Measure Twice, Code Once.

In this day and age of sloppy solutions and poorly defined problems, there is something to be said for thinking out a problem logically and composing an elegant solution to fit the precise needs of your target audience.

I think its a matter of what angle you approach a problem from, and how well you understand all the facets that particular problem has … for us, we’ve decided that most software problems need to be solved from the customer’s perspective. Only after we fully embrace and understand our customer’s needs, can we truly implement a solution to address them. How is it that so many of our competitors are out of touch with the users of their products?

In this industry, you need to know your stuff, and you really need to be your product’s most demanding customer. If you don’t use your own software, you’re headed in the wrong direction because you’ll never understand why your customers need the things they do; more importantly you’ll understand how to avoid bloat by removing that which is not necessary. In that you need to have the highest of standards, and the drive to work tirelessly in order to create a product that satisfies your own personal expectations. This is where companies make sacrifices, this is where they fail, this is what makes us different and is why we’re here.

Why Shopping Carts Aren’t for Winners

I was chatting with someone about Crystal Commerce at one of the entrepreneurial networking events that have sprung up in Seattle over the last several months and they said (roughly):

“I have an online store with a basic shopping cart already installed. Why would I ever want to switch [to Crystal Commerce]?”

Grrr…. As an entrepreneur, nothing, I mean NOTHING, gets me going and my competitive juices flowing like someone questioning the basic value proposition of my company.

But irregardless of whether I think the question is appropriate, I do think it’s important so I’m going to address it here.

Basic shopping cart software is fine for small/low-budget stores that never intend to grow. But why would you want a eCommerce solution that limits your ambition (and revenue)? The answers is – You Don’t! You want to have options, you want features that add value, you want something easy to use, and you want something affordable. Please take a moment and reflect on the image top-right and ask yourself “Is this really what I want?”

There will be over $100 BILLION of good sold online this year! Some of that money will flow through eBay. However, mostly its from direct sales though online stores like yours. It sounds like an overwhelming number, but a massive chunk of it is from small businesses just like yours. In order to be successful, you need opportunity, intelligence, and determination. To be successful selling online, you also need the right tools.

Basic shopping cart software only allows you to sell through one of those channels, doesn’t enable customized customer service by tracking order history, doesn’t enable powerful email and coupon marketing to encourage repeat business, doesn’t streamline order processing and fulfillment, doesn’t give you to the ability to list your products on the popular comparison shopping sites (e.g. Froogle, Bizrate, Shopzilla, Nextag, & Shopping.com) with only a few clicks, doesn’t even give you powerful analytics to better manage your precious advertising dollars, keep a closer eye on inventory levels, set gross margins and keep better track of employees (e.g. an integrated punch clock, an embedded email/task communicator, custom access privileges). I could go on and on so I will … Doesn’t let you … But seriously shopping carts are old and busted, CrystalCommerce is the New Hotness!

As the cornerstone of your online sales initiatives, your website should always be working hard; moreover it should work intelligently, it should add a ton of value to you, your employees, and your customers.
CrystalCommerce does all of the above and more in order to help you earn more money online with less stress. And that is why a basic shopping cart solution isn’t right for winners.
Questions? Agree or disagree? Drop me an email or call 206-274-7437.