Need an E-commerce solution that works well with PW and offers the ability to sell digital music

[pwired]

I was looking at abantecart a while back as it looked really interesting but didn't really test it out properly.

I think I will kill a little time playing around with it now.

pwired, how is abantecart for you compared to prestashop or opencart?

Why did you choose abantecart over other solutions?

Whoa, Abantecart looks very promising! I thought I searched all of the internet, however I didn't see any mention of this shopping cart. Great reply!

After weeks of testing with abantecart I now decided to leave it for what it is. I don't know to what extend I can say that I lost a lot of time with abantecart as a webshop system, because I also learned many things in that same time.

My advice: do not use abantecart as a webshop. Multi language does not work properly and the backend lacks decent handling, storing, mailing and printing of shop/client pdf billing, invoice, status, and no embedded online package tracking (dhl)

[dazzyweb]

That is disappointing regarding abantecart. 

@pwired What e-commerce solution has worded best for you?

[Beluga]

Hmm.. looks like now you can use the Sylius ecommerce components without Symfony.

E-Commerce components for PHP

This is the biggest change from v0.9.0. We have extracted standalone e-commerce components for “raw” PHP. This approach is very similar to what you see in Symfony - A set of decoupled libraries, integrated together into full-stack framework.

With Sylius, we have the components, which provide you with the most common features, and bundles as integration layers for Symfony. On top of this, we have the main platform - Flexible foundation for e-commerce project of any scale.

Why? Firstly, this is the best approach to decouple e-commerce specific domain from the framework. It allows us to keep the architecture cleaner and better organized. Secondly, this allows Sylius code and concepts to be used outside the Symfony world, as e-commerce toolset for php.

Developers from different communities are already evaluating the idea of building their platform with Sylius components and a framework of their preference.

[pwired]

@pwired What e-commerce solution has worded best for you?

I don't follow forum recommendations out there so much anymore about their webshop recommendations,

as I did with abantecart !

You have to try for your self and very important: also let other non tech people work with both back and front end

and find out what they experience. The latter made me see with their eyes that abantecart lacks both elementary administration features and accessability in an understandable way by non tech shop owners.

(also multi language does not work properly in abantecart)

Since last week I am back on PrestaShop. I noticed that latest version 1.6.0.8 comes with a responsive back and front end and with a very beautiful and professional template. Both back end and template are really impressive !

I showed it to my boss and he also is impressed but sceptical about the back end. First he wants to check him self on the administration features in the back end before he gives the green light to fill it all up with his products.

We can't afford to loose time again like we did with abantecart. Time = Money !

If you run Prestashop 1.6.0.8 on shared hosting, be sure to have a fast internet connection and configure

max_input_vars set to 1700 and max_connections to 300

allow_persistent = Off and mysql.allow_persistent = Off, set feed history to 3 or 4 days.

However, most shared hosting don't allow such custom configurations.

In that case you have to move to vps hosting or better.

I am also testing openshift hosting from red hat but it's complicated to setup.

I'll post back more about Prestashop 1.6.0.8

[Beluga]

Since last week I am back on PrestaShop. I noticed that latest version 1.6.0.8 comes with a responsive back and front end and with a very beautiful and professional template. Both back end and template are really impressive !

PrestaShop should focus more on finishing their shiny features, i.e. actually making them work instead of having them languish in a state of brokenness for years. This bug report is a good illustration of the problem: Advanced Stock Management is a mess...

[Macrura]

@Beluga - you have a good point. I'm setting up a prestashop now and having strange issues with things not working.. still, it beats some of the other options out there and some things work really well out of the box...

[pwired]

still, it beats some of the other options out there and some things work really well out of the box...

@ Macrura - yes, same experience here, impressive back end, beautiful template, both responsive.

But, what I experience from prestashop v.1.6.0.8 is that both back and front end pages don't load

well in a browser (tested firefox and ie) Sometimes pages load normal but most of the times pages

load slow or not at all. Many times a page loads in the browser and then gets stuck loading, letting you

wait forever and force you to reload the page. Anyone having the same experience ?

Edit:

What do you guys think of this ?

http://www.tmdhosting.com/prestashop-hosting.html

My gut feeling tells me to look for a webshop with a fast back and front end

and simply buy extra admin modules and a beautiful responsive template.

And it must have dhl online package tracking, can't do without that !

