Full Version: Web designer who understands engraving sales
From: Colin (MATROPHY) [#1]
26 Mar 2007
To: ALL
Even though I am in the Silicon Valley, I am having a hard time finding someone who can revamp our website to allow shoppers to order engraved items - mostly silver and pewter gifts. Everyone I have talked to is approaching this particular set of requirements as if they are inventing how to do it from scratch.
Basically, I want to list 30-40 best selling items with some layout choices and font choices that in many cases are unique to the item. For a dumbbell baby rattle, for example, there are really only a couple of choices for engraving - a monogram or one line of text on each end. Then the customer can chhose a font - once again from a limited set of choices and tell us what should be engraved. I want to then take the order and be paid for it before I do any engraving.
Does anyone know a web designer that understands what is involved in setting up a site to take engraving instructions and payment?
From: sprinter [#2]
26 Mar 2007
To: Colin (MATROPHY) [#1] 27 Mar 2007
From: Cody (BOBTNAILER) [#3]
26 Mar 2007
To: ALL
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#4]
26 Mar 2007
To: Cody (BOBTNAILER) [#3] 26 Mar 2007
John's gotten busy in other areas and health problems have made it difficult for him to rise to the occasion.
Great programmer, but for the most-part unavailable.
From: Engravin' Dave (DATAKES) [#5]
26 Mar 2007
To: Cody (BOBTNAILER) [#3] 26 Mar 2007
From: logojohn [#6]
27 Mar 2007
To: Colin (MATROPHY) [#1] 27 Mar 2007
reasonable like a software package for websites so you wouldn't have to reinvent the wheel.
For example smart designs software has templates where you can show what text looks like on various items. . . but I doubt they have a version of it that can be put on a website and used by the visitors . . .they should.
Even coreldraw or Xenetech should be able to alter there software enough to make a web application for that purpose that they could charge extra for. It wouldn't take much to put a bmp of the product or at least a vector shape of it in the background and overlay the text.
PDU has a website you can get for about $100 a month where you can customize colors and parts. But last I looked for text input only accepts raw text and doesn't show what the finished formatted layout looks likes on the actual product with the fonts selected. It might be a good start but the deal breaker for me is you can't use any of your own products on it yet, just PDU.
We have a link on our website to a company that has a great system
for letting the visitor input text and view the completed product. I think it was a asi supplier but I don't know who did the website.
http://trophiesinc.cceasy.com/
From: Colin (MATROPHY) [#7]
27 Mar 2007
To: logojohn [#6] 27 Mar 2007
The simplest and, in my mind, the best one I have found so far is the Engraving Wizard on www.silvergallery.com.
http://www.silvergallery.com/engraving.html?SKU=ACVAB05&CODE=ACVAB05
Even this simple setup seems to give these hot-shot web guys here the heeby-jeebies.
From: Andrew [#8]
27 Mar 2007
To: Colin (MATROPHY) [#1] 27 Mar 2007
As a quick and dirty solution you can very easily use a Paypal shopping cart and 'Add to basket' buttons on your site. I did my first site in this way for customers to purchase engraved items. The customer has to select the colour and the size of the item, and enter the engraving details.
They checked out through paypal, and you receive a payment notification via email of the product bought, plus the options selected.
This worked well, is quick to put together, but is not a great way to manage a catalogue of products that is constantly changing, to manage stock outs etc, limitations on how you charge shipping etc.
I did my second site in OS Commerce using a similar approach (osCommerce is a shareware ecommerce solution). i do not have images of how the item will look based on the options selected - there are 'general images. This approach allows for variable pricing based on the option selected. This was achieved through standard OS Commerce plus a few extra developments to handle the capture of engraving instructions. I am not a developer but managed to work my way through this as a 'midnight project'. Example: http://www.collarsandtags.co.uk/medium-large-p-74.html
I think it would be possible to develop this a little further to display an image based on the options selected but is beyond what I could do and I don't want to use developers at present.
So in summary - a standard ecommerce package with a little bit of development around the edge should do.
If you see a shopping cart application you like - find some developers who work with this who can add the 'extras you need'. No need to start from scratch.
From: Colin (MATROPHY) [#9]
27 Mar 2007
To: Andrew [#8] 27 Mar 2007
From: logojohn [#10]
27 Mar 2007
To: Andrew [#8] 27 Mar 2007
We don't even have a shopping cart on our site yet. There are so many customizing options, color, size, shape, availability, fonts etc., I don't see where it could all be done on line easily since most of our customers are ordering multiple like or unlike items.
The organized ones have an excel or doc file with the information. Others have scribbled notes. I suspect few of either group likely would want to sit there and key the text in on the site.
There are usually so many questions a new customer would have that it would be difficult to do it all online.
Our website does generate a lot of new leads. But the main point was to show virtually all our products so current customers or new ones that call in who don't want to leave their office can select items.
It will be something to hopefully add down the road but the current setup is working so well there isn't time to make it better just yet. . .
until they want to make be the webmaster instead of the engraver/webmaster!
From: Engravin' Dave (DATAKES) [#11]
27 Mar 2007
To: Colin (MATROPHY) [#9] 28 Mar 2007
Colin,
Monika Mathe can do something like this by using OS Commerce and some custom programming. Her contact information can b found at www.monikamathe.com. You'll find her credentials on her website. They will speak for themselves. She is located in Germany.
From: Andrew [#12]
27 Mar 2007
To: Colin (MATROPHY) [#9] 28 Mar 2007
i would second the recomendation you have been given for Monike. She comes across as a really talented, professional developer on the OSCommerce forum
The options can be as simple or detailed as you need, and can be tailored to each product. On my site I place restrictions of amount of text engraved per line, per product. Of course this takes plenty of administering.
If you can put a really good, tight specification together, I am sure someone like Monike could take a stock application like OSCommerce and tailor to your needs.
There are plenty of unsrupulous developers who tell you it needs to be written from scratch, but actually start off from an Oscommerce, ZenCart etc solution. Caveat Emptor!
From: Mikey (MIKE2449) [#13]
27 Mar 2007
To: Colin (MATROPHY) [#9] 28 Mar 2007
Try this site--
www.rentacoder.com
I'm sure you can find someone there.
Regards,
Michael
From: Lisa (TROPHYUSA) [#14]
28 Mar 2007
To: Colin (MATROPHY) [#1] 28 Mar 2007
From: Colin (MATROPHY) [#15]
28 Mar 2007
To: Lisa (TROPHYUSA) [#14] 28 Mar 2007
Thanks Lisa,
I would love to speak to your person.
From: Lynn (LYNNDENO) [#16]
29 Mar 2007
To: Andrew [#12] 29 Jul 2008
EDITED: 29 Mar 2007 by LYNNDENO