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
Cart of the Week: AbleCommerce Shopping Cart

January 15, 2010 • Kate Monteith

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 • Brendan Gibbons

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 • Brendan Gibbons

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 • Kate Monteith

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 • Brendan Gibbons

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 • Armando Roggio

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 • Kate Monteith

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 • Brendan Gibbons

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 • PEC Staff

"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 • Kate Monteith

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
Quick Query: Quickoffice’s David Brennan on Mobile Office Applications

December 22, 2009 • Kevin Patrick Allen

The days of being tied to a desktop computer are long gone. Ecommerce merchants can work wirelessly with laptop computers, personal digital assistants, and increasingly, smart mobile phones. Quickoffice is a Texas-based software company that focuses on providing mobile office software...
Platforms & Apps
Cart of the Week: CommerceV3

December 18, 2009 • Kate Monteith

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...
Platforms & Apps
Cart of the Week: Open Mind Commerce

December 11, 2009 • Kate Monteith

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
Where the PCI Security Council Goes Wrong

December 10, 2009 • Kevin Patrick Allen

While conducting interviews with numerous PCI compliance experts for a series of articles on Practical eCommerce, one thing about PCI compliance has become clear. No one seems to be able to address the issue of enforcement. For example, if I’m a merchant who is found to be PCI non-com...
Schools & Resources
Booklist: McAfee VP Stuart McClure

December 9, 2009 • PEC Staff

In “Booklist” we ask Internet professionals about the books and blogs they read, and why. For this list, we asked Stuart McClure, vice president and general manager risk and compliance unit ...
Design & Development
PCI Exec Suggests Payment Outsourcing for Smaller Merchants

December 8, 2009 • Kevin Patrick Allen

Editor’s note: Payment Card Industry compliance is a requirement for virtually all ecommerce merchants. But it’s also a complicated and confusing topic. With that in mind, Practical eCommerce is publishing a series of articles aimed at answering merchants' questions on the issue. In...
Platforms & Apps
Miva Merchant Launches In-house Hosted Platform

December 7, 2009 • Kerry Murdock

The evolution of Miva Merchant continues. The shopping cart launched in 1995 as "HTML Script." It then renamed itself Miva and quickly gained market share.
Platforms & Apps
The PeC Review: Crucial Webhosting Offers Value and Service

December 4, 2009 • Armando Roggio

Most small-to-midsized online retailers don’t own their own web servers. Instead,these companies rent space on servers at data centers around the globe—a practice we commonly call “web hosting.” An online merchant’s web host can have a significant effect on business success. For examp...
Platforms & Apps
Cart of the Week: Shop a la Cart

December 4, 2009 • Kate Monteith

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...
User Experience
Accessibility: How Many Disabled Web Users Are There?

December 2, 2009 • Joseph C. Dolson

Ecommerce merchants spend a lot of time thinking about statistics. They try to gauge who is visiting their website, what products consumers are most interested in, and how consumers are finding those products. Without knowing about their audience, merchants have a difficult time marketi...
Platforms & Apps
Cart of the Week: PrestoStore

November 27, 2009 • Kate Monteith

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
PCI Compliance: Commonly Asked Questions

November 25, 2009 • Kevin Patrick Allen

Editor’s note: Payment Card Industry compliance is a requirement for virtually all ecommerce merchants. But it's also a complex and difficult topic to understand. With that in mind, Practical eCommerce is teaming with Coalfire IT Audit and Compliance, a firm expert in PCI matters, in a...
Design & Dev Tools
The PeC Review: FormSpring for Easy Form-building

November 20, 2009 • Armando Roggio

Read any online marketing book, blog, or journal—Practical eCommerce included—worth its salt, and you’ll be told to “know your customer.” In ecommerce, getting to know your customer and building rapport with that customer takes time. It also takes an exchange of information that is of...
Platforms & Apps
Cart of the Week: Avactis

November 20, 2009 • Kate Monteith

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...
Platforms & Apps
Cart of the Week: Boss Cart

November 13, 2009 • Kate Monteith

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...
User Experience
The PeC Review: MyBuys Personal Recommendations

November 6, 2009 • Armando Roggio

Offering shoppers personalized product recommendations can increase conversion rates and profits while fending off shopping cart abandonment. Onsite product merchandising—the idea of cross-, up-, and down-selling to shoppers—is a potent tool for ecommerce marketers that often takes th...
Platforms & Apps
Cart of the Week: AdVantShop.NET

November 6, 2009 • Kate Monteith

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
How to Choose Effective Website Photos and Images. Part 1

November 3, 2009 • Sandra Niehaus

Not all images are created equal. The right image on a web page can capture attention, inform, and even persuade your site visitors. The right image can communicate who you and your company are more quickly and powerfully than words alone can do.
User Experience
The PeC Review: SLI Offers Superior Search

October 30, 2009 • Armando Roggio

Research indicates that as many as 60 percent of online shoppers use a merchant's search feature to navigate the website. With so many potential customers typing keywords rather than using a site's navigation hierarchy, advanced search features are not just nice to have. They are a comp...
Platforms & Apps
Cart of the Week: Cartfly

October 30, 2009 • Kate Monteith

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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