Laws Hosting's Blog

Joomla is one of the most commonly used content managements systems (CMS). One of the main reasons why this script is so widely used is because of its ability to create web sites and online applications with greatly varied functionality. Virtually any type of site with any purpose can be developed with Joomla. There are many extensions that can be added that make the possibilities with this software unlimited.

Whatever your site’s needs may be, it is likely that the time will come when you are ready to monetise your Joomla site. This may seem daunting to you, but not to worry. There are many helpful extensions that will help you accomplish your goals.

1. VirtueMart

This is a free shopping cart component for Joomla. It is fully featured which makes it easy to sell your products online. It comes complete with user management, administration features, payment modules, tax modules, shipping address management, order confirmation emails, product availability, categories and many other features. This components functionality can even be extended with other Joomla components and extensions.

2. JcontentSubscription

This another fantastic Joomla component created for subscription based web sites. If you are selling an informational product, this is the component for you. You can create subscriptions for individual users, any category or article, and for any section of any other component in use! That includes forums, web links, image galleries, bookmarks and files. It also comes with the ability to create different subscription types with different price structures. This component is also free!

3. eBay Flash Seller

This is an auction component that is compatible with Joomla 1.5. It can be used on unlimited domains because it is completely free. If you are an eBay seller you can easily display your auctions from your Joomla web site. This is a handy little component that will allow you to build different modules to show different auction listings on each page.

4. PayPal Sales Button

This is a very simple Joomla plug-in. It is compatible with Joomla 1.5. This nifty button allows you to sell one item or multiple items from any page. No complicated configuring is needed for this easy to use button. You can begin selling right away.

5. Donation Thermometer

This is a Joomla module that will assist with fund raising. It will display a red thermometer that will show a dollar amount increase with each donation given.

If you have chosen to use Joomla for your web site, I am sure you are beginning to fully understand what this software package is capable of. Aside from these E-commerce extensions; there are many different types of add-ons that will ensure that you can accomplish anything with your site.

The shopping cart you choose is a decision that can either make or break your online business.  In many instances, the difference between a successful e-commerce store and a failure is not the actual products or services, but how the products and services are sold.  To keep you from falling on the unfavorable side of things, we, Laws Hosting, have provided some important features to look for in your shopping cart application.

SEO-Friendly

As an online business owner, SEO (search engine optimisation) should be one of your top priorities.  While most site owners have a part in creating intriguing content, they often have less impact on the design and search engine indexing.  If this sounds like your situation, then choosing an SEO-friendly shopping cart is essential.  Signs of a good cart with these qualities is one that automatically produces keyword-rich URLs relative to your site or items.

Coupon Support

It doesn’t matter what you sell, it is almost guaranteed that your customers are looking for a deal.  The best way to attract this type of audience is with coupons.  Numerous reports show that customers are increasingly on the hunt for online coupons, so a shopping cart that supports coupon codes will likely do you some good.  Without this feature, you are doing nothing but limiting your potential.

Cross-Selling Functionality

Cross-selling is the concept of selling customers additional related products to increase your total per-checkout revenue.  A perfect example would be recommending accessories to go along with the hardware you sell.  The shopping cart you choose should offer cross-selling functionality as an either a semi or fully automated process.  The best e-commerce platforms have systems that associate products and dynamically place related items on the corresponding product and checkout pages.

Customer Reviews

Genuine customer reviews make a great way to encourage more sales.  These reviews are like having a peer recommend your store to potential customers.  Think of it as a way of allowing your customers to market for you.  A shopping cart equipped with this feature should either support a review system from within, or allow you to connect to a third-party tool such as PowerReviews or similar.

Sharing and Recommendations

Any potential customer visiting your website should have the ability to share product details via email or in other ways.  Let’s say a teen is interested in one of your products and wants to let their mom or dad know they really want this particular item as a birthday gift.  To make this a seamless process, your store should provide the teen with any easy way to send notification to their parents without having to cut and paste the details.  A good shopping cart application will include a sharing feature, typically as a part of wish list system that calls for the customer to complete some type of registration in order to use it.

Today’s e-commerce shopping carts are loaded with features and these are just a few of many that we believe are absolute deal breakers.  The good thing is that with hundreds of applications to choose from, you have the luxury to be very selective.