Need all in one ecommerce site solution - Small-Business-Forum.net

dynocat · 01-21-2009, 07:26 AM

Sounds like a broad question, but I'll explain a bit.

We had a site on Bigstep (stop laughing) since they came out in 1998 and were free. They are now out of business. We've had no site since March, because of family things going on, and are seriously hurting financially. We have repeat customers, but with no site up right now, we're losing many of them I'm sure. We do not have a B&M, but do some local selling at shows and have repeat local customers who call if they want something.

In the past, I've played with Monster Commerce (now Net Solutions, I think), 3DCart and Volusion. I wouldn't go with either of the first two but am ready to sign up with Volusion.

We have an established domain name, a merchant account (First Data/Linkpoint) and most site copy written. I have less than 100 products, a large customer db and merchant account in place. I need pricing levels (retail, wholesale and drop ship reseller), quantity discounts and a few other features found on most all in one solutions.

I am self taught in html and css--more than enough to be dangerous.

I can set up forms, lists, etc. Budget is a major consideration. I recently looked into some cheaper and maybe quicker solutions, like GoDaddy, but it doesn't have the features I need.

As in the past, I would set up and maintain the site myself along with other commitments, like shipping orders, marketing, some shop work and all the others hats a business owner wears.

If I haven't lost you with my long windedness yet, my question is does anyone know any reason NOT to go with Volusion? Or do you have a better alternative?

billbenson · 01-21-2009, 08:37 AM

I can't comment on Volusion as I haven't used it. I would never recommend the prefab carts like Godaddy or Yahoo. You have no control over SEO, or your database. I currently use oscommerce but am cutting over to zen cart. Just a newer cart and is css based. Zen cart also has some cms sort of features, although I'm just putting the cart in a subdirectory and a cms in the root.

Here is a link for a Volusion review that seems pretty unbiased. One thing though, it is ASP. There are far fewer resources for ASP than PHP. If you are going to be modifying it you may want to consider that.

Review: Volusion Review, Volusion Shopping Cart Review, All in One Ecommerce Solution Volusion Reviews by Small Business Arena

vangogh · 01-21-2009, 04:34 PM

I don't have any experience with Volusion so I'll offer some other ideas. Like Bill, I wouldn't recommend any solution where the cart is being controlled by the other site. I looked briefly at the review Bill posted above and I see Volusion charges $29.95/month. Why?

You can get what I think would be comparable hosting for $10/month and there are many free shopping carts you can use. So why spend the extra $15/month for what is ultimately less control over your site.

One free cart that's been recommended to me a lot lately is Magento. I haven't used it yet, but it does look like one good option.

I've been using WordPress for most content management solutions over the last couple of years. I think it's easy to work with as a developer and I think it's also easy for the site owner to use. It doesn't come with a shopping cart by default, but there are a few plugins available to extend the basic functionality of WordPress to include a cart. Some are free and some you'll have to pay for, but the pa ones are going to be a one time payment of under $100 most likely.

Other content management systems you can also look at are Drupal and Joomla. Between the two I typically hear better things about Drupal, but Joomla also has it's strong supporters. Both are full CMSs with shoping cart support either built in or through the addition of plugins like WordPress.

Two applications built specifically around shopping carts are Zen Cart and osComerce. As a developer I'm not crazy about working with either, but both seem to work well enough for shop owners. Between the two I'd sooner go with ZenCart.

Sites like Volusion offer the ease of use for a price. Their claim tends to be that in minutes you'll have a site up and running. My experience is that they aren't any easier to use than some of the applications you download and install on your own hosting other than the fact that you don't need to install anything or upgrade anything in the future.

However if you prefer not to install the applications and maintain them you can easily hire someone like me to do the work. Odds are that's going to cost less in the long run than the monthly fees you pay for the hosted cart solution.

None of what I'm saying should make you not use something like Volusion. I'm sure Volusion has many happy customers and I believe one member here (AaronHats) is using Volusion right now. You may want to ask him about his experience, since he's one here with actual experience. Just know that while hosted solutions like Volusion do offer a certain ease in set up they also lack a certain measure of control that you'll more than likely want or need somewhere down the road.

dynocat · 01-21-2009, 04:51 PM

Thanks, guys for your responses. Maybe AaronHats and others will chime in here too.

