. Since it's a fresh install, at the moment there is just the one but more can be added if necessary. Once you've got a few people signed up for your site, you can modify them here as well.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-07-16-at-5_53_08-pm-620x279.png" alt="Boonex Dolphin Review" />
Hopefully you won't need to use it but, there is a ban option as well for those who are rowdy or sign up with the intent to spam.
Next is the Modules menu, where you can add some extra functionality to your site. There are quite a few modules that offer extensive enhancements for any site.
<ul>
<li>Facebook Connect – lets your users log into the system using their Facebook social networking accounts</li>
<li>Polls – You can add or remove polls (or have user generated ones show up here for approval) in the Polls module. You can then display these throughout the site.</li>
<li>Shoutbox – A shoutbox is a widget that you can place on the site that allows people to enter small messages that are shared publicly. It's a way of saying Hi or making a comment, similar to a private messaging system but it's public.</li>
<li>Simple Messenger – A private messaging type application that people can use to chat with individual members.</li>
<li>Spy – Spy is a module you can enable that allows users to see who has updated their profile or content and which users.</li>
<li>Flash Apps – These modules are packaged in their own category and include items like a photo shooter, video player, audio/video chat and whiteboard which can add some fun and enhance the experience within your site. You can add these by using this menu.</li>
<li>Ads – The Ads module is actually a small and simple classified ads module complete with pictures and a buy it now option. There is also an approval function for submitted ads, although there is no indication as to how to configure any payment functions even though the buy it now checkbox exists. Again, documentation would be very helpful here. I am assuming that setting up the Payment module will enable something on the Ads module but it's not clear this is the case and it's outside the scope of this review. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-07-26-at-6_22_53-am.png" alt="Boonex Dolphin Review" /></li>
<li>Articles – This module allows you to add an articles list that you can manage and publish to the block on your site. Remember, you can control which blocks appear where in the builders menu. It's a pretty decent module with more than enough functionality for good articles with imagery and full wysiwyg capabilities. It even includes categorizing and tagging of content. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-07-26-at-6_27_00-am-620x468.png" alt="Boonex Dolphin Review" /></li>
<li>Avatars – This one should be pretty self explanatory so I will assume you can figure it out ?</li>
<li>Blogs – This allows administrators to give individual users the ability to have their own blogs which they can post to.</li>
<li>Custom RSS – This is a pretty cool little module that allows administrators the ability to let users add custom RSS feeds to their profile and display a certain number of posts from them. I can see this being a big draw to keep users on the site and wanting to use it as they can use this module to either promote their own sites or to show a list of their favorites and use it like Google Reader on their profile. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-07-26-at-6_33_55-am-620x303.png" alt="Boonex Dolphin Review" /></li>
</ul>
There are too many to list here but let me just say that Boonex Dolphin has a lot of functionality and there are innumerable ways in which one can expand it. Here is a list of modules you can set up with the default installation (there are plenty more in their market on their website as well if you want even more).
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-07-26-at-6_40_22-am.png" alt="Boonex Dolphin Review" />
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-07-26-at-6_40_30-am.png" alt="Boonex Dolphin Review" />
The issue I have with these modules isn't their functionality but rather the complete lack of any help or documentation anywhere within any of them. I had to Google each of these to find out what they did (well, the spy module anyway). It would be more helpful if there was a popup description for each module that accurately describes what it does and how to go about using it / finding it on the site once activated. As it is now, you have to hunt around to see what functionality was added and hope you find them all. This can be confusing and frustrating when you just want to get the site up on a deadline. I checked the help link in the back end of the installation and that simply brought me to their wiki. In the administration guide, I could not find anything on any of these modules, which I found odd considering they are there with the default install.
Under the tools menu, there are a number of options, as you can see below. Some of these are implemented well, while others could use some improvements.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-07-16-at-5_55_52-pm.png" alt="Boonex Dolphin Review" />
Take for example, the Mass Mailer tool. Here's how it looks today:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/boonex-dolphin-review-mass-mailer-620x447.jpg" alt="boonex dolphin review" />
There are a couple of inconsistencies that, while not rendering the tool nonfunctional, certainly don't make sense. The first is the naming convention, “Notify letters”. I have no idea why they would call the tool the Mass Mailer and then name the tool Notify letters. Poor English and bad wording just lead people to becoming confused about the purpose of the tool. Secondly, as you can see, the input boxes are ridiculously small and cannot be resized, which is just plain silly. I don't know about you, but I don't want to type a long mass mailing out in a teensy little box that I have to scroll all over the place within to read and check for spelling mistakes. Last but not least, I could not get the preview to work. The system simply flashed something and went back to the input box. I tested it in the latest version of Internet Explorer (yes, I had to launch IE, which was punishment enough) and Firefox. Neither of them worked for the preview.
