I'm looking 4 a template 4 an online store. any suggestion

[itsdonny]

A friend of mine who knows very little about designing websites wants to make an online store for his car parts business. I don't know much about ecommerce so I wanted to get some ideas from you guys and girls about perhaps different templates or systems that make this easy for someone like him.

Thanks,

Donny

[weslinda]

Best answer is to get a pro to help. Setting up an E-Commerce site is not a task to take lightly. Doing things right out of the gate will save a lot of time and headache for your friend.

Work with someone who will take the time to listen, learn a bit about the business and then help him build something that will help him grow his business.

There are thousands of "templates" out there, just search google. But getting a site that will close sales for him, will take a professional.

Now, for a shopping system, I've found the Pinnacle Cart system to be very user friendly after the design is setup and running. The backend is very friendly and allows most people to change product info, prices and add and remove products very easily.

Tell him not to skimp and he'll appreciate the help from a professional.

[bj]

Good advice from weslinda!

Re templates, you have to decide on the shopping cart application before you decide on the skin, the other way is putting the cart before the horse. Each shopping cart has its own needs and templating systems, so if you choose a template first it may not be suitable for the cart you later choose.

I've skinned and set up Cubecart for a number of clients. That one is pretty easy for people to use who maybe aren't real computer savvy.

If he's in the UK stay away from Zencart, it's a headache for a UK installation.

OSCommerce is probably one of the most popular, though I personally don't care for it.

[weslinda]

BJ, why is it so hard to manage product attributes and such in Cube Cart, I haven't used it before and I just signed a client who was "pooched" by a previous designer when they setup his site. They used cubecart, but didn't have a clue what they were doing.

He has 4000+ products and has to add attributes to many of them, but it won't let him do it at the product level.

Have you done any customization inside that cart? If so, I'd like to discuss that with you.

[bj]

Actually I found that adding attributes at the product level was much easier in CubeCart than in other carts. You're better off asking on the forum, it's been awhile since I've set one up, though I've got another cubeskin coming up shortly. Their docs are actually pretty decent, I'd check there first.

I can tell you this, nothing in the template controls that, it's all backend admin stuff.

[weslinda]

Oh, I know it's not template driven. I just found it interesting that the "features" were seperated from the actual products. SO...that was all I was wondering about.

With pinnacle, they have were you edit the attributes at the product level, within the product info. So if a particular attribute changes a price or something. Then you can do that at a per product level, and not try and apply that across the board in a way that cube does it.

I don't plan on building with cube, I've gotten very comfortable with Pinnacle, and it has the best backend I've seen for a cart period.

Just a random question on cube since you seemed to like cube. Hadn't had experience with it so...

It's a fun game isn't it?

[bj]

It can be . . . until you have to play "Squash the Bug", which sometimes is suspiciously similar to "Whack a Mole".

Re the cubecart thing, I set the last one up for a lingerie site. It was easy to set attributes such as "Size" and "Cup" for the whole "Bra" category. And I seem to remember being able to add x amount to the price for certain attributes. I guess for that type of cart it makes it simpler. If you're doing many more one of a kind things, or if there are other variables I guess it can make it more difficult.

[weslinda]

Yeah, shopping carts can be fun. But that's why we have jobs.

[itsdonny]

Thanks for all your responses. Before I could get back to my friend about this he decided to go with http://www.storesonlinepro.com/store/1234 anyone have experience with them. I noticed some complaints when looking for reviews. It really seems to be the wrong way to go being that you don't even own your own site with them.

[weslinda]

Well, lets just put it this way, if they chose to stop his account, or go out of business, he's pooched. That's why it's best to control as much as you can as a business owner.

I wouldn't rent my cash registers, and I wouldn't rent the main thrust of my company.

Of course, for non-ecommerce junkies, it's a great way to start.