Network Solutions in da house

A couple weeks ago we blogged about our experience in choosing an e-commerce provider ("The Late 90's are Awesome").  At the time, there were really two options in the mix - Network Solutions and Shopify.  We tested them both, got (and gave) some good feedback, and ultimately made our decision based on a couple factors.  For now, we've decided to use Network Solutions.



Earlier we had talked about two the two main factors in our decision, which in our minds are User Experience and Customization.  Both solutions offered varying degrees of both.  Network Solutions website is far more technical and powerful, but Shopify's seemed "friendlier."  We chose technical and powerful.  Both products are totally customizable.  Our developer, The Hype Lab, has had their hands full with trying to code our site into the framework provided by Network Solutions.  To quote them, they're basically "reverse engineering" the NS code to then put in our code.  Good thing we had a good tech support phone number!  While Shopify may have been easier to code for, we think in the long run NS will be a better fit.



A couple other factors ended up carrying some weight in our decision.  The 1% transaction fee Shopify charges, the integration of Network Solutions with one of the distributors we're working with, and the ability for NS to handle gift certificates.  We really just don't understand the 1% fee, and 1% is 1%.  For a new business, 1% could be the difference between Ramen noodles and Wagamama for dinner.  While integration with a distributor isn't critical, it will help us streamline our processes of order processing, shipping, and inventory management - all critical customer experience factors.  Finally, gift certificates just seem like a critical component of online shopping.  Maybe we'll never sell a single one, but we certainly want to provide that option to our customers.  As we all know, customers are key.  Happy customers = recurring business = successful business.



Hopefully when they're done working their asses off for us, the good folks over at The Hype Lab can share their thoughts on working with the Network Solutions platform.  Computer geeks (yes, we put ourselves in that category) - be on the lookout!