eCommerce Ann Arbor Meetup
February 11, 2013
Hosted by Human Element, Inc.
Who We Are
 Software and Technology Developers
 Specialize in eCommerce - Specifically Magento
 Nerds
Step 1:
Evaluating Your Own eCommerce Needs
Number of SKUs
Many? Just a Few?
Step 1:
Evaluating Your Own eCommerce Needs
Number of SKUs
Number of Stores
Do You Need More than One Store?
 Does your branding support one store or do you need
to represent multiple brands on multiple stores?
 Will all your SKUs display on the same URL?
 Do you want the option to expand to more
than one store in the future?
Evaluating Your Own eCommerce Needs
Number of SKUs
Number of Stores
Product Types
What Kind of Products Do You Have?
 Physical Products
 Simple
 Configurable
 Bundled/Grouped
 Downloadable Products
 Products that Require Some Kind of Custom
Configuration
Evaluating Your Own eCommerce Needs
Number of SKUs
Number of Stores
Product Types
Store Customization
Do You Need Custom Features?
 Can an out-of-the-box solution work for your store or do
you need additional functionality?
 Plugins or extensions can add functionality – Not all
platforms have them.
 Can be technically difficult to troubleshoot/implement
 Design: Do you want a custom design for your brand, or
can you apply your logo to an existing template?
Evaluating Your Own eCommerce Needs
Number of SKUs
Number of Stores
Product Type
Store Customization
Hosting
How Will You Host Your Store?
 Hosted Solution Benefits
 Quick Build
 Get Your Store Going
 Get Your Own Hosting
Evaluating Your Own eCommerce Needs
Number of SKUs
Number of Stores
Product Type
Customization
Hosting
Existing Webstore
Do You Have an Existing Online Store?
 Do you need a new webstore or can you add features to
an existing store?
 Replatform… Change to a new store?
 How easy would it be to transition your current store or
add functionality?
Evaluating Your Own eCommerce Needs
Number of SKUs
Existing Webstore
Number of Stores
Integration with Other Systems
Product Type
Customization
Hosting
Integration
 Accounting Software?
 ERP Systems?
Evaluating Your Own eCommerce Needs
Number of SKUs
Existing Webstore
Number of Stores
Integration with Other Systems
Product Type
Technical Abilities
Customization
Hosting
What Are Your Technical Abilities?
 How would you rate your own technical abilities?
 Do you have a technical resource?
 Will you need a technical resource to manage your store?
Evaluating Your Own eCommerce Needs
Number of SKUs
Existing Webstore
Number of Stores
Integration with Other Systems
Product Type
Technical Abilities
Customization
Budget
Hosting
Platforms
 Paypal
 Wordpress Plugins
 Magento Go
 BigCommerce
 Shopify
 Magento Community
 Magento Enterprise
 Volusion
Paypal & HTML
 Number of SKUS: Not conducive to lots of SKUs
 Number of Stores Possible: Can put buttons on multiple




websites of any type.
Product Types: Simple, Configurable, Downloadable
Customization: Button can be customized.
Hosting: Current site hosting.
Existing Website: Generally added to an existing website.
Paypal & HTML
Budget
Paypal fees per transaction.
Technical Ability Required
Little… As long as you know some HTML.
When to Get Help
Paypal troubles.
Support?
Paypal support services for your Paypal account.
Paypal & HTML
Zoup.com
Wordpress Plugins
Cashie Commerce Shopping Cart
 Number of SKUS: Not conducive to a large number of





