What steps would you take in order to successfully create a sustainable eComm website?
Hi again everyone!
So, I have been doing research for about 2-3 weeks now in regards to setting up a eComm type page. I have a unique opportunity to team up with a distribution center here in the Memphis area that doesn't have a powerful online presence at all.
I am still moving through the name process (which I may ask you all later once I get a few) -- once I figure it out, I'll purchase the URL and a few others that I want to link to my page and purchase the email domains as well...
So, what is (if you have one) the best eComm setup out there that doesn't require too much code -- not looking for intense development, more of constructional design based off of templates and extensions. (i.e. Shopify, Magento, Go Daddy).
Looking for examples, and why you believe they are the best!
Thanks in advance!
Michael
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Oct 20, 2018
Hello!
Have you heard about click funnels? It is an all in one package tool for e-commerce. Click funnels lighten your burden when it comes to your online businesses. From creating high-converting sale funnels to managing your email marketing, click funnels let you make astounding profits.
Reference: http://funnelmachines.com
Oct 20, 2018
Hey Michael! WordPress is the best solution to help you create a sustainable eCommerce website. It gives you a responsive environment to present your online business in a very stunning and amazing way. There are many WordPress themes and plugins that comes with brilliant features to make your site flexible and outstanding.
Let me help you choose an excellent WordPress theme that can help you develop your desired website and the name of that particular theme is Kosmic - WordPress Theme. This is a multipurpose theme, suitable to create any type of website you want. You can visit here to know more: https://bit.ly/2DmZS73
Feb 15, 2014
I am working on my first eCommerce site using a plugin from EasyDigitalDownloads; plus 4 addons - affiliates pro, downloads as services, recurring payments and finally their interface to the Stripe gateway.
The other options I seriously considered were WooCommerce (recommended by my mentors at LearnWebDevelopment) and WPMU DEV's extremely popular MarketPress E-Commerce plugin. I really wanted to use MarketPress in a WordPress Multisite environment. I decided, however, I needed a project a little less adventurous to start with.
Feb 11, 2014
I'd recommend Squarespace over Wordpress, actually. If you want a simple WYSIWYG (drag and drop) interface and easy commerce functionality, I'd say using Squarespace and Stripe is easier AND cheaper than Wordpress and Woo-commerce.
Feb 11, 2014
Hi Michael,
Shopify is a great platform to build on if you want to avoid heavy coding and development. They provide nice looking themes to get you started and have some killer features like gift certificates and tax tables to save you time and headache.
Around here, we tend to build more custom solutions, so if you end up going that route, we love CartThrob, Expresso Store and Brilliant Retail.
I'd avoid WordPress if you're a DIY type - its a security nightmare if you don't have a skilled team to help you lock it down.
Good luck!
Danielle @ Spark Creative
Feb 11, 2014
Hey Danielle -- Thanks for the advice! What do you mean "security nightmare" ? Just curious?
Feb 14, 2014
Hey there. Google 'WordPress attack' and you will see what I mean. WP sites are hacked daily. Can be very scary if you are collecting customer data.
Feb 15, 2014
Especially for ecommerce sites, security is a fundamental requirement. And its true because of its large installed base, WordPress is constantly under attack from various kinds of hacking attacks. According to About.com "there are 60 million installations of WordPress. One-sixth of all sites, in the top million sites by traffic, are powered by WordPress. And more than 50% of all sites that use a content management system, in the top million sites by traffic, are powered by WordPress." Given this widespread adoption, you are not defenseless. WordPress is constantly updated to present better functionality and security.
Feb 11, 2014
I agree with Joseph. Wordpress is easily your best option and is user friendly on both the front and back ends. This is something that we do well at CircaVista, feel free to get in touch with me if you have any other questions.
Feb 11, 2014
Hey there. To start, I agree with the other responses. You will want to use WordPress as your site platform. I would recommend that after you get WordPress installed, head over to woothemes.com and purchase a woocommerce ready theme. Once you purchase the theme, download the free woocommerce plugin. This will give you a scalable shopping cart solution that is only limited by the user. We launched a woocommerce shop for a client that had over 3,000 products. We have also launched woocommerce solutions for clients with as little as 5 products.
Woocommerce has great support, and a great development community. There are a number of add-ons which will expand the capability as you need it.
Hope this helps.
Feb 11, 2014
So, It seems like Woocommerce is the way to go? What are examples of add-ons that are offered?
Feb 19, 2014
Hey there Michael - sorry I am just catching this. For add-ons, check out http://www.woothemes.com/product-category/woocommerce-extensions/. Also take a look at http://codecanyon.net/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&term=woocommerce. As you can see the add-on list is massive. It really depends on your exact need
Feb 11, 2014
I have tried and used Weebly - www.weebly.com
Key highlights
- Free to start off with additional addon premium services as you see fit in the future
- several free templates available
- very user friendly and real easy to pull together a website
- mobile friendly templates, so your web design also adapts to the mobile/tablet interface
an the product/platform is constantly improving and providing additional features.
btw, I also find Shopify to be a great product too since they provide so much value through additional services that help provide an omnichannel (web, mobile & retail) experience targeted towards small medium businesses
Feb 11, 2014
I really want to be able to be strategic. I've read that sites like Weebly and Shopify tend to make it impossible to rank high on search engines. Is that the case?
Feb 20, 2014
Here is a direct comparison of Shopify with Nexternal. http://www.nexternal.com/ecommerce/shopify_shopping_cart.asp?source=google&gclid=COmp-6GK27wCFSXl7AodR1UApw
Feb 20, 2014
WordPress and Google have always had a great relationship. I have found that the SEO plugin by Yoast makes it even better. SEO incorporates everything from a snippet preview and page analysis functionality that helps you optimize your pages content, images titles, meta descriptions and more to XML sitemaps, and loads of optimization options in between.
Feb 11, 2014
WordPress is a great start. easy to install, you can work with Woo-commerce which is free.
You need to pay attention to design/ui, very important in ecommerce sites. also, make sure to clearly state the security of the site, transactions and customer information. show security certificate for approval.
also, pay attention to payment methods. many people find it discouraging when they cant use their preferred payment method. be sure to use all the major ones.
and also important: pay spacial attention to the shopping and checkout process. it should be as simple as possible in order not to "break" the customer and have him/her leaving your site before completing the purchase.
finally, don't forgot to thank them, with a coupon for next purchase. improving you retention, making sure (as much as you can) they will visit your store again.
good luck
Feb 11, 2014
DO IT ON WORDPRESS! There are many websites that you can get eComm website templates for Wordpress that require little to no code to be created. Even if you wanted to purchase a high end template you would be looking at a few hundred dollars to get started. This also allows you to control cost and make lots of changes. Requires more time which you may need to take into consideration. I hope this helps. http://www.wpthemesspot.com/7-best-wordpress-ecommerce-themes-collection/
Interesting that you mention Squarespace over WordPress. I honestly haven't given much thought to SS -- mainly because I am uninformed of it's functionality and what it provides.