Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hello,

 

I`m still trying to launch my new business and am almost there but I`ve hit yet another obstacle.  Microsoft Office Live Store Manager does not give customers the option to select colors, sizes and so on for a product.  A sweater available in a thousand colors would have to be listed as a thousand individual products.  Can you imagine the confusion of the poor customers?  It`s frustrating to have gone through so much setup only to end up flat.  I certainly don`t want to present my business to my customers in this way.  Does anyone have anything to suggest?  Any trick around this glich or another company that offers more diversity?  I really would appreciate a quick fix at this point.  I was hoping to officially open for business yesterday, but now I find myself quite a few steps back.  Thank you for all of your help and advice!

 

Theresa JB

Your problem underscores the importance of determining your site`s needs and finding the appropriate program/script that can provide for those needs.

 

I`m not sure there is a "quick fix". Did you explore all the resources for that product (support or forum)?

 

Alternatively, I`d suggest using ZenCart or another open source ecommerce program, but it`s not a quick fix, because the site needs to be created and product information loaded, etc. The advantage is the monthly fee will be lower than what you pay now.

 

~Roland

I`ve always been happy with our zencart.  And our new store cart seems to have, even more features. 

 

You mean you don`t have it yet, Craig?

 

(isn`t it movie time? :)   

 

I don`t want to get into opinions on different carts here~ we`ve used several.  It really depends on your requirements at the time, as Roland mentioned.  Currently, we use CREloaded on our largest site.  It allows adding the attributes (colors, sizes, etc.) you`re looking for.  However, it can be a bear to set up yourself and finding someone who can set up the open source stuff properly so it is ready to use, well... that can be hit or miss.  And, it`s not a quick fix.  Then there`s the instability issue.  I`m sure you don`t need the added frustration!

 

If you`re looking to make up for lost time you may want to check out Volusion.  It`s not the most cost effective but Volusion`s product has a decent amount of functionality and their team is pretty quick at getting you set up so you can hit the ground running.  I`m NOT associated with Volusion in any way and I`m not endorsing their product... just putting it out there as another option for what may be a quicker fix.

 

If you plan to use an open source cart we`ve found keeping your product info updated offline in a .CSV file format and using this as the master for all your product info is good practice.  When we get a new product, we first add the product details to the .CSV file and THEN enter the data into the site.  Always having a master .CSV file of your complete product offerings and the details associated with each product can enable a quicker fix when using open source~ especially if you need to change carts or if something goes wrong with your cart, your site or your relationship with the cart vendor.  This master CSV file of your products allows a quicker way to get your products into the new cart database with the "easy populate" function in open source carts.  Attributes though don`t easy populate so be aware that they may have to be added after the fact.  In this case, it may help to ask your vendor to send you a blank CSV with the column headings established for your particular cart.  Then you can fill in your product info and flip it back to your cart vendor ready to easy populate. This is especially important if you have many products on your site.  

Thank you for all of your replies.  Seeing as I`ve had to start over from scratch by transferring my domain name from Microsoft Office Live to Bluehost in order to get ZenCart, it`s taken up most of my summer so far and I`m still trying to get my online store open.  As easy as it was made out to be, ZenCart is proving to be quite complicated for me.  Would anyone who has had experience with them have a `simple` get-started process for me to follow?  As it seems now, looks like I could be reading all winter before I can figure out where to start!  Thank once again for all of your help and advice.

 

Theresa

Hello! I can can sympathize with your frustrations. It took me a while to find the right fit, but currently I use a Pro-stores platform provided by homestead.com

 

It is a bit of a pain to set up, but once you get the hang of it, it is pretty easy to use. Disclaimer: I am clueless when it comes to code, etc.

 

It allows you to easily add your products and it has many options for "attributes" when creating a product listing. It is pretty affordable, depending on the package you choose and the customer service/tech support is okay (I recommend calling the toll free, help tickets take forever).

 

They are also set up to easily stream your products to ebay, google base, shopping.com etc

 

I do not work for them or anything like that, I am not an affiliate, but if you do sign up, and there is a "referred by" area, please tell them GreenBeans Rewards sent you and maybe I`ll get a discount! (would be happy to share whatever it is)

 

I hope this is helpful!

Best of luck!