Best Online Shopping Cart for your Web Site
It’s another Expert Briefs, where I ask really smart business owners to answer your burning questions.
If you've missed past Expert Briefs, you can click on the undies to see them all –>
This week I asked our panel of experts about a topic we hear discussed in the internet marketing world a lot…
One of the most difficult decisions in running an online business is choosing a shopping cart / payment processing system.
So, which one do you use to power your business?
Do you like it? Why or why not?
Note: There are no right or wrong answers here. Just perception and personal experience.
I hope that this week's expert responses will be helpful in making this decision for your own business.
Terry Dean of My Marketing Coach says:
I've tested and/or have direct experience with a lot of shopping cart systems including 1SC, Clickbank, Paypal, Amember, RAP, Infusionsoft, and others.
1ShoppingCart.
The one I personally use is Netofficetoolbox.com which is a private label of 1shoppingcart. The reason I like it best is it integrates everything into one system including processing both credit cards and Paypal, your affiliate program, upsells, and more.
Since they've been around for years, they have had ups and downs. There were periods where their autoresponders couldn't get delivered and other points where they didn't integrate well with recurring billing on membership software like Amember. For me at least these problems have been solved and have been running well for the past 12 months+.
I use both my own merchant account and Paypal for processing orders through them.
So, that's what I use to run my primary business.
Clickbank.
I also use Clickbank for digital products I release in other markets other than my main one. I've found if you're in niches you can often recruit additional affiliates just by getting into their system and getting a few affiliates selling for you.
This also means I have a secondary system in place in my business in case there were ever problems with one of my accounts. I have money coming in 3 different ways (merchant account, Paypal, and Clickbank) in addition to the affiliate programs I promote.
Be sure to learn more from Terry here: My Marketing Coach
Ronnie Nijmeh of PLR.me (< -click for a special free offer from Ronnie) says:
I've been through what I affectionately call “Shopping Cart Hell” several times over the years.
I've been with:
- A “custom” cart – This is crazy and only recommended in very few instances.
- Infusionsoft – Expensive, always something going wrong
- 1ShoppingCart – Not my favorite, but workable
- Amember – I use this currently for my PLR store where I sell Personal Development PLR
- Foxycart – I use this currently for Product Creator Pro
Amember.
So let's first talk about Amember.
It's a useful tool that I've initially disliked, but grown to enjoy.
At first, I found the interface (of the old 3.0 version) pretty intense and daunting… a lot of features are tucked away, and you need to be a bit technical to understand certain things like protecting folders (folder permissions, htaccess, etc). But like anything, once you learn it, it becomes easy.
Also, it's very customizable with lots of plugins which, again, only becomes useful if you're a techie (or you have a technical person on staff).
The bad news is that they've revamped the software to version 4 (which looks very slick, by the way!), but this rendered a lot of old plugins un-useable until the plugin creators update their code. And their support is pretty slow.
I would recommend Amember if you have a lot of products to protect (like a membership or several PLR packs for instance! 🙂 )
But if you have just one or two products, it's probably not the best solution.
FoxyCart.
The other cart I'm using is called FoxyCart, which I'm using for my publishing web app called Product Creator Pro (which is really cool and you should check it out).
I actually like this cart in a lot of ways because it “saves” the customer's information on file, so they can just login and never have to enter their billing details or credit card details again.
It is a hosted solution (meaning you have to pay a monthly fee), but that means you don't have to worry about things like “PCI Compliance” and server security. A big deal if you take people's credit card information.
It's pretty extensive and can be highly customized, but it's not going to handle things like email marketing or an affiliate program like 1ShoppingCart or Amember can. They've just focused on building a really good shopping cart.
Check out Ronnie's New Project and Set up a Free Account: Product Creator Pro. It helps you to make Professional Looking Ebooks in Minutes
Alice Seba of PLR That you Can Resell says:
Over the years, I have tried a lot of different systems. Many people take so much time to decide on a shopping cart, but hold themselves back from getting started. The only way I was able to find out what I liked best was by trying a variety of options, so for anyone looking, I recommend just digging in and figuring it out as you go.
