Ecommerce Start-up

[mec]

Hi all,


New at this so bare with me.


I'm looking to setup a business so I can sell digital products to consumers via an ecommerce web site. The site will need the ability to process credit cards, build bundles, adjust stock levels, prices and other on a daily basis. I would also like the site to be future proof so I can add features like courier integration, banners, blogs, and anything else that comes to mind as the business grows.


Should I be looking down the road of a design company or freelancer that can provide a custom front and back, or are there cheaper alternatives that do as good a job?


Comments appreciated!


MEC

[Pounds4Points]

Hi, for my 4 ecommerce websites i own i use zencart for all, it provides flixibility in all directions from changing the look of the store completly (i.e search google for magicksupplies thats what i did the zencart) to having the ability to addon many mods like courier integration, banners and i do think there is a blog mod for it if not someone on the zencart forums will be more than happy to code one for you.

i suggest you check out zencart and other ecommerce packages and if they are not what you require you can always look into a freelancer for a custom package, i would offer my services but i am fully booked up with work at the moment :) but from what i see theres plenty of members on this forum that provide freelance services.

hope this info helps :)

Regards,
Jon

[consultant]

MEC,

go to testacart.com, where you will see several 'free' carts and be able to play with the back ent.

[shawnick]

Hi Mec,

We offer a bespoke ecommerce package for just £9.99 per month with no upfront design costs.
This system is customised to your requirements and can be set to automatically deliver digital products once payment has been made.
Take a look at our site: www.yewtreedigital.co.uk (http://www.yewtreedigital.co.uk)
Kind regards,
Nick
YewTreeDigital.co.uk

[mec]

Hi,

Thanks for your replies.

I'll digest the information and get back to you shortly.

MEC

[bargainebuy]

Try Oscommerce

[sally 76]

Hi Mec

I my friend has recently started using a ecommerce solution....it was £300 set up and then £19.99 a month. Bespoke design so every site looks different...... . He brought it from a company called mistore.

If you're interested let me know and i'll give you my contact at mistore, i can get £50 off.

Sally :)

[Office Accessories]

groovycart.co.uk host my Funky Retro Shop.

groovycart.co.uk/cart.php?c=46&p=1651

You are able to customise the shop and change the colours this is all very easy. Oh yes and it's FREE.
Take a look at the link above and see what you think. I am still in the process of adding products.
If you would like to set up a shop in minutes, check out groovycart.co.uk

[liams7]

Hi MEC

There are many options that you can use.

You can use a free system but you are limited to what that system can do. This is the cheapest way to set up a e-commerce site but not always the best.

It really depends on what you are looking to do. If you are just looking to make a small bit of money on the side then these options are fantastic and very easy to intergrate with pay pal.

A few options are

zen cart - Pretty good for add ons etc.
oscommerce - Has a very easy template engine to use.
virtuemart - with joomla - A little more versatile but not so powerful as the other to.

x-cart is probably the next step up with alot of support and modifications. this does cost £200+ to purchase but is a fantastic option.

Then you can go down the bespoke option to create your own site. No matter what anyone says this will not cost £9.99 a month but with this option you are not locked in with design or how the site works but this will cost any where up to around £10,000+ you may get this cheaper if you shop around.

At the end of the day you get what you pay for. and you need to find out exactly what it is you want to buy.

[Office Accessories]

All the above options may be great if you have a degree in computing but groovycart.co.uk has the same functionality of os commerce but you need no technical experience, everything is all set up for you. search engines, payment gateways, encryption / security, + personal support from the software team. It may be free but it is certainly not inferior. try it out and see, you have nothing to lose, it only takes a few minutes to get started.
groovycart.co.uk

[quikshop]

Hi MEC,

You've taken the right approach by identifying the sorts of features that are must-haves for your new business. If you decide on what is a realistic and affordable budget to get your shop created, there are several options available to you:

1. Open Source.

Free to use eCommerce software usually supported by a community of users and developers. An excellent and cost-effective way of setting up an online shop, they tend to require a bit of work to customise but there are plenty of web designers in this forum who could do that for you and provide the hosting.

Take a look at Carl's hosting service at CS New Media (http://www.csnewmedia.co.uk) or Paul's take on osCommerce at AWebApart (http://www.awebapart.com).

2. Hosted Shop.

Companies such as ours provided hosted eCommerce shops (http://www.internetretailer.biz) in return for an initial set up fee and monthly subscription. The subscription includes hosting and depending on the company, unlimited upgrades to your shop as the service company makes improvements to their software. Depending on which company you go for, you can get additional service options such as unlimited telephone support on all aspects of selling online.

