Custom e-shop or boxed solution II

The Path to a New E-Shop

The process of setting up a new e-shop with a boxed solution and a custom one differs significantly.

Boxed Solution

As we mentioned in the first part, with a boxed e-shop, everything is much simpler. You register with your chosen provider, select a template, and fill it with content. If necessary, you ensure integration with carriers or a payment gateway. You set everything up and can launch.

Custom Solutions

The entire process is much more complex here. 

• Request for proposal with price estimate: consider your offer and its price range.
• Initial analysis and workshop: this will clarify your expectations and the overall (measurable) goals of the project. 
• Project setup: to ensure cooperation and coordination among all parties involved in the project.
• Solution design including:

→ keyword analysis + e-shop structure

→ prototype or wireframe + graphic design for both desktop and mobile devices

→ technical documentation describing the functional parts of the solution or integration with third-party systems (e.g., ERP, CRM, payment gateways, carriers, etc.)

• Final solution offer: currently without scopes, but here too, so-called risks may arise that clarify the degree of ambiguity in the requirements for certain parts of the solution.
• Custom e-shop development: ideally divided into several smaller phases, allowing for the basic functional e-shop to be completed as soon as possible and subsequently developed with additional standalone functionalities. This approach allows for a clear separation of two milestones – launch and acceptance of the work.

→ Launch: at this moment, the e-shop is ready for testing and optimization in live operation.

→ Acceptance: all other parts of the technical documentation that did not prevent the launch of the e-shop are now completed (for example, customers could make purchases but had not yet seen their order history in their customer account)

• Technical implementation: several additional steps take place during this process, such as testing the entire solution, optimizing the display on individual devices, or optimizing the speed of the e-shop. The solution also needs to be filled with content, which is often a problematic part of the entire custom e-shop development. Everything can be accelerated, for example, by automated data imports.

Remember that before the actual launch of the e-shop, everything must also be prepared from a business and marketing perspective. This means ensuring the e-shop's entry channels, internal processing and shipping of orders, product management, and marketing campaigns.

What do you get with a custom basic e-shop?

If you are looking for a foundation, it means having an e-shop where you can present an unlimited number of products with the option to purchase (by completing an order).

We have created a custom basic e-shop for clients such as Masová Bedýnka, Pálavská Galerie Vín, and Ajala.

Templates and functionalities in the custom basic solution

Even though we are talking about a foundation, the templates and functionalities available to developers for the solution are not few:

• Header and footer of the website
• Homepage
• Product catalog

​→ for example, a list of products with pagination options in case of a larger number of products

→ product detail without variants containing basic information such as name, description, image/gallery, and the option to add to the cart

• Cart

→ for example, the option to choose a method of delivery and payment or to enter the customer's billing and shipping details

• Text and informational pages
• Basic integration for the purchasing process

→ integration of a payment gateway to enable card payments (e.g., ComGate, GP WebPay, or GoPay) or integration of carrier branch locations (e.g., Zásilkovna)

• Basic preparation for marketing

→ for example, website analytics and conversion tracking

What do you get with a complete e-shop?

Each solution is unique, which is why it is developed to order, but in the world of e-commerce, there are certain boundaries within which we can fit a large number of e-shops. We have prepared a complete e-shop, for example, for the client Pleas , ZFP-Gold ,  Pneuboss  or Comfor . Judge for yourself.  

There is no general list of all e-shop functionalities, so we have compiled one that we encounter most frequently at PUXdesign. If you find something missing from the list, let us know and we will add it. 

Templates and functionalities in the complete solution

The complete solution naturally includes everything you find in the basic solution. In addition, we develop:

• Extended product catalog

→ filtering, sorting, or tagging products in the listing

→ product variants, e.g., color or size variants of the product

→ loading stock availability from multiple warehouses/from multiple suppliers or stock availability levels

→ multiple pricing levels or multiple currencies

• Product comparison or favorite products
• Stock availability or price watch
• User account with order history
• Integration of third-party systems

→ ERP (inventory/accounting) for synchronizing product catalogs, orders, and customers

→ CRM for synchronizing new leads

→ additional payment gateways such as PayPal, Google Pay, Apple Pay, installment services

→ automatic registration and login via Google, Facebook, Apple ID

• Extensions for marketing tools

→ XML feeds for product catalogs

→ Heureka

→ Facebook pixel

Do you already know what type of e-shop to choose? Or are you still unsure?  discuss the options.