After all this time, I have settled in with Amember as my absolute favorite.
I like Amember for a few reasons:
* No monthly payment:
While I see the attraction in a 3rd party system that automatically does the software upgrades for you, I don't think the price of many of monthly payment shopping carts is really justified. Sure, profits can pay for this monthly fee, but if I can keep more of that profit back in my pocket, that's good for me.
* All-inclusive:
Amember includes my shopping cart, membership system, affiliate program and mailing lists…all in one place. I have always preferred all-inclusive systems because it allows me to segment lists and ensure better targeting with my market. It also avoids a lot of duplication if you happen to have your bits in pieces all over the place.
* Customization and control:
I love that I can control how Amember looks and functions. I've had a number of customizations developed that have allowed me to improve my email marketing, product delivery and more.
I know Amember isn't for everybody though. It is a little more complex than other systems and some people complain about the “extra steps” they have to do to set up a product. I have no problem with the extra steps because, ultimately, they are the things that allow me to have control over the way Amember functions.
This is cool. Check out Alice's PLR That you Can Resell
David Perdew of NAMS says:
I’ve tried a bunch of cart platforms!
When I built the MyNAMS memberhip community , the search was on for a membership software that also had the flexibility to run my business the way I wanted to do it, not the way the software maker thought I should.
I’m just ending a 7-year relationship with 1ShoppingCart. They have gotten so much better over the years, but the one thing it didn’t do well for me was affiliate tracking. The system required a number of different (and unrelated – hence the problem) links if you had different products.
From an affiliate perspective, that was a nightmare with the type of affiliate relationships I wanted to build. For example:
If an affiliate – say Nicole Dean – refers someone to MyNAMS for the first time, and that referral signs up for a free product or purchases product A, I want Nicole to be rewarded for every purchase from A to Z that person ever makes in MyNAMS going forward. Why?
Well, she said it not long ago:
“David, every time YOU send an email to your lists, I make money!”
I LIKE sending affiliate payments.
For product owners who rely on affiliate relationships, those partnerships are as important as customers are! Good affiliates will hold a product owner like me accountable for many more transgressions if they’re protecting their lists than a customer will. So, affiliates have to be cherished as business partners and rewarded generously.
That’s why I chose aMember even though it was more technical and not quite as up-to-date as, say InfusionSoft.
aMember 4 – just released is much better and is just the ticket. I’m committed because it gives me great affiliate management tools in a very flexible way.
Cross-product affiliate relationships, first-click affiliate tagging, and database driven affiliate referral system versus cookie affiliate programs were the key for me. Everything else is just standard fare.
Be sure to sign up here for David's Weekly FREE Webinars. (They're good stuff.)
Kelly McCausey of Solo Smarts says:
I've been an Amember fan since 2004 when my partners and I launched our first membership site. Back then we had to ‘plug in' an autoresponder script and a separate affiliate program script but over the years the company that makes Amember has improved it so much that today it stands alone and does everything I need.
Important to point out though that I am not using Amember to manage a large mailing list. That would be a bad idea because Amember is software that runs on your own hosting account. So while I use Amember to manage small product specific customer email lists, I will always use a separate Email Service Provider to take care of my large lists.
I have used other carts. I used 1ShoppingCart for a couple of years on a project I bought from someone else. I've also used (Note from Nicole: Name removed by me because they are awful and I don't want to even mention them as it may be construed as an endorsement) in the distant past. While I don't mind a monthly expense that proves it's worth, I never found the $50 and $99 per month I paid for their system to be all that superior to what I got from Amember without a monthly cost.
Amember is intended to be a membership system that protects member content. I use it to manage the sale of services and one off products as well as memberships.
