The Cons of the hosted shopping cart are:
1. Limited design options2. No access to the source files.3. Limited quantity of the products
This means that Web Design Company will not be able to change the layout of the shopping cart in the checkout process and some of the core layout elements of the shopping cart.
I am not saying that it is not possible at all, but to do it the designer will need to use Javascript and CSS tricks, which on my mind is not the best option.
If you have around 100-200 products it will cost small price, if it exceeds specific amount the monthly fees will increase.
Usually monthly fees for hosted solution run in a range of $30-$120. Here are some hosted shopping carts: Volusion, Big Commerce.
If you do not have any custom requirements the hosted solution may be a good choice for your store.
If you have specific design, layout requirements Full Source Shopping cart is the best solution. First of all, when you purchase the full source license the code is owned by you. If you would like to switch to different hosting company you can easily do it and your store will not be affected by it. Secondly, you can customize the cart anyway you need, and add unlimited quantity of the products.
Here is the list of the full source shopping carts
Magento Commerce (Personally the best solution on the market
• ShopSite • CubeCart• Agora Cart• Zen Cart• Os Commerce• StoreSprite• OpenCart• PrestaShop• UberCart• VirtueMart• Avactis• BusinessCatalyst• Wordpress• MagellanCommerce• ShopSite• ViArt• InterSpire• 3dCart• Shopify• AsShop• StoreFront• ASPdotnetstorefront• MivaMerchant• SunShop• Fortune3• GoEmerchant• I-Store• Network Solutions• X-Cart• MerchandiZer Pro Based on my experience it is expensive to go with the full source shopping cart, but on my mind it is only first impression.
If you decide to create online store, be specific with what you want.
Think about your business model, expectations, etc. Remember, you are creating not only the ecommerce store; you are creating online business.
Online competition is very big and you want to make sure that if the visitor comes to your store he becomes your customer. You need to allure the visitor with the design, user-friendly navigation, promotions, etc. Web Design Company will always help you to create powerful business strategy based on your clients and expectations.
Webika Design provides training after the project is completed. Ecommerce back end is very complex, but with good explanation it is very easy to navigate through and create products, categories, promotions, etc.
If you would like to talk about your online business idea please email us at support@webika.com with your details and we will get back to you as soon as possible.