Latest news, tutorials, and best practices for Magento
Hafiz Zafar Ali is a results-driven Magento Product Owner at FME Extensions, with over 7 years of experience in building, scaling, and optimizing eCommerce solutions on Magento 2. He plays a pivotal role in shaping the product vision for a wide range of Magento extensions and services offered by FME Extensions.
He specializes in defining strategic product roadmaps, prioritizing high-impact features, and aligning development efforts with real-world merchant needs. Hafiz has successfully led cross-functional teams including developers, designers, and SEO specialists - to deliver high-performing Magento solutions that enhance user experience, improve store functionality, and drive higher conversions.
With a strong foundation in Agile methodologies, he ensures efficient sprint planning, seamless stakeholder communication, and continuous product improvement. He is also actively involved in analyzing market trends, customer feedback, and competitor strategies to ensure FME Extensions products remain innovative, scalable, and results-oriented.
Blogs By Hafiz Zafar Ali
March 30, 2026
How to Add Distance Based Shipping Method in Magento 2
- Distance Based Shipping calculates shipping costs based on the distance between the store and the customer, ensuring fair pricing, better transparency, and reduced cart abandonment.
- Since Magento 2 doesn’t support distance-based shipping by default, you need either custom API-based development (like Google Maps integration) or a dedicated extension for implementation.
- Using a Magento 2 Distance Based Shipping Extension enables real-time calculations, simple configuration, and a seamless checkout experience without complex coding.
March 27, 2026
How to Create a Shop by Brand Page in Magento 2
- A Shop by Brand page allows customers to easily browse products by their favorite brands, improving product discovery and reducing friction in navigation.
- While the manual method is possible, using a Magento 2 Shop by Brand extension provides automation, scalability, advanced customization, and higher conversion potential.
March 26, 2026
How to Add an SEO Friendly Blog to your Magento 2 Store
- Adding a blog to your Magento 2 store helps you target long-tail and informational keywords, improving search engine visibility and bringing consistent organic traffic beyond product pages.
- Since Magento 2 doesn’t have built-in blogging, using a dedicated solution like the Magento 2 SEO Friendly Blog Extension is the most efficient approach, offering SEO-friendly features, easy management, and seamless integration without performance issues.
March 25, 2026
Magento 2 Media Folder: Location, Structure & How to Get Media Path
- The /pub/media/ directory is the central location for all media files, including product images, category images, customer uploads, and WYSIWYG content, ensuring organized and efficient media management.
- Knowing the media folder structure (catalog, wysiwyg, tmp, etc.) and how to retrieve media paths or URLs programmatically allows developers to manage files, customize features, and troubleshoot issues more effectively.
March 17, 2026
Magento 2.4.9 Release: New Features, Security Updates, and Infrastructure Changes
- Magento 2.4.9 prioritizes security with enhanced authentication, improved API protection, and fixes for hundreds of vulnerabilities. This ensures better protection against cyber threats, data breaches, and unauthorized access, making it a critical update for maintaining store safety.
- The release introduces significant tech stack updates, including support for PHP 8.3–8.5, MySQL 8.4, MariaDB 11.4, OpenSearch 3, and Valkey caching. These upgrades improve performance, scalability, and compatibility with modern hosting environments.
- With 500+ bug fixes and enhancements in APIs, caching, and message queues, Magento 2.4.9 delivers better store performance, faster search and indexing, and improved overall stability for both merchants and developers.
March 16, 2026
How to Sort Magento 2 Products by Stock Availability (Add Sort by Stock Quantity)
- Sorting products by stock availability allows shoppers to see items that are actually in stock first, reducing frustration and helping them make quicker purchasing decisions.
- Magento 2 does not natively support sorting by stock quantity, so store owners can use an extension like Magento 2 Improved Sorting by FME Extensions for an easy setup or implement a custom development solution. Combining stock-based sorting with other options like best sellers or price improves navigation and product discovery.
March 16, 2026
How to Add a Sort by Best Seller Option in Magento 2
- Sorting products by best sellers allows customers to quickly see popular items, providing social proof and making it easier for them to make purchase decisions, which builds trust in your store.
- Magento 2 does not natively support best seller sorting, so store owners can either use a ready-made extension like Magento 2 Improved Sorting by FME Extensions for easy setup or implement a custom solution via product collection logic. Combining best seller sorting with other sorting options and using it in high-traffic categories maximizes its effectiveness.
March 16, 2026
How to Create a Custom Contact Form in Magento 2 (Code & Extension)
- Creating a custom contact form allows Magento store owners to collect relevant customer information, add custom fields, enable multi-department routing, and improve the overall communication workflow, leading to higher trust and better user experience.
- Store owners can either develop a custom module manually using Magento coding standards or use a dedicated Magento 2 Contact Form Extension. While coding offers full control, using an extension is faster, easier, and provides advanced features like drag-and-drop form building, file uploads, and CAPTCHA protection.
March 13, 2026
How to Add a Buy Now Button in Magento 2 to Reduce Checkout Friction
- A Buy Now button in Magento 2 allows customers to skip the cart and proceed directly to checkout, reducing unnecessary steps and making the purchasing process faster and more convenient.
- Instant checkout is especially beneficial for mobile users and impulse buyers, helping Magento stores increase conversion rates by simplifying the buying journey.
- Since Magento 2 does not provide built-in Buy Now functionality, using a Magento 2 Buy Now Button extension is the most efficient way to add and customize express checkout buttons without complex development.
March 12, 2026
Magento 2 User Experience Guide: 12 Proven Ways to Improve UX
- Streamlining customer login with mobile OTP and reducing checkout friction using features like Buy Now buttons significantly improves convenience and reduces cart abandonment.
- Optimizing product pages with preselected configurable options, clear visuals, and simplified navigation makes it easier for customers to find and buy products, boosting conversions.
- Improving My Account dashboards, mobile responsiveness, site speed, personalization, and trust-building elements creates a smoother shopping journey, increases customer satisfaction, and drives repeat purchases.
March 12, 2026
Magento 2 Pre Order: How to Enable Pre Orders for Out-of-Stock & Upcoming Products
- Enabling pre-orders lets customers reserve upcoming or out-of-stock products, helping merchants generate early revenue, gauge real product demand, reduce inventory risk, and build anticipation for new launches or limited editions.
- Since Magento 2 lacks native pre-order functionality, the Magento 2 Pre Order Extension by FME Extensions provides essential features like replacing the Add to Cart button, enabling pre-orders for specific products or the entire catalog, offering early-bird discounts, countdown timers, and automated post-restock purchases.
- The extension allows merchants to clearly display availability dates, manage cancellations, and customize pre-order messages, giving customers transparency and flexibility, which improves trust, engagement, and conversion rates.
March 9, 2026
How to Add Free Shipping Bar in Magento 2?
- A free shipping bar shows customers how much more they need to spend to qualify for free shipping, motivating them to add more items to their cart and increasing the average order value.
- The bar dynamically updates messages such as “Spend $20 more for free shipping” or “You qualify for free shipping,” creating urgency and encouraging customers to complete their purchases.
- With a Magento 2 Free Shipping Bar extension, store owners can quickly create and customize shipping bars, set thresholds, target specific pages or customers, and design the bar to match their store layout without coding.