[dazzyweb]

I had bad experiences with Prestashop before that wasted so much of my time. Buggy, slow(admittedly on shared hosting) and just plain annoying. Just doesn't seem to fit with me. Also the overpriced plugins annoy me a lot especially for 1 use.

There's been a bit more noise coming out of opencart recently so hopeful sometime of the new 2.0 release.

My friend still swears by Zencart. Seems like it is still alive. I guess the out of date style of the ZenCart site is a little deceiving. There was a ZenCart update just a few days ago.  http://www.zen-cart.com/showthread.php?213846-Zen-Cart-v1-5-3-Released!&p=1251437#post1251437

According to this thread  http://www.zen-cart.com/showthread.php?213429-Upcoming-versions-1-5-3-and-1-6-0-compatible-with-PHP-5-4-5-5-5-6 they are moving towards the 1.6.0 release. I think I might give ZenCart a closer look.

[videokid]

I know zen-cart is on the market for some time, however never used it....

I've got a friend experimenting with Prestashop at the moment, and unlike myself, he seems pretty convinced it's OK...

and he's planning to use this: http://www.prestashopmanager.com/ which looks pretty nice IMHO...

[Ivan Gretsky]

I am really sure that we should be able to make those E-commerce solutions in PW without the need to add some 3rd party software (exept for the payment processing). PW is the best for creating custom fields, so we know we can make the catalogue part of a store the best. Apeisa made the cart and checkout modules. We should figure out what modules have to be added and do so. I made a couple of online stores with Joomla, but cannot say I know the architechture of those type of sites well enough to coordinate a project like that. But am willing to take part at least testing.

As I can see now the result of a work like that would be a site profile (pretty much like Drupal Commerce in Drupal world). If we could find a way to easilly add online store functionality to an existing site (like features in Drupal), that would be even better. I know I am probably dreaming, but isn't PW a dream come true?

What do you think? Is it possible to make ProcessWire the best E-commerсe solution for ProcessWire?

[dazzyweb]

I agree and think it is something that is possible if the time and effort is put into it.

For me this is one area and advantage that other cms's such as Wordpress with Woocommerce have over Processwire.

Maybe something like woocommerce could be taken as an example of how to do it.

I dream of the day that Processwire has such an E-commerce solution so I don't have to look outside of Processwire.

[videokid]

I dream of the day that Processwire has such an E-commerce solution so I don't have to look outside of Processwire.

+1 by me...

[pwired]

Many of you already know this right ?

Just found out my self

http://jumprit.wikansaged.com/opencart-theme-a-guide/

[Joss]

I am currently fighting with an e-commerce site that the client wants on WordPress. I think I am in genuine pain! Using woocommerce, which does offer the client what he needs (product with selectable digital download or physical cd) and simple management.

But where I am losing sleep is over WordPress itself. Trying to customize how things are displayed and ordered is a minefield and the amount of included bits of stylesheets, scripts and so on is a mess. Though interestingly, the developer of Mega Slider (which I am using) has now had a little peak at dear ProcesssWire and is intrigued by it.

Although it will be too late for this project, I would happily throw some time into taking the current shop module for PW and take it to its ultimate conclusion! I personally think that none of the currently available carts out there (Open Source or otherwise) are even remotely developer friendly. When you think about it, there is nothing very complicated about an online shop. It is simply displaying and collecting data - so why have all these projects become like swimming in glue?

[pwired]

I personally think that none of the currently available carts out there (Open Source or otherwise) are even remotely developer friendly.

CodeManager is the easiest way for OpenCart store owners and developers to work shoulder-to-shoulder.

http://www.opencart.com/index.php?route=extension/extension/info&extension_id=17672&filter_search=theme

pro version  ( i am in no way affiliated )

http://www.opencart.com/index.php?route=extension/extension/info&extension_id=17672

[NooseLadder]

I am currently looking for a shopping cart solution for PW. For my needs I can't see why Apeisa's module would not work with a bit of tweaking. For me, the bigger hurdle would be integration with my Payment Gateway of choice, SagePay. They have four different methods of integration and I am looking to use what they call 'Server Inframe Integration'. This keeps the customer on your site whilst the payment is processed in the background through a secure https channel. The sagepay scripts are initiated by the user clicking the final 'Pay Now' button on your website after entering their order/shipping details. All payment transaction data is on the SagePay website. I have attached a doc that outline the process if anyone is interested.

