AboutJim Novo Expertise Questions about using customer data to inmprove online profitability, particularly in retailing. Topics include profiling customers using weblogs, figuring out which ads generate the highest value customers, how to reduce the numnber of 1x buyers, how to generate higher sales from current customers, customer analysis, ROI calculation, reducing discounts while increasing resaponse rates. Do you collect customer data (purchases, page views, surveys) and not really use it for anything? Want to find out how? Just ask.
Experience
Past/Present clients Cellular One, MBNA, SteelTorch Software, Retek Direct, CBS Sportsline, Kobie Marketing, Aerial, Tupperware, Barnes and Noble, Comcast Corporation, Home Shopping Network
Question i just started an online store. I chose x-cart as my shopping cart software due to a recommendation. I registered my domain with godaddy and am in the process of developing my site. I have several thousand items that i will be marketing. Even though it has been only about a week or so, i am not happy with x-cart due to its seemingly user un-friendly nature. Due to my limited knowledge and understanding of this subject, i am not sure which shopping cart software would be best. I need something highly customizable and user friendly. My main question is whether i should stay with x-cart, or use a different shopping cart software. And if you would recommend a different software, what would it be.
Answer What's your background, can you code in PHP? I'm not a coder, so I can't use a cart like that...
Seems to me x-cart is really designed for people who are going to hack their own version of the software, so if you can't do that, then you're probably out of luck.
Generally, there are 2 kinds of "customizable":
1. Where you are able to change the code
2. Where there are "plugins" written to add functionality
Most carts are of the #1 variety. I'm not an expert on all the different shopping carts, but we use a highly customized version of Miva Merchant, which is variety #2 above.
Most coders hate Miva, from what I understand, probably because they can't do a lot with the code. But there are 100's of modules you can add and it's all done through a web-based Admin panel. Back end support (pick-pack-ship) using the Stone Edge Order Manager is a fantastic addition once you get to 20 orders per day.
