Ecommerce option for non-code saavy designer?

How long will it take to set up a basic shopping cart?

[zhalbert]

Greetings! I'm a code-challenged web designer. I just got a job to take a pre-built site and add a shopping cart system to it. Now, after I add the shopping cart to the current site, the client will want me to redesign the layout of the page (which means I'll probably have to first match the shopping cart to the current design then redesign it to fit the new brand).

I can take a php file and make small modifications, though I could never write my own shopping cart. I'm fluent with css/html and can write a decent javascript when I need to, but ultimately I'm a designer. I need a solution that gives _complete_ control over the look (not just colors) since I'm going to be redesigning the cart twice!

Also, for something simple like this, how long does it usually take (ballpark it for me)? I've designed plenty of websites, but this is my first ecommerce site and I don't want to under/overcharge.

To sum it up,
1) What's the easiest shopping cart for design customization
2) About how long would this take (estimate)?

Thanks!

[lorax]

Welcome to WebmasterWorld!

I'd suggest you do a bit of research on carts which use templates (eCommerce Templates, ShopSite, X-Cart, etc...). Choose one and then go look at and or buy a template. Then you'll be ahead of the design/implementation game.

Re: time - not sure but I'd plan for 45-60 days minimum to get research, learn, get familiar, design, and implement.

[zhalbert]

Okay, that helps. My main concern is making my OWN template though--I'm not looking for any prebuilt templates. Perhaps template is the wrong word. Mainly I'm looking for a cart with a simple layout structure so that I can take the css and design it to match the brand.

45-60 days? That's quite a bit of time, no? All I need is cut & paste shopping cart code that's easy to style. I'm not learning how to code my own shopping cart. I don't need it to be feature-rich as it's for a wholesaler. Basic functionality with a basic css layout which I can then take and morph to match the company's brand.

I have read the ecommerce 101 post and researched several carts, but honestly I'm just asking to get recommendations based on these parameters to see if anybody else has experience with something like this.

Thanks for the input! Let me know if I need to be more clear.

[rampzoid]

have a look at the litecommerce demo - you can edit the skins using DW etc.

was initially tempted by xcart but found the 'smarty' skins very difficult to customise (you cannot use DW).

i also looked at shopsite but didn't like the shop admin (imho).

[lorax]

>> My main concern is making my OWN template though

Understood. But unless you're familiar with the template system used, you're likely to leave out important features the system uses or attempt to implement something it doesn't have. That's why I suggest you start with something already built, tested, and approved by the community. Then you can learn from it.

[edited by: lorax at 1:02 am (utc) on June 21, 2008]

[T_Miller]

Ecommerce Templates offers their cart system without a template (Generic Version is PHP or ASP). You drop four lines of code into your own design and have the full function of their cart program.

That sounds like what you're looking for. I use them and they have top-notch support.

[zhalbert]

Okay, that sounds like what I need. Thanks for all the helpful responses! I'll try them out.