Thinking about Zen Cart and have ?'s...

We are redoing our website. It is with another host and we use other software. We are revamping our company and its focus.

We are looking for a simple e-commerce setup and think Zen Cart may be it. We do have a few general questions that we cant seem to find the answer to.

1. Can we build our site off line and then launch it when its ready to go?
2. Can you creat a moblie version of your site?
3. How easy is it to setup and add different payment options?
4. How nice are the host on the main screen of Zencart.com?
5. Any hidden fees?

Thanks for your help and sorry for the newbie type questions...

-Jason

1. Can we build our site off line and then launch it when its ready to go?
Yes, there's info on this on the forum. You'll need some extra software to get Zen Cart to run on your PC. You could always develop the cart in a subdirectory (folder) on the net as well.

2. Can you creat a moblie version of your site?
Not sure. Someone else will know

3. How easy is it to setup and add different payment options?
Some payment options are built in (like money orders/checks, PayPal and authorize.net). There are additional payment gateways available in the Free Software Add Ons section (link above)

4. How nice are the host on the main screen of Zencart.com?
I'm hosted with one of them and am very satisfied with the service.

5. Any hidden fees?
Nope. Zen Cart is open source and, therefore, completely free to use and modify as you wish.

1. Yes.

2. If you mean a version usable by customers on phones and other wireless devices, there have been some projects mentioned in the forums, but nothing firm yet that I'm aware of.

3. Very easy - done in admin for the built-in modules.

4. Don't understand the question.

5. Not from Zencart, no.

Can you or someone give me more info on how to do this? It would be nice to have the site setup and running all at once instead of paying a hosting fee for a few months with nothing to host! Also, can anyone suggest a hosting site that is easy to use?

Sorry for all the questions. I am not a computer genuis or a website developer so all of this is new to me... Thanks agian!!

-Jason

You might want to consider The Book (ad at the top of this page). It has complete instructions on installing locally. Also search the Wiki for 'local'.

Personally, I think it's a mistake, especially for a beginner, to start out with a local installation. Hosting is cheap and you learn a lot about FTP and how you'll be doing what you need to do when your site is live by hosting remotely from the start. Most importantly, if you have problems, you're much more likely to get useful assistance here if we can actually access your site and see the issue firsthand.

Hosting recommendations are offered by Private Message here, but as far as simplicity of use, I don't think one can be considered better than any other. Look for reputation, especially concerning Zencart experience and tech support, and be sure to search for the names of any you're considering in these forums.

I agree with Steve. You are probably better off getting the domain name and hosting. You can easily put up a "coming soon" page while working on your Zen Cart.

You don't have to be a "genius". You do have to be willing to do the work and learn as you go.

There are free templates available for Zen Cart at http://(sorry, site offline)/. Use the pulldown menu to change templates and see what they'll look like on a live site. If you find one that appeals to you, you can use it as a starting point for your site.

Zen Cart does have a learning curve and you'll find yourself :frusty: once in a while, but stick with it and you'll feel :smartalec: eventually.

There's lots and lots of information on the forums and in the Tutorials/FAQ and Wiki.

Good point! Any suggestions on a good yet cheap hosting site for a beginner? Remember, we did have a site on another host for about a year. So, not 100% new just new to Zen Cart.

-Jason

Please PM your hosting recommendations. :smile:

I'll be sending mine shortly.

afo:

Please PM your hosting recommendations. :smile:

I'll be sending mine shortly.

Yes, please do!!

-Jason