hi all,
I'm really sorry to be asking this question again, as I've read similar over and over...but I'm still unsure how to proceed.
My learning site (www.gemporium.biz) is up, running, with paypal buttons and cart....great! but incredibly basic for products...

My new project is my supposed-to-be "real" shop (www.gemporium.co.uk)
The problem with this site is it will have up to 500 items on it, many of them with variables-size, colour,etc.
I've been back to soholaunch a few times, but it's not helping me- i guess it's fine if I start from scratch and build there, but I don't want that...

It's been suggested that I'm best to use a database for all my products, so I imagine I'll have to go that way??

Before I go any further I would like some advice...

On the product pages I have put tables to show example images, I expected to click on them to go to a typical info page about that item, with purchasing options. (It would be better to find a nice interactive slideshow frame, if anyone knows of a good free one?)

Bearing all this in mind, what would be the best direction to take? Build databases in soho, or mysql, link soho to the bv site, find a simpler cart system that can still be variable....

I'm really lost, the more I read the more I confuse myself, and I'm fed up with installing utilities, getting started building, only to find it won't do what I need...

Many thanks in advance,
this will probably be easy for someone, just not me!!

Sharon

Well. .. Sharon...

Couple of pieces of advice here. Unless you are going to LINK the two domains together you shouldnt use two domains with the same name on the same server selling the same items. 1.) you will get nailed for duplicate content or 2.) blackballed if the SE determines you are trying to dupe it by putting products on one site and information on the other. They are really cracking on doorway pages.

To begin building in ecommerce is backwards than you would build a normal site ... or it should be.

Firstly you need to decide what you want your cart to be capable of, what options do you need to work with your products.. Ie: variations, personalizatoins. How does it calculate shipping, billing etc. Display etc.

In soho you have a cart, which is the database, and it formats and displays products in this area and from the database in a certain way.

You also have outer pages you display those products any way you choose including tables and slide shows.. or even flash. However.. in ecommerce you dont want a lot of flash. You have to work differently for page ranking an ecomerce site than simply content or displaying your products.. so other than a brief display of products.. you wont want to be linking up 500 products ina slide show. For you sales.. maybe...

So.. hope this helps.. Unfortunately, YOU are going the right path to discover what it is you need and what you can live with. If you can be MORE specific to your needs I can probably assist you further.

Navaldesign has an excellent little cart system hes built that integrates nicely with paypal and is very similar to the backend of Soho in some respects with ease of use and adding products to a database.

AGAIN .. be more specific to your needs. What FEATURES you are wanting, versus WHICH are feasible in a Ecommerce setting.

Karen

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Hi Karen,
Sorry- wasn't being rude by not replying, but I think our time zones are way different,and I only get a small window when I can get online....

ok...
I've put soho into shop.gemporium.co.uk, after seeing several posts on it, so it is ok isn't it?

Erm, to be more specific...

I would like the cart to be able to take a given image of an item, a desription, a price, and possibly 2 dropdowns with choices for size or colour, and display it on a "product page"...pretty much the same as most sites.

The "category" pages will have a table with the initial product thumbnails, as already created in bv. (The idea of slideshow was just to have something nice, bright,interesting alongside the table, rather than all of them in a video)

I already have a basic paypal account, which is fine for the mo, can't afford to upgrade till the sites generate income...catch 22 really! So I'm happy to stay with that for processing funds.

I know nothing about how databases work, but someone said it would be the best route considering the amount of stock. I understand the principle, but will need some serious guidance for setting it up.I would need a database for the 5 different categories (if not more later to subdivide)

What else might you need??
As long as I can get my logo and similar text onto the product page it needn't be too flash..a box with the image, the title, price, description, and possible drop box....as desribed before, so I guess if I could figure soho out it might work.Kinda like this...http://www.caradiaz.com/jewellery/qi...ace-p-575.html

or would I be better using this sort of layout again?
http://www.absolutelycharming.co.uk/ , great for a small number of items..

As this is my first shop site-the last was a test and really basic, any adice to help make it work nicely is always welcome, it needs to be good if it's to be successful.

Anything else you need to know?

Thanks for your time,
Sharon

Well.. soho is easy.. it makes the database for you.. you create categories and then add products to it in the shopping cart icon in the admin panel. You can lay them out anyway you want in bv and then LINK to the soho cart for checkout. You wont even really know you are in a database.. and it will do all this for you too. Once they are in the cart tho.. they can run around in this cart area all they want.. they wont necessarily go back to your bv site to continue shopping. You can link up your bv pages with the soho menu manager tho.. so all other links they click will take them back to the main site.

Your soho area will be more like this

http://www.absolutelycharming.co.uk/...ment-store.asp

Karen

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Hiya,
ok, So I go with soho...
What's the best plan of action...build pages first, or sort products?
I have looked at it a couple of times, but not really got to grips with it, as I was looking at it to just be a cart...but I guess you're saying build it as the shop, and just link to it as via the category pages?

I've looked at some tutorials, but can you direct me to a few specifics for page building, and best way to build the cart..guess I'd better read up some more!!

Thanks again
Sharon

Well.. Im not sure what you are asking here.. You can do whatever you want with the bv part.. but.. you have to add all the products to categories.. so you need to set up the categories and all your products in soho for it to manage your checkout.

This is why we recommend most people build with soho alone as thats what its designed to do.. and not use bv at all or use bv as an intro.

So.. what im saying is.. to make life easier.. decide what you are doing first.. then put all the products in the soho cart.. then create your bv pages with products however you like...and link them to the soho site as you go.

If you want to build in bv and do whatever you want.. then look at using paypal buttons or use mals ecart or cartmanager which are cut and paste buttons.

Karen

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hi,
I think I've done most of what I will with the bv front pages, so I'll concentrate on soho..
i guess what i was asking is from the great number of tutorials that are there, which will help me decide how to build the categories, and which will show me how to build a proper page. Then I can start worrying about joining it all up...

I got a feeling this is going to be some long job...
deep breath and lots of coffee,
thanks for your help, I daresay I'll be asking for more shortly!

thanks
Sharon

Well.. you dont have any control over the output of the cart.. since youve already done that in bv.. you dont have to do it in soho too.. just add the products.. select and make the template as close to the bv site as you can.. and add your products to the cart. Make categories yes.. but as far as display youve already done that in bv yes? If NO.. then why use the bv at all just use soho for the whole site.

Karen

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hi,
ok, got that, I'll get going on building soho categories and products.
Worry about the link bit once I get there..
might take some time,
thanks for your help again,
Sharon