The other tools within this menu allow you to add banners to various sections within the site, blacklist IP addresses, perform database backups and manage your antispam settings. They are pretty straight forward so I'm not going to discuss them further in this review.
The Builders menu is where you will likely spend the bulk of your time setting up your site and arranging everything.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/boonex-dolphin-review-4.jpg" alt="boonex dolphin review" />
This is where you create the structure for your pages and menus. Let's take a look at the menu builder first off.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-07-16-at-5_57_16-pm1.png" alt="boonex dolphin review" />
As you can see, there are a number of available items under theAll Items section. All you have to do is simply drag and drop them as you would like them to appear, click save and the changes are applied. This makes for easy navigation changes and from what I can tell, everything worked without issue.
This design interface is identical for the Profile Fields which users fill out when signing up, as you can see below.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-07-16-at-5_57_51-pm-620x511.png" alt="boonex dolphin review" />
I like the interface. It's simply and easy to use and should be pretty easy to pick up for most administrators. The page builder, while quite similar, is slightly different in that it offers column sizing as well. You select the page, add or remove columns and size accordingly.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-07-16-at-5_58_14-pm-620x496.png" alt="boonex dolphin review" />
In the page builder, you add blocks of content to the pages via the same drag and drop functionality.
For the most part, you should be able to create a reasonably unique-looking site using these tools in concert with styling via CSS. There are numerous themes available for the system as well which you can find in the market on <a href="https://www.boonex.com/features">the Boonex Website</a>.
Additional settings can be found under the Settings menu.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2012-07-16-at-5_58_45-pm.png" alt="boonex dolphin review" />
Within here, most of the settings are standard fare. The issue of the input boxes being too small is present here as well though and needs to be corrected. You can see what I mean when you try to enter custom CSS styles into a tiny input box similar to the one used for mass mailings.
One thing that Boonex Dolphin is not lacking in is its configuration settings, which allows you to really keep your system clean and functional while controlling almost every aspect of it.
I like the inclusion of the database pruning and watermark settings in Boonex Dolphin. The prior allows you to clean up old content from the database to keep things lean and mean and the latter allows you to embed a watermark on your images while controlling said watermarks' transparency. The watermark capability is rather unique and I've not seen it included by default in similar tools.
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
There are a few things that I've identified above in this Boonex Dolphin review that I'd consider more annoyances than real major concerns and I'm sure they'll get sorted out in due time. In addition to the items mentioned above, there are a few more points I wanted to make:
<ul>
<li>While exploring their help options, I encountered a rather sparse “Beginners Guide” which simply had three paragraphs on how to choose the right hosting for Dolphin. Obviously, this isn't much of a guide and I'm hopeful they either remove it or rename it accordingly. There is some very good documentation present on the main wiki, however, and it includes an administration guide with tips on improving performance of the system as well as troubleshooting information. Cleaning up the useless beginners guide would make the overall documentation excellent, in my opinion.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>SEO wise, the system performs pretty much as expected. There are basic configuration options such as meta descriptions present and permalinks can be configured. This is pretty much standard stuff that most system have built in.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Theming is where Dolphin shines. There are (at last count) just shy of 400 templates on the Boonex market that allow you to customize Dolphin to your needs. This is a huge number and definitely helps for those who struggle in the design department. It's great to see a system enjoy so much developer activity.</li>
<li>From a validation perspective, I was a bit alarmed by the results of a markup validation scan I did with <a href="http://validator.w3.org" target="_blank">http://validator.w3.org</a>. It came back with 56 errors and 7 warnings, which I consider excessive for any system. Having said that, the validator isn't perfect but I'd like to see some improvements here to bring that number down. I've yet to see a system easily pass it completely so I tend to allow for some slack here but 56 errors is a bit much.</li>
<li>The forums on the Boonex website are active and there's a lot of people present that can help with issues and customizations, so from a community perspective, things look good and finding help shouldn't be a problem.</li>
<li>The selection of plugins and modules combined with the various ways you can add functionality to the site make this a very solid option for those looking to engage their users for longer site visits and increased usage.</li>
</ul>
Overall, in concluding this Boonex Dolphin Review, I'd say that Dolphin is a good choice for those looking for social networking software, provided you are willing to overlook the few issues I've identified in this review. The price point for the product seems reasonable, the community is large and there is the option to get the system for free for those who want to mess around and don't mind the Boonex ads.
You can learn more, download, or purchase from <a href="https://www.boonex.com" target="_blank">Boonex</a>.

