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Shane Blandford

Shane Blandford

FOUNDER
018MAGENTO

IS MAGENTO 2 BETTER THAN A SAAS-BASED PLATFORM?

Before you begin building your eCommerce store, or even before a site upgrade, it’s important to know exactly what will work best for you. Broadly speaking there are two ways of doing it. One is to get an out-of-the-box solution – a SaaS, which stands for Software as a Service. Shopify, for example, and BigCommerce, are SaaS hosted stores. They enable you to choose themes, add plugins and build a site within their parameters, while they take care of all the updates and security. Whereas Magento

Shane Blandford
Shane Blandford · FOUNDER2025.02 · 4 MIN
017MAGENTO

5 MAGENTO SECURITY FAILS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

Security online is a seriously hot topic. Your store needs to be secure and reliable for both you and your customers. Why? Well, for starters, you have access to sensitive data. Everything from your customer’s name, and email address to their bank details and shopping preferences. This is data that needs to be managed sensibly, safely and with sensitivity. We’ve rounded up a few common Magento security failures, how you can avoid them, and maintain a safe eCommerce business. 1. ANCIENT SOFTWA

Shane Blandford
Shane Blandford · FOUNDER2025.02 · 4 MIN
016MAGENTO

COMMERCE OR OPEN SOURCE? WHICH MAGENTO SITE SUITS YOUR STORE?

Did you know that Magento V2 has two very different options? Understanding the differences, the similarities and knowing what your store needs will help you make the right choice. Let’s clear up the names first. Magento Community Edition (CE) now goes by the name of Magento V2 Open Source. While Magento Enterprise Edition (EE) is best known as Magento V2 Commerce. So, these are your two options when moving to Magento or upgrading your existing Magento site. But what’s the difference? And, which

Shane Blandford
Shane Blandford · FOUNDER2025.02 · 5 MIN
015SHOPIFY

HOW TO HANDLE MILLIONS OF SHOPIFY WEBHOOKS WITH API GATEWAY AND TERRAFORM

Here at Orange Collar, we build custom apps for the Shopify platform on a regular basis. Some of these apps require the consumption of webhooks being sent from the Shopify platform. Whenever we have to consume webhooks as part of an app requirement we take into account the following realities. 1. Shopify will stop sending webhooks if they consistently take over 400ms to respond. 2. Shopify will stop sending webhooks if a large number of them do not respond with a 200 success response. 3. Sh

Shane Blandford
Shane Blandford · FOUNDER2025.02 · 11 MIN
014SEO & GROWTH

THE BEST INTEGRATIONS FOR YOUR ECOMMERCE SITE

Integrations help you manage your store the way you want. For your eCommerce site, you’ll probably have integrations for a multitude of reasons. From those designed for order and content management, delivery systems, warehouse management, and payment processes to email automation and communications, search and monitoring, and perhaps even personalization tools. No doubt, you’ve spent plenty of time and energy sourcing the right ones for your business and making them work on your existing site.

Shane Blandford
Shane Blandford · FOUNDER2025.02 · 7 MIN
013MAGENTO

WHAT IS OPEN SOURCE?

You’ve heard the term ‘open source’. You know it’s a good thing, but what exactly does it mean? And, how exactly can it benefit your eCommerce site? WHAT DOES OPEN-SOURCE MEAN? Open source means that code is accessible and open to the public. Anyone can modify and adapt it for use (without altering the source code that is). What that means is more freedom for creative development. So, instead of great ideas only being enabled by those who have the tools; more people can innovate, and take on

Shane Blandford
Shane Blandford · FOUNDER2025.02 · 4 MIN
012MAGENTO

5 BIG BRANDS USING MAGENTO 2

Coca-Cola, Samsung, Burger King, Barbour, IKEA – you’re so au fait with their marketing that it’s part of your every day. But have you ever stopped to consider what software they’re using? It’s not reserved for the big lights and stars; it’s the same as me or you. For companies like these, it’s Magento 2. Magento 2 allows them to build content-rich sites, that respond to global demands fast, and on mobile. So, here are five ways an upgrade to Magento 2 can help you to design a better site, d

Shane Blandford
Shane Blandford · FOUNDER2025.02 · 5 MIN
010SEO & GROWTH

HOW TO INTRODUCE YOUR SHOP TO SOCIAL MEDIA

Do you want to reach a wider audience? Sell to more people? One of the best ways to do this is by introducing your eCommerce store to social media. One (or more) of these channels can seriously improve your visibility in the vast online world, and ultimately help your shop grow. You need the right tools to get going though, and either migrating to Shopify or upgrading your Magento store are two sure-fire ways to get started. The only thing you need to do is to decide which social platform best

Shane Blandford
Shane Blandford · FOUNDER2025.02 · 5 MIN