Hi John
The "pilot" bit of your email and the low number of products suggests you're wanting to go in low-end with minimal spend, see how the users react and then go from there.
In this case you could do worse than looking at Google Checkout (https://checkout.google.com/seller/developers.html?hl=en&gl=GB) which, although it doesn't per-se let you have a basket and so on, will let you integrate incredibly simply with "buy now" buttons on single products. If you're looking for further integration they do have an API which hooks into shopping carts, but as a simple "let people buy stuff" solution, you can't do much better. They've recently announced what appears to be just a US version for non-profits (http://electronicmuseum.wordpress.com/2007/09/30/google-checkout-for-non-profits/) which could imply that a UK one is on the way...but might not...
Obviously also look at PayPal and other similar providers if this is the kind of solution you're looking for.
Next up is a basket solution such as Secure Hosting (http://www.securehosting.com/). We used this solution at the Science Museum for purchase of SciM publications. It's a simple javascript basket solution which then passes users through to payment at a (fairly) brandable checkout. It worked pretty well for us.
Finally, the full featured approach - for example www.sciencemuseumstore.com - this uses ShopCreator (www.shopcreator.com) which gives you full-featured management of products, stats on sales, reports, customer profiling etc etc. Down-side obviously is that you pay a lot up front and, from experience, a fairly frightening sum every time you want to make even a tiny change to your site...
There are solutions around the edge as well, for example Google Base / Froogle (whatever it's called this week)..ditto Yahoo / MSN shopping etc etc. You could even look at eBay, or sites like CafePress (www.cafepress.com) if it fits with your products. I'd say your choice will ultimately be based almost entirely on the *scale* of the solution you're looking for.
Nick is absolutely right about the touchy-feely stuff. It can't be overstated how important it is that your users trust what is going on. Even as a hardcore nethead, I often pull out of transactions (or won't even consider buying at all) if the site looks unprofessional, let alone if it's not https or even if the certificate has expired. For "normal" users these fears will be even more acute. Being good at delivering products is absolutely key - the ante is incredibly high now and people simply won't accept a 2 week delivery time when Amazon are doing it in 3 days. People like dabs.com and photobox.co.uk deliver next day (even if you order late in the afternoon), and this is where expectation is heading.
One thing that we found often happened at the Science Museum is that museum website users often aren't expecting to make a transaction - browsers are often using sites in a different "mode" to purchasers. This is subtle stuff, but being explicit about where they are in the site and how they should expect to use it all help with the user experience.
FINALLY - think hard about the future if there is going to be any kind of investment. You'll be very, very sad in a years' time if your (really cheap) ecommerce solution can't integrate with your in-house tills, finance system, etc. Look - as always- for something that can input and output data in a friendly format, preferably a system with an API..
Must stop.
Mike
________________________________
Mike Ellis
Solutions Architect
Eduserv
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tel: 01225 474300
fax: 01225 474301
www.eduserv.org.uk
-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John Williams (NMC)
Sent: 19 December 2007 08:50
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Online Shopping - Any suggestions for suppliers ?
My colleagues in the Museum are considering a pilot online shop to make the Museum's retail products more available. Currently they informally accept orders over the telephone but want to provide a more formal system that will be available outside shop hours.
Initially they are proposing offering around 20-25 products.
I'd appreciate any comments anyone might have about the best way to approach this and also - off list if it would be more appropriate - suggestions of any suppliers who you think might be able to offer a good service.
Regards,
John
John WIlliams
Pennaeth TG/Head of IT
Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales
Parc Cathays / Cathays Park
CAERDYDD / CARDIFF
CF10 3NP
Ffôn / Tel: +44 (0) 029 2057 3147
e-bost / e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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