This article will focus on WordPress plugins for running your store and discuss a few important items you need to consider.

The eCommerce websites I’ve worked on all need three things. A way to show what you are selling, a place to keep the products they want and a method of payment. These three things are referred to as a catalog, a shopping cart and a merchant gateway. Let’s look at each.

Catalog – What you Sell

Whether online or off-line, prospects need to see what you are selling in order to buy. Online we accomplish this by displaying products in a catalog, which is exactly what you think it is — a page with small pictures and short descriptions to pique the interest of lookers. The “thumbnail” pictures link to the individual product pages where the magic happens.

Individual product pages are the most important selling tool you have online. Pictures, descriptions, technical specs, colors, sizes, etc., all need addressing so your prospect can make a decision to buy. Generally speaking, the more information you can provide, the better it is for the customer.

Pictures and video are becoming more common with eCommerce websites and serve several purposes. They add visually to the product description, and show details that might be difficult to describe in print. One picture is worth a thousand words can surely be true in eCommerce.

Shopping Cart – How you sell

Just like in the grocery store a shopping cart is the location where the desired items are placed until someone is ready to check out. Online it is traditionally the location for shipping and sales tax information. Make sure it is included in your shopping cart setup. If you offer Free Shipping, make sure it is prominently displayed on the Shopping Cart page.

The Shopping Cart page is also the last chance to modify an order. The customer should be able to change the quantity on their items, add special shipping instructions or just click the Proceed to Checkout button, which takes us to the last requirement for a good eCommerce website.

Payment Gateway – How you collect

Last, but certainly not least is the way the customer will pay for the item. The payment gateway can simply be a link out to PayPal or enhanced to allow you to take credit cards at your store.

(This requires an SSL certificate (Secure Socket Layer encryption) to securely handle credit card numbers. This can be a separate charge from you hosting company, so check first.)

WordPress plugins offer a lot of options here, but not all are free. Most offer a connection to PayPal at no charge, but have either subscription or one-time fees for more complicated or popular gateways. Most fees are reasonable and might include other features such as support or forum access.

The payment gateway is where most people get lost, and it can get complicated. The basics are that the free PayPal gateway will work for many solutions. It allows the customer to pay using either their PayPal account or their credit card on the PayPal website.

Bottom line, if you are opening a full-fledged eCommerce website, you will need a catalog, a shopping cart, and a payment gateway.

If you are going to sell only a few items without a lot of fuss, you might only need the shopping cart and payment gateway.

In my testing, not all WordPress eCommerce plugins have a catalog built in, but they all include a shopping cart and at least a PayPal link.

Who do you use for payments? Is it working for you?

History of eCommerce Plugins

In 2007, the choice of eCommerce plugins for WordPress was grim. My research revealed two true alternatives. The features were limited, and the options were shallow.

I was building an eCommerce website to sell flags, and because of my previous experience with WordPress, I wanted to use it to build my store.  My specific needs were simple: how to apply and control Sales Tax, shipping considerations, and the price variations for each flag in my inventory.

Did I succeed? I initially launched the website using WordPress, and the WP e-Commerce plugin, but it failed to meet my needs. Within a short time, I moved the store to ZenCart, but I continued to watch WordPress for growth and maturity. Five years later, WordPress has matured, and sports a robust variety of custom plugins.

Five Years Later

With a growing demand for easier eCommerce and shopping cart websites, WordPress plugins have continued to progress, and now the plugin directory is full of options—creating another problem: which one to choose? With different feature sets and different abilities, you need to know the answer to this question before you begin. First you must examine your needs, and be prepared for extensive testing.

While testing the current crop of eStore plugins, three distinct groups emerged. Some still lack in basic requirements, while others do meet and exceed basic needs. The third group not only meet but exceed the requirements of a robust, full-fledged ecommerce website. How should you begin?

Determine Your Needs

The first step is to determine your specific needs for a store front. This is time-consuming, but necessary.

1. What are your needs?
2. Are you selling physical or digital products?
3. How many SKUs will you market?
4. What are your requirements to collect sales tax?
5. How will you ship your product?
6. If digital, do you need secure download pages?
7. How will you handle multiple downloads?
8. Do you need product variations?
9. Do you need variations with different pricing?

