June 2015 | Thinking2 - Web Development & Design

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<a href="http://bigcommerce.evyy.net/c/131296/155879/2941" target="_blank"><img alt="Bigcommerce Affiliate Link" border="0" height="584" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqdtCeqWESjhDNnzpjUmdXHwA0PrKggf7kAARF9InWsqGFzQABCGW3xs5s-IXgGF8lBiqCFqbu5y4fGn9Un-w2UcvHsHHoEIA4azwJ7gfHWu3bp8h6npcn1mzxlAfZD4GZ_GbXAXWCoDp/s640/BigCommerce-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">Since releasing this post we've also expanded our eCommerce solutions to include <a href="http://www.thinking2.com/online-web-services/web-design.asp" target="_blank">Shopify</a> and <a href="http://www.thinking2.com/online-web-services/web-design.asp" target="_blank">3DCart</a> as well as <a href="http://www.thinking2.com/online-web-services/web-design.asp" target="_blank">BigCommerce</a> to offer better solutions for our clients.</span></div>
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A few months ago we began looking to branch out and partner with an E-commerce solution to provide more robust options to our clients.  Coming from a developer background you know that we have high standards when it comes to being able to control and develop a site without all the constraints of premade templates and out of the box CMS solutions.  Now don’t get us wrong, we do love to provide solutions for our clients using various frameworks such as WordPress when it is the right solution, but for an E-commerce solutions we knew we were going to be asking a lot.  Here are some of the criteria we were looking for…<br />
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<li>Design Flexibility</li>
<li>Product Customization</li>
<li>Secure Shopping Cart</li>
<li>SEO Tools</li>
<li>Reporting & Analytics</li>
<li>Marketing</li>
<li>Social Media Integration</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWDoLhFJ2DrCVsuhEKixV3GvQ4SD0yY8XUcaXoQJ6LNgle87hivxg-Nd6yBV3QH_XytFvFAMhyUD8Af5bAxSxAfeVAIWqpiqbWxT17NVffMP6dKdSP1GVYT1z5PJrFnF_q05qjQZ0JShL/s1600/BigCommerce-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWDoLhFJ2DrCVsuhEKixV3GvQ4SD0yY8XUcaXoQJ6LNgle87hivxg-Nd6yBV3QH_XytFvFAMhyUD8Af5bAxSxAfeVAIWqpiqbWxT17NVffMP6dKdSP1GVYT1z5PJrFnF_q05qjQZ0JShL/s400/BigCommerce-2.jpg" width="400" /></a>Design Flexibility</h2>
We want to be able to wow our clients and offer a custom design that is catered to their brand and image.  Designing a gorgeous site that is responsive and mobile friendly can often be tricky when frameworks tie the designer’s hands and we wanted that to be as limited as possible.<br />
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Product Customization</h2>
Many ecommerce platforms only allow you add product options after they charge you an arm and a leg, but not with Bigcommerce, they give you great control over your products, from unlimited, fully customizable options to flexible product rules and inventory tools.<br />
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Secure Shopping Cart</h2>
Taking payment is the bread and butter of your business it needs offer a variety of gateways and be locked down for consumer confidence and offer the option to setup some of the leading payment gateways such as our preferred vendor partner <a href="http://reseller.authorize.net/application/?id=202401" target="_blank">Authorize.net Affiliate Link</a> or PayPal.<br />
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SEO Tools</h2>
Search Engine rankings in the E-commerce world are invaluable.  With included tools to customize URLs, meta tags and create sitemaps which boost your Google status we were happy to see that Bigcommerce was on the same page as us on the importance of properly structuring your ecommerce site to get high organic rankings.<br />
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 Reporting & Analytics</h2>
Businesses want to maximize their site’s potential, for ecommerce sites it goes beyond that as this is their 24/7 store ready to sell products anytime, anywhere.  Tracking how visitors use the site and what they buy gives any E-commerce business an advantage.  With marketing measurements, orders in real time, inventory tracking and tools to reduce cart abandonment.<br />
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Marketing</h2>
Promotions are one of the biggest incentives for a new client to try your product.  With various promo tools and tracking offering a variety of promotions like “buy 2, get 1 free” is a breeze to setup.<br />
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Social Media Integration</h2>
Our clients want to be able to have the option to sell where their clients are, whether that be eBay, Facebook, Pricegrabber or Shopzilla, and Bigcommerce offers our clients just that.<br />
After weighing many platforms such as Volusion, Shopify, and 3dcart, we felt like Bigcommerce was the best match for us, met our high standards and provided our clients with robust tools at a competitive price that they would be extremely happy with.<br />
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You can check out our newest Bigcommerce client <b>Grateful Naturals</b>, a local natural organic skin care company catered to those that want the best for their skin and their family’s.<br />
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<a href="http://gratefulnaturals.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://gratefulnaturals.com/" border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9Jjrmzh6ywwx2QwPBC6bTy1GFOnWmoqWUQ8bUMcFix1QqGO6qcF12GEg3lTJwJaWICcpAmDmCkQAvV1-eCnI6zRZouXbh5H1A3sIG20kZL2HAOonOi4PWuXcUbgUF_hpqPVsb07vLqYV/s640/Home.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.thinking2.com/web_services/e-commerce.asp" target="_blank">E-Commerce Solutions</a></h4>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">While we love designing and developing solutions for our clients we love to maintain and enhance them even more!  We offer low cost updates and maintenance solutions to fit your business needs.  Whether it be implementing new database reports, rss feeds and 3rd party data, or simple content and image updates for your website, we’ve got your back. </span>

Building Better E-Commerce with Bigcommerce

Since releasing this post we've also expanded our eCommerce solutions to include Shopify and 3DCart as well as BigCommerce to of...