This past fall the company released a new version and since I was rebranding and starting over with a new cart I gave the new version a spin. I am so impressed with it! They've built in some cool features that have cut down the time it takes to add a new product or update product resources. There's a built in help desk and it was a snap branding the whole thing to look like the rest of my site.
What would make Amember even more dear in my eyes? A plugin that makes my Aweber account work with my Amember installation. (Not currently available for the newest version.)
Are you a woman in business? Check out Kelly's awesome mastermind group.
Susanne Myers of Daily Affiliate Tasks says:
My favorite shopping cart solution is Amember.
I was first introduced to it way back when I ran a meal planning service with Christine Steendahl (The Menu Mom), and we needed something flexible and inexpensive that would allow for recurring payments and an affiliate program. I’ve had a bit of a love/hate relationship with it over the years, but always stuck with it because I have yet to find anything better at a reasonable price.
One of my favorite things about Amember is how it handles affiliates. ]
Let’s say Nicole sends me a customer over at Affiliate Niche Packs and they end up ordering a pack. Amember creates a customer record and one of the pieces of information it notes is that Nicole sent me this customer in the first place. This means that from here on out, anytime this person buys something else from me, Nicole will get an affiliate commission. There are no cookies that could expire or be deleted. It doesn’t matter what computer the person orders from (or even if they order from their smart phone or iPad), Nicole will still get credit. This makes it much easier to attract and work with super affiliates (like Nicole).
Amember has a bit of a learning curve when you first get started and I’ve had plenty of days when I was ready to pull my hair out because it wouldn’t do what I wanted it to. In the end though, it was well worth the extra effort. Do keep in mind that the developer and support staff are in Eastern Europe. As a result of time difference it usually takes almost a day to get replies back from customer support.
Want to make more money with Affiliate Marketing? Check out Susanne's program – Daily Affiliate Tasks
Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:
Well, I asked the question, so you know that I have opinions, too. 🙂
Having been an Affiliate Manager for several years, I've worked behind the scenes with most of the carts mentioned above and even a few that weren't mentioned, too.
Plus, with my own infoproducts, I've used … eek! SEVEN different carts.
Which seven? Well, one of them is out of business and two others I do NOT like so they shall remain nameless. But, I will share the ones that pass muster.
There's a lot to take into consideration when choosing a cart, but it really comes down to just three main factors –
- Your Needs – Now and in the future as you grow
- Your Customers' Experience – Will the ordering process be positive for them?
- Your Affiliates – Will They Be Treated as you Wish?
Whew, right?
Let's start at the bottom, since that's the easiest, in my opinion.
1. What's best for your affiliates?
I will tell you this. I earn the MOST money (as an affiliate) when I promote people who are using either Amember or Nanacast. Hands down.
Disclaimer #1: That is making one big assumption and that's that the person that I'm promoting has multiple products for sale – and they are actually telling their customers about them so that you can get repeat sales. But, I know that the sales track and I get repeat sales – both of which are hugely important in getting and retaining loyal affiliates.
Disclaimer #2: I do not choose what to promote based upon the cart, but if two products are equal in all ways, I will at that point, recommend the one that's running on either Amember or Nanacast.
Most of the other carts do not track referrals as well.
What about Clickbank? Is that attractive to affiliates?
Clickbank can either be really good in this area or really bad. Depending on the niche you're in, it may be more difficult to get loyal affiliates, since affiliate theft is so easy. What this means is that I can, as an affiliate, promote a product on Clickbank. Some people who go to purchase (upon my recommendation) will replace my affiliate ID with theirs to get a discount. While this is frowned upon in most circles, Clickbank does nothing to monitor this. This can make it more difficult to get good affiliates to promote you – if you're on Clickbank.
