osCommerce Tips

In my last post I had discovered Magento ecommerce.

In the months since then I have become more and more enamoured with it.

It is now my opinion that osCommerce is dead in the water, even if v3 does ever get released.

That means my focus will be switching.

I have already started skinning my own Magento themes, one of which is on show here. Bear in mind it is still work in progress.

It is quite a departure from the default Magento theme, with cleaner lines and the clutter eliminated.

Magento is scheduled to be released within the next few days (before 31st March), and I for one can’t wait.

Earlier this week I discovered Magento.

And I have to say, I wish I had discovered it sooner.

Magento is an open source e-commerce platform that aims to become the new standard for online shops.

Although still in Beta, version 1.0 is due out in the next few months (March 2008). It has already had over 100,000 downloads and the Magento community is growing fast.

Continue reading ‘Magento is coming. Is it time for osCommerce to retire?’

oscWatcher now runs under Adobe AIR Beta 3.

Upgrade Instructions

1. When you next run oscWatcher it will ask you if you want to install an update. CLICK NO.

2. Download and install Adobe AIR Beta 3.

3. Double-click on oscWatcher.air, which should be on your desktop. If it isn’t, you can download the latest version here.

4. Once the installation is complete, goto the ‘About’ tab and check that you are running V2.2.1.

This is the first official release of oscWatcher!

For details about what oscWatcher is, please see this post.

Download link: oscWatcher V2.2

NOTE: You will need Adobe AIR Beta 3 (http://labs.adobe.com/downloads/air.html).

Please leave comments if you like oscWatcher, need help, or find a bug.

Enjoy.

Recently, I have been developing an application called oscWatcher.

Although it is not ready to be released just yet, I wanted to tell you a bit about what it does.

oscWatcher 2 has now been released.

Download it here.

oscWatcher runs in your Windows system tray (or mac dock) and alerts you whenever an order is received by your osCommerce store. Within the application you can see what has been ordered, who by and how much it is worth.

The neat thing about oscWatcher is that you don’t need to keep refreshing your browser to check for orders. In fact, your browser doesn’t even need to be open!

Continue reading ‘oscWatcher - Instant order notifications straight to your desktop’

Are you an osCommerce template designer or developer? Just completed an amazing store design from a client? Then publicise it and yourself right here!

There are many talented osCommerce designers out there, and OSCT wants to hear from you.

Simply post the details or your work in the comments section below, and let others marvel.

Whether you have designed hundreds of osCommerce stores, or only one, it doesn’t matter.

So bring on the awesome graphics and jaw-dropping designs I know you’re dying to show off.

Security. Customers want it. You need to enforce it.

It goes without saying that your store should be using SSL to keep your customers’ details private. But there are several other things you can do to boost your store’s defences.

Here are four tips to help you do just that.

Continue reading ‘4 Ways To Tighten Your Store’s Security’

In this post, I stated my intentions to make an automated phone assistant for osCommerce, promising to update you on any developments.

Well, I’ve been playing over the last week and managed to get all three services outlined in that post working.

Today, I’ll discuss how I implemented the first of those services:

You call a telephone number and an automated response tells you how many pending orders you have and how much they are worth.

Continue reading ‘OSCT Project - The Automated Phone Assistant - Part 1′

You’ve got all the mods. You’ve implemented all the hacks. Your osCommerce store is more tricked out than a magician on steroids.

Now you’re looking for the ultimate in geekyness. Something that you don’t really need but is so cool you just have to have it. The thing that will make your osCommerce buddies crumple to their knees and proclaim you as their new master.

Imagine if you osCommerce store could do this…

Continue reading ‘OSCT Project - The osCommerce Automated Phone Assistant’

One of the biggest mistakes online shops make is not displaying a telephone number, or hiding it away on the contact page.

If you plan to make more sales and jump ahead of the competition, make one simple change today.

Continue reading ‘Why A Telephone Number Might Be Damaging Your Store’s Potential’