Boonex Dolphin Review - Software for Social Networking

<a href="https://www.netlify.com/" target="_blank">Netlify</a>, a modern hosting and development platform for web applications and static websites, <a href="https://www.netlify.com/blog/announcing-headless-commerce-summit-2022" target="_blank">announced</a> its third annual Headless Commerce Summit in London on May 23-24, 2022. The big news: this year's event will be live and in-person. But even if you can't make it in the realverse, you can also <a href="https://headlesscommercesummit.com/" target="_blank">register for free</a> and attend virtually. 
The Headless Commerce Summit will take a deep dive into the fast-growing <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-headless-commerce-platforms/#:~:text=Headless%20Content%20Management%20Systems%20(CMS,and%20services%20in%20digital%20storefronts.">headless commerce</a> ecosystem. Featured speakers – including digital leaders, web development experts, and top agencies – will share real-world case studies of how the headless commerce model has transformed their organizations. They will also provide tactical advice about building world-class e-commerce sites using a headless architecture.
Netlify was an early advocate of separating frontend design from backend business processes. By unifying the elements of the modern decoupled web, Netlify enables a 10X faster path to more secure and scalable websites and apps. 
As further evidence of the company's drive towards a composable, API-first future, Netlify <a href="https://machalliance.org/newsroom/mach-alliance-announces-mongodb-and-netlify-as-first-members-of-new-enabler-category" target="_blank">joined the MACH Alliance</a> as one of the first members of the organization's new "Enabler" category.
<h2>Headless Commerce: e-commerce on the Jamstack</h2>
So, what exactly is this headless commerce thing? We'll cover it at a high level below, but <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-headless-commerce-platforms/">we've got a great article</a> that goes deeper – and includes some of the top platforms on the market. 
Headless commerce is an architectural approach where, much like <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-free-headless-cms-platforms/" target="_blank">headless CMS platforms</a>, the frontend "head" is separated from the backend "body." Content in a headless platform is delivered through APIs, displaying it across different devices and endpoints. A headless architecture enables teams to build and deploy faster, increase conversions, and differentiate their brand by decoupling backend services such as product information from the frontend experience.
<img style="max-width:555px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/10/headless-commerce-platform-digital-experience-platform.png" alt="headless commerce platform-digital experience platform diagram" />
 
<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-jamstack-static-site-generators-for-2021/">Jamstack</a> is a modern web architecture pioneered specifically as a companion to headless backend systems. It focuses on three core components: Javascript, APIs, and Markup (the "Jam" in Jamstack). For commerce companies, the benefits of a Jamstack architecture can include improved personalization and customer experience, better site performance, and the ability to iterate faster.
Originally coined in 2015 by Mathias Biilmann, CEO of Netlify, Jamstack has changed the trajectory of the web. Jamstack technologies provide nearly limitless choices to developers for designing rich customer experiences in web applications. Netlify unites different services to deliver MACH solutions, making it an ideal fit as an Enabler within the organization's ranks – delivering the workflow, expertise, and choice of tools for building solutions that reflect the MACH principles. 
<h2>Speaker lineup</h2>
At the upcoming event, speakers will discuss risks, concerns, and opportunities that commerce teams face today and use real-world case studies and stats to share best practices for shifting to and operating a headless commerce site using the latest technology. Sessions will explore modern headless journeys of famous brands, including <a href="https://www.prettylitter.com/" target="_blank">PrettyLitter</a>, <a href="https://en-us.sennheiser.com/" target="_blank">Sennheiser</a>, and others – including a noteworthy session given by  <a href="https://www.bigcommerce.com/" target="_blank">BigCommerce</a>, <a href="https://www.akqa.com/" target="_blank">AKQA</a>, and Netlify on "The Business Case for Headless Commerce."
Here are a few of the speakers on the agenda:
<ul>
<li>Chris Bach – co-founder, Chief Strategy and Creative Officer, Netlify: "The Rise of Composable Commerce"</li>
<li>Debbie Ellison – Chief Digital Officer, VMLY&amp;R Commerce: "The Future of Brands"</li>
<li>Steve Jenkins – Tech Lead, Tile: "How Tile's Migration to Headless with Netlify Enabled them to Customise the Customer Experience"</li>
<li>Nicolas Le Pallec – Executive Technology Director, Europe, AKQA: "Sennheiser's Large-Scale Migration to Headless Commerce"</li>
<li>Massimo Pegoraro – Technical Director, Atoms Studio: "How Salvatori Internationalised Their E-Commerce Store with Headless Commerce”</li>
</ul>
The Headless Commerce Summit is designed for anyone interested in building or learning about the future of e-commerce. Netlify will be joined by a number of industry-leading sponsors including Algolia, BetterCommerce, Builder.io, Commerce Layer, commercetools, Crystallize, Kin+Carta, Last Rev, Magnolia, Shogun, Storyblok, Swell, and Uniform.
You can register for the event at <a href="https://headlesscommercesummit.com/?utm_source=press-release&amp;utm_medium=press&amp;utm_campaign=hcs" target="_blank">headlesscommercesummit.com</a>. Also, if you're curious about what to expect from this year's shindig, you can check out a summary of <a href="https://www.netlify.com/blog/2021/06/16/e-commerce-jamstack-stories-from-headless-commerce-summit-2021/" target="_blank">the 2021 Summit.</a>
<h2>About Netlify</h2>
Netlify is the platform for building highly-performant and dynamic websites, e-Commerce stores, and applications. By uniting an extensive ecosystem of technologies, services, and APIs into one workflow, Netlify unlocks new team productivity levels while saving time and money while improving sustainability. 
As pioneers of the Jamstack movement, Netlify brings together all modern web frameworks, serverless functions, and edge computing into one platform to deliver unmatched user experiences. Millions of developers and businesses build with Netlify, from Fortune 500 companies like Unilever and Verizon to companies changing our digital experiences like Peloton and Twilio.

