RomanCart

[GinaGeenie]

Hello. Anyone use RomanCart? I think it looks like its going to be really easy to set up and has stacks of features but just wondered what the pro's and con's were if anyone here is using/ has used it?
Thanks

 

[Food From Cyprus]

I have no experience with RomanCart but quite a bit of experience with Prestashop and CubeCart. If you have not started with RomanCart yet look into the two I have suggested. They are both very reliable and easy to set up.

 

[TotalWebSolutions]

RomanCart can be added to any website to make it a fully functioning ecommerce website with a checkout. If you have already built your website then it is certainly one to consider, as are ShopIntegrator, Mal's e-commerce and Wix, amongst others. ShopIntegrator in particular has plugins for website builders such as 1&1, SquareSpace and WordPress.

We have a list of shopping carts and integration methods listed on our website under 'Payment Solutions' > 'Supported Shopping Carts'. Feel free to take a look if you want to comprise a list of options (they are compatible with our own Payment Gateway service but will also be compatible with most leading UK providers).

 

[RomanCart-Simon]

Hi,

RomanCart is a really easy way to add a shopping cart to any website in just a couple of minutes.
You can paste buttons, widgets or an entire storefront onto your website really easily and setting up shipping and payment methods is simple.

RomanCart has a WordPress plugin which makes it really easy for WordPress users. For Wix, Weebly, Muse and other similar systems you can simply paste a couple of lines of html and your search engine optimised store will instantly appear.

Using RomanCart you can also add a store to Facebook - and offer special prices if other Facebook users 'like' your page!

You will find features in RomanCart which you simply cannot find anywhere else. For example the RomanCart Index reports where you can compare the performance of your store against the performance of thousands of other (anonymous aggregated) stores to see if your sales are following regional trends.

You can list your items on eBay and see all your eBay sales in the same place, create telephone orders, mail order, Invoices, Pro Formas, Quotes and lots more.

For marketing there are email marketing and social media tools, promotions and offers, a comprehensive affiliate system, gift cards,

Most importantly though there is 24/7 support, so if you have any questions then there is always someone who will be able to help you and support you.

Take a look at the RomanCart website where you can sign up for free.

Many Thanks
Simon

 

[Dan_HiHosting]

Hi Gina,

We normally recommend OpenCart unless you have specific needs. It's modern, lightweight, and easy to use.

Otherwise Magento is popular and does offer functionality that OpenCart doesn't. If you have a particular need for that functionality or will be running a very large online shop, then Magento can be worth considering. It is notoriously resource intensive however.

PrestaShop looks great out of the box, but is less customisable and lightweight than OpenCart. It probably sits somewhere between OpenCart and Magento in terms of its weight.

WordPress + WooCommerce is also a popular choice for less traditional eCommerce stores - such as ones with just a few items that you really want to show off. It's very simply to use and looks great.

Any decent web host will provide a one click installer so you can install all these platforms in seconds and have a play to see which fits your needs best.

Here's the website of the one we use, which provides reviews and demo's of the popular options:
https://www.softaculous.com/apps/ecommerce

We also summarise 10 of the most popular eCommerce stores, under eCommerce Software on our website.

RomanCart isn't actually provided through Softaculous.

Personally I'd stick with the more popular open source platforms.

RomanCart appears to be more of an add on to an existing website to provide eCommerce functionality. So a store integration.

As @Food From Cyprus said, if you're starting from scratch I'd probably look at the more popular options.

If you have any questions feel free to get in touch.

I hope that helps.

Best of luck,

Dan

 

[RomanCart-Simon]

Hi Gina,

As with most web hosts, the last post is advising you to use open source installable carts which you install on your webspace. That's great for a Web Host, as even though it is free open source software, the Web Host will inexplicably charge you more for your webspace to use the free software. So the Web Host makes more money.

As a merchant - you need to know that if you have any questions about your online store you can phone someone up and get them answered.

With a hosted cart like RomanCart, you simply phone up or email the support team and get your question answered immediately (by the people that created the software).

With an open source cart as provided by Web Hosts, at best you have to go onto a public forum to ask questions which won't typically be answered by anyone actually involved in creating the software.

Hosted carts are always up to date, you don't need to install updates. When payment systems change their integrations, the hosted cart will make these changes for you without you having to do anything.

In addition you can easily switch your hosting and payment providers as it is independent. If your web host starts becoming unreliable, you simply upload your website somewhere else. You don't need to install any software.

The key thing is that if you are running a business - you want to be working with a company which has got huge experience of ecommerce, who can give you advice and help you with any issues and who will support you with new features as your business grows.

RomanCart has had over 54000 merchants using its services - making it the most popular standalone hosted cart system in the UK.

RomanCart is popular as you can create your own website however you like and simply paste 'add to basket' buttons or widgets or an entire shop onto your website. In other words it will work with any website - it doesn't have to have a paricular look and feel, or be based on a template.

Your other option is to take a look at systems which also include webspace as well entirely avoiding the need for a web host, such as Sellr, Shopify, Big Commerce and others. Again the advantage is that would be dealing with companies who are dedicated to ecommerce and your store and who can help you directly if you have any problems or questions.

Many Thanks
Simon