I intend to test this with Apeisa's module. My main question to you is Can anyone see why this wouldn't work?

sagePayIntegration.doc

[DaveP]

I have used SagePay in the past, some 8 or so years ago. From what I recall, their integration was somewhat easier (and documentation infinitely clearer) that PayPal, for example. I expect you will be pleasantly surprised.

[NooseLadder]

I have used SagePay in the past, some 8 or so years ago. From what I recall, their integration was somewhat easier (and documentation infinitely clearer) that PayPal, for example. I expect you will be pleasantly surprised.

I last used SagePay in early 2012, but only in its basic integration where you get taken to their website to make the payment. I must say that their docs have definitely improved since then, so fingers crossed. 

[Oliver]

A recent request of a client who we are porting (and in parts redesigning) a WordPress website to PW for, made me get into the eCommerce topic again–and lead me here again.

What do you think? Is it possible to make ProcessWire the best E-commerсe solution for ProcessWire?

I’m actually pretty sure one (or we?) could build a pretty powerful eCommerce framework on top of our beloved PW. Imagine an architecture that follows the principles and ideas of PW. Simple shop API (like $pages, $languages, $users you get $products or $shop in all your templates, etc.), completely modular: basic shop module as framework, implementing products page class, cart, checkout skeleton; more specific functionality is implemented through modules which hook into the framework (like a tax module would implement tax classes and be hooking into price calculations; payment modules would all hook into the checkout process the same way etc.).

As soon as a basic shop framework would be available as a base module taking care of the basic stuff, developers could focus on very specific challenges (payment, stock management, etc.).

I think I said it before: PW in my opinion misses two or three powerful modules/module packs that would open new doors two a broader adoption among web devs. One example is a really flexible eCommerce pack that turns PW into a shop/catalog, another is a easily customizable community pack with nice user management, registration, password recovery, log in stuff. Ah, and version management of course!

Still, I wonder what today would be the best way to go if I wanted to build an online shop and embed/implement it in PW. Reading this thread made me shiver with fear!

[dazzyweb]

@oliver I coudn't agree more but someone has to start building it. I would start it myself today if I was more of a developed developer at least in processwire.

If there was something like woocommerce for wordpress but for processwire then I am sure I would never have to look outside of processwire ever again. I do think that something like this would have to be opensource with support from the community with possible added options of paid/premium add-ons/modules to really lift off.

I am currently building a shop using opencart and it breaks my heart not to use Processwire.

[Joss]

ProcessWire is already halfway there with it's current structure perfect for creating a catalogue. That has the advantage in that you can create a catalogue how you want to lay it out rather than in a fixed way, as with all things ProcessWire.

I am fighting with Woocommerce at the moment for a friend who has installed it on his blog. Part of my fight is that I would not have structured it that way.

The other part of the fight is that every couple of weeks it wants to install yet another update and always asks "do you want to create the shop pages?" As if you have never installed it before!

Apeisa's PW shop module is a pretty good starting point for thinking further on this. 

[dazzyweb]

I am fighting with Woocommerce at the moment for a friend who has installed it on his blog. Part of my fight is that I would not have structured it that way.

The other part of the fight is that every couple of weeks it wants to install yet another update and always asks "do you want to create the shop pages?" As if you have never installed it before!

I know what you mean with woocommerce but I still think it was well thought out especially since it had to be built within the limitations of Wordpress though if woocommerce was available for processwire I woudn't complain.

Updates updates....How many minutes, hours or days of a wordpress users life are wasted on updates? Still Wordpress developers don't seem to mind as this gives them a great way to charge their clients for the extra site maintenance.

[Joss]

brrrrrr.... crash!

Dead right.

[pwired]

I am currently building a shop using opencart and it breaks my heart not to use Processwire.

Aye, I know what you mean but it might help that the inside workings and structure of opencart look very similar

to processwire. It's totally open to adapt it to your needs, not bloated, flexible and fast like processwire.

Plus, like processwire, it's back end is fast, complete and easy to understand for an end user. (webshop owner)

[dazzyweb]

Aye, I know what you mean but it might help that the inside workings and structure of opencart look very similar

to processwire. It's totally open to adapt it to your needs, not bloated, flexible and fast like processwire.

Plus, like processwire, it's back end is fast, complete and easy to understand for an end user. (webshop owner)

Yes, I am using the new opencart 2.0. Seems to be super fast. I prefer it to prestashop or any others I have tried.

I wonder if it is possible to integrate opencart and processwire in some way.