Web development

When shopping around online for a shopping cart system there’s a few things to be aware of

You’ve probably notice that there are a number of “shop in a box” providers. They package the product very well, and make it seem very simple - they may also fool you on price. Some will be looking to make their money on the upgrades, or an added extra for security. They may not offer any on-going support, or make it a condition that you need to use their hosting services

Then there’s additional cots in feature upgrades, advice, gateway fees and the software purchase can end up costing you more than you bargained for.

Whilst they make out how simple these software programs are to set-up, they can actually be quite difficult for the average user.

Most people are well aware that starting a shopping cart from scratch can prove to be a very expensive exercise. There are a number of websites that offer an ecommerce solution, with companies specialising in shopping cart software development.

Most companies will only provide you with a basic version, not a total solution to online selling. The system maybe very functional but lack in design - or it comes with a standard template that does not match the image of your business

You will find that many “shopping cart providers” are hosting companies that “resell” ecommerce software, and do not have any follow-up or support service.

We’ve helped many clients with a total solution for their online shopping carts. We’ll supply a software system that is a stand-alone package - so you can have it hosted on your website and not have to pay ongoing monthly fees

You can manage every aspect of your website information as well as all product, shipping, payment and checkout information through the one web based admin panel.

Your shopping cart contains a custom page creator that allows users to add unlimited custom information pages.

Our shopping cart software enables customers to add, edit and delete products (from the shopping cart) from every page. Your customers can keep shopping and adding products without moving away from their current shopping page.

If you’ve got more than a handful of products that you want to sell on your website, then most likely you’ll need a shopping cart. We’ve helped many clients build a simple shopping cart - contact us now for details

A shopping cart is just a fancy term for a software application that allows your customers to search the range of products in your online store, add a selected product to their shopping basket, and place the order, whilst making a payment.

The customer then waits for the goods to be delivered, and everybody is happy.

Simply, a shopping cart software program normally includes:
· The website that displays the goods, just like a traditional high street shop – and since there are no salespeople to help the customers, the website also displays additional information to store visitors (e.g. product detail pages, search pages, checkout pages, etc.)
· There’s a backend database that stores information such as product details, customer data, order information, etc.
· And an administration area that allows you, the store administrator, to manage your store. For example, this is where you add products, set up shipping & payment options, process orders, etc.

Your shopping cart should be easy for the customer to navigate, and present the product information that’s both useful and graphically pleasing.

You should include a search feature, so that your customers can quickly locate a specific product. The more search options available, the better (e.g. price, part number, description, etc.)

An area for the customer to login, so existing customers can change their account information, view previous orders, etc. There should also be a way for customers to retrieve a lost password.

Special pages where customers can easily find products that are on sale, featured products, products that belong to the same brand, etc.

We’ve helped many clients build a simple shopping cart - contact us now for details

This feature first appeared in Inside Retailing Magazine and is taken from www.insideretailing.com.au

Australian retailers are not fully leveraging e-commerce, and with Google Checkout about to launch, they’d better wisen up…

By Sandra Hanchard, analyst, Hitwise Asia Pacific

The challenges faced by traditional retailers in leveraging the online channel, such as payment security, distribution or the prevalent franchise model in Australia, are outweighed by the considerable benefits in meeting consumer retail needs on the internet. A survey of the online shopping landscape using Hitwise Australia data indicates that consumers are actively researching brands and products across thousands of websites on a daily basis as they make their purchasing decisions.

There is general consensus however that manufacturers and retailers in Australia are not meeting online consumer demand to its full potential. The PricewaterhouseCoopers Retail & Consumer Outlook Australia 2007 Report states that, “major retailers in the UK and US are investing heavily in the internet as part of their multi-channel strategies,” but continues, “yet in Australia, few retailers appear ready to take advantage of the trends”. Read the rest of this entry »

This is an extract from an article by Dean Wiltse* (see credits at end)

Imagine you are walking through a grocery store and have just crossed off the final ingredient from ough the virtual checkout line. By asking a brief series of questions about why the customer chose to leave the site prior to completing the transaction and collecting some key pieces of demographic datyour shopping list.

Suddenly, you desert your filled-to-the-brim shopping cart and quickly exit the store. Hard to imagine? That’s probably because you’ve never done this before.

Now think about this same scenario but in a different environment – an e-commerce Web site. Make more sense? Probably – if you’re among the many shoppers who have abandoned their e-carts online.

The explosion of online purchasing has given rise to an ultra-competitive environment for retailers and, as more and more consumers shop via the Web, shopping cart abandonment has become a significant problem for retailers. Abandonment can be attributed to a broad range of factors – the most common being high shipping costs, comparison shopping and frustration with the complexity of the checkout process.

If retailers are to increase online sales and revenue, they need strategies not only to drive customers to their Web sites, but solutions that facilitate the completion of customers’ online transactions.

If they are serious about driving volume online, they need to understand why their customers are leaving and course correct as needed. The best way to get to the root of the shopping cart abandonment problem is to obtain customer feedback in a way that doesn’t disrupt the online shopping experience.

