Cart of the Week: Squirrelcart

There are extra than 350 on-line purchasing carts. And every week we characteristic one, interviewing each the cart’s developer or administration and a buyer. “Cart of the Week” just isn’t a assessment or an analysis, however relatively a possibility to find out about a purchasing cart from the individuals who construct it and use it.

This week, we’ll hear from Jamie Whitney, proprietor and developer of Squirrelcart, a purchasing cart by Lighthouse Growth. The corporate is predicated in Westerly, R.I., and its cart has roughly 6,000 customers.

We’ll additionally hear the views of Andy Bents, director and founding father of Go Planet Go and a Squirrelcart consumer.

PeC: Please present some common details about Squirrelcart.

Jamie Whitney

Whitney: “Squirrelcart is a PHP/MySQL-based purchasing cart. We’ve been round since 2002. We simply launched a serious model 3 replace in April 2009.”

PeC: Is Squirrelcart hosted, licensed, or each?

Whitney: “It’s licensed software program {that a} service provider can set up (or have us set up) on their net server.”

PeC: How a lot does the cart price?

Whitney: “Common Squirrelcart is $129 U.S.; Squirrelcart PRO is $289 U.S.”

PeC: What are Squirrelcart’s largest strengths?

Whitney: “We’ve tried to make the storefront as customizable as attainable. Novices can change fairly a little bit of what goes on within the storefront through the CMS [content management system] options and by altering theme settings. Net designers accustomed to CSS and HTML can change the looks of nearly every part through template recordsdata.

“Additionally, it has a robust rule set characteristic that controls when delivery charges, reductions, and downloadable items are supplied. For example, you might give a reduction to a buyer in the event that they spent a certain quantity prior to now, if they’re a member of a specific group, in the event that they dwell in a specific metropolis, if their final identify comprises sure characters–you’ll be able to add a number of guidelines, every containing as many circumstances as you want, after which specify formulation to manage how these guidelines and circumstances are used.”

PeC: What are a few of its weaknesses?

Whitney: “It doesn’t have a QuickBooks characteristic and we get many requests so as to add one. It’s very excessive on our checklist so as to add as quickly as attainable.”

PeC: What plans do you will have for future cart growth?

Whitney: “[In addition to QuickBooks support], our plans embrace higher reporting, a greater export/import characteristic, a contact module, and a FAQs module. Moreover, we plan so as to add the rule set characteristic to different facets of the cart that can enable a service provider to manage when sure classes and merchandise seem and when to supply explicit fee strategies.”

PeC: How would your cart assist an ecommerce service provider, versus the cart she or he is utilizing now?

Whitney: “We’ve tried to make the management panel as simple to make use of as attainable, and I believe most retailers which have left different carts for Squirrelcart discover our software program simple to make use of and customise. From a value perspective, we deliberately supply decrease pricing than most comparable carts.”

PeC: Another ideas for our readers, who’re primarily ecommerce retailers?

Whitney: “One factor is that, whereas we now have a big buyer base, we are literally a small enterprise. I’m the proprietor and the developer, and am dedicated to creating prospects glad. Whenever you request help, you aren’t routed to a name heart with an individual studying from a script. As an alternative, you get help from somebody that is aware of the software program out and in – the developer. We provide software program and help, and each are equally necessary to us.”

A Buyer’s View

Andy Bents is the director and founding father of Go Planet Go, a division of Blue Planet Net Ltd., situated in the UK. Bents makes use of the Squirrelcart to promote travel-related equipment and devices, and vacation gadgets, with an annual gross income round $130,000 U.S. Bents affords his opinions and feedback about Squirrelcart under.

PeC: How lengthy has your organization been utilizing Squirrelcart?

Andy Bents

Bents: “Since January 2005.”

PeC: What are the cart’s largest strengths?

Bents: “I selected Squirrelcart initially after evaluating fairly a number of of the carts obtainable at the moment, together with some open supply [free] ones. I had a number of necessities in thoughts, together with:

“Easy administration. I wished a cart that didn’t require a number of time spent in including merchandise and updating. Squirrelcart makes it simple so as to add, amend and replica merchandise, which saves a number of time.

“Ease of customization. I wished to have the ability to customise the cart to my necessities and was ready to do that. The principle assist recordsdata are very complete and the boards are helpful should you get caught or need assistance. Model 3.0 supplies the flexibility to purchase a set of themes and alter the show and shade of a web site with simply a few mouse clicks. Additionally, you’ll be able to transfer sections and content material round simply and shortly.

“Pace of deployment. [With Squirrelcart], I managed to get the personalized web site up and operating and taking funds in a matter of days.

“Supported fee processor. Only a few months [after we signed up with Squirrelcart], I switched fee processors to at least one that wasn’t supported. I posted my requirement for my new fee processor within the Squirrelcart discussion board and, inside a day or two, the Squirrelcart group wrote the capabilities to deal with my new fee processor.”

PeC: How might the cart enhance?

Bents: “One space that could possibly be improved is the reporting. Though the cart does present some fundamental reporting, it could be helpful to have extra stories obtainable in order that we will shortly make enterprise choices and judgments based mostly on the exhausting figures.”

PeC: How would Squirrelcart enhance one other service provider’s enterprise?

Bents: “You don’t need to be an internet developer or designer to get this cart up and operating. The set up course of is only a matter of importing the Squirrelcart recordsdata, operating the set up web page, following the on-page directions, and bingo.”

PeC: Do you propose on persevering with to make use of the cart?

Bents: “Sure, as a result of it doesn’t stand nonetheless. The Squirrelcart group is at all times engaged on bettering it, and incorporating new options to make issues simpler and fewer time consuming. In enterprise you don’t need to have to fret about cart administration and maintenance – you simply need to preserve the on a regular basis duties as easy and fast as attainable. Squirrelcart permits me to do that. Actually, I like to recommend Squirrelcart to my shoppers as nicely.”

PeC: Another ideas for our readers regarding Squirrelcart?

Bents: “Anybody can use the cart and customise it to their necessities. And, when you’ve got expertise in HTML and CSS, you’ll be able to have it singing and dancing as you need.”

Different Squirrelcart Clients

• America’s Celebration Rental
• Memory Publishing
• Granola Delights