
I deliver meals to families and am looking to setup online ordering for my customers. I need to be able to customize the "store" to match my menu/website and I need to be able to add and change menu items weekly w/o knowing html. I also need for the customers to be able to pay with paypal or cash or check. I need to be able to set up different delivery zone prices and I need to run reports on items sold to make my production report. I have been researching for weeks and am overwhelmed by all the choices. I appreciate any advice.
Thanks,
CustomerABC
Solution:
Dear CustomerABC,
Thank you for your email.
There are a few things to consider.
Firstly, how do you plan to handle your online orders once they start coming in? Too many (e)retailers are starting an online store without a plan in place to handle the orders. Putting the cart before the horse, so to speak. Do you have a process in place to take care of the volumes you want? Do you have an accounting package that this information will eventually have to end up in?
Once you take care of your processing situation, and then consider which type of cart suits your business the best. No use investing in a cart and then trying to squeeze your business into a model, that may work for electronics, but does not work for you. Think of your workflow first and then get the shopping cart that fits you.
My recommendations are carts especially designed for your industry:
To take care of order processing, consider integrating the shopping cart with your ERP or accounting package. This way the ERP remains the central product hub: all discounts, stock information & pricing structures setup here need to immediately translate to the webstore. Then, from the online store side, all orders will pass through a clean checkout, payment gateway and into your ERP. Planning for the growth pays off.
Email me and I would be happy to discuss your the integration side and help with your exact requirements. Email: rachael at rapidtrade . com . au.
Kind Regards,
Rachael Shaw
Rapidtrade Software
www.rapidtrade.biz