This is not a complete list of questions, but gives an idea of what you need to consider before you make a decision about using WordPress and choosing one of the available eCommerce plugins.

Recently I started building a new eCommerce website. After reviewing the above questions, and more, I discovered three non-negotiable requirements for the website to work properly: Sales Tax, Shipping, and Variations. Here is why these were critical to me.

Sales Tax

Flags Bay, our existing eCommerce store, is located in Texas. Flags sold in Texas are subject to sales tax. The state collects 6.25%,  and local entities can add an additional 2% for a total tax rate of 8.25%.

Out-of-state customers buying our flags are not charged Texas sales taxes, so the shopping cart had to have the ability to add taxes for the appropriate customers and leave it off for the others.

Result, only a few plugins handle this easily, thus narrowing my choices.

Shipping

Shipping is another issue you need to consider. A store can offer free shipping, flat rate shipping, actual cost shipping, shipping by weight, shipping by price, et cetera.

You must determine which type shipping you will use to narrow the list further.

1. Will you determine the carrier or allow customer  options?
2. Will you allow shipping by USPS, UPS, and/or FedEx?
3. How will you handle each carrier’s pricing?
4. Is shipping free above a pre-determined amount?
5. Will you charge for all shipping?
6. How will you handle shipping zones?

These are all important decisions that must be made before choosing a eCommerce platform.

For my needs, I decided to offer free shipping on all orders over $25, and since the cheapest product was above this target price, it was easy to say “Free Shipping on all orders.”

Result. this option didn’t narrow the list of candidates for me, but it might for you.

Variations

Variations of products are colors, sizes, and other options. You need to know if these variations come with additional costs, or are included in the regular price.

As a flag seller, every variation in product results in a different price. One type of  U.S flag is available in ten sizes, each with a different price.  Only a few WordPress plugins have this ability in any form, and the list is smaller for ones that allow for different pricing for each variations without some type of work-around.

What is Critical to you?

You can see the importance of making these decisions before launching an online store. And choosing the right software for your needs is crucial.

However, you need to be aware of a few things concerning current eCommerce plugins for WordPress.

All of the plugins I tested are available as free downloads from the directory, but that is where the similarities end.

A few come with no strings attached. They will work with many different themes, offer access to support pages and forums, and have some kind of author support. A few plugins only work with themes they develop and the themes have a price. Some won’t allow access to their FAQ files or support documents without a fee—some one-time, some by a monthly subscription. There are a few plugins that are only tie-ins with hosted eCommerce products, using WordPress as the front-end.

None of this is bad, but it is important for you know before choosing the plugin. The prices are reasonable and allow the author to make money from his work.

Available Plugins

Here is a short list of some of the eCommerce plugins available for WordPress.

TheCartPress eCommerce Shopping Cart

Zingiri Web Shop

eShop

FoxyPress

RSECommerce

WordPress eCommerce – Marketplace

JigoShop

WPStoreCart

WP e-Commerce

WP Marketplace

DigiShop

WooCommerce

This is only a partial list, but gives examples of most of the above references. If you go the the plugin directory at the WordPress website and type in shopping cart or eCommerce, you will get hundreds of options.

Which is the Best?

So which plugin is the best? It all depends on what you are selling, and where your market is. Each of these have compelling features, and sadly, shortcomings.

You can either download and test them all, or ask me in the comments sections. I can help direct you to the right plugin depending on your needs and circumstances.

In 2004, I was ready to learn the art of podcasting and hit a snag. I was using Moveable Type for my blog, which at the time didn’t include audio wrappers. Writing a podcast was doable, recording a podcast was doable, uploading a podcast via FTP was doable, but access to the podcast, … not so doable. Without wrappers, the process was much more difficult.

Audio Wrappers

Research revealed that WordPress included the wrappers for audio files, so uploading and making a download available was handled within the code. That’s when I switched to WordPress and consolidated three former blogs to the one … Business Unusual.

What Can You Do on WordPress?

WordPress continues to develop and add features, and is much more than just a blogging platform. You can develop in many different directions using free tools or modestly priced ones.