Netlify to Host Headless Commerce Summit for Talks on Building World-Class E-Commerce Experiences

paris-tuzun

Netlify Headless Commerce Summit featured image

Summer is (almost) here in the Northern Hemisphere, and headless is heating up. 
Right on the heels of Netlify's <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/netlify-to-host-headless-commerce-summit-for-talks-on-building-world-class-e-commerce-experiences/" target="_blank">Headless Commerce Summit</a>, Sanity – a unified content platform for powering digital experiences – is hosting a unique conference that's focused on structured content. It should come as no surprise that the company's inaugural shindig has been aptly named "Structured Content," and will offer a global experience to content professionals at multiple levels across the industry. 
The event will provide live access at three locations in the U.S. and Europe: San Francisco from May 24 - 25,  and London and Oslo from May 25 - 26. If a live event isn't in the cards, you can also <a href="https://hopin.com/events/structured-content-2022" target="_blank">watch the conference online for free</a> during the San Francisco sessions. 
While this might be Sanity's first foray with a conference of this kind, the company managed to attract some heavy hitters to sponsor its dance card, including <a href="https://www.netlify.com/" target="_blank">Netlify</a>, <a href="https://vercel.com/" target="_blank">Vercel</a>, <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-headless-commerce-platforms/" target="_blank">Shopify</a>, and <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/gatsby-unveils-v3-0-cloud-hosting-and-more-at-gatsbyconf-2021/">Gatsby</a>. According to <a href="https://www.sanity.io/" target="_blank">Sanity</a>, the three-day conference is expected to have more than 2,000 content strategists, engineers, marketers, and designers in attendance. Not too shabby for a first outing – and a testament to the platform's growing presence in the content space. 
To be clear, Structured Content is not a Sanity-focused event. This distinction is summed up quite elegantly by <a href="https://structuredcontent.live/speakers/carrie-hane" target="_blank">Carrie Hane</a>, Sanity's Head of Content Strategy Relations: "Structured Content 2022 is not a Sanity user conference. It’s not about our product. This is what we hope is the beginning of a movement. We created this event to educate and inspire the entire cross-disciplinary community of people who work on digital experiences."
<div>
<h2>What to expect at Structured Content 2022</h2>
</div>
According to the event's website, the program schedule includes a variety of workshops about structured content design, presentations about the future of digital experience, workshops on how organizations can harness structured content, and so much more. Some of the most noteworthy include: 
<ul>
<li>“The Future of Digital Experience Will Be Powered by Structured Content”</li>
<li>“Bridging Disciplines with Structured Content”</li>
<li>“How Publishing Organizations Harness Structured Content to Power Editorial Experiences”</li>
<li>“Design and Structured Content: Where We Are, Where We Could Go”</li>
<li>“Reflections on the Future of the Web”</li>
<li>“Content Makes Commerce Human”</li>
</ul>
"We’ve put together <a href="https://structuredcontent.live/program" target="_self">14 wide-ranging sessions</a> about the benefits of structured content, fresh approaches to solving problems, and thoughts on what the future holds for us as both consumers and creators of digital experiences.," said Hane. "You’ll discover new ways of thinking about the potential of content and what it can accomplish."
And that's just scratching the surface. Check out the whole program at<a href="https://structuredcontent.live/program" target="_blank"> https://structuredcontent.live/program</a>. 
<h2>So what exactly is "structured content," anyway?</h2>
While we have you here, let's get this whole "structured content" thing straight.  
One of the best analogies we've seen for explaining structured content is Legos. Just like the toy that everyone loves to tinker with, structured content is broken down into independent, reusable components, accessed from a single source of truth – and planned in a technologically-agnostic way. Structured content can be used across channels and delivered through APIs, and it's easier to prototype and iterate with – making development faster and easier.
As a platform, Sanity is uniquely designed for structured content. In addition to being open-source, API-based, and headless, the company has pioneered an entirely new approach to building websites with structured content as the mechanism for building pages. 
Sanity positions itself as a "fast-growing alternative to the traditional CMS." What makes Sanity different is that it treats content as data. By storing resources in its <a href="https://www.sanity.io/docs/datastore" target="_blank">Sanity Content Lake</a>, organizations can effectively "de-silo" their content – making it available for both collaboration and global distribution. By leveraging APIs, users can manage their text, images, and other media in a unified platform and build engaging digital experiences in real-time.
At CMS Critic, we talk about <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/tag/headless/">headless</a> and <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-headless-commerce-platforms/">headless CMSes</a> quite a bit. What's interesting about Sanity is that it combines the power of a headless CMS with structured content, so its offerings go beyond the typical headless CMS. In fact, the company wrote a <a href="https://www.sanity.io/blog/web-developers-headless-cms-structured-content" target="_blank">spicy post</a> about the need to focus on structured content more the headless CMS itself, much to the chagrin of its industry peers. 
<img style="max-width:1000px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2022/05/traditional-headless-structured-content.webp" alt="Traidional CMS vs Headless CMS vs Structured Content Platform" />
<div> </div>
<div>Structured Content 2022 is next week, and looks to be a solid event. We'll do some follow-up on the other side. In the meantime, <a href="https://structuredcontent.live/" target="_blank">register to attend live or online. </a></div>
<div> </div>
<div>You should also check out<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/sanity-raises-39-million-focuses-growth-on-content-as-data-for-transformative-digital-experiences/" target="_blank"> our interview with the Sanity founder and CEO, Magnus Hillstead</a>, where he shared some of his views on the CMS market and the value of being headless.</div>
<div> </div>
<h2>About Sanity</h2>
<a href="https://www.sanity.io/" target="_blank">Sanity</a> is the platform for structured content that en0ables teams to build exceptional digital experiences. By treating content as data, modern organizations use Sanity’s APIs to build optimal editing workflows and share content between systems to increase digital velocity.
Sanity’s unique model for orchestrating content is used by more than 100,000 developers at major brands like Conde Nast, Nike, Unilever, and Cloudflare. They use Sanity to shape and mold content to build multimedia-rich experiences both for their public-facing brand and the way customers experience their products and services firsthand. Our mission is to be the most versatile system for creating and distributing digital content to any device, application, or channel.

