Shape 5

Hi there guys,
I searched the web a lot in the last few days for a descent ecommerce template for VirtueMart but didnt find a lot of good ones.

Since I did a lot of Ecommerce websites, using custom designs and implementations I will tell you what I think is lucked in most templates I find (including yours...)

1. Good and attractive product presentation in the home page.
2. Category page - this is one of the most important pages but it always luck good product presentation, with large images, good filtering options (including price and other parameters), including some useful information about the products but with out being too textual.
3. Detail/Product Page - most of the pages I saw were horrible. This is the most important page. Large image with a clear zoom option, clear attractive description with options to add fixed parameters such as sizes and different pricing. Maybe an option for multi images on product page. and important - attractive, inviting add to cart button.
4. Large but banner space for atmosphere banner.

Thanks,
Ilan.

Hi,

I agree with 'ilanz',

the world of eCommerce carts/shops has a lot to learn from 'real' word experince when it comes to product presentation, information and customer behaviour.

Both template layout possibilities and eShop logic would benefit if it was more parameter controlled and had better granularity.

Virtumart is growing bigger, however I felt the last couple of months I've spent in their forum that more and more of the knowledge to tweak and alter VM, is 'handed over' to the more experienced user. Development team and moderators  seem to focus on small parts, tending to forget a lot of the new users that are trying to coop with all obstacles and questions.

But, VM is VERY easy to alter and adopt to your personal need. Ok, it lacks some bits and pieces, but after have tried out most cart/ programs (yes, I've installed, setup and run them in a test bed before deciding...), I must say that right now VM is the horse to bet on.

Making ONE new template for a cart like VM, is not going to cut it, you would need at least a template per vertical market: that is; one for vehicle (planes, traines, automobiles), one for clothing, one for electronics, one for books/media, and so on.... Because they all have different types of market and to make one template that binds them, one template to guide.... ah, you've heard that one before.  ;)


So, if not going for a total domination in eCommerce templates, what can we do then?
Well, there are a lot of modules and plugins to these eCommerce solutions that need a good trim and some that are totally missing.

Two examples:
1. The VM 'vmproductsnapshot' plugin - here's a plugin that gives you the opportunity to insert a 'Add to cart' button in content. That's all very good, but VM development team has since 2007, tried to get this to work with the JCE editor, so it becomes a button you click when writing, that's right, content!
Have they managed? Nope. Instead, judging by the forum discussions, the user are modding this, finding errors and have to back level their editors in order to get things working...  :(

Wouldn't it be neat if Shape 5 Download area for members all of a sudden was poulated with som nifty 'tools' for your editor (let say the three most common ones), that enhanced your work in the already existing Shape 5 VM templates?
I'll bet a number of new, frustrated VM users would come running as soon as that Shape 5 banner on the VM site announced the arrival of such tools!  ;D

2. Category search and tree selections - VM has no granularity built in where you can choose to NOT show empty categories. So if you're stuck in a product scenario that demands, let's say 200 categories, and you can only populate 50 of them initially, with a prospect to grow, VM still happily shows you all. On the page as well as in the menu modules.

Tweaking VM to not show empty categories, to not show pagination all the time, to not show sorting order on only one product is not so hard. I've done it and I'm definitively NOT a programmer!  :P  (And I've shared this hacks with the community).

But the category menu tree is another story. Here VM team (Soeren himself actually) has cut off his own foot. The code for the module is not...in the module... it's in the VM core files!  :o Any changes on how the module presents data has to be altered within VM. And the logic of how to count categories is so nested and strange that a closer look on what VM consider to be parent, child or active categories leaves you with a messy, sticky feeling that something is terribly wrong.

It would be a stroke of magic if somehow a Shape 5 module would show up in the member extensions area, stating that it took care of a nice solid category routine for VM? Mmmm...drool...  :P


Happy dreams to all VM users and the Shape 5 team!  :D

Regards
Akerman