Blogging, CMS, Website, Newspaper, Magazine, eCommerce, Personal website … are just a few of the ways you can configure WordPress for your needs.

WordPress is available for free, many themes are free, most plugins are free … so your only cost becomes time.

What if you want to be different and fully customize your website? There are theme developers and custom coders that can make your site look and do almost anything. Your only limitation is your imagination and your pocketbook.

So what is it you want to do with WordPress? I’d like to know.

I thought it happened in early 2005 when a customer came by the office to show off his OQO Model 1 computer. It was larger than my Palm with its 5” screen, but was still a handheld computer running a full version of Microsoft Windows. With the slide-out keyboard and the desktop dock, I thought this was it. Not exactly.

Disappointment

The hardware just couldn’t handle the bulk of Windows XP. It was slow and awkward with little memory and not enough room for all those big PC programs we ran on our desktops. The price was pretty steep at almost $2000. No, this wasn’t the ONE and I would have to wait a few more months for my one single device.

Android is the Bomb

A few months turned into a few years and now seven years later, it seems the promise of my dream is closer. Yesterday on Droid Life, they linked to a video out of the UK where a Galaxy Nexus was being used as a desktop computer. I’ve known this was possible for some time, but it is awful fussy. It’s still fussy, but the process is getting better.

Galaxy Nexus as a desktop engine

Using the right adapter and a bluetooth keyboard and mouse, you can do almost everything on it. With cloud computing and the availability of great apps, one device can be your only piece of hardware.

We now have mobile versions of Mint, Evernote, Documents to Go, along with thousands of others. And if no app is available, just fire up the browser and do your computing from there. With a 20+ inch monitor it will be just fine.

With just a bluetooth keyboard, it makes an awesome mobile computer. Fire up Documents to Go and start drafting a business proposal, or open WordPress and get started on an article with pictures and videos posted straight from your phone.

Now I’m off to order the usb to mhl adapter for my Nexus.

Is this something your interested in?

Here is an eleven minute video showcasing the features of the new offering.

As you can see, the basics are covered, with extras from Google and Zoho. In fairness to Microsoft, they are adding new web-based applications as part of their Live website, but the purpose of this series is to determine if expensive desktop software can be replaced by free or in-expensive web-applications.

Not a Perfect Match

You will notice that each application doesn’t have a perfect match across the board, but in most cases, there is a program that is related in functions. Some of the distinctions between the programs are covered in previous articles in the series, but I’ll take a closer look at the main applications that are shared between all the contenders.

Specifically, I will continue the series with a look at real-life use of the word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and mail/calendar programs. Do these programs translate into everyday use, or are they just not adequate?

Tip of the Iceberg

There are many other web-based applications in daily use by thousands of people. This list of Microsoft, Google, and Zoho products is just the tip of the iceberg. Hundreds of applications reside on the web, and in the coming months, I will write about them, too.

This Web-Based Application series serves one purpose—to whet your appetite to the possibilities—to begin the discussion of what can be done with programming code and a little secret sauce.

Technorati Tags: Google, Zoho, Microsoft

Gmail might be the application that launched Google into the web software business, but is certainly wasn’t the last. With more than a baker’s dozen of applications, Google has jumped into this market completely. A few applications overlap with the Zoho list from yesterday, but others are solely Google’s.

Here is the list for Google.

1. Search—Web search tool

1. Docs—Feature-rich word processor
2. Spreadsheets—Fully functioning spreadsheet
3. Gmail—Webmail done right
4. Calendar—Calendar on steroids
5. Page Creator—Web-page creator
6. Notebook—Collect all your web “stuff” into one place
7. Desktop—Local search, including network drives
8. Picasa—Photo software + web photos
9. Blogger—Free blogging software
10. Groups—Water cooler gathering place
11. Web Alerts—See what’s said about your company on the web
12. Reader—Bring the web to you
13. Maps—Find an address and get directions
14. Chat—Real-time communication

The more you look at the features of this new breed of online software applications, the more you see the value. They are very robust and combined with other packages, make up a comprehensive collection of business software. The best part … the cost. All of these Google applications are free to use, even for a company.

