bludomain shopping carts

[suyenfung]

i'm considering taking advantage of bludomain's holiday sale and buying a site with a shopping cart. for whatever reason they don't seem to give any information on the cart itself, and i can't find anywhere to test drive it.

i am curious if anyone with one of these sites could send me a client password just so i can browse around a little and see what it looks and feels like.

also if anyone could let me know how the financial transaction is handled i would appreciate it.

thanks.

[viperx27]

most that have bludomain sites tend to go with pickpic for shopping carts, just food for thought. a bit more expensive, but really something thats 2nd to none

[suyenfung]

right on.

i am just curious what the built in cart is like. they don't seem to be highlighting it at all on their site which forces me to assume that it sucks. like their sites (oh snap).

i'm only considering buying one to save myself some time.

not that i'm crazy about pickpic either. it's the best gallery/cart in concept, however they need to hire an interface designer or hurry up and add the interface enhancement features they said would be coming later this year. because it's ugly and not being able to completely overhaul the interface defeats the purpose.

i do like collages.net, they at least have a sexy interface to look at. it seems a little spendy for what it is though, but it's what i'm leaning towards.

[willowdawn]

I have a blu with shopping cart... link is in my siggy. I'll put up a sample gallery in a couple of minutes. Give me a few as Blu isn't compatible with Mac's new Leopard, so I have to reboot from Tiger to upload... the password will be

test

brb

[SamuraiJack]

Just type "bludomain" in as the password on any of their sample sites.

[suyenfung]

thanks willowdawn that was most helpful! nice shots too!

i actually like the cart quite a bit. although i don't know that it's the best option for galleries for hundreds of photos (weddings).

thanks for tip samuraijack i had no idea!

i spoke to pickpic about customization and i do believe i'll be able to do what i want visually with their cart. i'm quite sure that's what we'll end up doing.

thanks again guys.

[willowdawn]

Thanks Jarred! You're right that would be tricky with hundreds of images. I don't do weddings... yet! Honestly, I only got an interface with a cart because I've had many clients who live in different states. I personally think in person proofing is the best way to ensure that clients are seeing images the way we see them. So while I have the shopping cart, and I definitely put up an online gallery, I will be proofing in person as soon as I get my proofing studio done. I have an order sheet that has thumbnails with space to put notes, and size/qty next to each thumbnail. I will put the gallery up three days before the proofing/ordering session, then meet with the client going the slideshow with the contact sheet/order form. It's nice to have the option of ordering online, but I've been to too many of my friends houses, even one with a calibrated monitor and seeing the vastly different effects that different quality displays project. It's scary actually.

Guess this is my long way of saying I wouldn't put tooooo much stock in the online shopping cart. In the long run, in person proofing may be the best way for you as well.

Willow

[suyenfung]

yeah i totally see and completely agree with what you're saying here, and i like your approach of online proofing leading into an ordering session. this is a solid model for portrait shoots and i'm sure it will work well for you.

honestly, as with a lot of my gear, i wouldn't be investing in an online gallery/cart if it weren't for weddings.

the sheer volume of shots seems to require the couple have a way to view the proofs at their own pace. plus i love the idea of issuing print credits, coupons, discounts, etc. and it creates an easy way for the couple to communicate to us their favorite shots for use in their album.

also obviously this is a business decision - we have based our wedding pricing around delivering proofs online, and i do believe we will see extra print orders using such a system. i have little doubt that the cart will pay for itself and then some!

i does make me nervous having seen my work on many uncalibrated screens. there is generally a wild color cast and all lcd's are just too bright! forget laptop monitors! i don't think the average person picks up on that though. i hope.

[matthew1371]

I have a blu with shopping cart... link is in my siggy. I'll put up a sample gallery in a couple of minutes. Give me a few as Blu isn't compatible with Mac's new Leopard, so I have to reboot from Tiger to upload... the password will be

test

brb

Which website template is the one you went with? Just curious.

[willowdawn]

Jinky

[mark parsons]

I have a bluedomain site but I use Photo depository at www.photodepository.com (http://www.photodepository.com) For my cart ,It is only $30.00 per month and very easy to use.No start up cost or commision on sales.I look everywhere and this is the best I have found.
Mark

[xmacvicar]

What?

Bludomain doesn't work with Leopard?!?!?