I have been working on getting a shopping cart that will slice bread and make the morning coffee before I get up. I have tested osCommerce, ZenCart, Drupal ecommerce, Ubercart, and Joomla ecommerce.
My newest candidate --- CRE Loaded
I liked all of the shopping carts I tested, and had a bit of success with all of them.
My ranking is based on 2 factors... Well, make that 3 factors. I think ease of use is very important, Feature-sets are also important and how easy it is to prettify is also very important. The 4th factor is that all the candidates have to have a free (no charge) version.
My current ranking:
Joomla! (Mambo) ecommerce: Rank 2 of 10:
Joomla!'s ecommerce component is not easy to use, right out of the box, and I had 2 Joomla! installations hacked, and this makes it seem risky as an ecommerce platform. It is very easy to pretty up, and many of my clients like the "Joomla look."
Drupal eCommerce Module: Rank 3 of 10:
Drupal eCommerce does not let me build user-entered product features (such as special monograms) and this is a major lacking in the module. Many clients complain about the "Drupal look" and it is difficult to make major changes.
Ubercart which I used with Drupal: Rank 6 of 10:
Ubercart lets me have options (even user-defined options) and works well for me. Has a strong set of features and is user-friendly, once one has mastered the Drupal modular design. It suffers from the "Drupal look" and some clients are unhappy with the look. This is one of my 2 favorites and has a lot of curb-appeal for me. I like the look and the feel, and the admin is very easy, if complicated.
Keep in mind that none of my clients who complain about a look, or rave about it, are doing any testing, they are only working from a gut-level "I know how I like it" place. I have had to rethink the GoodCoffeeDirect look to entice affiliates to the fold, even though the research I have read suggest a low-graphic black type on white background site converts better. Affiliates are people too and they are apparently more likely to market a product if the site fits their gut reaction as well.
What's next..
osCommerce: Rank 6 of 10:
osCommerce is the heart of ZenCart and CRE Loaded. It is not nearly so modular and that is liable to set me up for difficult upgrades, as the contributed features are added, line by line, into various files on the application, in a way that really makes one yearn for the simplicity of uploading modules and components in Joomla and Drupal. The good thing about osCommerce is its relative security, and there are people who have made really nice sites from basic osCommerce. The osCommerce model lends itself to a hybrid sitedesign, with some HTML and some PHP, unlike the Drupal and Joomla portal models, which can be way too complicated for a person new to the site.
ZenCart: Rank 7 of 10:
ZenCart is just as clunky as osCommerce, but includes more features in the basic install. It worked for me for a year for a product-set that was difficult to "do" in the shopping-cart model. The product set was seminars and consulting, and having the price appear on the summary seemed to armour my customers to resist the benefits.
CRE Loaded: Rank 8 of 10:
CRE Loaded is my current favorite because it includes an affiliate module in the basic installation, which you can download for free. It also includes an easy-populate feature which lets you set up your product list and pricing on a spreadsheet and upload or download the whole group at one time. This is great for product sets like coffee that fluctuate with time.
I am still looking for the elusive "10." There is a free shopping cart out there with more features than CRE Loaded or UberCart. Oh, I am sure of it. Until I find it, I will settle down with CRE Loaded as the first choice.
Tags: Shopping Cart Cre Loaded Oscommerce
