setting up a business website for raw materials

I hope I posted in the right section lol

My friend's family owns a small company supplying raw materials and other stuffs (from food to non-food) and asks me to help them set up a website (they thought I'm good with computers since I play games :confused: ). I know a few people who do designing so it's not a problem. What I'm thinking about is how to put it up in the web. Since their primary targets are local customers I'm not sure if I should recommend a web host that has a Shopping Cart feature, and I don't even know how shopping carts work since I never shop online. Also, he wants it cheap.

Any suggestions?

I moved your post to a section that I thought would be more appropriate for your thread.

If you're selling then an ecommerce platform would probably be best as it contains all the elements you'll need such as pricing, shipping and payment gateway modules.

Since your market is local, you probably know your customer base which is a good thing because you can market directly and your customers will appreciate the ease of buying through your store front. They will understand the process because it is much like their own.

Cheap is another matter. I always cringe when I hear a business person describe their needs in this way because cheap can also describe their method of doing business. Inexpensive is a better way of putting it.

There are certain expenses that are fixed when you do business online. Your hosting package should cost about $100.00 a year and most hosts nowadays make it very easy to install any number of free ecommerce packages. With a couple of clicks you can have your files uploaded and a database set up. You will have to learn how to use any platform you choose so do some research into your choices before you commit. Look at the various support forums and see what issues other users are facing and how well and how quickly their issues are resolved because you will be spending a lot of your time looking for answers.

You can always change your mind, uninstall a platform and install another: work with it for awhile and see what suits you. Each platform has its weaknesses and strengths. Your host and your ecommerce platform are arguably your most important decisions so spend the time and get it right. You don't want to change after you're all set up.

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Originally Posted by roban

I moved your post to a section that I thought would be more appropriate for your thread.

If you're selling then an ecommerce platform would probably be best as it contains all the elements you'll need such as pricing, shipping and payment gateway modules.

Since your market is local, you probably know your customer base which is a good thing because you can market directly and your customers will appreciate the ease of buying through your store front. They will understand the process because it is much like their own.

Cheap is another matter. I always cringe when I hear a business person describe their needs in this way because cheap can also describe their method of doing business. Inexpensive is a better way of putting it.

There are certain expenses that are fixed when you do business online. Your hosting package should cost about $100.00 a year and most hosts nowadays make it very easy to install any number of free ecommerce packages. With a couple of clicks you can have your files uploaded and a database set up. You will have to learn how to use any platform you choose so do some research into your choices before you commit. Look at the various support forums and see what issues other users are facing and how well and how quickly their issues are resolved because you will be spending a lot of your time looking for answers.

You can always change your mind, uninstall a platform and install another: work with it for awhile and see what suits you. Each platform has its weaknesses and strengths. Your host and your ecommerce platform are arguably your most important decisions so spend the time and get it right. You don't want to change after you're all set up.

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As far as I know, most of their transactions/negotiations are done either personally or through phone. And I still don't know how often local users search for raw materials over the internet so I'm not sure if putting up some money on a website will gain them more profit. (People here still rely on directories lol that's how barbaric some of us are) And I agree about it being inexpensive instead of cheap.

Currently doing my research on eCommerce hosting and platforms as you suggested and I'm actually being blinded by the prices so far lol but I'm also considering the benefits. I'm looking at the top five from this site: http://www.webhostingsearch.com/ecom...eb-hosting.php though I haven't read all the reviews. I hope someone here could give a testimonial for any of those listed.

Also, a big thanks for the advise. :D At least now I've narrowed down my choices.

I have used Bluehost for years and all of my clients are hosted there as well. The very best support of any I have seen and you can install free ecommerce platforms like Magento, OSCommerce, Zen Cart, Open Cart, etc.

If transactions require phone / in person conversations, and people aren't buying raw materials online, you might consider setting up a website that simply raises the profile of your family's operation in whatever space you are selling.

If, for example, you were able to rank on the front page of Google, and offer a price-match guarantee to anyone who called in with proof of a competitor quote, I'd be willing to be you would start receiving some phone calls. Even if the industry you're in hasn't moved to online transactions, there's a good bet buyers are using the internet to do research.

According to you problems , i think that you can rent a web space and run and worldpress .

Interesting situation you're in. First I'd advise you to tell them all the truth that you're no a techie person.
Second if they want to sell their products online like a shopping cart, it must have to be up through a web hosting that comes in different packages. Even if its not an e-commerce site but a simple static site then it needs a web hosting in order to go live on the internet.
Now what you can do is to make some research on Google. Find some good web hosting service and then recommend it to your friends family, since you're not a web guy and can't develop e-commerce websites yourself.

Thanks for the feedback, Roban. I'll try to recommend that to my friend's family. I only have to justify why I shouldn't choose the rest.

EmbraceHearing & Bliss Ellison, thanks for the feedback. A simple live site is actually what I'm planning to tell them though I'm also considering if they should shift to an eCommerce platform in the future or not.

Yes, I do plan on telling them that I'm not a pro in this kind of stuff and it's kind of a pressure to me really. But I find it interesting and it might help me in the future so I think this is a good start. :)

Alan2011, how does renting web space work?

Hi lazylizzy,
Always welcome.
A simple static site with products images is of no use. How would the users make sales? By sending emails with their orders specification? In the era of tight e-commerce competition, would it seem proficient? I think advise them to start with properly built e-commerce website.