X-Cart eCommerce services

X-Cart is one of the most versatile eCommerce packages. It is characterized by a large number of settings that the store administrator can adjust to his/her store's needs. Besides it's built-in functionality, there is an abundance of add-on programs (modules) that add to it's functionality, or improve the existing one.

If you want to start an eCommerce store based on the X-Cart platform, I will be glad to offer you my support on developing your site. Please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to discuss with you any details relating to your products or services, as well as various features of your eCommerce business, (e.g. shipping, checkout, etc).
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X-Cart Site Installation Services:
The installation of an X-Cart site requires a series of steps:

• Upload of X-Cart package on the remote hosting server
• Setting of all required permissions for the installation
• Setting of the credentials for the database
• Execution of the X-Cart installation script
• Default skin selection
• Post-installation settings implementation

If you already have a hosting account for your eCommerce web site and you feel like having professional support for the installation of your X-Cart site, please feel free to order for the service.
In order to proceed with the installation I will need:

• FTP (or SSH) access to your hosting server (including your host or IP address, the username and the password);
• Access to your hosting server control panel or a database manager, in order to setup a MySQL database needed for the site.

Feel free to contact me for any further details, regarding completion time and charge.
X-Cart Site Transfer Services:
If you changed host and you need to transfer your existing X-Cart site from your previous host, please don't hesitate to discuss it with me.
The transfer of an X-Cart site to a different host is a procedure consisting of various steps:

• Backup of store database and code
• Upload of code to new hosting server
• Creation of new database in new hosting server and import of the store data
• Adjustment of new store configuration settings, regarding the new hosting server
• Testing of the migrated store functionality

Prior to giving you an exact quote, I will need to do a preliminary assessment of your site. In order to proceed with the assessment, I will need:

• FTP (or SSH) access to your hosting server (including your host or IP address, the username and the password);
• Access to your hosting server control panel or a database manager, in order to setup a MySQL database needed for the site.

X-Cart Upgrade Services:
X-Cart has been issued in various major versions (branches), (eg, 4.0.x, 4.1.x, 4.2.x, 4.3.x., 4.4.x., 4.5.x, 4.6.x, 4.7.x). Inside each branch there are minor versions, eg. in the 4.4.x branch, there are the 4.4.0, 4.4.1, 4.4.2, 4.4.3 and 4.4.4 minor versions). The upgrade of an X-Cart site between minor or major versions can be a fairly complicated procedure, especially when the site has undergone various customizations in it's code.

So, for a minor version upgrade, there are upgrade scripts that can be applied autommatically, but in the case the site has customized template files, or a 3rd-party skin installed, many files have to be upgraded manually, ie, by tweaking their code in specific spots, which requires knowledge of HTML and Smarty (script language, which in combination with HTML, renders the skin of the site).
On the other hand, for a major version upgrade, the skin used in the current version will not be compatible with the upgraded major version, so additional skin customization steps have to be taken in order to bring the upgraded site to a similar look and feel to it's current version. So, very often, the upgrade procedure can consist of various steps, requiring knowledge of server file management for uploading files, database management (eg for upgrading, editing or backing up the database) and some HTML, CSS and Smarty programming.
One main thing to keep in mind is that there are not any upgrade scripts for upgrading between major versions, only for the minor ones. So, in the case of a major version upgrade, there have to be various intermediate version upgrade steps, till the final version is reached.
An X-Cart upgrade can last from a few hours to a few days, depending on it's complexity, which mainly depends on the nature of the upgrade (minor or major version upgrade) and the degree of site customization.
What is involved in the X-Cart upgrade process:
Each X-Cart site upgrade is almost a unique case, which requires an assessement prior to giving you a quote. Before the assessment, I will need you to provide me with a list of all customizations and modifications that have been implemented to your site, in case such exist.
After the assessment, I will be able to provide you with a quote for the upgrade work. The upgrades always take place on a copy of your live site (hidden from public) on your current web server or on my development server.
After the upgrade is complete, the functionality of the upgraded site copy is tested and then it replaces your current live site. This last step may take a couple of hours, during which your current live site will need to be closed just for this last step, since most of the upgrade procedure is run on a copy of your store, as referred previously.
An X-Cart site may have a multitude of other maintenance tasks that are necessary for keeping it in good condition and it's catalog up-to-date.

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X-Cart Site maintenance Services:

• X-Cart Catalog data maintenance.

• Mass Import/Export of X-Cart catalog data.

In case you have hundreds or thousands of products in a spreadsheet, database, or delimited file (CSV or other type) from a vendor, that you want to enter into your X-Cart site and you don't want to do it manually because it will take for ages, I can do the import for you. For example, a large number of products with options like color, size, etc, each one with different photo or other attributes, that need to be imported.
Many times, the vendor product file might not be in the right format, regarding the columns of the delimited file. This results in not being able to use the file for import. I can help you by converting your delimited file to the right format, so it is importable in X-Cart.
In order to give you a quote on a data-entry task, you need to send me a representative sample of your data, an estimate of the total data volume needed to import and the X-Cart version, as well as any other relative information (as for example, number of images to be inserted, etc.). Please, don't hesitate to contact me for any clarifications, or further details.