*Dean Wiltse is chairman and CEO at US-based Vovici. He has more than 30 years’ experience in the marketing and technology industries. Prior to Vovici, Wiltse spent four years as president and CEO of Greenfield Online and took the company public in 2004. Wiltse was named a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2006 and was nominated by Research Magazine as the “Marketing Research Industry CEO of the Year” for 2005.

Fed up of searching the internet for a great looking e-commerce solution that’s easy to use for your customers, offers a secure shopping experience, and is feature packed with all payment and shipping options?

Many of our clients are not usre how it’s going to pan out, whether there’s a market for their product, or even if anyone will find their website, so they don’t want to spend a fortune in setting up your business on the internet.

osCommerce is an online shop e-commerce solution under on going development by the open source community. Its feature packed out-of-the-box installation allows store owners to run, and maintain their online stores with minimum effort and with absolutely no license fees involved

We help clients set up shopping carts and develop an online store, using osCommerce. We help them get traffic to the website, and turn the shopping cart into an income generator for our clients. Contact us NOW for details

This is typical of the sort of enquiries we get from clients:
I am new to ecommerce, trying to get my products out there for the first time. I am operating on a shoestring budget, so am trying to use free or low cost services and programs.

I have a host and will be using google checkout and possibly paypal as my payment processors.

I have not yet set up a product database, everything so far is kept track of in Excel spreadsheets.

Someone told me that OScommerce was the program to use, but in trying to set that up, I am having to learn not only how to use OScommerce, but also PHPMyAdmin and PHP which I know nothing about, as well as finding a database program to plug all my products in, then make it all fit with google checkout and so on.

My computer knowledge is mediocre at best. I have Dreamweaver, and can build a basic page with that, but anything beyond that and I’m struggling. Can someone help me?

We Will Help You
Contact us right now, here, for help

We’ll work with you, and get your OS Commerce shopping cart set up, for a small fee

osCommerce is a free, open source online shop software. The default installation includes a large number of features that you can easily enable and configure. And because osCommerce is an intelligent system, you do not have to do any linking by hand!

Contact us for help in Setting Up an osCommerce Shopping Cart

Once you’ve downloaded the software you need to know what to do next

Many of our clients would just prefer that we do all the hard work for them. Look at it this way - you’ve already saved your self fees in getting a free shopping cart software program, why then waste time = money in struggling to get it up and running

For a small fee, we can get your OsCommerce shopping cart up and running in a very short time. We’ll integrate it into your existing website, and even help you get some traffic = generate sales

So what are you waiting for?

Contact us for help in Setting Up an osCommerce Shopping Cart

Here’s an extract from their website - contact us for assistance in using this software
Zen Cart™ truly is the art of e-commerce; free, user-friendly, open source shopping cart software. The ecommerce web site design program is being developed by group of like-minded shop owners, programmers, designers, and consultants that think ecommerce web design could be and should be done differently.

Some shopping cart “solutions” seem to be complicated programming exercises instead of responding to users’ needs, Zen Cart™ puts the merchants and shoppers requirements first. Similarly, other shopping cart software programs are nearly impossible to install and use without an IT degree, Zen Cart™ can be installed and set-up by anyone with the most basic web site building and computer skills.

There are hundreds of shopping cart programs available, but none come close to offering the level of options, features and support available with Zen Cart™. Even the commercial programs have a hard time competing.

Designed with shoppers in mind.

Developers and designers love it.

There seems to be a plethora of online-shopping cart systems available in cyberspace. Have you noticed that they all look so easy to build?

Have your online store up and running in five minutes

Yep, right!! That’s if you’re an expert in building websites, or you have skills in HTML or a degree in something to do with computer programming. It seems that the people that make those claims forget that the average “Joe” has enough skills to send an email, search google for online shopping carts - but little more than that.

That’s why clients come to us asking us to help them build an online store for their websites. They may be florists wanting an online store, or a jeweller wanting to sell products online, or a beauty business wanting to sell their products.

We’ve got clients who sell fruit teas in different flavours online, clients who need an online shopping cart for selling various coffee products. Clients who are in the business of supplying products for celebrations and parties, selling balloons, party plates napkins, banners and all sorts of party products through an online shopping cart

Contact us today for a solution to your online shopping cart challenges

She’s very happy with the way her website looks. And her friends are impressed with her website.

Only One Problem

The website has generated no business.

That’s why she asked us for a free website appraisal - the only problem was that she wasn’t ready to hear what we had to say. “I don’t like your sh*tty website”, she told us! “I like my website”

That’s fine, but how much business has your nice looking website generated? The “sh*itty” website that you refer to generated over $150,000 in the first twelve months, without any paid advertising!

We suggested she go and find a website designer / developer to help her with her “nice looking website”

Three months later she comes back to us:

I would really like you to help with our internet business development and marketing - on your terms - ie re-vamp existing website, build new one etc etc

Hope you accept this tail-between-the-legs request for your help??