All eCommerce website development tasks are not the same. Some online stores are significantly more complex than others. Developing an online firearms store falls in the latter category, and many developers avoid such projects.
However, the Magento developers at Virtina never backed away from a challenge, so we were only happy to accept a project from a family-based online firearms dealer. We created a custom online firearms store in Magento 2 for the client with advanced capabilities. Keep reading to discover how we developed a custom firearms store in Magento 2 with advanced features and capabilities.
Build a custom online firearms store for your business on Magento 2
FFL (Federal Firearms License) Dealer Locator Tool Development
The experts at virtina developed a custom FFL Dealer Locator tool for the client’s website. Selling firearms online is no easy task as it is a high-risk business. The regulations around selling weapons online bring many challenges to the store owner and developers alike. For instance, the customer can not purchase the firearms directly to their home address.
The only way for customers to buy firearms online is to send the product to the nearest licensed FFL (Federal Firearms License) dealer. Our client was particularly concerned about this roadblock. However, our experts came through as they always do. We developed a custom FFL Dealer Locator tool that could help the customer quickly find the nearest FFL dealers to them.
The FFL Dealer Locator tool is one of the most attractive features in the tailor-made Magento store. The custom-made tool allows the customer to type in their ZIP code and instantly get a list of the nearest authorized FFL dealers. Moreover, the interface is minimalistic and easy to use to ensure an intuitive interface that even the “technologically challenged” people can use.
Secure and Flexible for High-risk Firearms Transactions
One of the most worrying aspects for anyone trying to create an online firearm store is ensuring secure and flexible payment options. The online firearm industry is considered a high-risk business. Mainly, the high-risk status of firearms sales is attributed to the negative reputation and bad publicity. An inexperienced developer may need to learn this.
However, it is different for the experts at Virtina. We specialize in creating websites for every industry, including high-risk businesses like online firearm stores. Virtina even developed a custom eCommerce platform for firearms sales based on Magento with tailor-made APIs. So, creating a firearms eCommerce store for the client was a relatively easy task for the experts at Virtina.
We ensured that the client’s Magento store supports ACH payments and eChecks. Moreover, we also made it a point to facilitate easy and efficient integration for transnational payment gateways. We are currently working on the best payment gateways to integrate with the client’s Magento store to ensure secure and flexible payment options for customers.
Custom API Development for Multiple Firearms Manufacturers
We build an online firearm store for the customer that lets them sell products directly from the manufacturer. The Magento 2 store work seamlessly with the manufacturer’s system and display products on the interface. Every manufacturer has unique systems, so we had to develop customized APIs for each supplier/manufacturer.
Virtina’s expert team developed customized API for leading firearms vendors like Bill Hicks and Lipsey’s. As every system is unique, our experts faced different challenges in developing APIs that work seamlessly on the client’s Magento 2 store. Ensuring accurate and efficient data flow between the manufacturers’ system and the Magento store was a time-consuming task.
Create a custom API for your Magento 2 store
We also had to ensure the API sends and receives data in a standardized format to ensure efficient communication. Furthermore, our QA team double-checked the custom APIs and ensured the communication remained uninterrupted. As a result, the client can sell a wide range of products from multiple suppliers or manufacturers.
Auto Ordering Feature Implementation for Multiple Vendors
One of the features we incorporated in the client’s Magento website that we take pride in is Auto Ordering. The customized feature allows online firearms customers to buy products from suppliers or manufacturers. It means end-users can browse products from multiple vendors, add them to the cart, and proceed to checkout.
In the front end, everything may seem ordinary and hardly impressive. But what goes behind the screen is a whole different story. Depending on the items in the cart, the Magento eCommerce store must send separate product requests to the suppliers/manufacturers. Moreover, the relevant information must pass through the appropriate APIs to ensure accurate order placement.
Our experts were able to successfully navigate through this challenge and also give more control over to the admin. The admin can receive the customer’s order and choose the suitable (most profitable) vendors for specific products. As a result, the client can select vendors that offer them the most extensive product line and ultimately boost their overall ROI.
Automatic Product and Inventory Update Feature
Managing products and inventory for a business are always challenging, no matter what you are selling. The online firearms industry is no exception to this. We developed a unique feature in the client’s Magento store that allows it to automatically update products and inventory in the client’s Magento 2 store.
This feature allows the client to sell products on their website from numerous vendors without unnecessary complications. Without this customized feature, the client can only sell products from a few suppliers or manufacturers. The custom feature we were able to make the online firearm store provide more products to its customers.
Enable automatic product and inventory update capability on your online store
Our Automatic Product and Inventory Update feature ensures the client’s Magento 2 site can automatically update the product list and inventory. The updation of product lists and inventory happens over regular intervals. It provided a flawless user experience with zero errors or glitches like being unable to add out-of-stock products to the cart.
Dropshipping Capability to Simplify Inventory Management
We equipped the client’s online firearm store with advanced dropshipping capabilities. As you know, dropshipping provides business owners with an order fulfillment method where they do not have to keep products in their inventory. In other words, the seller can purchase merchandise from a third party (supplier/manufacturer) and fulfill the orders.
The expert team at Virtina ensured the custom Magento 2 store could ship firearms, ammunition, and other products directly to the customer or FFL dealer. However, dropshipping some items to the customer’s address is impossible because of the various federal and state laws. The client can only send the items to a licensed FFL dealer, depending on the item they are sending.
It is another reason we implemented the FFL Finder feature on the client’s Magento 2 store. The FFL Dealer Locator allows customers to quickly find their nearest FFL dealer and send the purchased product to the dealer. End-users or customers must then go to the selected FFL dealer to collect their firearm product.
Custom Scalability Enhancement for Magento 2 Platform
At Virtina, we understand how critical scalability is for an online business. We ensured that the client’s Magento 2 store was ready to accommodate the future growth of their business. The online firearm store we set up for the client can handle even the most complex integrations, including payment gateways.
Our experts made it a point to ensure the client could quickly customize their store with new features and capabilities. It means the online firearms store can scale itself to meet the needs of customers and the admin. Moreover, the client can easily add more vendors or suppliers to their list with the highly-scalable Magento 2 store we built for them.
The client can add more vendors and offer more products to its customers, quickly scaling up their business for a wider audience. For example, the scaling up can involve targeting firearm enthusiasts with custom or rare items. The client can easily offer an entirely new line of products by adding another vendor and connecting their systems via a custom API.
Migrate your eCommerce store to the highly-scalable Magento 2 platform
Tailored Search and Filter Development for Firearms
The client offers a wide range of firearms and related accessories from multiple vendors to their customers. Hence, it was vital to ensure the customer could easily find the item they were looking for with an advanced search and filter option. We developed a custom search and filter option for the Magento 2 store, enabling the customer to provide detailed firearm specifications.
The end-user can set numerous parameters for finding their ideal product. Customers can filter out firearms depending on their brand, category, price, and caliber. Customers can apply multiple filter parameters at once and quickly find the desired product. As a result, the Magento 2 store we developed provides a flawless buying experience to the end-users.