Sanity to Host Structured Content 2022 Conference in U.S., Europe, and Online

Image of Structured Content logo against yellow background

<a href="http://modx.com/" target="_blank">MODX</a>, the free and open source content management system, is taking steps towards making itself (and in turn, the Internet) more accessible for those who would usually struggle to get the most out of the world wide web.
A range of disabilities can and do impair people from experiencing content management systems as they are intended to be experienced. And that's a problem for everybody in the CMS world.
Thankfully, MODX are taking the initiative, shining a much needed light on the issue.
Here's a video detailing MODX's mission.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQlT5isC-2U
<a href="http://modx.com/blog/2015/02/06/help-us-bring-modx-to-everyone/" target="_blank"> </a>
<a href="http://modx.com/blog/2015/02/06/help-us-bring-modx-to-everyone/" target="_blank">In a recent blog post</a>, Ryan Thrash, the Co-Founder of MODX, said this:
<blockquote>“…For people who rely on assistive technologies, building in MODX has been marginal, and not a good user experience.
For example, try surfing the web with your eyes closed while someone reads the page to you, and you try to tab to the right links. What if you misplace your eyeglasses and need to enlarge your fonts 2- to 3-times their normal size? Or, crank down the contrast and brightness on your monitor, and only use your thumb on your non-dominant hand. For many users, there is effectively no alternate way to experience the web.”
Accessibility is for everyone and it’s time to make accessibility a top-priority in MODX.”</blockquote>
<h2>An Improved &amp; More Consistent UX</h2>
<a href="http://a11y.modx.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/modx700x0.jpg" alt="MODX " /></a>
It's worth noting that this project will enhance the MODX user experience for everybody, not just those who require assistive technology.
MODX say that their users will soon benefit from an improved and more consistent UX, thanks to a host of benefits including vastly improved keyboard navigation and other enhancements.
<a href="http://www.osu.edu/">The Ohio State University</a> also deserve credit for helping to fund the project.
Ken Petri, The Ohio State University Director of Web Accessibility, made this statement upon the announcement of the MODX initiative:
<blockquote>“MODX has a lot of traction on campus. For site administrators and content creators, the Manager interface is logical, intuitive, and simple to use. But there are a number of staff on campus who rely on assistive technologies, such as screen readers, or who have other vision impairments or need access by using the keyboard alone because of a motor disability.
To this point, MODX hasn’t been a practical solution for them. But Ohio State and others in the accessibility community are working with the MODX team over the next few months to help guide changes to the Manager interfaces so that they can be used effectively by everyone, including our staff with disabilities.”</blockquote>
I for one, commend MODX and The Ohio State university for this noble move.
In a world where every serial entrepreneur and enterprising organization is trying to reach more people in more ways, MODX are reaching out to those looking to do the simpler things, like build a website of their own.
Making technology more accessible in this sense is exactly the type of innovation needed in the world of CMS. Perhaps every vendor should now ask themselves about how accessible their products really are, especially to those with slightly and significantly different needs.
In my recent <a href="/cms-in-2015-what-we-want-to-see/" target="_blank">article about the future of CMS in 2015</a>, I mentioned the need to make products more accessible, and although I may not have originally meant accessibility in this particular sense, MODX are definitely showing us all the way forward when it comes to innovation in accessibility.
Check out the <a href="http://modx.com/blog/2015/02/06/help-us-bring-modx-to-everyone/" target="_blank">MODX blog</a> for more information on this project, and if you can, do your best to help <a href="http://a11y.modx.com/" target="_blank">by donating towards their $50,000 goal</a>.
Also, you can find out more about <a href="/products/modx/" target="_blank">MODX through out CMS Directory</a>.

