Category

Design & Development

The nuts and bolts of an ecommerce site are design and development. We address design innovation and trends — including layouts, colors, photography, logos, video, and more. We explain the basics of code — HTML, CSS, JavaScript — as well as platforms, themes, plugins, open source, and related topics.

Code | Design & Dev Tools | Platforms & Apps | Schools & Resources | Typography & Fonts | User Experience
  • Platforms & Apps

    The PEC Review: Chimpified Connects Two Powerful Platforms

    March 8, 2010 •

    There are thousands of ecommerce-related products and services that small- to mid-sized merchants can use to improve their businesses. But often the challenge to engaging these products and services is not funding, or even the products' capabilities. Instead, it is the difficulty associ...

  • Platforms & Apps

    Cart of the Week: BV Commerce

    March 5, 2010 •

    This week, we'll hear from Marcus C. McConnell, founder and president of BV Software, the developers of the hosted BV Commerce shopping cart and a licensed ecommerce package called BV Commerce Toolkit. The company is based in Richmond, Va. and its ecommerce software currently has around 5,000 active users. We'll also hear from a BV Commerce customer

  • Platforms & Apps

    Cart of the Week: CoreCommerce

    February 26, 2010 •

    This week, we'll hear from Matt DeLong, president and CEO of CoreCommerce, developers of CoreCommerce shopping cart software. The company is based in Franklin Tenn., and its software has been used to create between 12,000 and 13,000 web stores, according to DeLong.

  • Design & Development

    Mobile Commerce Appeals to Young Adults

    February 25, 2010 •

    While it is true mobile devices are generating more web traffic, merchants should be aware of the demographics of mobile users and the products they are buying. Surveys taken in early 2010 have similar results in the age breakdown of mobile users. One survey by Retrevo, a shopping com...

  • Design & Development

    Five Web Design Concepts Ecommerce Merchants Need to Know

    February 23, 2010 •

    Editor's Note: Ecommerce merchants operate businesses using complex technologies. We launched our "Need to Know" series to help merchants obtain a basic understanding of these technologies, recognizing that most merchants are not web developers or programmers. In this installment, contr...

  • Design & Development

    SEO Expert on Mobile Commerce Strategies

    February 23, 2010 •

    An increasing number of consumers access the Internet via mobile devices. This has looming implications for ecommerce merchants who must decide what platforms their customers will use in the future.

  • Platforms & Apps

    The PeC Review: LemonStand is One Sweet Cart

    February 22, 2010 •

    The shopping-cart platform that an online business chooses can have a significant impact on its sales success. Select a cart that is too simple or basic and it may not scale as your company grows or it may not offer the features you need to cross-sell, merchandise, or engage loyal cust...

  • Platforms & Apps

    Cart of the Week: ezStore123 by Digital Things

    February 19, 2010 •

    This week, we'll hear from Michael M. Gioan, general manager for Digital Things, LLC, the Huntington Beach, Calif.-based producers of ezStore123 shopping cart software. According to Gioan, the cart currently has around 40 users. "Until 2009, it was sold as a custom application. It has now been 'productized' with standard features and corresponding

  • Design & Development

    Simplicity Key for Mobile-optimized Ecommerce Sites

    February 18, 2010 •

    We recently reported how mobile Internet devices outsold computers in 2009. And, while the percentage of ecommerce sales conducted on a mobile device is still small (0.8 percent is a generous estimate), this number is increasing. Many ecommerce vendors are beginning to offer mobile sol...

  • Design & Development

    Mobile Commerce: Experts Offer Strategy for Smaller Merchants

    February 16, 2010 •

    Depending on the source, analysts predict U.S. ecommerce merchants will generate in 2010 between $120 billion and $200 billion sales. Mobile commerce is a small fraction of this total. But as mobile usage becomes mainstream, and as a variety of devices expand the mobile web, online reta...

  • Platforms & Apps

    Cart of the Week: PDG Commerce

    February 12, 2010 •

    There are more than 500 online shopping carts. And each week we feature one, interviewing both the cart's developer and a customer. "Cart of the Week" is not a review or an evaluation, but rather an opportunity to learn about a shopping cart from the people who build it and use it. Thi...

  • Platforms & Apps

    Cart of the Week: Dextel Ecommerce Manager

    February 5, 2010 •

    There are more than 500 online shopping carts. And each week we feature one, interviewing both the cart's developer and a customer. "Cart of the Week" is not a review or an evaluation, but rather an opportunity to learn about a shopping cart from the people who build it and use it. Thi...

  • User Experience

    Mobile Commerce: Better to Create an App or a Mobile-optimized Site?

    February 4, 2010 •

    As an increasing number of mobile users access the web, merchants may be unsure exactly how to react. Should they build a mobile optimized site, design and submit an app to be approved by the Apple App Store or Android Market, or something else? Mobile users have different web needs th...

  • Platforms & Apps

    Cart of the Week: Whirlwind eCommerce

    January 29, 2010 •

    This week, we'll hear from Mark Wexler, a partner in Whirlwind eCommerce, a Bethesda, Maryland software development company, and the makers of the Whirlwind eCommerce shopping cart. According to Wexler, "About four dozen websites use the engine. Of those, about three dozen are ecommerce sites. It has a great content management system, which attracts a lot of publishing, hospitality and other non-ecommerce clients." We'll also hear from a Whirlwind eCommerce customer

  • User Experience

    Four Strategies to Improve Shopper Experience

    January 28, 2010 •

    How we shop is going to change. Digital interactivity at brick-and-mortar stores, mobile commerce, and rich Internet applications are going to have a significant effect on shopper experience in the next few years. But most of the changes to the shopper experience will not come overnigh...

