March 18th, 2007 Posted in Business, Computer

Open source ecommerce packages: We have a winner

After messing with osCommerce, CRE Loaded and Zencart, I am most comfortable with Zencart. It is based on osCommerce, but is a damn site easier to use and modify. With the addition of a 3rd party basic CSS layout file, I made a layout and had a styled, workable shop very quickly. The admin system is an improvement over osCommerce, but still terrible.

osCommerce need an interaction designer, and need to do some serious user testing. Most people that will be using ecommerce sites to sell their stuff online wont be technically minded. Even if the admin is technically minded, it is still a dog to use.  The admin systems for all these free packages are awful (well they are all based on osCommerce). Sure, it’s free, but the programming is top notch so why is the back end so awkward? All the elements are there in the admin system, but it needs redesigning from a users point of view. Making a simple to use editor for site pages is not difficult and would make life so much easier! :blink: