I only need a fairly basic shopping cart for my website, so I'm considering Paypal. I have a paypal account myself as I buy and sell on eBay. Thing is, all eBay users have to have Paypal now anyway. However not everyone who will use my new website will be signed up to Paypal or want to go through that process. Also I have just opened a business banking account (free for 18mnths) and the lads in their tecnical department are waiting for me to give them the go ahead to for facilities for debit/credit card payment. Cant think how all this will tie in. Wouldnt want to frustrate customers by there not being able to pay though, that cant be good for business! Anyway no one has seen my site yet (except a few friends and some existing customers). Please take a look and check it out for me. Please note that I have tried to make all the catagory pages but that not all the items are loaded onto the main pages yet by a long way. To see all the items currently offered click on the 'showcase' button when you get to it. This was a preview page originaly, which I built my site behind ( thank you Ramsey for such a great idea - if your out their would love your opinion). Anyway, loved my Showcase (yey its really a lightbox) so I'll probably keep it but need a simple search box just for item numbers. Is there one on B.V? - Antonia http://www.tiarasandmore.co.uk

Hi Antonia, Musdt have been a while back, I don't remember recommending anything to you LOL sorry!

Anyway. Years ago to pay by paypal you had to have an account. This is no longer the case. You can use Paypal as your payment gateway, when people go to checkout they will have two options presented to them.

1) Log into their paypal and pay that way

2) Pay bu credit/debit card

I use paypal for all my payments. I also have the payment pro which allows me 'Virtual assistant' this means I can take payments over the phone too. Worth having in my case.

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Ramsey

Website Design
Wedding Directory
Wedding Dress Hire
Wedding Dresses, Cambridge

paypal allows customers to pay using debit /credit cards if they don't have a paypal account. I use it for kindoffice. See my signature and have a play around. Have a look at the shopping cart (mals-e) recommended by Ramsey. There isn't a search box in BV but what you can do is use catagories. I wouldn't worry about your banking boys at the moment. At the bottom of my cart page there is a link to mals-e who will suggest many payment gateways to consider. Its FREE too.

Hope this helps

Darren

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That was quick. I had no idea how to find you again as I am totaly unused to using forums. Yes it really was your idea for me to have a preview page for a home page as I was being a bit of a scaredy cat about my stuff being out there in a bit of a mess. Have a look and say what I might improve. My text on my 'Showcase page offer an alternative navigation but the text offers also a search box for the location of items by their unique item number. I know it can be done but how? Also (sorry a 2nd question) do I need what my banks offering to put on my site, if Paypal can do it all? - Antonia

LOL ok, I still don't remember but anyway...

It's hard to answer your question as I don't know what you're bank have offered you, check out their charges, commissions on each sale by card etc and compare it to Paypal. My money would be on Paypal being far cheaper though. If it is then no you don't need your bank's intervention.

Personally, I would also remove the lightbox gallery. If you want a gallery on that page this is fine, but don't use lightbox it's not very good.

I think what I probably meant for you to do is what I recommended this person to do on her site.

http://www.beadedjewels.biz/

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Ramsey

Website Design
Wedding Directory
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Wedding Dresses, Cambridge

Thanks Darren, thats answered several of my oh so many questions. Please have a look at the site it needs more work I know, but any suggestions would be appreciated. I,ll certainly look into mals-e -Antonia

This is only my opinion but a while back tried to use a banks gateway to process on-line payments but it was a complete nightmare.

My advice would be if you had a high street shop use your banking boys for a chip and pin terminal.

If its just an on-line shop you have then I would go for Ramseys suggestion of a Paypal Account with payment pro. Another good gateway is protx

Darren

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Sites recently built and hosted with Vodahost
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Fire & Security Products Manufacturer in Bristol

I had a look, she seems to be using pop up windows. Do you prefure these? - Ant

If you have a look on her homepage, she has laid it out like a shop window (which is what I alwayss recommend and tend to do on most of my site builds)

What I mean by this is, not only do you have a navigation link to each category, you also have a section on the home page with a little write up and a small image of a category product. Then when you click on either the image or the link, the visitor gets taken to that category page. So no pop ups on the home page.

Visitors to websites may not be the most *****est tools in the box... so you have to provide them with more than one way to access your products if possible.

Then look at this category page http://www.beadedjewels.biz/jewelry_sets.html

Now when you click on each image you get a pop-up larger version. These are easier to clear from your screen to carry on shopping than a lightbox image is.

Also note next to each image is a description and price and buy now button.

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Ramsey

Website Design
Wedding Directory
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Wedding Dresses, Cambridge

Yes the pop up boxes seem to load quicker. You have to be honest with me (no need to spare my feelings) do you feel that Im offering to much in the way of navigation. I heard it was the most important thing, but I may have overdone it and made it too confusing. Also would like to point out that anyone else viewing this can give me there honest opinions, advice. (sorry probably going off topic, Im really new to this) The advise about Paycarts has been really useful. Is ther somewhere else on the forum where I could ask for folks to test the site out?
- Antonia
http://www.tiarasandmore.co.uk

Unless I am missing something I don't think you have enough.. or any navigation.... Especially on the home page.

avigation should be at the top of your home page somehwre, usually under your banner, or as a left hand menu.

Make the navigation though run through your whole website too.

On the home page you need a link to ALL product pages as well as doing what I said in my previous post. You look at my websites and they all follow this pattern and work extremely well.

From the home page, ideally the visitor should make one click (two at the most) before they can see each product and click a 'buy now' button. To click 5, 6, 10 times before being able to purchase would deter many sales.

__________________
Ramsey

Website Design
Wedding Directory
Wedding Dress Hire
Wedding Dresses, Cambridge

Thanks again for all of that. Ill try and sort it out durring the weekend and I'll add Paypal buttons. Need to get it up and running now so that I can submit it, to the SEOs. as Ive been along time getting it to this point. Thanks again to both of you, youve helped a ton.
- Antonia
http://www.tiarasandmore.co.uk