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Ecommerce Site – Bespoke or Off-The-Shelf?
February 8th, 2010
Web designers have many options when developing an ecommerce site. The main decision to make is whether to use an off-the-shelf product or develop a bespoke ecommerce site. There are advantages and disadvanteges to both but as with so much in life, it comes down to budget!
The first option is to use an off-the-shelf product like OScommerce which allows you to setup an ecommerce site quickly and relatively easily. Development costs for these sites are usually lower as much of the code is already written and all you have to do is plug in various parts of the site to make it functional. The back end system is good and caters for just about every thing you need. The main disadvantage to this is that the graphic design can be restrictive and it can be difficult to deveop an eye catching design using the off-the-shelf products due to their limitations. However, the cost reduction in this may make it a price worth paying.
The alternative is to have a completely bespoke site that is designed from the ground up. While more expensive, the freedom this gives you is huge in that your web designers will be able to create a graphic design without any limitations. This will allow a much more creative and eye catching design that will stand out from the rest.
You will also keep all control of functionality and should you need to add any functionality that is not included in an off-the-shelf product, it will not be a problem. In the long run, this could be a wiser investment.