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• X-Cart Add-on/Module installation

In the X-Cart platform there are many add-on programs (modules) provided by X-Cart itself, or by 3rd-party vendors, which add to X-Cart's functionality, or impove it. For the installation of most of these modules you need to have some basic knowledge of remote server file management, file editing (adding code pieces inside existing code, in the right spot), running database operations, etc.

If you feel uncomfortable in installing a module yourself, feel free to ask for my X-Cart-module-installation support. In order to inform you about the cost of the installation, I will need some information concerning the X-Cart version you use and which module you want to install.

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• Administration Setup

X-Cart has a large number of different settings in it's administration interface (back-end) that have to be taken care of, for running your on-line store. Although it has one of the most extensive user's manuals - over 600 pages - with a well-formulated and precise text, the learning curve can be steep and you might still need some support for quickly setting-up your on-line store and run it.
I am available for discussing with you any issues you might have on your X-Cart store setup and further supporting you on it's implementation.

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The look, feel and design of your X-Cart e-store is a major factor that affects the chances a visitor will be attracted to your e-shop and further submit an order, (ie, layout of various page elements , color scheme, typography, dimensions, responsive design, among other features)

In X-Cart jargon, skin is a set of files -called template files - that control the look and feel of your site, rendering web pages both for the customer front-end and for the administrator back-end. Skin also affects the functionality of your X-Cart e-shop in some aspects (e.g. how and when the categories of your products/services display on your on-line catalog). One of the main advantages of X-Cart is that it is open-source software, i.e. it's source code is readable and editable, and thus an X-Cart web programmer with enough expertise can modify it in order to implement anything that an e-shop might require. Each template file renders a different part of your site (e.g. home page, product categories menu, help menu, header, footer, product list page, product details page, cart page, checkout page, etc).

I provide X-Cart Custom Design services, targeting your site's layout and function needs. Template modifications may concern both aesthetic skin modifications (site look, layout, color scheme) and modifications in the functionality of X-Cart.

As an X-Cart e-shop owner/administrator you have the following alternatives for using a skin for your site:

• Use one of the available skins in the X-Cart installation package.
• Purchase and install an X-Cart commercial skin/template. If you feel like you need help in installing a commercial skin, I can help you.
• Integrate your existing X-Cart store with a pre-existing design mockup.

  If you have a design sketch/mockup that you would like to implement it on your X-Cart store (eg a Photoshop design mockup), I can integrate it with your store. This task entails integrating every single section of your X-Cart store (Home page, products page, cart page, order page, etc) with your ready design and it concerns modifications done to your store customer area (front-end) without altering it's navigation flow or the software's logic, unless you ask for this explicitly, or the design requires it. Additional features can be integrated into your site, if you need, such as flash content in your home page, or static images/banners, etc.
  As a first step for this task I will need you to provide me with the design mockups for your new site. From there, we can proceed to further details of your requirements.

• Also, if you wish, you can order a site design from scratch which will render a unique look to your X-Cart store. For this task, some details from your part will be needed, concerning the nature of your products/services, the target customers you address your site to, as well as any specific thoughts and wishes you have formulated in your mind about the look of your site. The design will include mockups for the key store pages, ie, home page, product list pages, (ie pages that display product list as a result from navigating through specific categories, manufacturers and search results), product details page, cart and checkout pages.
  After the site design is complete and approved, I will integrate your unique site design with the X-Cart templates, thus, creating a functional X-Cart site based on this custom design.
• Order any design modifications or a complete site re-design. If you are already running an X-Cart store and you feel that you might want to change the look of the whole site, or some sections of it, or add features that improve it, I can offer you my support. Some examples would be changing the basic layout of the site from 2-column to 3-column, re-positioning of some sections, improving the color look, modifying the site navigation, adding graphic elements, etc.

 

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X-Cart has a very versatile functionality that covers all main needs of an eCommerce store, with the added functionality of a large number of add-on modules developed for this software.

Nevertheless, your on-line store might need some modification or customization in a specific section of it's functionality, that fits exactly with your unique business needs and doesn't exist in X-Cart or in the add-ons. For example, some custom functionality for specific products that you sell in your store, or a different way for displaying specific catalog data in your store.

Since X-Cart consists of open-source code (HTML, PHP, Javascript), it's code can be modified in any imaginable way, in order to achieve additional or modified functionality.

Please, feel free to consult me for any thought you might have on extending or modifying your store's functionality. After I examine your specific need, I can give you a reply regarding the feasibility of the customization you need and the cost of it's implementation.

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