MODX Makes Noble Move Towards True Accessibility

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ipad-820272_1280-1-e1465814975223-1024x458.jpg" alt="Responsive Design Planning" />
Responsive design can be an extremely useful tool and solution when employed properly and for the appropriate problems. It's important to note that not all sites are compatible with a responsive design, while others are perfect candidates for this type of setup.
Deciding to go responsive involves a lot of planning, so to help you get underway, here are five tips to consider if you’re thinking about taking the plunge.
<h2>1. Understand All Viewports</h2>
The very first thing that you need to do is list out all viewports (browser window sizes) that you will need to create wireframes and designs for. If you want to get really specific, this website lists out viewport sizes for nearly every device that currently exists. But a good place to start is with the following widths:
<ul>
<li>320px wide for smartphones</li>
<li>768px wide for tablets (when held vertically) or 1024px (when flipped horizontally)</li>
<li>1024px and up to 1680px (sometimes higher) for desktops.</li>
<li>Additionally, you'll need to consider that content will adapt differently to various devices and operating systems</li>
</ul>
<h2>2. Build a Triple Wireframe</h2>
One you've figured out your viewports, it's time to start <a href="http://agilitycms.com/services/technical-services">wireframing</a>. For the best results, you should create three layouts per page – one for desktops, one for smartphones, and one for tablets.
A good tip is to pick one specific viewport, and design to that one first. Then, adapt the design to other two viewports.
<h2>3. Avoid Bandwidth &amp; Performance Issues</h2>
A big challenge of responsive design is figuring out ways to avoid pushing content down to devices with limited bandwidth. While high resolution photos and numerous JavaScript files look and work great on desktop, they can easily cause a slow and not-so-user-friendly experience on smartphones and tablets.
A great solution is to re-purpose desktop content by pre-optimizing images and other items before sending these files to handheld devices.
Additionally, using compact scripts and lightened-up code will take up as little bandwidth as possible.
<h2>4. Create Content for Your Responsive Audiences</h2>
The way users consume content on a mobile device versus what they’re looking for on desktop is really different.
So, while planning for responsive design, list out what your users want from each experience, what tasks they're looking to complete and what would be the most useful to them on each different device.
<h2>5. Ensure Seamless Experiences</h2>
While users want something different from their mobile interactions with your site than what they want from desktop, there is an increasing trend of users employing both mobile and desktop to complete a task. This use case, starting a task on one device and moving to another, is called sequential screening.
The experience that the mobile and desktop versions of your site provide should therefore compliment each other. The structure of the site should make it easy for these users to move from one device to the other to quickly and easily complete their task.
<hr />
[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”auto” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]Wondering what route to take when it comes to a responsive design vs. a mobile site? We have indicated advantages and disadvantages for both. <a href="http://agilitycms.com/resources/a-responsive-design-vs-a-mobile-site?utm_source=cmscritic&amp;utm_medium=blog">Click here to read</a>. [/dropshadowbox]
<hr />
This post is <a href="/advertising/">sponsored</a> by AgilityCMS. Find out more at <a href="http://www.agilitycms.com/">agilitycms.com</a>.

5 Tips for Responsive Design Planning

Best Video Experience

Give your audience the best video experience

#000000

As they approach 1 million live pages around the web, <a href="http://www.silk.co/" target="_blank">Silk</a> announced a brand new Explore page, which greatly improves the way you can visualize and filter the information on any Silk website.  
 With Silk, users can publish facts, data and opinions in a variety of ways. The platform excels with the visualization of information by providing options for the use of crisply designed graphs and charts.  
 Now, with a revamped Explore page, Silk site visitors can search and view information easier than ever before. 
<h2>Explore More</h2>
According to Silk.co, their core goal with to their new Explore page was to make every Silk a joy to search and explore.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/silk700x0.png" alt="Silk Explore Page" /> The upgrade allows you to hit the “explore” button found on all Silks across the Internet, which then presents you with options to filter and search through content in order to experience the data you want faster, and in different ways. 
 Below are some live Silks with great examples of how the new Explore page makes exploration easier for the average visitor.
<ul>
<li><a href="https://world.silk.co/explore/map/collection/country/numeric/water%20area/location/document/filter/matches/region/africa"> Water Areas in Africa (on Countries of the World) </a></li>
<li><a href="http://gendergap.silk.co/explore/linechart/collection/history/numeric/percentage%20male%20nominees/numeric/percentage%20female%20nominees"> Male and Female nominees (on The Gender Gap at the Oscars) </a></li>
<li><a href="http://killedgoogleproducts.silk.co/explore/columnchart/collection/killed%20google%20product/numeric/active%20days%20under%20google/order/desc/active%20days%20under%20google/filter/range/active%20days%20under%20google/1825/-"> A graph of Killed Google Products </a></li>
<li><a href="https://3dprinters.silk.co/explore/columnchart/collection/3d%20printer/numeric/price/order/asc/price/filter/range/price/-/%241000"> A graph of 3D Printers under $1000 </a></li>
<li><a href="http://crowdfunding-funded-technology-projects.silk.co/explore/grid/collection/kickstarter%20funded%20technology%20projects/column/amount%20pledged/image/image/description/date%20funded/order/asc/document/filter/range/amount%20pledged/1000000/-/slice/0/100"> A grid view of popular Crowdfunded Technology Projects </a></li>
<li><a href="http://nea.silk.co/explore/piechart/collection/investment/distribution/sector/filter/equals/status/Current/filter/equals/domain/Information%20Technology"> A piechart of New Enterprise Associates’ IT portfolio </a></li>
</ul>
To find out more about Silk's brand new Explore page, check out their <a href="http://blog.silk.co/post/77289325866/introducing-the-new-explore-page" target="_blank">official announcement on their blog</a> – which also features a neat video introduction of the new interface.
Alternatively, check out <a href="http://www.silk.co/" target="_blank">Silk.co</a> for all the details related to their platform.

