On October 14, 2014, the idea came about for a low cost and efficient eCommerce site for people in and around Valparaiso Indiana. We didn't want to charge on a per item basis whether it be a percent or a flat-fee. The goal was provide businesses the opportunity to grow without a huge overhead. The eCommerce solution we chose was called "Purchase Local" initially as we were going to focus solely within the Northwest Indiana area. Flash forward 2 years, some company growth, and "Side Walk Shop" (https://www.SideWalk.shop/) was born. Based on the same premise of the purchase local concepts this will be nationwide with a full marketing budget and team standing behind it.
Note: For those checking out the eCommerce site before 11/14/2016 the site will show as closed as it's being internally tested until that date.
Why another eCommerce site?
A way of answering it is why not when you know you have something that is missing and your core competences in-house can handle it? We have found similar sites around the United States that will give you the exact same features as our solution but at a cost of $60-100 per month (at a minimum). That does not fit who our owner John Marx is. He has always been one to give more, exceed expectations, and of course do it for less. It is not that we strive to be cheaper as we look at what our costs are over the course of a year, divide by how many vendors it will take, and then add our standard 5% company markup to determine the overall price. This new eCommerce solution is truly no different from anything else JM2 offers. The price will be $30 per month or $240 per year (preferred; save $120/year) for an unlimited number of products and pictures associated to those products.
Like all products that JM2 Webdesigners in Valparaiso Indiana does you will not see the branding done by many organizations. One might think that being this is our own personal solution we would brand it. The answer is we will not brand the site as we feel this will be a place for multiple vendors to sell their products.
Built on very secure open source technologies
Open source software is used throughout the internet and part of what JM2 uses daily. The system being used is nopCommerce which provides a secure system with the overall TLS encryption being provided by Digicert.
Growth opportunities for those that need it
As businesses like JM2 Webdesigners knows when you start out you want to save money wherever possible without cutting corners. This is where this solution comes into play. You start out at Side Walk Shop and as your grow if you need some features that you can't get you have a migration option to a full-fledged eCommerce solution that has no restrictions at all.
What are all the restrictions?
There are few key limitations to the Side Walk Shop when it comes to features. These are
- a personalized domain name
- 100% Control over everything
- a customized theme and logo
- want multiple languages (Side Walk Shop is strictly US English)
- need to use your specific PayPal account
- Illegal items or alcohol sales are not allowed
For most businesses, these limitations will not affect them.
What's included?
The limitations are very minimal and will only affect companies that need a more personalized branding and marketing experience. You can find out about our eCommerce by clicking here. The solution we are offering is designed for small and mid-size businesses that want to grow their business without having to maintain the system.
Product Features
- Allow Customer Remove (Yes / No)
- Administrator (private) comments
- Available for "Pre-Order"
- Available Start & End Date
- Categories
- Cross Selling with Other Products
- Descriptions
- Short
- Long Description with a rich text editor
- Disable Buy Button
- Disable Wish List Button
- Discounts
- Downloadable Product
- Gift Cards
- GTIN (Global Trade Item Number)
- Inventory Tracking
- Manufacturer Name
- Manufacturer Part Number
- Mark an item as "New"
- Prices
- Price
- Old Price
- Product Cost
- Special Price with Start & End Date
- Call for pricing
- Customer can enter price (Yes / No [Default])
- Product Attributes
- Product Name
- Product Tags
- Product Type
- Publish / Unpublished
- Recurring Product
- Rentals
- Shipping & Free Shipping Options
- Additional Shipping Charges
- SKU
- Specification Attributes
- Tax Calculation & Tax Exempt
- Weight, Length, Width, Height
Administration
- Reports
- Orders
- Shipments
- Best Sellers
- Products Never Purchased
- Low Stock
- Bulk Editing of Products
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- META Keywords
- META Description
- META Title
- Search Engine Friendly Page Names
Training
- Usage manual provided
- One-on-One (Additional Cost)
- Rock the Social (Additional Cost)
Paid Advertising - Additional Cost
- Footer (Across entire site)
- Homepage Slider
- Homepage Featured Items
Conclusion
Two years may seem like a long time to bring a product to market. We wanted to make certain the necessary technology that we use, staff, and training options were available. With our Rock the Social now in full swing and starting in November the last piece of the puzzle is now ready.
If you want to start your online sales for your business the Side Walk Shop may be the perfect opportunity for you. This solution can work great alongside of your existing website marketing efforts as well.
You can reach us at @BUSINESSPHONETOLLFREE@, email at @BUSINESSEMAILADDRESS@, or through our online contact form here.
