Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Total E-Commerce: Awkward Attempt at Creating Online Stores
Total E-Commerce is Boomerang Software's solution for filling online store-creation gaps in FrontPage 2000. Microsoft designed its Web site creation and management tool, FrontPage 2000, for small-business and home-office users, but did not include advanced e-commerce features. Thus, third-party vendors have created plug-ins for FrontPage that make it easy to build and maintain catalogues, shopping carts, and credit-card transactions. A dozen such tools are listed on Microsoft's Web site, and most are priced at $250 and up. Total E-Commerce for FrontPage 2000 ($149.95 list) may cost less, but this doesn't make up for its inadequacies.
Total E-Commerce consists of three templates: On-line with Credit Card allows you to create a store that supports real-time credit card transactions; Off-line with Credit Card accepts credit card information so that orders can be processed offline; and On-line without Credit Card lets you send invoices by mail or e-mail rather than deal with credit cards. The installation program adds these templates to the ones that come with FrontPage. Then FrontPage automatically builds a sample store based on the template you choose. You can replace the sample text and graphics with your own text and images. Total E-Commerce also includes a secure instant-messaging client and a file-transfer program.
Once your store is created, it must be uploaded to a Web-hosting service that supports Microsoft's Active Server Pages (ASP) to ensure that your pages will be dynamically created in response to user input. The store can be accessed via a password-protected administration menu. Here you can make additions and changes to your online catalog, modify the list of shipping methods, and apply for a merchant account so you can process credit card transactions online. Expert users can save time by downloading their catalog, modifying it in Microsoft Access, and uploading it again.
Unfortunately, Total E-Commerce is lacking in the help department. You will probably have to consult the full 70-page manual to perform even basic tasks, and there is no online assistance. In fact, we couldn't get past the log-in menu illustrated on page 6-3 until we read the note about passwords on page 7-3. And the manual doesn't always steer you in the right direction; the structure of your catalog database can't be modified to add or remove fields unless you make changes in the ASP pages that the manual warns you not to alter.
We also found that Netscape users who visit your store will encounter multiple problems, including nonfunctional drop-down menus for choosing an item's size and color. When questioned, the company acknowledged these problems (although they were not aware of them) and promised that they will be addressed in future versions. Boomerang Software also claims that the sizing problem is a known Netscape-FrontPage problem and that Total E-Commerce was in turn a victim of this. Microsoft representatives, however, say that there are compatibility features designed to thwart such problems in both Netscape and Internet Explorer. Your stores will function correctly in Internet Explorer, but the supplied graphic designs are awkward and unattractive.
Total E-Commerce consists of three templates: On-line with Credit Card allows you to create a store that supports real-time credit card transactions; Off-line with Credit Card accepts credit card information so that orders can be processed offline; and On-line without Credit Card lets you send invoices by mail or e-mail rather than deal with credit cards. The installation program adds these templates to the ones that come with FrontPage. Then FrontPage automatically builds a sample store based on the template you choose. You can replace the sample text and graphics with your own text and images. Total E-Commerce also includes a secure instant-messaging client and a file-transfer program.
Once your store is created, it must be uploaded to a Web-hosting service that supports Microsoft's Active Server Pages (ASP) to ensure that your pages will be dynamically created in response to user input. The store can be accessed via a password-protected administration menu. Here you can make additions and changes to your online catalog, modify the list of shipping methods, and apply for a merchant account so you can process credit card transactions online. Expert users can save time by downloading their catalog, modifying it in Microsoft Access, and uploading it again.
Unfortunately, Total E-Commerce is lacking in the help department. You will probably have to consult the full 70-page manual to perform even basic tasks, and there is no online assistance. In fact, we couldn't get past the log-in menu illustrated on page 6-3 until we read the note about passwords on page 7-3. And the manual doesn't always steer you in the right direction; the structure of your catalog database can't be modified to add or remove fields unless you make changes in the ASP pages that the manual warns you not to alter.
We also found that Netscape users who visit your store will encounter multiple problems, including nonfunctional drop-down menus for choosing an item's size and color. When questioned, the company acknowledged these problems (although they were not aware of them) and promised that they will be addressed in future versions. Boomerang Software also claims that the sizing problem is a known Netscape-FrontPage problem and that Total E-Commerce was in turn a victim of this. Microsoft representatives, however, say that there are compatibility features designed to thwart such problems in both Netscape and Internet Explorer. Your stores will function correctly in Internet Explorer, but the supplied graphic designs are awkward and unattractive.
# posted by Medical Information : 2:51 AM
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