Help with e-shop

[Rachel]

Hi,

Brand new to this site. I am trying to set up a small online business. I have just bought a Professional e-shop package with 1&1 but am getting very frustrated. I don't have a huge technical knowledge, so am using their template. I feel very resticted when trying to adapt it to my needs, but at the same time find the advanced settings a bit beyond me! I have heard the ekm powershop is quite good. Is it user friendly for those with limited knowledge? I would love to view some sites that have been created with this package. My business will be a small concern and at first I plan to use paypal only, so my requirements are simple: Easy to use, paypal compatible, flexible in design........ANY IDEAS???!!!

 

[falconinternetlimited]

Hi Rachel,

I guess it depends what your budget is and whether you are inclined to develop your own solution or you want it done professionally?

We offer a complete web design and e-commerce development service, based around an e-commerce package. The shop administration is very simple - our own website is based on it - where you get an admin panel, you can setup categories, sub-categories, products etc all from a nice interface. The backend integration can handle multiple payment methids and supports paypal as standard.

Have a look at our site http://www.falconnet.co.uk

in addition have a look at some of the live sites that use our online store system they will give you a good idea of what is achievable

http://www.JhumkaChoori.com
http://www.TDMServices.co.uk

If you would like to try the demo admin site let me know and I'll send you the details.

Currently our packages are targeted towards startups who have no hosting, domain etc but I would be prepared to quote you for just the website design and development.

Best wishes,

Rupert

 

[Rachel]

Hi Rupert,

Thanks for your response. I am paying £23.49 per month for the 1&1 Professional eshop. I think this is quite low, as the business is starting quite small I want to keep it at this level. This is also why I've been looking at DIY packages. However, the fact that I want to keep it simple is the reason I'm getting so frustrated. Surely there is an easy solution out there that also offers flexibilty. Anyway, I would really appreciate any suggestions from those who have been in my position and are now sorted!
Thanks.

 

[SuffolkDesigns]

Hi,

We offer a number of e-commerce solutions, for a one of fee or a low monthly fee, and can also assist with customisation and configuration.

If you want to PM me I would be happy to talk with you about this and hopefully find the best solution for you.

 

[c2webdesign]

If your requirements are simplistic with payment by PayPal - small product base and low number of pages it might be worth looking in to having an original bespoke website built for you.

Often the simpler an ecommerce 'package' is to build the more templated it is (looks like hundreds of other websites on the net, so no individuality) and often the more unnecessary and bloated coding. This may not seem significant but this coding will make pages take longer to load (although not hugely relevent with the growing speeds of internet connections) but will make it difficult for you to be spidered accurately by the search engines.

£23.49 per month sounds low, but over five years you'll have paid over £1,400 - much much more than a one off fee from a designer/developer for this type of project.

If you need any further help please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Best of luck,

 

[GNU]

Ive seen 1&1 in action and without being able to code php your pretty well stuck with the templates they give you.

I would suggest either get a proper site built, which you can get done quite cheaply using osCommerce, or use an E-Bay shop and see how you get on with that.

Personally I think 1&1 is a bad compromise, expensive, a bad choice.

 

[silver40]

Why not just use the paypal shopping cart? (You can upgrade your paypal account to a business account). It is extremly easy to use! It's less complicated since all you need to do is type in your product's name, price and details, then paypal generates a button which you must place in your webpage. No coding necessary.

I think it's easier and quicker to use from my personal experience with a past client. Hope that helps!

 

[tallgal2006]

Alternatiely, you can build one from scratch, which also content manages your website and incorporates stock management and accounts. I can do this for you, please contact me.

 

[Rachel]

Thanks all for the useful info, on the rec of another user, I have gone with streamline.net. Value for money is amazing for the simple eshop that I wanted to create. They have loads of fairly flexible templates and the site wizard is really easy, so if you have limited knowledge it's perfect! Anyway, it's cost me under £30 for the year!

Rachel. pleasuredirect.org