Other types of hosted shops are free if you allow them to advertise their own services on your shop, or charge a percentage per sale.

3. Custom Built Shop.

There are lots of web design companies and individuals who can build you a shop from the ground up. Although this approach tends to be more expensive, if you choose the right web design company you will get exactly what you want for your shop.

4. Auction / Retail Portal.

Despite their recent increase in fees, eBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk) remains an excellent way to test the water in a particular market. You can also set up a shop within Amazon (http://www.amazon.co.uk), although you'd have to check what their charges are first.

Its usually beneficial to run an eBay or Amazon shop along side your own standalone eCommerce shop, eBay appeals to a different type of online shopper who puts price above all else.

[mec]

Thanks for the comments.

I'm looking at a specific design that is future proof so I can add features as the business grows. Post developement features will be along the lines of live chat, accounts integration, live stock level adjustment etc.

I'm not sure if osCommerce and the like are going to fit my bussiness model. What about a combination of software backend and custom frontend? Would I then be able to a acheive a specific design that is future proof, or will I still run into development issues down the road?

mec

[brownie]

Going on your initial post a priority would be for a robust and secure digital download function which some posters in this thread have forgotten. If your choosen product can perform this task, then look into the design side.

[Chris Ashdown]

Have a look at www.actinic.co.uk, you will have to pay but it offers scaleability for growth, accepts Dreamweaver front end and additional pages if needed.

[mec]

Hi,

I'll look into it.

Thanks,

mec

[mec]

Hi,

Could I please get your opinions on a CMS system called DotNetNuke?

I've been told it's an adaptive modular type system that is apparently very SEO friendly..

mec

[Novo softwares]

Dear Sir,

We are there to help you...please visit novosoftwares(dot)com or email us at contact(at)novosoftwares(dot)com ....we will provide you a definite solution.

Team Novo

[Keepsmilin]

Hi all,


New at this so bare with me.


I'm looking to setup a business so I can sell digital products to consumers via an ecommerce web site. The site will need the ability to process credit cards, build bundles, adjust stock levels, prices and other on a daily basis. I would also like the site to be future proof so I can add features like courier integration, banners, blogs, and anything else that comes to mind as the business grows.


Should I be looking down the road of a design company or freelancer that can provide a custom front and back, or are there cheaper alternatives that do as good a job?


Comments appreciated!


MEC

Checkout www.digitalforest.co.uk (http://www.digitalforest.co.uk). Also,ShopSite Pro is another option.

Cheers

:)
Ezylet.co.uk

[mec]

Thanx for the replies.

Keepin my options open at this stage.

mec

[LINCOLNLORD]

groovycart.co.uk host my Funky Retro Shop.

groovycart.co.uk/cart.php?c=46&p=1651

You are able to customise the shop and change the colours this is all very easy. Oh yes and it's FREE.
Take a look at the link above and see what you think. I am still in the process of adding products.
If you would like to set up a shop in minutes, check out groovycart.co.uk

Just had a look at Groovy Cart. Main issue I can see is that your url has to be www.groovycart.co.uk/yoursitename. Just looks slightly unprofessional if you are trying to run a business.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but people have mentioned zencart and oscommerce numerous times in various threads. Just wondered if they are suitable for a novice or do you need a decent skill level before attempting them?

[mke]

Both terrific for newbies and pros alike once set up. The owner's administrative interface is very good. It's the installation and initial configuration which causes all the problems. Many trying to do it themselves get very frustrated.

We tend to charge an up front cost and low hosting fees thereafter to reflect that, which includes full support and an element of hand-holding through the initial learning curve. Maintenance costs are low once it's all up and running. Many hosts offer an automated install which is cheap and may well do what you want.

The two started from the same project, and the developers agreed to test different alternatives. They are now completely separate projects, both every well supported and funded. We prefer Zen cart because it is CSS built, rather than tables. However, OSC won't be far behind. They are both great pieces of software.

However, looking further through the thread and mec's requirements, I'd be more tempted to go for Joomla with a cart plug in, of which there are some excellent ones to choose from. The same overall comments apply, it really is a terrific piece of kit but very frustrating at the installation and configuration stage for a newbie.

All of these solutions are almost infinitely scaleable and customisable (is there such a word?), so your (very sensible) future-proofing questions are answered. Templates can be changed, so you can change the look and feel almost at will and functionality is similarly flexible.