On the other hand, Clickbank has one very distinct advantage. They DO pay on time, every time. Unfortunately, it's becoming more and more common for people to just think they can NOT pay their affiliates (which is theft) – and get away with it. It's very frustrating as an affiliate when you have to ask where your commissions are – and it just should not have to happen. Plus, affiliates talk with each other. I've been in a number of conversations in the past year about who not to promote – because they don't pay their affiliates. (You'll see another blog post about this next week.) However, when you promote someone on Clickbank – you know you'll get paid – because Clickbank is in control.
2. Customer Experience.
This is another tricky one. If you sell multiple products (and you darned well should) – it's very helpful to have a “members area” where the customer's purchases can be accessed for years to come. It's also handy if your customers don't have to enter ALL of their information every time they order and can just log in to quickly order from you. Again, Amember wins here, in my opinion.
If you've only got one product at this point, then Clickbank has a nice smooth and easy ordering process. Plus, they automatically process credit cards, which frees you up to not have to have a separate merchant account, which is nice, too.
In fact, most of the carts have a nice ordering process. The only thing that stands out is if you'll have repeat customers – in which case, having a members area is very nice for them to continually order and access their purchases.
3. Your Needs as a Merchant.
Finally, the third big consideration is what you need as the product seller. Here's where it is SO important to know yourself, your resources, and your business.
If you're just getting started, are completely non-techie and/or you are unsure about your niche – then I'd recommend Clickbank. You can always leave that product on Clickbank and also set up a separate cart down the road once you get rockin'. From a merchant perspective, there are a few weaknesses with Clickbank that are easily overcome with Easy Click Mate – a program that I use on three of my sites. It enables you to run several products from one Clickbank account.
-> I created a resource for helping you to get your product up on Clickbank and you can see it here: How to Sell Your Products on Clickbank
If you've got a solid business (and are totally non-techie) and want something a bit meatier that you have more control on, 1ShoppingCart is solid. It's super easy and can be set up and running very quickly. Plus, as Terry mentioned – the upsell capability is huge. The downside is price, of course, paying monthly for your cart as opposed to paying once. And, affiliate tracking is less than desirably, in my humble opinion.
Of course, there are as many options and scenarios as there are people, but that's just a quick suggestion for you.
There are a few carts that have not been mentioned that are also viable options. E-Junkies is fine for beginners, but is not the best for attracting affiliates. It's a very cumbersome process for affiliates to get links, and you can't get them for the affiliates as there's no clear pattern to how they are created.
So what do I use?
Enough chatter, right? What do I actually use in my business – RIGHT NOW?
On EasyPLR.com, I use Quick Sales which is a reseller of 1ShoppingCart. It's fine, but I do wish I'd gone with Amember.
On JustAddSweat.com and YummyPLR.com, I use Clickbank along with Easy Click Mate.
Powered by Clickbank & Easy Click Mate
Powered by Clickbank & Easy Click Mate
For the rest of my projects I use Amember (I have three separate installations of it).
Time for Feedback!
So, what about you? Are you stuck on this decision? Or do you have a cart you recommend? Please join in the discussion!
If you're at the point right now where you need to change carts for some reason – let me know. I'll recommend a cart for you based upon your needs.
Warmly,
Nicole Dean
Resources RECOMMENDED in this Article:
- Amember – All in One Membership Site Software
- Clickbank – Hands off. For non-techies. Includes a marketplace to recruit affiliates for you. (Use Easy Click Mate to make it more powerful.)
- 1ShoppingCart – Powerful cart.
- Foxycart – I don't know much about this one, but Ronnie recommended it.
- NanaCast – Another powerful options with a lot of features.
- E-Junkies – Fine but very simple.
Brian T. Edmondson
April 19, 2012 at 10:27 amNicole,
I was surprised to see how many people favored Amember as a shopping cart solution. I always thought of them as a membership software as opposed to shopping cart solution, will have to give them a second look.
When I talk to a lot of clients about shopping carts, taking payments online, etc. I find that many of them can get by with just a simple Paypal “Buy Now” button and don’t have an immediate need for all the advanced features of a true shopping cart.