Silk Unveil Explore Page Upgrade

The third Beta for Joomla 3.4 has been released, indicating that the final version is edging closer, with a date currently set for February 24th 2015.
More than 3 percent of the Internet runs on <a href="http://www.joomla.org/" target="_blank">Joomla</a>. It powers everything from websites to blogs to custom apps to Intranets.
The Joomla team has also been busy recently. The CMS giant greeted 2015 by <a href="/joomla-now-offers-free-hosted-websites-via-joomla.com/" target="_blank">unveiling Joomla.com</a>, providing the public with a quick and easy way to start a hosted Joomla website — for free.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/joomla_logo_slogan_700x0.png" />
Version 3.4 will address the following areas.
<h3>Front-end Module Editing</h3>
Editing modules will be faster and easier in Joomla 3.4. Incorporating Font end Module editing allows you to to edit modules directly on the page without the need to use Joomla's admin dashboard. Naturally, this new feature simplifies the administration of websites, making them far easier to edit.
<h3>No CAPTCHA reCAPTCHA</h3>
Google introduced a <a href="http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com/2014/12/are-you-robot-introducing-no-captcha.html">no CAPTCHA CAPTCHA API</a> in December 2014, and Joomla has now responded to stay up to date.
Version 3.4 brings about an updated reCAPTCHA plugin to protect your login and registration forms against spam. While still supporting the old reCAPTCHA 1.0, you can now also use it for the new reCAPTCHA version 2.0. A significant number of your users can now attest they are human without having to solve a CAPTCHA. Instead with just a single click they’ll confirm they are not a robot.
<h3>Core en-GB standardisation</h3>
The official language of Joomla is en-GB, and the goal is to standardise all the en-GB language strings in the core of Joomla based on the style guide. This will ensure consistency throughout Joomla. It will provide translation teams with an easy framework and guidelines to create their own style guides to ensure consistency throughout the project across the world.
To find out more about Joomla 3.4, <a href="http://www.joomla.org/announcements/release-news/5584-joomla-3-4-beta-3-released.html" target="_blank">check out Joomla's latest beta announcement</a>.
And of course, be sure to check out <a href="/products/joomla/" target="_blank">Joomla via our CMS Directory</a>.

Joomla 3.4 In Late Stages of Beta

<a href="http://www.jahia.com/" target="_blank">Jahia</a>, one of the world's leading UXP (User Experience Platform) vendors, has announced the completion of a €20 million (circa $22.5 million) round of funding fully subscribed by <a href="http://invus.com/" target="_blank">Invus</a>, an equity investor focused on transformational opportunities.
The Swiss-based Jahia platform is an integral part of the online presence of major organizations, including the European Parliament, Samsung, Europcar, Abercrombie &amp; Fitch, and HomeAway.
Jahia was recently awarded the the <a href="/2014-critics-choice-award-winner-best-java-cms-for-small-to-midsize-business/" target="_blank">2014 Critics' Choice Award for Best JAVA CMS for Small to Midsize Business</a>, as well as the <a href="/2014-critics-choice-award-winner-best-enterprise-java-cms/" target="_blank">2014 Critics' Choice Award for the Best Enterprise Java CMS</a>.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/jahia_preferred_partner-1700x0.png" alt="Jahia" />
<h2>“To Make Our Solution The Obvious Choice”</h2>
Jahia claims that the €20 million funding acquired from Invus will allow them to:
<ul>
<li>Develop their visibility through targeted marketing operations.</li>
<li>Accelerate distribution strategies and partnerships.</li>
<li>Strengthen their presence in several countries, especially in North America and Europe.</li>
<li>At least double their global workforce by the end of 2015.</li>
</ul>
Those are all major steps individually, and one giant leap collectively — to say the least.
Raymond Debbane, CEO and President of Invus, made these comments upon the funding completion:
<blockquote>“Jahia fits perfectly well with our motto: Equity investors in companies who seek to transform their industries. Not only do they have an incredibly strong technology and the proven ability to deliver complex yet versatile solutions to the most demanding organizations, but the vision of their management is – and has always been – firmly rooted into the will to transform a siloed industry into a user-driven one, beyond technology constraints.”</blockquote>
More optimism came from Elie Auvray, the CEO and President of Jahia, as he added:
<blockquote>“We are incredibly proud and honored to see Invus’ strong commitment and acknowledgment of our vision, our customers successes and our ambitions. This funding will allow us to reach our objective: to make our UXP solution the obvious choice for the Digital challenges of the modern Enterprise.”</blockquote>
To find out more about Jahia, <a href="http://www.jahia.com/" target="_blank">visit their website</a>.
Also, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/jahia/" target="_blank">Jahia through our CMS Directory</a>.

