Quick Look: Shopping Cart/Store-Building Programs
Web Commerce Today, Issue 47, June 15, 2001
Store building software is quite diverse, and some programs are especially suited to specialized types of products.
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Open Market ShopSite
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Comments: |
This was the product I chose to use for several years of building online stores for small business clients. I like it because it offers a good balance of storeowner ease-of-use and the ability for designers to produce a custom product. I currently use ShopSite Pro to sell several information products. Available in two basic versions: Manager and Pro. Manager is good for up to about 500 products, but then the back end interface bogs down in product detail. The Pro version allows you to expand to 5,000 or 10,000 products. Both versions use the same basic code, though part is disabled in Manager. The SC version can be hosted on your own website (NT, Linux, Solaris, BSD, etc.). The TX version must be hosted with a service that uses Open Market's sophisticated Transact platform. It allows customers to create passwords and check their order histories as well as the status of current orders. ShopSite is very robust, but since it is written in a compiled language, its functions cannot be altered substantially by merchants, except through a CGI "hook" in the Pro version. |
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Price: |
Purchased through hosting services, about $495 for Manager, $1,295 for Pro, and more for TX |
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Review: |
Review: 10/15/99 |
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Hosting: |
I've had good results with Lexiconn Internet Services (www.lexiconn.com). TX hosting is hard to find in the US, but is offered by ICOMS (www.icoms.com). |
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Payment |
5.0 version is compatible with VeriSign, Authorize.net, CyberCash, and ClickPay |
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Merchant |
Required |
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Affiliate |
SC-Pro has a rudimentary affiliate program. Would work for a few dozen affiliates. The Pro version can use its CGI hook for third-party affiliate programs. The Manager version, however, can't easily transfer the sales amount to an affiliate program in the Thank you screen. |
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Digital |
No. |
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Data |
Orders may be downloaded in tab-delimited format. No easy import into QuickBooks. |
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Order |
Both Manager-TX and Pro-TX provide online order management features, plus customer access. Third-party Stone Edge Technologies offers an impressive Order Management for ShopSite (www.stoneedge.com/OrderManager.htm) that adds excellent order management to SC versions. Stone Edge also provides a Product Manager for ShopSite (www.stoneedge.com/ProductManager.htm). |
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B2B: |
The TX versions include features such as online customer access to transactions, and the Pro version allows percentage discounts based on total price. But ShopSite is severely limited as a B2B product. |
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International: |
Yes, screens are customizable to all low-bit languages (i.e., not Korean, Chinese, Japanese). Can display any currency. Shows second currency conversion. Can use Authorize.net gateway which works with PlanetPayment, open to international merchants. |
Yahoo! Store
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Comments: |
Formerly ViaWeb, Yahoo! Store has kept improving. It is easy for beginners to set up a shop, but it also has tools to allow professional designers to customize the entire job. One of the big draws is access to Yahoo! Shopping that drives a lot of traffic, especially at Christmas. Pricing seems high, but when you figure in that you don't need a payment gateway and you have access to Yahoo! Shopping customers, then Yahoo! Store looks pretty good indeed. |
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Price: |
$100 monthly for up to 50 products, $300 monthly for up to 1,000 products, $100 per month for each additional 1,000 products. No set-up fee. |
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Review: |
Review: 1/15/01 http://www.wilsonweb.com/reviews/yahoo-store.htm |
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Hosting: |
Provided. |
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Payment |
Included |
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Merchant |
Required. |
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Affiliate |
Rudimentary. Is compatible with third party affiliate programs. With Commission Junction, Yahoo! Store allegedly can offer a flat amount but not a percentage of the sale, due to the limitations of the cart. |
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Digital |
Rudimentary. |
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Data |
Yes, to QuickBooks, Microsoft Access, |
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Order |
Yes, online. Not as robust order management as some other systems. |
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B2B: |
Not really set up for B2B sales. |
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International: |
Available in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand only. |
HipHip Merchandizer
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Comments: |
Though I have not reviewed it yet (coming up), Merchandizer has established an excellent reputation and has become more feature-rich every year. This seems like a good, robust choice for stores that want to outsource hosting, but still have a lot of control over the site. It has obvious scalability as well. I like the pricing. Since this is a hosted product, it's easy for them to keep improving it and adding features. If I were still in the Online Store Design business, I believe this would be my new platform for client stores. |
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Price: |
$79.95/month for up to 100 products, $99.95/month up to 1,000 products, up to $999.95/month for 2 million products. Basic set-up fee $149. |
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Review: |
I haven't reviewed it, but you can find several reviews in the E-Commerce Research Room database (www.wilsonweb.com/search/auth/login.cfm). One of our readers also praised it recently (www.wilsonweb.com/wct4/merchandizer.htm) |
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Hosting: |
Provided. |
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Payment |
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Merchant |
Required. |
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Affiliate |
Included. Online affiliate access to statistics available in extra module. |
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Digital |
Yes. |
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Data |
Yes, to HipHip's extensive MerchantSuite accounting and order management package. Also to XML, MS Access. |
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Order |
Yes, extensive order management capabilities. |
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B2B: |
Customers can view order status and tracking. An add-on module allows customers to be assigned to discount groups. Vendors can also have access to check sales and inventory levels. Fairly good B2B features. |
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International: |
Yes. Pre-translated into several languages, but open format for customized translations. VAT tax calculations. |
Miva Merchant
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Comments: |
Miva Merchant has continued as a leader for small and medium-sized companies. Its XML-based proprietary database language, Miva Script, makes the product customizable to do just about anything you need. Capable of 100,000+ products. StarBase-21 and other third parties build various plug-ins which can greatly extend the product's basic capabilities. |
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Price: |
Varies. $595 per domain, but prices lower if purchased from web hosting service. |
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Review: |