– Brian
Nicole
April 19, 2012 at 11:18 amHey Brian. 🙂
Other than the qualities mentioned above, Amember has a feature that make it appealing as a shopping cart to me. Being able to protect content – which can be difficult with Clickbank and the others.
I totally agree about a paypal button being enough, assuming the person isn’t looking to have an affiliate program. However, for most of my readers, that’s the business model they’re headed towards, which is why I didn’t spend too much time on it. But, yes, as I always say – if this decision is keeping you (not you, but the general you) from getting your product up for sale, slap a paypal button on it and decide on the cart issue later. GREAT points.
Thank you so much for sharing!
N
Shannon
April 19, 2012 at 10:39 amSomehow I missed this so didn’t get to submit. 🙁
But let me share my shopping cart solution. I, too, struggled with a few different shopping carts including every single one mentioned here. And a few more.
But now I’ve settled for one: Premium WebCart. It has all the bells an whistles as one of the ones NOT mentioned here (you know the big one with all the bells and whistles 😉 ) but so much more affordable.
With 1shoppingcart upping their prices, it’s a good alternative to look at.
Renee Shupe
April 19, 2012 at 2:03 pmI’ve been considering using aMember as it seems like a robust system, but just haven’t gotten there yet.
Like most of the folks on the list I’ve tried just about everything, including quite a few that aren’t on the list. Since I most sell services and digital downloads (no membership involvement at this point) my current shopping cart of choice is WP eStore. It’s a WordPress plugin that has some amazing capabilities, integrates with my eMail Marketing program of choice as well as the major payment solutions including PayPal, has a few add-ons for memberships and also integrates with a WP Affiliate which is it’s sister plugin for managing affiliates. WP eStore has most of the major features of any robust shopping cart including a variety of security features and automatic encrypted links for downloads, coupons etc…
I still think I’ll need to look at aMember though, seems like it would work for a new project of mine.
Nicole
April 19, 2012 at 2:19 pmThere is certainly a learning curve, but all I do is protect the files, not the actual download pages, so it’s quite easily for me, now.
Reba
April 20, 2012 at 2:25 pmRenee,
Do you find that the WP Affiliate works well? Have you had any complaints from affiliates that their lead wasn’t tracked? I looked at this and it looks like a good solution for me, I just want to be sure it works okay.
Reba
Reba
April 19, 2012 at 1:46 pmNicole, I get the impression that Amember keeps your mailing list. Can it be funneled to Aweber instead? I would think the deliverability would be better with Aweber than a self-hosted set-up.
Nicole
April 19, 2012 at 2:16 pmHi Reba,
Unfortunately there isn’t an elegant solution to this at this time. With Amember version 3, you could purchase a separate plugin that worked with Aweber. However, much to our frustration, version 4 does not come with it built in – as many of us had hoped. Therefore, I use Aweber for leads, but Amember for customers and affiliates… not the best plan, but am hopeful there will be a seamless solution soon.
Honestly, I’m shocked that Aweber hasn’t taken it upon themselves to integrate. They’d instantly get hundreds of thousands more people in their databases (which they charge for). I think you’ve gotten me thinking about a blog post now… 🙂
Did I answer your question ok? Keep asking until I do!
N
Kelly
April 22, 2012 at 8:03 amGo get ’em Nic! (Aweber)
Nicole Dean
April 24, 2012 at 9:37 amLIKE! lol.
David Perdew
April 24, 2012 at 9:57 amNicole and all… Actually aMember 4.2 (in beta right now and soon to be released) does integrate with aWeber and other autoresponders. That’s the reason I’ve waited to upgrade MyNAMS to aMember 4. (Plus it’s a complete database conversion!) There are a ton of new benefits to aMember 4 that are really appealing.