I had actually read the Volusion review link posted. Nothing is perfect, for sure, but V sounds workable for my needs.

I don't feel confident enough to go with separate site application, hosting and shopping cart. If I set up an all in one, like Volusion, how hard would it be to change over at a point down the line? I'm thinking we may be better able to afford the upfront cost to hire a knowledgeable web designer--like one of you guys--do do that later on.

vangogh · 01-21-2009, 05:27 PM

I don't know how easy it will be to move from Volusion to your own application, but I would imagine it can be done. The basic process is you'd need to export your database and then import it into the new application. You'll probably need to reset all the basic configuration of the cart with the new application since they'd likely be different.

One issue with the database is that two applications will have two different database set ups. It should be easy enough to export the one database, but it then needs to be converted to a format the new application can use. That's also doable, but the ease depends on the two applications. You'll likely need to redesign for the new application as the old one probably isn't going to work. I mean the development part and not the look. Each application will have a different system for adding themes or skins or whatever they call it.

In all honestly you're probably going to pay a lot more to move the site later than to set it up today. That's why I usually think it's best to go with the more future proof option. Obviously I can't guarantee you will want to move the site down the road and I can't guarantee how hard or easy it will be when the time comes. I prefer to build things today that are closer to what I think I'll want a few years from now than what's easiest now. I'd rather spend more time learning now than having to change later.

KristineS · 01-21-2009, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vangogh

One free cart that's been recommended to me a lot lately is Magento. I haven't used it yet, but it does look like one good option.

Just a note on Magento, we looked at it here when we were contemplating what software to use for our EnMart site. My IT guys, both programming and implementation, did an analysis and the conclusion we came to was that it was buggy. It was also pretty new and didn't have a lot of documentation.

Granted, this was a while ago, and things may have settled down some, but at the time I was told that Magento had a pretty steep learning curve.

cbscreative · 01-21-2009, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vangogh

I'm sure Volusion has many happy customers and I believe one member here (AaronHats) is using Volusion right now. You may want to ask him about his experience, since he's one here with actual experience. Just know that while hosted solutions like Volusion do offer a certain ease in set up they also lack a certain measure of control that you'll more than likely want or need somewhere down the road.

I think some feedback from Aaron would be a very good idea. I recall in another post he had some serious SEO issues with Volusion.

vangogh · 01-21-2009, 10:01 PM

Thanks Kristine. I hadn't known that about Magento. It may be when you looked at it and a few versions later the bugs have been fixed. I only know it's been recommended a few time to me and a with quick look from the outside it seems decent enough.

Steve, hopefully Aaron will come by this thread. If I'm remembering right he liked Volusion at first, but as he looked at it more he felt it lacking and is thinking of switching to something else. That's just my faulty memory though. I don't want to put words into Aaron's mouth.

billbenson · 01-21-2009, 10:16 PM

On the hosted solutions as well as changing systems down the road, keep everything you add into your cart in an excel sheet. That way, should you want to change solutions down the road, you will have much of the information you need. What you won't have is order history, customer info etc that customers type in.

One thing I would check with Volusion is if you can get access to your database and can get your backups emailed to you. Could be done through a control panel they have. That way you know you can get your full database down the road.

orion_joel · 01-22-2009, 01:48 AM

One option which i have been putting a lot of time into is Joomla, you can get Joomla with VirtueMart built in. You can download the combined package from the VirtueMart website here VirtueMart: Your free e-commerce solution. - Welcome...

As soon as i installed it and start playing with it i realized that the shopping cart part itself makes this package really good, and i am in the process of setting it up for my own website. Unfortunately i don't have one with the cart setup properly online at the moment for you to have a look at but my Orion Networks site in the footer is running off the install of this package, and i am planning to get the cart running within the next week or two.

