Hi I am new to ecommerce but I've been designing for websites for years. I have been looking around for an ecommerce package but I dont know anything about php. If I have to learn then I will but can anyone recommend an e commerce package which does not require knowledge of php? I have a few clients who are keen for me to create ecommerce sites for them asap. I think its because my html sites have done well in Google so any ecommerce package would need to enable me to make the necessary changes for SEO. Any advice would be gratefully received

Hi I am new to ecommerce but I've been designing for websites for years. I have been looking around for an ecommerce package but I dont know anything about php. If I have to learn then I will but can anyone recommend an e commerce package which does not require knowledge of php? I have a few clients who are keen for me to create ecommerce sites for them asap. I think its because my html sites have done well in Google so any ecommerce package would need to enable me to make the necessary changes for SEO. Any advice would be gratefully received

 

Try

 

Prestashop

zencart

magento

 

all free and available through softaculous in cpanel and other host packages

There are 100's of ecommerce platforms around (possibly even 1000's by now), check out listings on sites like http://www.hotscripts.com/ for examples.

 

Typically with any system you'll have to dig into some code at some point, if it's not PHP, ASP etc then it will be the carts templating language, either something like Smarty or other variation that controls content output.

 

It's not always as simple as that though. Different cart systems cater for different needs, so what's good for one client may not be right for the next. This is where you need to do some homework and find out what your client needs in terms of cart features, ease of use, and whether it will be a good fit for their business model/aims/objectives. One size does not fit all!

 

A good approach is therefore to first ask you client what their needs are, for their products, particular cart features they may need (eg for wholesale, customer accounts, upselling and so on), what abilities they have (or don't have) with day to day management of a web application, and so on.

 

Once you've sussed that out you then need to investigate some possible solutions, ie which cart systems would best fit their needs. For an unknown situation I normally try to shortlist 3 or 4 possible systems and demonstrate each system to the client so they can pick the one they feel most comfortable with - very important as it's your client who's going to be managing their own site and you don't want them ringing you up every 5 minutes asking how to add a product!

 

When you find the right cart for your client it's then really up to you as a web designer to do the implementation, cart setup, payment gateways, testing, client training and so on - the design aspect is just a small part.

 

There are some more very important aspects in choosing a cart:

 

1. Is the system something you can work with?

- if a particular cart system is perfect for the project but requires PHP knowledge (or other technology you're not hot on) what would you do?

 

2. What about developer support?

- if something goes wrong how do you fix it? With open source software you're often pretty much on your own or have to purchase support, whereas developers of commercial systems normally offer technical support as part of the licence. Bear in mind that if something does go wrong your client will come to you to solve it and any serious delays could have a big effect on their sales.

Edited March 20, 201115 yr by BlueDreamer

open cart is nice and easy to do most things with

Thanks guys. I will certainly think about all your comments and look into all your suggestions.

Much appreciated

I can suggest you to learn php and you will get an opportunity to create the best eCommerce websites using ecommerce software such as: VirtueMart, PrestaShop, Zen Cart, osCommerce. You can try to develop the website you want without knowing php, but I don't know what result you will get.

Magento is a good choice. It has many features in it and from some point might not need any code changes. All can be done via backend

I used Prestashop on my last project: idesign jewellery Easy to theme I'd recommend it. Open Cart is suppose to be very nice too, I was in two minds over which to go for. I chose prestashop in the end as it has a few more features but opencarts admin is very nice looking.