So I had sorted out my web designer before I discovered the world of business forums, and they design sites using Actinic. So I went along with that, fine. It is £399 to purchase the program. Since then I have discovered all these free and cheaper solutions, and just wonder what I am actually getting thats worth the £399? As long as I'm getting my moneys worth I don't mind spending it.....

Any input?

[Jeewhizz]

I am not a fan of Actinic personally. It's usually very easy to spot a mile off unless heavily modified. It's also table based layout, which isn't helpful for SEO purposes!

Have they given you any other options?

[Fuzzy]

Haven't a clue!. ....what's new !!

Originally Posted by Jeewhizz

I am not a fan of Actinic personally. It's usually very easy to spot a mile off unless heavily modified. It's also table based layout, which isn't helpful for SEO purposes!

Have they given you any other options?

I thought it didn't use tables?? Are you sure about that? As this question has arisen before?.......

[Jeewhizz]

I've yet to find an actinic shop that is running on table-less layout - happy to be proven wrong!

The other thing with actinic, is that you have to update the site using a program on your PC, which then uploads the files to the server. This might seem like a great idea, but what happens if your computer decides to die? You've then got to find another one, install the actinic catalogue software, set it up etc.

Most other cart programs have their admin areas on the actual site (password protected), so you can update it from anywhere you like. At home, at the office, on the train, at a convention etc.

[Tigglet]

Hi Laura,

We use Actinic Catalog and although it is not cheap we have found that it suits our requirement and have been happy with it so far. The only thing I would say is that if you want a solution that gives you the option to use 'coupon codes', the ability to display 'customer also bought' lists and advanced reporting features, then you would need to opt for Actinic Business as opposed to Actinic Catalog, although Business is more expensive. The other more basic option is Actinic Express which has a monthly fee.

There are a number of web designers on the Actinic forum who design solely with Actinic as the shopping cart, so they know the ins and outs of the program. As long as your web designer knows Actinic then it should be fine. Also, bear in mind that the cheaper solutions sometimes lack functionality and its important to check that you have the support you need if anything goes wrong. There is a good support team at Actinic; email support is free, but if you want telephone support, there is an annual fee.

The most important point to note when choosing a shopping cart, is to ensure that you have covered your list of requirements and the the overall price is within your budget. Otherwise, if you realise that you have something missing in the program, it may be a costly exercise to upgrade later on.

[Jeewhizz]

Originally Posted by Tigglet

The most important point to note when choosing a shopping cart, is to ensure that you have covered your list of requirements and the the overall price is within your budget. Otherwise, if you realise that you have something missing in the program, it may be a costly exercise to upgrade later on.

Couldn't agree more

[Tigglet]

The other thing with actinic, is that you have to update the site using a program on your PC, which then uploads the files to the server. This might seem like a great idea, but what happens if your computer decides to die? You've then got to find another one, install the actinic catalogue software, set it up etc.

Yes, another thing to bear in mind is that stock control is not automatic, so in other words, you have to download the orders from the server, Actinic then updates the stock levels, then you have to update the site again on the server. However, there is a plugin offered by Mole End which automates this process.

Furthermore, Khalid's point above demonstrates the importance of ensuring you back up your site on a regular basis to an external hard drive!

[Tigglet]

Most other cart programs have their admin areas on the actual site (password protected), so you can update it from anywhere you like. At home, at the office, on the train, at a convention etc.

There is a new program which has been developed in Beta the last time I checked the Actinic Forum which allows you update your site over the web too.

[Jeewhizz]

Just done some more looking into it, and there are a lot of Actinic branded html tags in there that aren't going to help the code-to-content ratio. Maybe one of the resident SEO's can advise on the pitfalls of that?