SKUs, but potentially unlimited.
Number of Stores Possible: One with Wordpress frontend
Product Types: Simple, Configurable
Customization: Some colors can be changed.
Hosting: Wordpress must be installed somewhere.
Existing Website: Generally added to an existing
Wordpress instance or Facebook page.
Wordpress Plugins
Budget
Cashie Commerce Shopping Cart
$5-$35 per month plus 2.5% of transactions. Also need
hosting for Wordpress.
Technical Ability Required
A Little More …
When to Get Help
Customization or difficulty with set-up.
Support?
Developer support ticketing system.
Wordpress Plugins
Cashie Commerce Shopping Cart
Community-Records.com
Magento Go
 Number of SKUS: Up to 10,000 depending on plan
 Number of Stores Possible: One per plan
 Product Types: Simple, Configurable, Downloads
 Customization: Use existing themes but can customize
 Hosting: Hosted solution. Can get own SSL Cert.
Magento Go
Budget
$15 - $125 per month depending on # of SKUs
Technical Ability Required
Little for basic set up
When to Get Help
Custom design. Product Imports.
Support?
Online support from Magento
Magento Go Example
SmartGirlsWhoSurf.com
BigCommerce
 Number of SKUS: Unlimited depending on plan.
 Number of Stores Possible: One per plan
 Product Types: Simple, Configurable, No downloads
 Customization: Use existing themes but can customize
 Hosting: Hosted solution.
BigCommerce
Budget
$25 per month gets you up 100 SKUs. Up to $300 per
month depending on # of SKUS and chosen plan.
Technical Ability Required
Little – very user friendly with apps to extend functionality
When to Get Help
Custom design. Customization of features.
Support?
Online support from BigCommerce and developer network.
BigCommerce Example
HolyFunk.com.au
Shopify
 Number of SKUS: Unlimited depending on plan.
 Number of Stores Possible: One
 Product Types: Physical products and digital. Not ideal for
more complex product types.
 Customization: Theme store and app store can help you
customize.
 Hosting: Hosted solution.
Shopify
Budget
Different plans from 30$ per month/2% transaction fee to
$180 per month (0% transaction fee)
Technical Ability Required
Little. Appears very user-friendly.
When to Get Help
Custom design and features.
Support?
Comprehensive. Support people, documentation, forums.
Shopify Example
Store.Lollapalooza.com
Magento Community
 Number of SKUS: Unlimited
 Number of Stores Possible: Multiple
 Product Types: Simple, Configurable, Grouped,
Downloads
 Customization: Existing themes. More difficult to
customize
 Hosting: Non-Hosted solution. Will need hosting.
 Existing Website: Could be in Addition to existing website,
or could take the place of the existing website.
Magento Community
Budget
Free Open Source Software, but will need hosting package.
Technical Ability Required
Moderate to Very.
When to Get Help
Custom templates, installing extensions, large product
imports, integration with other services
Support?
Community forums of other users and developers, Magento
partners for additional support.
Magento Community Example
Brandmotion.com
Magento Enterprise
 Number of SKUS: Unlimited
 Number of Stores Possible: Multiple
 Product Types: Simple, Configurable, Grouped,
Downloads
 Customization: Depends on technical abilities.
 Hosting: Non-Hosted solution. Will need hosting.
 Existing Website: Could be in Addition to existing website,
or could take the place of the existing website.
Magento Enterprise
Budget
Yearly Licensing Fee: $14,420 for basic Enterprise
$49,990 for Enterprise Premium
Technical Ability Required
Moderate to Very.
When to Get Help
Custom templates, installing extensions, large product imports,
integration with other services
Support?
Online support/ticketing from Magento, and network of
Magento-certified developers and partners.
Magento Enterprise Example
CaliforniaDelicious.com
Volusion
 Number of SKUS: Depends on Plan chosen from 25 SKUs




to Unlimited.
Number of Stores Possible: Multiple – Deal of the day
store template
Product Types: Simple, configurable, downloads
Customization: Implementation Partners can help
Hosting: Hosted.
Volusion
Budget
From $15 for up to 25 SKUs to $195 for Unlimited SKUs.
Also offer secret Enterprise Level Consultations for bigger projects.
Technical Ability Required
Medium to very. Implementation partners may be able to help.
When to Get Help
Customization, Product Imports, Integration with other software.
Support?
Online support.
Volusion Example
Store.Nalgene.com
Questions?