  • Design & Development

    Are PCI Standards Helpful? Take the Survey and Tell Us Your Views

    January 26, 2010 •

    Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards represent the credit card industry’s attempt to self-regulate and protect consumers’ credit card data. The PCI Security Standards Council, which five major issuers (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and JCB) formed in 2006, organizes and ...

  • Design & Development

    The PeC Review: Google’s Translator Toolkit

    January 25, 2010 •

    Ecommerce makes the world smaller. Or, so it might seem. Shoppers in Budapest can by products from the U.S., while an American teen could be downloading folk music from a site in Nepal. What's more, expanding your customer bases to include potential shoppers from around the world can s...

  • Platforms & Apps

    Cart of the Week: Ecwid

    January 22, 2010 •

    In this "Cart of the Week" installment, we feature Ecwid, an ecommerce platform that can be installed on any website by inserting three lines of HTML into the source code.

  • Design & Development

    Quick Query: mPayy CEO Explains Mobile Payments

    January 20, 2010 •

    Mobile devices could be the next major platform from which consumers shop for products. But, for ecommerce merchants, there are issues with mobile commerce having to do with screen size, product images, and payments. Payments on a mobile device, from a consumer to a merchant, can be dif...

  • Design & Development

    AppMakr CEO on Affordable iPhone, Android App Development

    January 19, 2010 •

    The iPhone is now among the most popular gadgets of all-time, but the cost of developing applications for the iPhone App Store has been a barrier for smaller businesses that cannot afford the steep charges of app developers. AppMakr, a service that allows anyone to make iPhone applicati...

  • Platforms & Apps

    Cart of the Week: AbleCommerce Shopping Cart

    January 15, 2010 •

    This week, we'll hear from Logan Rhodehamel, president of AbleCommerce, makers of the AbleCommerce shopping cart. The Vancouver, Wash.-based company has been producing its ecommerce solution for 15 years, and there are currently approximately 11,000 active cart users. We'll also hear from an AbleCommerce cart user, Carl Anderson, webmaster for the Seattle, Wash.-based online store, Anne Geddes Gift Shop & Baby Boutique.

  • User Experience

    Mobile Commerce: Simulators Show Your Site’s Appearance on Mobile Devices

    January 14, 2010 •

    Last week, I cited estimates for the number of Internet-capable mobile devices sold in 2009, and how this has already outpaced the number of computers sold, both portable and desktop. Here I’ll show you some useful tools for determining how effectively your site, in its present form, op...

  • Design & Development

    Mobile Internet Devices, By the Numbers

    January 11, 2010 •

    Last week, I reported on how the number of mobile devices is exploding worldwide. But coming up with an estimate for the total number of smartphone handsets sold this year is difficult, and numbers vary depending on the source. A report by Smart Analytics stated 43 million smartphones w...

  • Platforms & Apps

    Cart of the Week: Earth Skater

    January 8, 2010 •

    This week, we'll hear from Sener "Sean" Korkusuz, president of Earth Skater, developers of Earth Skater shopping cart. The Boca Raton, Fla.-based company serves approximately 100 online stores that use the cart. We'll also hear from an Earth Skater customer, David Jones, owner of UnwiredSignal.com.

  • Design & Development

    Notable Ecommerce iPhone Apps

    January 4, 2010 •

    Mobile ecommerce is beginning to manifest itself in several different ways. With the dramatic increase in fast, 3G cellular subscribers in the United States, a burgeoning number of users utilize mobile devices to access the Internet. Merchants should contemplate the appearance of their ...

  • Platforms & Apps

    The PeC Review: Use Dropbox for File Storage and Team Collaboration

    January 4, 2010 •

    Many small and midsized ecommerce businesses use virtual offices, meaning that shipping and logistics might be in Kentucky near the FedEx hub, web development could be managed in Italy, and the online store's marketing and customer service teams may be in Oklahoma. What's more, many of...

  • Platforms & Apps

    Cart of the Week: Kryptronic’s ClickCartPro

    January 1, 2010 •

    There are more than 350 online shopping carts. And each week we feature one, interviewing both the cart's developer and a customer. "Cart of the Week" is not a review or an evaluation, but rather an opportunity to learn about a shopping cart from the people who build it and use it. Thi...

  • Design & Development

    Mobile Commerce Is Coming

    December 30, 2009 •

    The iPhone and iTouch are the fastest-growing technology platforms in history. That is according to Morgan Stanley analyst Mary Meeker, who also predicts that mobile commerce will dramatically grow in the U.S. M-commerce Around the World Japan and some Scandinavian countries are ahe...

  • Cross-border Selling

    Ask an Expert: European Payment Solutions

    December 30, 2009 •

    "Ask an Expert" is an occasional feature where we ask ecommerce experts questions from online merchants. For this installment, we address a question concerning European payment solutions from Rashda Ali, commercial manager, Europe, with Comvita.com, a New Zealand-based retailer of healt...

  • Platforms & Apps

    Cart of the Week: VP-ASP Shopping Cart

    December 25, 2009 •

    There are more than 350 online shopping carts. And each week we feature one, interviewing both the cart's developer and a customer. "Cart of the Week" is not a review or an evaluation, but rather an opportunity to learn about a shopping cart from the people who build it and use it. Thi...

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