[Mike]

Originally Posted by Beneddie1112

You on a commision rate?

Seriously though, Phil's choice of OMC is definitely a good one

Cheers,
Ben

lol

I wish

[Beneddie1112]

Me too , Happen to know if he has a reseller program?

[Mike]

erm, im not sure tbh mate

[MSC]

Another vote for Phil's cart. It is very versatile, has loads of features and payment options, attention to detail, built in cms for articles and information, and Phil is very patient if you need him!
I am extremely pleased with it

(and no, no commision here either )

[awebapart.com]

Originally Posted by burger650

If I was looking at putting together my own site rather than a template .. which shopping cart software would you advice is the best.

I've written a couple of FAQ articles on what is the best ecommerce solution and what is the best shopping cart, as these questions so often crop up on forums, and the upshot of my articles is that there is no best solution, since it depends on what your requirements are. Different businesses can have vastly different requirements, and even though one business might have found the best solution for their requirements, that solution might be a total non-starter, totally inappropriate, for the next business.

System-wise, a lot depends on the complexity of products (e.g. product options), the complexity of how you want to structure your sales (e.g. promotions, offers, bulk discounts) and shipping (e.g. how you calculate the postage costs), and the complexity of administration (e.g. stock control).

If you are looking for a solution to set up a site just for sunglasses then at least you have simple products (sunglasses don't normally have complex options) so that should widen the range of possible solutions. I also see you have stock control, which is a good thing (I like to see if an item is in stock), but this requirement may rule out certain solutions (e.g. the PayPal basket external shopping cart).

I noticed you have an epages site with daily.co.uk. epages as a hosted ecommerce solution is also used by the likes of BT's Internet trader ecommerce solution for small businesses and 123-reg's ecommerce solution. What in particular don't you like about your existing solution? (I know there are some SEO issues with epages, is it just a traffic issue?)

[openmind]

Thanks Mike and Sharon

Originally Posted by OldWelshGuy

Oddly enough though, I am about to run a series on choosing the best shopping cart, so this will be interesting as I intend evaluating them again.

When you do, drop me a line and I will happily provide you with an evaluation license. You will be quite interested in the next release as we have spent considerable time enhancing the SEO aspects of the software.

Originally Posted by Beneddie1112

Me too , Happen to know if he has a reseller program?

We will be having an affiliate scheme launching soon but we already offer a distributor program aimed at web designers/Hosts. Contact me for some more info...

Burger650:

When people ask what is the best cart or the best host etc there isn't really a definitive answer; more reactions from users who have found a system that suits their needs.

That's the key point, the best software for you to use is the one that fits your budget, your requirements and the one you feel most comfortable with.

Our software is very simple to use and extremely flexible to skin/design. It is also specifically targeted at UK store owners which very few carts are these days. In addition it is not a hybrid or adapted from other carts; it's custom built from the ground up.

Take a look at www.openmindcommerce.co.uk and I would be more than happy to have a chat with you to cover any questions you may have

[StoreArch]

It's difficult to give advices with no info on your requirements to your shopping cart. I have built many stores and i can say that you should never use anything that isn't wide spread. Else you will have problems with support and further development. So first your ecommerce platform should be popular. Next you should consider what types of products and how many will you sell through this store. There also a lot of other questions to consider. Right now i love using zen cart. In future for medium and big stores i would recommend using Magento. Both this platforms opens source, free and have a lot of features...

[openmind]

Originally Posted by StoreArch

I have built many stores and i can say that you should never use anything that isn't wide spread. Else you will have problems with support and further development.

Sorry but I would completely disagree with this statement. The fact that it may be a new cart bears no reflection at all on the support or development of the software.

In fact the converse could be said that smaller carts are better supported than the larger ones...

[KingPin]

For my next e-commerce project I'm going to use something "of the shelf". I have looked at a few carts and I must admit, from what I have seen of Magento, it looks impressive.

I won't know until I have fiddled with it of course.

I know OWG's plans have been set back a little but when he does the tests, it might be worth while reading that over before making an decision.

KP

[openmind]

As per my offer to OWG I'd be happy to setup an evaluation store for you KP. I'm very keen to get SEO professionals opinions on the software...