I use many of these daily, and find them more than adequate for business use. The newest application I use is Google Alerts. I have set up searches for my name, company, and product lines. Google scours the Internet, gathers every instance of matching criteria and sends me an email with links and brief descriptions of the articles. This keeps me in touch with what is said about me or the company, allowing me to respond or ignore at my discretion.

Are you starting to feel overwhelmed with the choices out there, just waiting for your company to try? First, determine what company processes can benefit from the advantages of online software. Second, run a limited, controlled test with the application to make sure it is capable of doing the job. Third, put together an implementation plan for bringing the application to the rest of the employees.

Next, I’ll show you how the products from Zoho and Google map to your current products. It will give you a better picture of which applications you want to look at first.

Technorati Tags: web-based applications, Google

Last night, I received an email from Zoho announcing their new product lineup being announced at the Office 2.0 conference today.

They are announcing the next evolution in their web-based office suite—Zoho Business and Zoho Personal. Below is the news release giving details on the differences between the two products.

Currently, Zoho has a broad set of applications for individuals and business users and today we are categorizing them and defining our business model. To start with, Zoho Applications will be categorized into two – Zoho Personal & Zoho Business.

Zoho Personal is what we offer today for individuals. As we said previously, our applications will continue to remain free for individuals.

Zoho Business (ZB) is the new category we are launching and it is aimed at small & mid-sized businesses. ZB will be available in two versions – Free & Pro. Below are some of the highlights of Zoho Business.

• Company level Admin Console
• Domain Management (for pointing your domains to Zoho Apps)
• Centralized User and Group Management
• Single Sign-on across several Zoho Apps
• Zoho Apps include Writer, Sheet, Show, Wiki, Notebook, Email, Cal, Tasks, Planner, Viewer, Chat etc.
• Customization Options
• Multiple levels of Security including SSL
• Remote Backup
• Telephone Support and more.

Zoho Business is currently in private beta with a planned public beta launch in October, 2007. Pricing is yet to be determined for the Pro version, but if it’s anything like their prices before, I’m sure it will be reasonable. As you can see, they are going after the small to mid-size business customer, moving them directly into the path of Microsoft.

If you are a candidate for web-based applications, Zoho is one of the products suites you will want to test. I have personally used Writer, Sheet, CRM, Meeting, and Notebook and find they have more features than I need, with familiar interfaces.

Look at the online applications available from Zoho today.

1. Writer—feature-rich word processor
2. Sheet—spreadsheet full of functions
3. Show—create, edit, publish, and show your presentation
4. Wiki—WYSIWYG Wiki made for groups
5. Notebook—Collect all your web “stuff” into one place
6. Meeting—Web conferencing that works quick and easy
7. Projects—Project management to manage and share
8. CRM—Great Customer Relationship software application
9. Creator—Online database creator: build forms, collect data and manage
10. Planner—Manage your to-dos, reminders and notes online
11. Chat—Group collaboration from your computer
12. Mail—(private beta) Email, documents, calendar and more.

Run A Business?

Business web applications need to meet particular criteria.

1. Easy to use (no added training budget)
2. Have features your employees use (tables, calculations, etc.)
3. Work as well as your desktop software (responsive to the keyboard)
4. Have easy access to files (no fiddling to get started)
5. Provide great technical support (quick call answered by knowledgeable workers)

My experience using these applications from Zoho, show these products are easy-to-use, reliable, and responsive. I’ve never needed customer support, so I can’t speak to that, except as a beta tester.

I was part of the beta testing for Meeting. In testing, I found several issues that needed addressing and my emails were always answered promptly with the information I needed. Web calls and chat sessions were available at that time, also. Bottom line, they wanted their product to work properly when opened for public consumption.

Are You Ready?

If you aren’t using these products to save money and improve your company’s productivity, thus adding dollars to the bottom line, you may be missing the latest wave from technology.

I encourage you to open up to a new way of thinking about your computers, software, and servers.

I can hear you now, “I just don’t buy into this whole Web 2.0 thing. I don’t trust these companies to be in business very long.” Those are fair comments, and if you’ll stick around for a few more articles in the series, I’ll get to that, also.

Next, Google and their Ready-for-Business applications.

Technorati Tags: Zoho, web-based applications