Ecommerce software for new site
Rob Hindman
I am working on starting a new e-commerce site from the ground up and
could use some advice on what ecommerce / shopping-cart software might
fit our needs. I will be on the LAMP platform of technologies
(Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP). Initially we will be processing credit card
orders offline so will just need a secure way to get the info from the
order to us. Also initially, the product offerings will mostly be
non-physical items... this will be an e-learning site, so users will
be paying to either listen to streaming audio or watch streaming
video, as well as take tests and get credits. Thus, at first we will
need a solution that can take orders that do not involve shipping or
inventory. Eventually, however, we hope to integrate sales of
textbooks, hard copies of the media (on CD/DVD), and other items where
inventory and shipping will become an issue. We will need there to be
an easy way for non-techies in the organization to update inventory,
change item descriptions, input new items, etc. In addition, the site
will be designed in Dreamweaver with as little hand-coding as
possible, in order to make the site easy for other people to work on
later after I build it.
Based on the PHP-MySQL decision we've already made for the site, I
have checked out OSCommerce and am wondering if this fits the bill.
However, I am a little concerned about whether this will fit well with
our needs for a solution that can 1) provide a simple and secure way
for non-techies to update things, and 2) be as compatible as possible
with a site that will be created, on the whole, in Dreamweaver.
I have also checked out Miva Merchant and although it costs money, my
organization would be willing to do it if there are significant
long-term advantages over OSCommerce. Also, I have read that it has
its own code, and for the sake of keeping things simple I'd rather
stick to just PHP and HTML.
Any other suggestions that might be better than either of those would
be greatly appreciated. I have heard a lot of talk about Actinic but
nothing that's convinced me it would be any better than either of the
above. I've also heard about Interchange, PHPShop and MCart if anyone
has any input on any of those.
Thanks a lot,
Rob
Neb Revod
webm...@aimsunset.org says...
> Hi all,
>
> I am working on starting a new e-commerce site from the ground up and
> could use some advice on what ecommerce / shopping-cart software might
> fit our needs. I will be on the LAMP platform of technologies
> (Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP). Initially we will be processing credit card
> orders offline so will just need a secure way to get the info from the
> order to us. Also initially, the product offerings will mostly be
<snippage...>
While I like PHPShop, it appears to be a virtually orphaned product,
with no ongoing development.
Nevertheless, it's open nature would be suitable to your project, as
would the other open-source solutions.
The OSCommerce community has some contributions that would definitely
give you a leg up on developing your site, but as others have correctly
pointed out here, look and feel design changes are not OSC's strong
suit.
I'm afraid that you are going to get your hands dirty with a significant
amount of coding to deliver the proposed functionality, no matter what
platform you choose.
If the design flexibility is of paramount importance, my inclination
would be to build the whole thing from scratch. The scripting and
database functionality of an ecommerce site just isn't that complex.
All that said, take comfort (albeit minimal) in the fact that your
dilemma is one that has been suffered by many before you. Program logic
versus design is is a classic conflict for web developers. Build versus
buy decisions typically wrestle with the same issues. Will the
commercial package give me enough design and/or functional flexibility?
Will the drain on resources demanded by an in-house development effort
sink the project?
Best of luck to you.