The hooks in aMember 4 also allow a lot of customization so we can get really creative with upsells, etc…
I agree with Susanne though – you still don’t want to use aMember as your list manager.
dp
Joyce Reid
April 19, 2012 at 3:50 pmOkay, Nicole, I’m going to take you up on your offer to “tell me your needs and I’ll recommend a solution.” What about a good shopping cart for a large e-commerce product website? Someone mentioned 1shopping cart in your reviews above. I received an email from another internet marketeer who says that 1shoppingcart has a huge price increase ready to launch. Don’t know if this is true or not as I do not use that cart.
Kelly
April 22, 2012 at 8:05 amI’ll pipe up and say if I had physical products to sell I’d be with Volusion.com in a heart beat. I reviewed them with a test drive recently and was smitten by all of their features, themes and cools social media blendings.
Nicole Dean
April 24, 2012 at 9:38 amHi Joyce.
I’m sorry. I’m not an expert in ecommerce, selling physical products. I’d be doing you a disservice in recommending anything specific on that front.
I specialize in infoproduct/information sellers – which is who this specific post is geared towards.
Thanks for commenting, though. 🙂 Hope you come back soon!
N
Charles Harper
April 20, 2012 at 10:30 amThere is also Rapid Action Profits + Various Related Plugins.
Nicole Dean
April 24, 2012 at 9:39 amYep. I believe Terry mentioned RAP. I’ve experimented with it on a few projects and it’s definitely got its pluses and minuses as well.
In your experience, do you recommend it, Charles?
N
Mark Mason
April 24, 2012 at 10:16 amSo, if you were starting a NEW PLR SITE today, what would you use? Amember seems like such a mess for repeat customers (they have to log in again before they can purchase) and multiple products (just a messy long list of checkboxes).
The other day I was on a friend’s Amemeber PLR site looking for something you promoted. I could not buy from the sales page because I was a previous customer. I had to log in. Once I logged in, I was presented with a list of 100 items to choose from. I could not find the product I was trying to buy without searching. Almost gave up.
Why do you guys like it so much? I don’t get it.
Regards,
Mark
Reba
April 24, 2012 at 11:00 amMark, I so agree!
I think I belong to the same PLR site, now that I know the ropes I know what to do but the first time was horrible. And then there’s credits that are offered and that’s another nightmare – I finally figured that one out too but definitely not user friendly.
I like to purchase from the picture with a description and/or sales page, not a long list of items when I don’t even know the name of the product. These are the reasons I asked above about WP estore – it appears to be much more user friendly and I’m leaning more that direction for e-products. Amember seems like it would be good for membership sites, just not products, even digital products.
Mark Mason
April 24, 2012 at 12:41 pmYep. That’s the one. And I must say, I would suffer through anything to buy that stuff. But I just can’t imagine that Amember is the best (or right) solution for that sort of site.
I have been toying with the idea of setting up a special kind of niche PLR site of my own — but the shopping cart is one of those road blocks that is holding me back (it’s a great excuse at least).
For PLR, you need a real “add to cart” then checkout function (so people can buy multiple items) AND you need a built-in affiliate management system.
That just IMHO anyway….
Alice Seba
April 27, 2012 at 12:22 pmUmmm…is it my site you’re talking about? 🙁
The download credits are not actually part of Amember and was a separate plugin that I purchased from them. There has been some goofiness with it and I’d love to know about any issues you may be having.
However, I am actually surprised to hear about the complaint of logging in. I started by using a different cart at DIYplr and my customers actually complained. They WANTED Amember because they liked it from All Private Label Content. They wanted to log in and not have to enter their details each time. They also wanted a place where they could grab all their downloads. That’s a feature you just don’t get in other cart systems.
As far as finding the products, they are listed alphabetically…but the newest and the nearly sold out ones are first in the list. Using this system actually dramatically increased multiple and repeat product orders. When I log into other PLR sites that use Amember, I like the list and being able to find things quickly. One thing we can do is actually include a link to the sales page (I think Melissa does this at Special Report Club) with each product in each Amember. That might make it easier to choose the products you want.
