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One of the hardest decisions for new online shop owners is selecting their
shopping cart software and/or
eCommerce developer. There are many options and most
developers have their own methods - all with individual pros and cons.
First you should research available options and look at the competition in your market sector (assuming there
is at least one strong competitor). Pick a few sites which you find easy and enjoyable to shop on plus one or two
which you would not purchase from. Make notes on the factors which you feel influence your shopping
experience - this sort of information can prove valuable when building your own online store.
One of the first questions you should answer is - are you happy for your website to be based on a layout
template (it will resemble many other online shops, although you can customise colours, images and text at least) -
or do you want something unique, designed to suit your business and specifically aimed at
your customers?
You may notice we are more enthusiastic about the latter! It depends to an extent on the business
you are planning and it would be unfair to generalise - but for many ventures, it is best to invest in
a bespoke layout from the start. The restrictions which can be placed on you by using a template can
present significant challenges when growing your business.
Next, you will need to work out how the interactive eCommerce functionality
(often summarised as 'shopping cart' - although this is a bit of an over simplification) will be provided.
There are several options available:
a) Website-in-a-box (or "DIY" solution) -
We frequently advise customers against using these for 'professional' eCommerce websites. Although they offer a low
financial cost to start ups, they place a huge demand on your time.
Obviously we are biased, however, we published an article on this topic - the real
cost of an eCommerce Website.
b) Open source / free shopping carts -
There are a variety of free shopping cart packages available -
and obviously these present one significant benefit over commercial competitors - they are free to use.
They can be a disadvantage as well, though, as you will not receive the support, advice and assistance which you would expect
from a commercial solution.
You will need to either build your own website, requiring the technical knowledge to perform integration of the
shopping cart system, or employ a developer to do so.
c) Commercial shopping carts -
There are several shopping cart packages which are available for purchase,
on a variety of different license agreements (e.g. annual subscription or one-off fee). As with open source systems,
you will need to arrange for your online shop website to be built and integrated with the shopping cart.
d) Semi bespoke (hosted/managed) -
This is the category into which we place our own shopping cart and
eCommerce software -
a hosted, managed solution presented with an all-inclusive price which covers licensing for
the shopping cart as well as design, construction and integration of your website (extra costs may arise when a
quote is provided, if you have special requirements) - we offer different packages which range from a simple
template based online shop right through to a fully bespoke implementation with dedicated hardware.
We cannot speak for all providers, but we aim to offer a balanced service allowing you to outsource the technical elements
of your online shop, leaving you to deal with the business itself.
e) Bespoke (with source code) -
Finally, (generally) the most expensive option is to have a website with shopping cart functionality built for you -
including ownership of the source code. In some ways this offers the best protection, as you are free to move your site
wherever you wish, however, as a shopping cart system is a complex piece of software,
the costs of development can be high if you wish to retain full ownership.
Confused? Need some advice?
If so, why not get in touch? We're happy to describe our solution in more depth, and to help you evaluate if it's right for
your business - you'll want to compare several developers in any case, so why not
send us some details about your requirements!
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