Blog / Shop

[Kad]

Right, a client has requested a blog style website with a strong shop element.

I have looked around with WP and found plugs like Welcart and WP e-Commerce. I think the YAK would be suitable also and it looks the most preferable atm..

Anyone with any recent experiences / recommendations? Still in a early days so other alternatives could be optional.

[Ray]

Shopify (http://www.shopify.com/welcome) maybe?

I recently built a custom shopify theme and found it easier than e-commerce on WP. And you can run a blog with it.

But I still love Wordpress :)

[jexley]

RAY! If you're willing to pass that sucker around, for whatever prices, I'd be interested because the WORLD NEEDS A GOOD ECOMMERCE WORDPRESS MARRIAGE.

Seriously, if WordPress were gay and e-Shopping Carts were gay, I'd lobby parliament that much harder for legality.

PM deets plz?

[Ruxton]

The last suggestion if you want one system is your best option:
* Coax someone to build what WordPress is pining for, a great ecommerce system.

I've never used YAK, so I can't comment on it's suitability; It looks a bit crap on first impressions. I have however looked at a lot of php e-commerce engines prior to investing a lot of time in writing one and can tell you you're not going to find anything good that makes love to WordPress.

Every time someone suggests a WordPress e-commerce system i ask why does it have to be one system? I see the merit sure, but it's rarely a game changing scenario whereby the blog/website is in WordPress at www.domain and the shop is in shopify at shop.domain or the shop is just at www.domain/shop in some other system. If it is a game changer then put some money in the kitty and fix the problem for the WordPress community ;)

[zeroedin]

I have a fair amount of experience with WP E Commerce (Instinct) now, although I wish it was in different circumstances (client from hell). The system is almost too horrible to work with. Theming is not bad (once you get your head around their file system). Shop management could have been done way better.

My biggest gripe however is the dodgy half-cut hack job they did for the transactions result page and its integration with PayPal Express Checkout. You can theme your way around everything except the shipping part of the checkout page and pretty much the whole transactions result page.

I even disabled the "My Account" section because I didn't even want to know what that looked like. After working/fighting with this plugin I've decided to dust off an old one I built ages ago and wordpressify it.

The thing that gets on my nerves is that all those problems magically disappear if you upgrade to gold cart (and before anyone asks, client approached me to specifically install this plugin but has since insisted not upgrading).

seriously, WP E Commerce = bad karma.

[Kad]

Yeah Ruxton / Zeroedin have a good point. Setting up a separate shop does seem like a good option but styling is seems such a pain when you trying to be really consistent.

Thing I did like about YAK is the simplicity of adding a product ID to a post which makes it a lot easier from the end user.

I have had looked at a few other WP options like Quickshop / Fat Free Cart but it still doesn't quite seem suitable.