I really appreciate the comments because I like to hear about any issues people are having, so we can improve things. That’s the nice thing about Amember is that I can make changes to make things better. I can include instructions on how to find products and add links to the sales pages…I think that’s a very good idea.
I still wouldn’t trade Amember for anything I’ve seen thus far, but would always be open to the dream system. I considered developing one myself, but that would be some time away from now.
Reba
April 27, 2012 at 3:55 pmYes Alice, it’s your site – some of the best plr on the planet but aMember is tough to use as a shopper until you get through the learning curve. I now know how to navigate it but the first time I found something on your site that I wanted to buy when I wasn’t logged in, it took me 30 minutes to figure out how to buy it. Once I logged in I tried to find the product again, like it is shown when you’re not logged in, and kept getting the list. Then I didn’t know the name you’d given it so I had to scroll the whole list, that was after I clicked several letters I thought it would be listed under. Finally, I opened a new browser window, found my item so I could see what the name was, then I was able to find it. Now I know, remember the name before I log in, I never shop the list, if just don’t.
Re the credits, since I finally got used to Amember, I was disappointed when I found that they wouldn’t be listed on my memberships list because I thought at the time that I would end up downloading the same item twice and losing my credits (terrible memory for what I’ve purchased) – but then I saw that there’s a check mark next to the ones I’ve downloaded and I was relieved.
I think everyone likes aMember because that’s what they’re used to using, not because it’s the best cart for PLR. But now that I’m used to it, and have already gone through the learning curve, it’s okay.
Also, thanks for your site, DIYplr, great product and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that I don’t have be a member.
Joyce Reid
April 28, 2012 at 9:00 amI also love Alice’s PLR but my experience with trying to order has been the very same as Reba and Mark’s experiences. For this reason, as I am starting a new PLR site myself, I am searching for a different option.
Alice Seba
April 28, 2012 at 9:48 amThanks Reba and Joyce.
Reba, we are currently working on something that will hopefully add the credits to your regular downloads. I can’t promise anything as the programming is out of my hands, but by accomplishing what I want…it will help our customers and us. Because the download system is completely separate, I have no way of adding people who download certain products to the regular product list. If I can connect the download credits and regular orders, customers can have it in the same place and I can also automatically add them to an appropriate list. I could actually accomplish this manually, which would be a bit labor intensive, but is a consideration if the programming doesn’t work out.
Joyce, I appreciate the input and obviously, take it very seriously since you as my customer. Now, speaking to you as PLR merchant to PLR merchant, don’t agonize too long. You’ll never find the system that satisfies anyone and with any system, there is a learning curve. As I mentioned earlier, I had people begging for me to switch to Amember. It’s just simply a matter of preference and you can’t cater to everyone’s preference. So I’d find something you feel works for you and go for it.
And lol, last night I tried to order my first Groupon and thought I was going to go absolutely crazy. It wasn’t intuitive to me and I got frustrated through the process a few times. So I totally get where you’re coming from!
I still toy with the idea of creating my own system, ideal for PLR…but it will never be perfect. I am also not sure I am ready to dedicate the time and headache to develop it since in the end, some people will hate it and some people will like it.
I don’t want to monopolize Nicole’s blog with my system issues, but I hope that I can talk to the two of you and Mark about the specific issues you encountered. I think there is a lot that can be done to improve the customer experience including videos, tutorials and FAQs just on the order process. I am not sure exactly when I would start looking at this, but would it be okay if I emailed you directly through the contact information I have in my customer records?
Joyce Reid
April 29, 2012 at 8:47 amAlice. My primary problem with your site was not when I made my first purchase but when I went to make additional purchases, I needed to log in. Once I logged in, I got a list of all the products and had to go back to the original email to remember EXACTLY what the product was that I had clicked BUY. Then I had to scroll down the list to find that product. It was too many steps to purchase a product after I clicked buy.
