What software and scripts do you recommend for setting up an eCommerce site?

[ScootaMan]

Hello,

I just signed up for a Hostmonster site and I want to build a business website to sell mopeds? I would appreciate any suggestions on which softwares and scripts would be best to install and which ones are compatible?

I've been thinking of using Zen Cart. If I use Zen Cart, would that take the place of one of the content managers like Joomla?

I'm getting dizzy from all the choices. What do you recommend? :)

[shadmego]

Any shopping cart program you want to use would work as long as it supported php, MySQL, postgreSQL, perl, etc. Basically, anything that is standard to a Linux webserver environment would work for any shopping cart you want to install.

The real question is what functionality to you want to have in your shopping cart? Do you want to make it very easy to upload new products? How much are you willing to spend on a program like this? osCommerce, Cube Cart, and Zen Cart are all "free" programs, but Cube Cart requires a licence to remove the copyright. These are also all found in the Fantastico Installer program located in your accounts CPanel.

There are a couple of other carts available through Hostmonster, but they require a license to use. Look under the Partners and Promotional tabs in CPanel.

I'm not sure what you mean by your question about Zen Cart and Joomla!. Are you asking if Zen Cart will give you the functionality of a program like Joomla!? If so, then no ... Zen Cart is a shopping cart program, not a Content Mangement System.

If you want a full-blown CMS like Joomla!, then you can install Joomla! and then install the shopping cart called VirtueMart (a Joomla! component that gives a Joomla! installation the functionality of a shopping cart).

There are indeed many choices for you to make, but you can ease your pain by making a list of what features you want on your site. Then "go shopping" for the program that best matches the feature sets you want to incorporate into your new site.

As always, please ask any questions you may have. We are all here to help.

~regard, and welcome to the Community!

[ScootaMan]

I think Joomla and VirtueMart was what I used a couple of years ago on a website. That was the only choice that the hosting site offered.

I want to set-up something that is easy to maintain and looks professional.

I will probably never list more than 50 items on my site so I don't think I need a high powered shopping cart, but I do want one that is simple for the customer to use.

If you use Zen Cart, how do you like it?

[shadmego]

I don't have any personal experience with Zen Cart, but the community looks solid and I haven't heard anything bad about the support for the shopping cart software.

Only recommendation I can give you is install the software and test it out. The good thing is you can delete it and start over with a different cart if you don't like it! ;)

Good luck
~regards