4 Minute Read

Some products are easy to sell online. You just set up a store, create some products, take payments, and ship orders directly to your customers. It’s not really that simple but you get the idea. There are, of course, some exceptions, and online retailers in the tactical industry have it harder than some others.

Selling tactical products like ammunition, suppressors, knives, and firearms, online offers many more challenges. Regulatory requirements and legal constraints make the process more difficult for online retailers in this space. You can’t just use any eCommerce platform, tool, or software because many of the popular platforms have terms of use that restrict the sale of certain firearms, and others are rather ambiguous in their support of the sale of “controversial” products. 

It’s not just a coincidence that many of the world’s leading tactical brands use Magento, now Adobe Commerce, to power their online stores. Many are drawn to Magento for its powerful out-of-the-box features, which other competitors are still yet to beat. The platform’s open architecture, comprehensive out-of-the-box features, and hard-to-beat B2B components make Magento a great platform for tactical retailers. In some cases, Magento isn’t a choice. It's the choice. 

Best In Class Architecture

You’ve probably heard the term open-source flexibility before. If you’re not tech-savvy, you probably have no idea what it means. And that’s okay. In a nutshell, if a piece of software has an open-source license, this means that end users can view and edit its code. 

While this is interesting to know, why should you care? If you’re wondering what value an open-source architecture adds to your business, the answer can be summarized in two words: freedom and flexibility. Magento’s customizable platform can seamlessly integrate with third-party solutions, can be deployed in any environment, and is backed by a vast network of eCommerce experts ready to help you.

In many cases an open architecture gives you the freedom to deliver value immediately. Your business will have the ability to evolve to a large-scale, sufficiently established, enterprise-grade implementation. Firearms dealers and manufacturers understand better than most businesses that political tides can quickly shift their industry given the political and ever-changing landscape. An open-source architecture provides the agility to quickly adapt to changing laws, regulations and industry trends so you can pivot to support rapid change and provide tactical industry value-adds. 

With the help of a skilled agency partner that has eCommerce experience in the tactical vertical, you can use the Magento platform to develop an eCommerce solution that’s perfect for your needs. Something that works the way your business works, integrates with all your back-office systems and provides your customers with a painless user journey that will increase loyalty and engagement to skyrocket your conversion rates. With your imagination — and the skill of your agency partner — there is no limit to what you can do with a Magento Commerce implementation.

Modern Software Architecture

Supporting the rich Magento feature set is a powerful and highly scalable platform architecture. Magento has been designed from the ground up to be open and extensible, providing limitless opportunity and flexibility for merchants and developers to create unique and engaging shopping experiences for B2B and B2C customers. 

With a modular architecture built on advanced technologies and extended by modern web APIs and technology extensions, it supports rapid development and easy integration with third-party solutions, so you can cost-effectively innovate on your own timeline and keep pace with changing technologies and your customers' needs.

This modern, modular architecture reduces the complexity and cost of maintaining your site and it future proofs your investment by simplifying upgrades. You can easily incorporate innovative functionality as it is released by Magento Commerce to drive sales and improve operational efficiencies.

Cloud-Based Solution

For those retailers with a significant focus in the B2B space, like many tactical gear vendors, the focus on eCommerce platforms should be on cloud-based solutions. Cloud offerings in the commerce space are mature and offer distinct advantages. By taking care of all the infrastructure, Magento’s cloud-based solution frees up your team to focus on creating the best online experience possible.

Additionally, Magento’s cloud solution includes tools and a global footprint that helps you get to market faster. They also have integrated a range of solutions that boost security and performance, such as firewalls, content distribution network (CDN) services, and monitoring tools. Magento’s cloud solution can easily scale to support your business growth or peak periods, giving you peace of mind. And having one vendor for both the application and the infrastructure simplifies overall management and tends to speed up issue resolution. Net-net, cloud solutions take many of the challenges out of digital commerce and ensure that you can deliver the performance, reliable, and secure experiences your customers want and require.

Full-Featured B2B Support

Especially in the tactical space, manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors need more than a B2B or B2C strategy. They need a flexible and intelligent hybrid solution to seize opportunities with up-and-coming channels and business models to meet the high demands of buyers. 

Complex Dynamics

Most tactical retailers sell some products directly to consumers and other restricted items to dealers who then resell. We know - B2B eCommerce entails complex dynamics like consumer-side approval workflows, unique pricing and product catalogs, purchasing on account, custom payment and shipping options based on buyers, etc., which B2C commerce doesn’t typically require. Magento Commerce comes with a complete set of built-in B2B features including customer-specific product configurations, customer-specific product catalogs and pricing, support for approval workflows and purchase orders, and multi-channel sales and order management. The Magento built-in B2B features support streamlining business units by allowing you to easily combine B2B and B2C storefronts in a single platform.

TL;DR

You can’t drink soup with a fork and when you choose an eCommerce platform that’s a poor match for your vertical, drinking soup with a fork is exactly what you're doing.   

For eCommerce websites in the tactical space, Magento is a rock-solid choice. Being an open-source solution with a massive developer base means three things: reliable support, unlimited customization, and protection from SaaS platforms that might change policy at any time and restrict your ability to sell online. While developing your online store in Magento is typically not the least expensive eCommerce option, the benefits it offers make it a reliable and future-proof choice to maintain and grow your customer base and increase your online sales revenue. 

See how this suppressor distributor boosted their sales with customized B2B and B2C online portals. 

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