01-21-2009, 07:26 AM	#1 (permalink)
dynocat Member Needs New Keyboard Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Southwest Montana Posts: 102 Reputation: 10	Need all in one ecommerce site solution Sounds like a broad question, but I'll explain a bit. We had a site on Bigstep (stop laughing) since they came out in 1998 and were free. They are now out of business. We've had no site since March, because of family things going on, and are seriously hurting financially. We have repeat customers, but with no site up right now, we're losing many of them I'm sure. We do not have a B&M, but do some local selling at shows and have repeat local customers who call if they want something. In the past, I've played with Monster Commerce (now Net Solutions, I think), 3DCart and Volusion. I wouldn't go with either of the first two but am ready to sign up with Volusion. We have an established domain name, a merchant account (First Data/Linkpoint) and most site copy written. I have less than 100 products, a large customer db and merchant account in place. I need pricing levels (retail, wholesale and drop ship reseller), quantity discounts and a few other features found on most all in one solutions. I am self taught in html and css--more than enough to be dangerous. I can set up forms, lists, etc. Budget is a major consideration. I recently looked into some cheaper and maybe quicker solutions, like GoDaddy, but it doesn't have the features I need. As in the past, I would set up and maintain the site myself along with other commitments, like shipping orders, marketing, some shop work and all the others hats a business owner wears. If I haven't lost you with my long windedness yet, my question is does anyone know any reason NOT to go with Volusion? Or do you have a better alternative?

01-21-2009, 04:34 PM	#3 (permalink)
vangogh Post Impressionist Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Boulder, Colorado Posts: 6,199 Reputation: 59	I don't have any experience with Volusion so I'll offer some other ideas. Like Bill, I wouldn't recommend any solution where the cart is being controlled by the other site. I looked briefly at the review Bill posted above and I see Volusion charges $29.95/month. Why? You can get what I think would be comparable hosting for $10/month and there are many free shopping carts you can use. So why spend the extra $15/month for what is ultimately less control over your site. One free cart that's been recommended to me a lot lately is Magento. I haven't used it yet, but it does look like one good option. I've been using WordPress for most content management solutions over the last couple of years. I think it's easy to work with as a developer and I think it's also easy for the site owner to use. It doesn't come with a shopping cart by default, but there are a few plugins available to extend the basic functionality of WordPress to include a cart. Some are free and some you'll have to pay for, but the pa ones are going to be a one time payment of under $100 most likely. Other content management systems you can also look at are Drupal and Joomla. Between the two I typically hear better things about Drupal, but Joomla also has it's strong supporters. Both are full CMSs with shoping cart support either built in or through the addition of plugins like WordPress. Two applications built specifically around shopping carts are Zen Cart and osComerce. As a developer I'm not crazy about working with either, but both seem to work well enough for shop owners. Between the two I'd sooner go with ZenCart. Sites like Volusion offer the ease of use for a price. Their claim tends to be that in minutes you'll have a site up and running. My experience is that they aren't any easier to use than some of the applications you download and install on your own hosting other than the fact that you don't need to install anything or upgrade anything in the future. However if you prefer not to install the applications and maintain them you can easily hire someone like me to do the work. Odds are that's going to cost less in the long run than the monthly fees you pay for the hosted cart solution. None of what I'm saying should make you not use something like Volusion. I'm sure Volusion has many happy customers and I believe one member here (AaronHats) is using Volusion right now. You may want to ask him about his experience, since he's one here with actual experience. Just know that while hosted solutions like Volusion do offer a certain ease in set up they also lack a certain measure of control that you'll more than likely want or need somewhere down the road. __________________ l Search Engine Friendly Web Design \| Van SEO Design l Tips On Marketing, SEO, Design, and Development \| TheVanBlog l Custom WordPress Themes

