The new version of Magento got out in November 2015 and caught the curiosity of every merchant in the ecommerce industry. Magento 2.0 finally came out with the community edition and then the enterprise edition, setting a twist in the fabric of online marketing once again. While many received it with gratitude and excitement, others were left with half baked decisions to pursue with the new platform or remain with the old one.

Why the New Magento is a Better Platform?

All summed together, Magento’s main objective was to improve the speed, introduce a better interface, enhance the checkout process and add mobile compatibility with its design. And so it did, by releasing the new Magento 2.0 with the Community and the Enterprise edition for merchants all across the world.

According to Builtwith statistics, Magento currently holds 14% of the market share for ecommerce platforms. With the release of Magento 2, it’s possible this percentage could increase. Experts believe the number of Magento 2 stores is likely to grow rapidly within the next year as Magento 1 is slowly phased out. This rise will include existing Magento 1 stores that transitioned to Magento 2 in addition to brand new stores or businesses that migrate to Magento 2 for a better store platform.

What Sets the Magento 2 Extensions Apart

In any way, with more and more businesses adopting the new platform, it is only best that updated extensions be made for serving the same purpose as in Magento 1. When a merchant migrates from an older version to the new one, it is only natural that they might lose their previous data and extensions due to compatibility issues. The data migration can be done with the help of reliable developers, the extensions however, must be re-coded to serve for the new platform. While the developers are at it, they have the opportunity to make improvements in its overall structure and add newer features for higher performance. This this is exactly why Magento 2 extensions are better and well calibrated compared to Magento 1 because they have been remade to perfection.In the light of the new Magento platform, here are two free Magento 2 extensions that are an absolute necessity for your store. Let’s see how and why they rule.

Request For Quote

RFQ or Request for Quote Magento 2 extension is an advance and automated feature for Magento stores that allows customers to request a quote for a particular project and acquire its precise cost estimate by filling a small form on the website. This extension is also equipped with additional responsive features such as automated notifications to keep the customers in loop for replies and file attachment feature with compatibility to all formats.

Enter your Details in Form

This literally solves the day to day hassle of customers getting their socks wet just to get a simple quote for their project or product customization. Customers no longer need to make calls to the company headquarters and get bothered from one extension to the other. You no longer need to write or draw on papers and post them to the store admin. This extension allows you to enter your name and contact details and write a brief description about the product and send it straight away.

File Attachment

Some projects require better understanding about the specific demands of the customer. For that particular reason, this extension allows you to upload images or text through file attachments to overcome any barrier between understanding the requirements of the request. This also benefits the merchant by getting a good look at the resources involved in the process so an accurate cost can be sent. It also allows a wide range of formats to be uploaded. The admin can restrict specific formats and enable Google captcha to avoid spamming.

Email Notifications

Now this is the best part about being a Magento 2 extension. Soon after the request has been made, the customer receives updates about his quote status through notification emails. Magento 2 facilitate a fast and lag free communication channel between the customer and the admin which allows the smooth exchange of emails. To avoid any inconvenience, the admin can also set predefined email responses for RFQs to keep the client engaged until a cost estimate has been made.

Simple Banners (Free)

Being a free extension, Magento 2 Simple Banners by FME targets the basic need of every Magento store. It enables the website with an elegant banner slider to feature images of products, services and events on any page of the store. New features allow you to add banners with custom titles, banner link and change the sequence of the banners according to your preferences from the back end.

Ease of Use

With the help of Magento 2 platform, this extension is extremely easy to use and does not require any technical knowledge to put it to work. Magento 2 has improved the back end by redesigning the densely crowded interface into a simple and fresh looking back office that is not just user-friendly, but welcoming to the admin. All you need to do is select the image, upload it from the back end and add the necessary details in the form fields and the banner is ready to show.

Customize your Banner

Another great feature of Magento 2 Simple Banners is the how extensively you can personalize the banners according to your needs. You can add images of multiple formats, user titles to captions them and set the order of the slider to show the banner images according to your preferences.

Make your Website Visually interactive

The more images your use the better views and traffic your website gets. Its textbook. By adding banner images to your website you not only feature your top selling products for marketing, but also increase the rankings of your pages on top search engines such as Google.

With the new version of Magento already soaring, many new extensions are being developed to serve the growing needs of merchants for better store performance. With FME’s top rated extensions such as RFQ and Simple Banners, there are all the more reasons to start shifting to Magento 2.