Reba
April 29, 2012 at 8:29 amHey Alice, feel free to email me but I’m not sure I remember every detail since now I have all the processes down. Basically if you study the BigStockPhotos.com site and use that model, it would be a home run. They use credits, they do downloads, and they have a purchase history and those are all the things you need to do. Oh, and I like that I can save my favorites, that’s important when you have a lot of products which you now have.
Alice Seba
April 30, 2012 at 11:17 amThanks Joyce. That is something that I don’t think can be changed, but I do believe their are things we can do to make it a lot easier. We’re actually starting work on those changes and the first step will be to whittle down our inventory, so we have a smaller number of products to work with.
Thanks again ladies and gentleman. Much appreciated!
Nicole
April 24, 2012 at 1:02 pmHmmm… Lots of thoughts. 🙂
From my experience, I’ve had customers complain both ways.
1. When ordering from EasyPLR.com – they have to enter all of their information every time. I’ve even had people refuse to order because I asked for shipping address – although it’s a default in the cart and I can’t turn it off. Also, we’ve had issues where people have crashed their hard drives and they’re trying to backtrack to get all of the content they’d purchased over the past 6 years — which isn’t an easy task.
2. In Amember. it also depends on how the cart is set up, but only those items currently available for purchase should show when you log in. If there’s extra stuff – that isn’t being maintained correctly. It sure isn’t perfect, but I have people bug me all the time to switch from QuickSales to Amember so it’s “easier” for them to buy.
Let me see what else you said and I’ll try to respond in a bit. 🙂
Talk soon!
N
Alice Seba
April 27, 2012 at 12:23 pmYes, people object to the shipping address thing, but I need their address, so I can charge the appropriate tax. With Amember, they only have to add it once.
Clyde
October 29, 2012 at 2:12 pmNicole,
I do have one question. What are your thoughts on DLGuard and RAP using Paypal for purchases and affiliate tracking?
Ok, make it 2. What about Wishlist for membership software?
Thanks,
Clyde
Nicole
October 29, 2012 at 8:03 pmOoh. Good questions. 🙂
I’ve heard good things about DLGuard. It’s been awhile since I’ve looked into it, but I know people love it and it’s supposed to integrate well with a lot of programs to give you versatility.
With RAP, have you used it before? I’m a little uncomfortable these days with programs where the affiliates are paid directly, but that’s most likely just me being overly cautious. Check the Warrior Forum latest posts about Paypal banning people. I think, as long as you don’t mention the affiliate program inside the copy – that seems to be the big “no no” with paypal at the moment. I used RAP a few years ago and it worked for what I needed. I don’t use it now, so I couldn’t give a current “yay” or “nay” to you.
I have never used Wishlist. It doesn’t come with an affiliate management system, but can integrate with others. Here’s what their site says “Does WishList Member™ integrate with an Affiliate Program?
Answer: Yes. Systems like Clickbank and 1ShoppingCart.com can be used to successfully manage affiliates so it is possible to setup a membership site using WishList Member™ and have an affiliate program at the same time. In addition, WishList Member™ also has an integration with iDev Affiliate tracking software. This integration is provided as a free bonus for all customers and it’s located in the “Add On” section of the Customer Center.” 🙂 I know people love it. I just wouldn’t personally feel comfortable recommending it unless you had a plan for your affiliate program, too.
I don’t know that I’ve helped or not. lol. If you have more questions, I may be able to find someone who knows more about those specific programs.
Warmly,
N
Clyde
December 4, 2012 at 8:12 pmNicole,
Since all of your “experts” seem to agree that AMemeber is the best membership software I now, more than 30 days later, have a question about that.
The reason I was thinking about Wishlist is it is WP based, no php or anything. I am not very good with php. Is Amember difficult to use for someone who does not understand php?
Thanks again,
Clyde