eCommerce on the cheap with WordPress

Alexandre Simardbrocheafoin.biz

W(ho)TF? / T'es qui toé?

 

W(hat)TF? / De kessé?

 

Step 1: WordPress.com

"We're gonna have some fun"

First year compilation

Step 2: PayPal

"There's so much we can do"

If only it were that easy...

Nom nom, I eat FORM tags for breakfast

Epic Shipping Rates Model Fail

Are we screwed?

 

Let's just wing it

The buy page - Excerpt

A business lesson

It's hard to sell what you've already given away.

Collectors items!

Enter the cart

"We're gonna party like it's 1999"

Quickly rejected

1. PayPal: awkward UX, shipping still brain dead2. Shopify: expensive3. Yahoo Store?

Are we screwed?

By which we mean: "Are we stuck with Paypal?"

Might as well...

Plugins evaluated

• Quick Shop• WP eCommerce• eShop• YAK for WordPress• WordPress Simple PayPal Shopping Cart

In the end...

Theme• Tarski

Plugins• Akismet• Wordpress.com Stats• Codestyling Localization• WP Contact Form III• And the shopping cart winner...

Step 3: hosted WordPress + eShop plugin"It's just you and me"

Demo

Lessons learned

 

Yes, we can!

 

Buy or Build?

 

Different processes

Build

1. Needs analysis– Functional analysis– UI Design– Programming– User testing– Quality Assurance– Deployment

Buy

1. Cursory needs analysis– Product evaluations– Product(s) approval by

client– Installation and

configuration– Theming– Smoothening of rough

edges

Evaluating products quickly

Steps

1. Do not read online reviews– Define a list of dealbreakers– Eliminate based on feature lists– Design a valid proof-of-concept test– Eliminate from proof-of-concept results

Tips

• Value your time• Be ruthless• Trust your instinct

Smoothening rough edges quickly

• YAGNI. No, really.• Concentrate on public facing details• Vanilla is the best flavour in the world!• Choose at which level you want to customise and stick to it• Something you can't do? YAGNI!

The greatest lesson of all

is happening to me...

Beggars can't be choosers

 

How to make it work with the client

• Explain the process right from the start: pick two from fast, cheap and "good". We sacrifice "good".

• Use the economic argument: the other way is orders of magnitude more expensive and the results are just as unproven

• Be dictatorial: prioritise in his/her placeo Corollary: get to know his/her business

• Choose the right clients

Thanks!