Ok i have no background in tech, but i want to set up an online store for my shop. But, how do i set up the store so that it shows whether a product is available "in-store" at a particular point of time and what the price is "in-store" at that point of time?? I m going to hire someone to do the work for me, but I atleast want to have a vague idea of what i am talking about, and what would be the requirements for something like this and the cost too! Would I have to have a software which updates my product database from my point of sale system?? Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks a lot!
For example, say how walmart.com is setup. On their site you can either purchase online or you can enter your zip-code and check whether the product is in-stock at the retail outlet and the price of the product at the retail outlet!
you don't need knowledge if you can manage some on regarding this who knows or you can purchase a complete service as well. I think after some time you will come to know some essential knowledge.
This depends partly on the POS but typically you will have to update products from time to time if things are out of stock for instance. That said, most apps will track stock for you so its not really a big deal. If you drop a link about the POS you are using I can be a bit more specific. hope that helps, Nigel
Hey Nigel thanks for the reply! Its basically a SAP ERP system! Would i need to get in contact with a developer who with be able to install some kind of "plug-in" that would then allow my website to automatically get updated with the latest information? Or will be there be a sort of .xml feed which i ll have to send to have the site up to date? I really have very limited knowledge, and what I m saying is based entirely on some stuff I ve read online! Also, how many hrs work would you estimate something like this, and its costs? Thanks a lot!
to set up..check interspire shopping cart. free to use. to test the demo go to http://iscexperts.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2081. u can also try magento, bigcommerce..
Go ahead with Magento. It will allow you an easy access and in fact easy access to your customers as well which may help in increasing your sales. Magento eCommerce will be beneficial for you.
starting an ebusiness "online store" is a tough one, which you need to be knowledgeable in tech. That also relates on my own experience. I too is not a "techie" but with the help of using the Ecommerce platform of ISC (Interspire Shopping Cart service pack version). You can check it out this website www.cartaddon.com its really FREE to use and they offer professional installation. You dont need to be that techie in order to setup your online store. You can also check their addons that suits your needs. You can update you POS, database of products,process orders, etc... from time to time
I would suggest that you sit down with whoever you are paying and get him to show you how the back end works, it is very easy to add stock or put it out of date. You need to be shown how to create attributes, where to use no index or no follow, how to hide catagories if it is seasonal and how to do 301 directs. All of the above take less than a minute to do. When you have him there, get him to show you how to import modules, change the friendly 404 and add a CMS page, again all less than a minute but with that knowledge you can run your site on a day to day basis. You will need your developer for the more complicated things, if he is a decent developer he will show you how it works, as all developrs know we are very good at breaking our shops!