Why Joomla Extensions Don't Matter Anymore? (& What does?)

Now that Joomla extensions directory has grown to 8078 extensions, I could argue that having twice as many extensions would not make much of a difference to business users.

It is cheaper than ever to implement your ideas using existing prebuilt extensions.

However, which one of those ideas would provide:

• the highest benefit to your customers?
• the best ROI for your business?

For all businesses, I think it’s different.

EXAMPLE 1: We now have a client who has lower than ideal average customer value and customer order frequency.  For them, I could recommend improving:

1. Upsell & Cross-sell features. If you have an existing business relationship in place where you are trusted, why wouldn’t you offer more valuable products or service levels to the customer for more money if they can afford it? Also, why wouldn’t you offer them a product or service that they already may be looking for elsewhere? What are tools and processes that would improve up-sell & cross-sell?
2. Innovation. One easy way to differentiate is to provide something new that nobody else has which better meets needs of your target customers. What new feature could you offer that would showcase your creativity and innovation?

EXAMPLE 2: A customer has reached a peak at what they can charge for their products. For them, it could possibly make sense to invest in:

1. Business Efficiency. This would possibly include automating many of the manual tasks that you may perform on a daily or weekly basis. Joomla itself is and could be used for automating many manual activities.
2. Business Processes. With an integration of a CRM with your website, you could significantly improve your marketing and sales processes.
3. Cost Reduction. Yes, by implementing proper tools and processes, you could reduce your business operating costs. If you can reduce costs but not affect your income levels, you can grow higher profits which you can then further reinvest in another business area.

So when you’re looking to make enhancements to your Joomla website, don’t start by looking in the Joomla extensions directory and all possible Joomla features. Instead ask yourself what your biggest business challenges are and what business opportunities you are going to solve.

Do you have some business ideas that you’re considering to implement in your business? If so, please feel free to post in comments below and I may be able to provide you some constructive feedback.