eCommerce theme to sell both 1) items to deliver and 2) digital art to dowload

tedor2

tedor2

New Member
Hello Forum,

We are looking for an eCommerce theme/plugin where customers can select both to have in their shopping cart:

1) items to be delivered via post e.g a bag of tea and
2) items to download e.g. digital artwork (jpg, mp3)

I have found themes which only feature one or the other.

Responsive and ideally Wordpress.

Any help greatly appreciated,
Regards,
Kris
 
chrishirst

chrishirst

Well-Known Member
Staff member
A "theme" creates the the "look and feel" of the catalogue system NOT the functionality, if the 'plugin' or the payment gateway that you are using does not support those delivery methods, changing the "theme" will not make any difference.
 
tedor2

tedor2

New Member
Hi Chris,
appreciate your input.

I have only experience in wordpress CMS, therefor was researching the readily available WP themes which already feature plugins/widgets for the above requirement. Originally I was planning to upload the theme first that has the 'look and feel' which I'd like to have and later install the wooCommerce plugins. However, I discovered that most themes will have difficulties incorporating the Woo plugins.

Then I was looking through some eCommerce themes on themeforest but couldn't find any which have both 1) digital downloads and 2) 'normal' items to be sold through the site. There are many good looking ones, but I thought of asking around for some experience before purchasing.

I am OK with wordpress, some html and php, but with this project I need to minimise the workload on the programming and the experimentation with plugins (whether they work or not).

Basically I would like a theme

1) which is ideally wordpress

and either

1) features all the eCommerce plugins I need or
2) that supports 3rd party plugins successfully.

Finally, I don't have £1.5 - 2K to have this site designed by another web-designer company, which is the reason I am doing my research at the moment :)

HTH clarification.

Have you ever come across an eCommerce site that features both options
1) download content and
2) items to be delivered via post?

Regards,
Kris
 
Phreaddee

Phreaddee

Super Moderator
Staff member
I've done it with BC before, easy peasy.

if it's to be a digital download, you simply tick the box that says "digital product"
 
tedor2

tedor2

New Member
sure. I couldn't find the answer on their site, so have sent them an email... waiting for response. thanks, K
 
tedor2

tedor2

New Member
hi Chris,

Thanks for these. I will have to inspect these plugins this weekend. Ideally I would like to have as many paying options as possible, not just paypal. Also, I think to minimise confusion, it would be great if there was one cart for both types of products.

I had a look at few magento themes and read reviews on the difference between WP and Magento eCommerce websites. The later is more difficult to set up and maintain, however is probably safer for more complex websites.

I might end up using Woo with WP for a while. Elsewhere I was suggested that Woo plugins have the feature to have both types of products in a cart.

Will keep updating this post.

Regards, K
 
chrishirst

chrishirst

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Magento is a truly great system IF you are selling hundreds or thousands of disparate products with dozens of options available for them, it's not so great however, if you only have a limited range of products and do not need stock control.
 
Phreaddee

Phreaddee

Super Moderator
Staff member
personally I prefer BC over WP, but that is just my preference, and I've yet to find anything WP can do that BC can't. The built in CRM, email campaigns and so forth makes it pretty handy, particularly when you have to "teach" your client how it works -- then there's the web apps which is really it's strong suit. It makes everything so simple.

It's also easier to set up and quicker to build, plus it's all in one without the need for plugins, extra setups and fluffing about. You can be up and running in a few hours, and yes you can have multiple payment gateways/paypal

-- having said that I'm sure the "purists" out there would like to argue it's a point and click set up like wix, etc...it can be if that's the way you want it to be, but more than likely they've just looked at it and made gross assumptions rather than using it and rolling it out for clients over many years like myself. (the partner portal is pretty handy for managing all your clients in the one spot, plus a monthly commission... once you've a substantial amount of clients, you've got a passive income right there.)

You really have a lot of flexibility to set it up as you want and it only adds a few lines to the code.

HTML: 
<!-- BC_OBNW -->
<link href="/StyleSheets/ModuleStyleSheets.css" type="text/css" rel="StyleSheet" />
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/CatalystStyles/Box.css?vs=b2340.r424542" type="text/css" media="screen" /> 
<script type="text/javascript" src="/CatalystScripts/Java_Box.js?vs=b2340.r424542"></script>

keep in mind it is owned by adobe, so you wont be getting anything useful from their "helpdesk".

if you have any pertinent questions about it, PM me.
 
Phreaddee

Phreaddee

Super Moderator
Staff member
As for the pricing, you get what you pay for, and thats the ONLY thing you'll pay besides your domain registration. if you look at it, it's pretty damn cheap. and if it's too expensive at $30/mth then does the business really need a website anyway?
 
tedor2

tedor2

New Member
hi Phreaddee,
just read you reply. Thanks for the info on BC.

The business at it's present stage is an experiment and until it get's steady I would simply host it on a subdomain, which won't cost anything. I am really new to this. I didn't anticipate that setting up a business website would bring so many questions. I was simply planning to have a WP with a nice theme and some WooCommerce plugins and voilá.

I think what people usually do in my shoes is to have a paypal gateway with a paypal template. If I end up not having time to develop a better website, it might serves for a while. However, it is alway better do have a robust system you can expand on than one that is convenient to set up, but is not flexible later.

anyhow, I will update the post... thanks, K
 
chrishirst

chrishirst

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I didn't anticipate that setting up a business website would bring so many questions
Click to expand...

Then your 'business' is going to fail, because when it comes down to running a real businesses, the adage of "Failing to plan is planning to fail" is 100% true
 
tedor2

tedor2

New Member
chrishirst said:
Then your 'business' is going to fail, because when it comes down to running a real businesses, the adage of "Failing to plan is planning to fail" is 100% true
Click to expand...

I agree with the adage, however wouldn't use in this context as I never said that it is a part of the plan to not answer unanticipated questions :)

Hofstadter's law wouldn't be perfect in this context either, but maybe more optimistic.
 
Phreaddee

Phreaddee

Super Moderator
Staff member
However, it is alway better do have a robust system you can expand on than one that is convenient to set up, but is not flexible later.
Click to expand...

which is why I don't actually think WP is the best option myself.
 
chrishirst

chrishirst

Well-Known Member
Staff member
however wouldn't use in this context as I never said that it is a part of the plan to not answer unanticipated questions
Click to expand...
Yep but part of running a successful business is having a plan in place to deal with the unaticipated.

Plan 'B' should never be "Get a different plan 'A' "

Based on this question alone it appears that, like many "Internet business" plans, it started with "I'm going to use Wordpress, and I need a website that does everything", rather than

"What do I need a website to do for my business"? THEN look for a platform to build it from, and if the foundation isn't solid, you can only build a bungalow.
 
tedor2

tedor2

New Member
somehow agree, however trial and error seems to have worked out for a few people as well... making mistakes, receiving constructive feedback, start with fresh energy and more knowledge is IMHO a good learning methodology (also).

I will make sure that I know as much as possible about ECommerce webdesign before it goes live:)
 
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