Growth & Expansion: Jahia Receives $22.5 million Round of Funding

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.volusion.com/">Volusion</a>, the popular eCommerce solution, has revamped its mobile shopping experience.Thousands of online stores across the globe are powered by Volusion, and you can read more about the platform by checking out my <a href="/volusion-review/">Volusion review</a>.This update has focused on improving the general look and feel of Volusion on mobile devices, increasing sales, and improving search engine optimization. Let's take a look at what's new.<h2>New Product Display Grid &amp; Add To Cart Button</h2><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/blog_responsivethemeimprovement-650x350.jpeg" alt="Volusion" />Thanks to Volusion's new product grid display, the products on each user's store will have larger images, paired with a simplified layout.There is now a better balance between text and images, with the aim of boosting engagement. This feature is applicable on homepage featured products, category pages, product pages and search results.Also, no matter what page of a store a customer is on, they can now quickly add their favorite products to the cart, leading to increased sales. This is thanks to a new feature which allows the Add-To-Cart button to be more visible while the customer browses.<h2>Customization &amp; Search Engine Optimization</h2>Volusion merchants can also customize the <a target="_blank" href="http://onlinebusiness.volusion.com/articles/add-to-cart-button-tips-and-best-practices/">Add-To-Cart button design</a> to match their site’s overall design. The Add-To-Cart button will now be available on category pages, product pages and search pages.Furthermore, Volusion claim that thanks to all product-related content now living “within one HTML wrapper”, search engines like Google can now crawl Volusion pages faster, making for a better SEO score.To read more about Volusion's new mobile features, <a target="_blank" href="http://onlinebusiness.volusion.com/articles/responsive-design-templates-update/">check out their blog announcement</a>.

Volusion Enhances Responsive Design & Mobile Shopping Experience

This month, I had the pleasure of visiting the head office of the popular open source enterprise CMS, Magnolia in beautiful Basel, Switzerland.Their offices are situated on one of the longest rivers in Europe, the Rhine River, which runs over 1200 kilometers through Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.It was an absolutely gorgeous view from the balcony outside their offices.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia18.jpg" alt="Rhine River" />When <a target="_blank" href="http://www.thekitchenmagpie.com/about">my wife </a>and I first arrived, we were greeted with a smile by Boris Kraft, CTO &amp; Co-Founder, and Ben Price, Marketing Communications Manager for Magnolia International. Of course, we did the obligatory pose for the camera (that's Ben on my left and Boris on my right).<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia.jpg" />We had a tour of the offices, which were really well set up in a beautiful old building that, according to Boris, were previously a dorm for students.  For your viewing pleasure, here are some pictures of their head office and their awesome team.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia14.jpg" />Natascha Natum, Management Assistant and HR Coordinator.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia13.jpg" />(left) Ben Price, Marketing Manager, (centre left) Isabelle Dubach, Marketing Manager, (centre right) Gavan Stockdale, Technical Writer, (right) Laura Gambell, Marketing Assistant<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia19.jpg" />Magnolia CMS Core Developers<figure class="image"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia21.jpg" /></figure>Magnolia CMS Core Developers<figure class="image"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia16.jpg" /></figure>(left) Sebastian Stang, Senior Sales &amp; Partner Manager and (right) Samuel Schmitt, Technical Account Manager.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia2.jpg" />Alain Kugelmann, Head of FinanceAfter my tour, I had a chance to sit down with Boris while he gave me a tour of the latest release, Magnolia 5.2.2 on both iPad and Desktop:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia6.jpg" alt="Boris Kraft and Mike Johnston" />What makes this release unique is the amazing new interface they developed for it. The entire backend and CMS has been redesigned from the ground up to be completely functional on mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. There's even a beautifully designed touch interface.Here's a great video showcasing the interface on the iPad: And here is another showing content authoring from the desktop: As we walked through the interface, I couldn't help but be impressed with the slick implementation. I know, I've said before in my “<a href="/how-to-find-the-perfect-cms">How to Find the Perfect CMS</a>” article that you should always be careful about being “wowed by the interface” but in this case, it's not just a pretty face with no functionality. Not only is the interface one of the best I've seen, it truly is amazingly simple yet functional on all devices.As Boris explained during our discussion, their goal with Magnolia 5 was to offer a CMS that actually doesn't just manage your content but rather provides a framework where users can build their website quickly and easily using a flexible system that is expandable through apps. They also wanted to ensure that this same system worked on the latest technologies such as tablets like the iPad.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia8.jpg" alt="Boris Kraft and Mike Johnston" /><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/magnolia10.jpg" alt="Boris Kraft and Mike Johnston" />They were so concerned with the interface being functional but not overwhelming that they went through three major redesigns before finally feeling like they hit the nail on the head with the Magnolia 5 interface. I have to agree. It truly is an amazingly slick interface.If you haven't had a chance to play with it yet, I strongly suggest you <a target="_blank" href="http://www.magnolia-cms.com/">head over to their site</a> and try out the free demo (scroll down and fill in your details, it takes about 1 minute and it's well worth it to see what they've done here).Want to learn more about Magnolia? Check out the <a href="/products/magnolia-cms/">Magnolia CMS page</a> in our CMS directory.

My visit to Magnolia's Offices in Basel, Switzerland

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