Open-source ecommerce (OSC) programs are wonderful in theory: cheap or even free money -making programs ready for the taking. So why isn't everyone an Internet millionaire?
The answer is that many obstacles prevent potential OSC users from learning about these programs — obstacles that no proprietary program would experience. Most OSC programs are created by volunteer programmers, whose interests lie in areas other than marketing and product communications.
There's an old joke that assembly instructions are so awful because they pick the least -needed person from the manufacturing floor to write them. In the open-source world, if no volunteer wants to write Web site information about the product, they don't bother to pick anyone at all. There could be a dynamite product that could change the world, but only the developers would know about it.
It doesn't matter whether a product is free or for purchase. Every potential customer tries to satisfy basic information needs as they move through the classic "sales cycle" of Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action. If a customer cannot satisfy their need for information on a product, they simply move on to a product that does. Imagine that you were at a car dealer who refused to lift the hood of a car, who wouldn't allow test drives, or who refused to give you a brochure that lists the car's features. Can you see yourself purchasing that car anyway? I didn't think so.
Now let's go back to the OSC world. Few makers of OSC programs even offer the most basic screenshots of their product. Screenshots are necessary for the very first step in the sales cycle: Awareness. Many makers do offer demos, it is true, but demos are appropriate for the end of the sales cycle, the Desire phase. A demo is equivalent to the auto industry's test drive, which is the very last step before you buy the car. By ignoring the most critical phase of the sales cycle, the beginning, a huge percentage of OSC sales are lost before they even start.
Every software marketer knows that in order to sell a program, he or she must offer the following ten items to potential customers or lose the sale:
- A factual description of the program. The best product description is concise and written in plain language, without technical talk and hard-sell phrases.
- Actual screenshots. Potential customers won't buy if they can't find out what it looks like. At best, screenshots should be used liberally to explain important features. At a minimum, screenshots should be used to show the storefront (what the customer sees) and the Admin (the "back-end" or private area of the Web site where the owner maintains his or her store).
- Who the product is for. For example, small, medium or large business; beginner or advanced technical skills. A product that sells to "everyone" sells to no one.
- Features list. A potential customer must be able to find out what the program does. What are its unique features? The best will include a "What's New? " list of features that have been added since earlier versions so existing customers can know what they will get if they upgrade.
- Specifications. Also known as requirements. What kind of computer operating system and supporting programs are required. It's on the outside of every software box ever sold.
- Pricing. E-commerce programs are used by business people, who are likely to consider the full lifecycle cost. A low or free initial cost of a program is irrelevant if the product's life cycle will be littered with bug fixes, crashes, or if it's difficult to find consultants for it. Such a product will be abandoned early in the lifecycle.
- A user manual. Also included with every software box ever sold. Who would buy a new car if there was no manual in the glovebox? Or no third-party manuals available? Can you imagine an automaker telling customers to check the forums or the "Wiki" to learn about their new car?
- A working demo of the program. After a potential customer has reviewed everything else, the very last step before making a decision will be to test drive one or more programs.
- A free trial. All of the programs reviewed here do offer a free trial, so this item is not reviewed below.
- Support information. If the maker does not directly offer support, at a minimum they must refer customers to a source of support. The best software makers will certify third-party consultants and developers.
An OSC "Treasure Hunt" Reaps Mixed Results
We did what's known in the world of the Internet as a "classic treasure hunt" usability test: we tried to find all of the above vital information as quickly as possible from the top OSC providers. The results are timed, and the sites with the most information found in the least amount of time are deemed to be the best.
A summary of each Web site in this classic web treasure hunt is as follows:
"What is Cube Cart?" is answered on the home page, neatly and succinctly. Excellent features list accessible from home page. Excellent screen shots are also available you rech them from a link called "Demo" and there is no working demo on that page for the Admin. There is a page of technical requirements and compatible Web hosts, but I had to do a Google search to find the page.
An online user manual is also available. The company offers paid support, but it is nearly impossible to find out about it. A potential customer must click a link called "ordering system" at the bottom of a paragraph on the support page, register as a customer, activate the account via e-mail before logging in. Apparently then the potential customer will receive information on pricing for support packages.
No concise description of the product, so potential customers must already know what the program is before they arrive at the site. The home page is written with heavy e-commerce lingo; it's a veritable paradise for Buzzword Bingo fans (where he who gathers the most buzzwords wins). One screenshot of the storefront is included on the home page. A features list is sorted by version number, which is good for existing customers but confusing to potential new customers.
The company markets three versions of their program to three different target markets, although the home page only mentions two of the versions. A requirements page is accessible from the products or the support section, but not from the home page. Support is well-packaged with "10 incident" easy-to-buy packs directly from the makers, as long as you know what "SLA" means. The support has a Service Level Agreement (turn-around time for incidents) of two business days via email and live chat. A user manual is available on the site and on Amazon.com.
Magento Commerce is the second place winner of the treasure hunt. What's not to love about a site that has product page that lists nearly everything a potential customer could want - features list with screenshots, exactly who the product is for, working demos of both the storefront and the Admin back end. The commercial enterprise edition of the program at $8,900 per year includes support with a one-day response time. An official user manual ebook is available on the site and a third-party user manual paperback is available from Amazon.com.
Minor quibbles include: no concise description that answers a potential customer's most important question, "what is Magento?" and second place for Buzzword Bingo for tech jargon on the home page. System Requirements must be reached through a "Resources" menu. Paid support for the open source version should be much easier to find; instead it is three levels down from the home page via "Partners - Find a Partner - Solutions Partners."
A brief description of the product is included on the home page, assuming that the business person knows what "GNU Public License" means. Ample screenshots are available on the product's home page under "Solutions". No mention of who the product is suited for, which is somewhat alarming given that the features list on the Solutions page leads in with, "although osCommerce is still in its development stage..." Minimum requirements are listed on the same page. No working Admin demos.
No paid official support; support is available from free discussion forums only by clicking the "Community" link and then "Community forums." No official manual, but many different manuals are available including for programmers, designers, and users on Amazon.com.
The home page contains a description of the project, but not a concise description of the product. A potential customer must know what osCommerce is to know that this is a fork of the original osCommerce. No features list, screen shots, specification or who this product is for. No working Admin demos. No support link; support is available from free discussion forums only by clicking the "Community Forum " link. No official manual, but manuals written for osCommerce Online Merchant should cover 99 percent of this program.
"What is osCMAX?" is answered on the home page. A list of features is included on the product's main page. No screenshots or who the product is for. Requirements are mentioned on the "Download" page. A user manual is available from the left column of every page.
The winner in the treasure hunt contest: everything a potential customer needs was located in a mere seven minutes! Concise description and screenshot of the product on the home page written in plain language. Good features list. Screenshots of both storefront and Admin back end on the Showcase page, along with the working demo of the Admin. No direct support, although in the free forums the names of Prestashop team members who are logged into the forum are prominently displayed along with their photos. No official or third-party manuals as of press time, though several are promised.
The only faux pas: the PrestaShop company does support its product with service and consulting, however this information is available only from the footer link "Prestashop services" which leads to the company's Web site in French only.
A concise description of the product on the home page, but that's it - no demos, screenshots, description of who it is for, pricing, or support. Hello! A comprehensive programmers manual is endorsed on the Web site, and a third-party user manual is available on Amazon.com. A features list can be found by going to the tutorials/FAQ section, and then doing a site search for the word "features."
Kerry Watson is a regular contributor to ECommerce-Guide.com, as well as a consultant and author of 14 books in the OSC industry including the new osCMAX User Manual. Her Web sites are osCommerce-Resources.com and osCommerceManuals.com.
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