01-21-2009, 05:27 PM	#5 (permalink)
vangogh Post Impressionist Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Boulder, Colorado Posts: 6,199 Reputation: 59	I don't know how easy it will be to move from Volusion to your own application, but I would imagine it can be done. The basic process is you'd need to export your database and then import it into the new application. You'll probably need to reset all the basic configuration of the cart with the new application since they'd likely be different. One issue with the database is that two applications will have two different database set ups. It should be easy enough to export the one database, but it then needs to be converted to a format the new application can use. That's also doable, but the ease depends on the two applications. You'll likely need to redesign for the new application as the old one probably isn't going to work. I mean the development part and not the look. Each application will have a different system for adding themes or skins or whatever they call it. In all honestly you're probably going to pay a lot more to move the site later than to set it up today. That's why I usually think it's best to go with the more future proof option. Obviously I can't guarantee you will want to move the site down the road and I can't guarantee how hard or easy it will be when the time comes. I prefer to build things today that are closer to what I think I'll want a few years from now than what's easiest now. I'd rather spend more time learning now than having to change later. __________________ l Search Engine Friendly Web Design \| Van SEO Design l Tips On Marketing, SEO, Design, and Development \| TheVanBlog l Custom WordPress Themes

01-21-2009, 10:01 PM	#8 (permalink)
vangogh Post Impressionist Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Boulder, Colorado Posts: 6,199 Reputation: 59	Thanks Kristine. I hadn't known that about Magento. It may be when you looked at it and a few versions later the bugs have been fixed. I only know it's been recommended a few time to me and a with quick look from the outside it seems decent enough. Steve, hopefully Aaron will come by this thread. If I'm remembering right he liked Volusion at first, but as he looked at it more he felt it lacking and is thinking of switching to something else. That's just my faulty memory though. I don't want to put words into Aaron's mouth. __________________ l Search Engine Friendly Web Design \| Van SEO Design l Tips On Marketing, SEO, Design, and Development \| TheVanBlog l Custom WordPress Themes

01-21-2009, 10:16 PM	#9 (permalink)
billbenson Member Needs New Keyboard Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 1,410 Reputation: 28	On the hosted solutions as well as changing systems down the road, keep everything you add into your cart in an excel sheet. That way, should you want to change solutions down the road, you will have much of the information you need. What you won't have is order history, customer info etc that customers type in. One thing I would check with Volusion is if you can get access to your database and can get your backups emailed to you. Could be done through a control panel they have. That way you know you can get your full database down the road. Last edited by billbenson; 01-21-2009 at 10:37 PM.

01-21-2009, 08:37 AM	#2 (permalink)
billbenson Member Needs New Keyboard Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 1,410 Reputation: 28	I can't comment on Volusion as I haven't used it. I would never recommend the prefab carts like Godaddy or Yahoo. You have no control over SEO, or your database. I currently use oscommerce but am cutting over to zen cart. Just a newer cart and is css based. Zen cart also has some cms sort of features, although I'm just putting the cart in a subdirectory and a cms in the root. Here is a link for a Volusion review that seems pretty unbiased. One thing though, it is ASP. There are far fewer resources for ASP than PHP. If you are going to be modifying it you may want to consider that. Review: Volusion Review, Volusion Shopping Cart Review, All in One Ecommerce Solution Volusion Reviews by Small Business Arena

01-21-2009, 04:51 PM	#4 (permalink)
dynocat Member Needs New Keyboard Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Southwest Montana Posts: 102 Reputation: 10	Thanks, guys for your responses. Maybe AaronHats and others will chime in here too. I had actually read the Volusion review link posted. Nothing is perfect, for sure, but V sounds workable for my needs. I don't feel confident enough to go with separate site application, hosting and shopping cart. If I set up an all in one, like Volusion, how hard would it be to change over at a point down the line? I'm thinking we may be better able to afford the upfront cost to hire a knowledgeable web designer--like one of you guys--do do that later on.

01-22-2009, 01:48 AM	#10 (permalink)
orion_joel Member Needs New Keyboard Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 1,218 Reputation: 21	One option which i have been putting a lot of time into is Joomla, you can get Joomla with VirtueMart built in. You can download the combined package from the VirtueMart website here VirtueMart: Your free e-commerce solution. - Welcome... As soon as i installed it and start playing with it i realized that the shopping cart part itself makes this package really good, and i am in the process of setting it up for my own website. Unfortunately i don't have one with the cart setup properly online at the moment for you to have a look at but my Orion Networks site in the footer is running off the install of this package, and i am planning to get the cart running within the next week or two. __________________ Joel Brown No Fixed Office - Orion Networks - My Business Blog