Review: 4/15/99 ver 1.22 www.wilsonweb.com/reviews/miva-merchant.htm |
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Hosting: |
Many web hosting services provide hosting for Miva. I recommend Lexiconn Internet Services (www.lexiconn.com) for the average merchant, and Internet Servers, Inc. (Verio, Utah; www.iserver.com) for companies whose webmasters have Unix skills. |
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Payment |
Supports Authorize.net, CyberCash, ICSv2, LinkPoint, and UPSonline on most operating systems. Others with third party plugins. |
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Merchant |
Required |
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Affiliate |
No. But possible with AgentTrk Pro plugin from StarBase-21, $321.95. Order screens can be modified to interface with standard third party affiliate programs. |
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Digital |
No. But possible with URLSecurePlus plugin from StarBase-21, $459.95 and LicenseTrk, $132.95. |
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Data |
To QuickBooks (order and customer data) or text file. |
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Order |
Rudimentary. Available with third party plugins. |
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B2B: |
StarBase-21 modules enable discount by customer group, or individual customer (DiscountTrk Pro, $287.95), notification to vendors when items are ordered (VendorTrk Pro, $459.95), customer viewing of order status (OrderTrk Pro, $459.95), etc. Strong B2B features with plugins. |
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International: |
Yes. Customizable text, plus third party plugins for VAT and other taxes, etc. |
BigStep
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Comments: |
BigStep is a relative newcomer compared to the programs listed above. It began with a free version, but has recently moved to pricing from $9.95 to $34.95 per month. A merchant credit card account is an additional $24.95 per month and includes a payment gateway. Features were basic, not rich, in the 1.0 version, but are improved somewhat in a 2.0 version. This is a good choice that can have a full store operation for $34.90 per month for a budget-minded small business. For larger, better-funded stores, I recommend one of the alternatives listed above. |
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Price: |
$9.95/month basic, $24.95/month professional, $34.95/month advantage. Plus $24.95/month for a merchant account. |
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Review: |
Reviewed 8/15/00 Ver 1.0 (free) http://www.wilsonweb.com/reviews/bigstep.htm |
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Hosting: |
Provided. |
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Payment |
LinkPoint payment gateway included with merchant credit card account from CardService International. No extra charge above merchant account. |
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Merchant |
Required, but available for $24.95/month with no set-up fees. |
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Affiliate |
Not available. |
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Digital |
No. |
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Data |
No. |
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Order |
Rudimentary. |
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B2B: |
No. |
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International: |
No merchants outside the US. |
CCNow
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Comments: |
E-commerce beginners who already have a website can start with no set-up fees or expenses for merchant accounts. Just paste buy-buttons into your existing site and begin selling. Includes a rudimentary shopping cart, but poor shipping and tax calculations. Also open to foreign merchants. Sales of hard goods only, not services or digital products. |
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Price: |
Fees incurred only when sales are made. 9% of transaction (8% in November and December). |
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Review: |
Reviewed 3/15/01 http://www.wilsonweb.com/reviews/ccnow.htm |
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Hosting: |
Requires a standard website in addition. Order form hosting is at CCNow. |
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Payment |
Included. |
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Merchant |
Not required. |
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Affiliate |
Not included. Compatible with most third party systems, such as ClickTrade, AffiliateShop, and Commission Junction. |
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Digital |
Not allowed, only sale of hard goods. |
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Data |
Not apparent. |
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Order |
Rudimentary. |
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B2B: |
No. |
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International: |
Welcomes merchants outside the US. |
Paul Galloway's Synergyx
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Comments: |
Synergyx offers a digital delivery sales platform which is hosted on the merchant's site, as well as a full-fledged affiliate program. Though the program also is able to sell hard goods, these features are rudimentary, |
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Price: |
$1,500 installed |
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Review: |
No review, but excellent user feedback 5/20/01 at http://www.wilsonweb.com/wct4/fb-synergyx.cfm |
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Hosting: |
Requires Unix server and Perl 5.003+, FTP access (Telnet preferred). Has tested hosting on Highway Technologies, Hostway, Site-Works, and Valley-Internet Services. |
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Payment |
Compatible with major gateway systems, since written in Perl. This is included in installation. |
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Merchant |
Required. |
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Affiliate |
Yes. Sophisticated and full-featured. |
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Digital |
Rudimentary features for selling hard goods, though software is designed for digital downloads. Expiring download code. |
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Data |
Tab- or comma-delimited downloads, not to an accounting package. |
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Order |
Good. |
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B2B: |
No. |
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International: |
No built-in features. However, entire program is written in Perl, so any screen or function can be modified to fit languages and currency. |
DigiBuy
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Comments: |
Provides for easy digital product sales without monthly charges or the need for a merchant account. The downside is the high transaction fee. |
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Price: |
One time setup fee: Essential: $29.99 Advanced (customizable): $199.00. Plus transaction fee of 13.9% or $3.00, whichever is greater. |
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Review: |
No |
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Hosting: |
Provided. |
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Payment |
Included. |
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Merchant |
Not required. |
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Affiliate |
Not included, but supports third party programs such as ClickTrade, Commission Junction, and The Affiliate Tracking Network (AffiliateZone). |
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Digital |
Yes, sophisticated system of ESD (Electronic Software Distribution). Can be used for software, e-books, etc. Product licensing, multi-user licenses, etc. |
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Data |
Yes, to delimited text files. No direct export in QuickBooks' format. |
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Order |
Rudimentary. Allows automatic download. |
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B2B: |
N/A |
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International: |
Advanced version allows customization of website and e-mails. Allows VAT calculation. |
