The short version is that it isn’t ready to use and you should just move onto reading our Bigcommerce review. bookmark this post and come back in about 6 months when the software has been developed more. the core is all their and looks good. the templates are powerful so your store will look good. But it doesn’t have all the usual refinements and features that you will need to make your online store profitable.
Lemonstand Price Plans
- $29/month Startup Plan. 250 products, 5 Gb storage
- $99/month Basic Plan. 1000 products, 5 Gb storage
- $149/month Basic Plan. 5000 products, 10 Gb storage, advanced discounts *, priority support
- $449/month Basic Plan. unlimited products, unlimited storage, multi-store *, advanced discounts *, priority support, analytics *
* these features while listed as features on the sales and pricing plan are currently being developed so while you can sign up to these plans you can not access the functionality yet.
Lemonstand Pros
Lemonstand Cons
- No app store yet to get extensions and modules for features not yet developed – problematic because the store is incomplete
- No free templates – at the moment there is one template only (Zesty) and it is very blank
Should you use Lemonstand?
If you have the old licensed version on good web host go for it. If you are looking for a SaaS, hosted or cloud shopping cart I can’t recommend Lemonstand just yet. It will be great once it’s finished because Lemonstand v1 was great but right now it feels like a demo not a shopping cart worth $100 a month that you should try and base a successful business on.
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Bigcommerce. That’s what you wanted to know right? We chose Bigcommerce as the best cart for 2014 after a month of testing all the latest versions of almost 25 ecommerce platforms.
Administering a BigCommerce Store
Why is Bigcommerce the best cart for 2014?
- Simple to setup and start selling
- Easy to understand pricing structure (no transaction fees, no extra monthly app store fees)
- Nice designs that work on computers, mobile devices and Facebook
- Full featured by default – no extra apps to install or buy
- Telephone support for all plans
Read our full Bigcommerce review and see for yourself.
This was a tough call with the changes to Bigcommerce Pricing announced recently, but reading the comments and seeing the reaction online I don’t think it will become permanent.
not convinced? Part time author and our mate Andrew Bleakley also gave Bigcommerce his top ranking for 2014, so did ecommerce-platforms.com and zippy cart puts it second.
The second best shopping cart
Runner Up: Shopify. No doubt. Probably could have been the out right winner except that I struggle to explain the app and transaction fee model to ecommerce newbies.
Shopping cart rankings
For those wondering the carts we assessed and looked at during January where (yes this is how we ranked them):
- Bigcommerce
- Shopify
- Prestashop
- 1ShoppingCart
- Americommerce
- LemonStand Cloud (Lemonstand Now, Lemonstand SaaS)
- Core Commerce
- Open Cart
- Pinnacle Cart
- Volusion
Magento and Magento Commerce where both assessed but failed. Magento Go wouldn’t load in any browser except internet Explorer so we marked it is nonfunctional in the real world and the latest Magento installer didn’t install a working copy of Magento. No surprise really Magento and Magento Go have been so bloated for so long that they were never really in the running. hopefully when the new 2.x versions drop things will be different but looking at the database abstraction they seem to be bloating the poor code base further. Hopefully ebay give it back to the open source community to fiox because in it’s current form any version of Magento is unsuitable for most small businesses.
]]>Shopify provides a very limited functionality but does it in the most beautiful way. If you have very simple needs and a desire to present your products as beautifully as possible you will not regret using Shopify.
Features of Shopify
- 24/7 Support & 30 day free trial
- Mobile Template
- iPhone app to manage store on the move
Advantages of using Shopify
- Beautiful interface and usability. It is a wonderful experience using a Shopify store.
- Complete template control. Every pixel and word is customizable. Your cart can take on any appearance you can dream up.
Problems with Shopify
No Facebook store– Shopify has a full featured Facebook store now get it free at https://apps.shopify.com/facebook-storeNo email marketing integration, you have to manually embed signup forms into your template– From Shopify: All themes are required to have an email sign-up form or they are not allowed in the theme store. These must be accessible by theme settings. – Brilliant, I love this requirement. Do a happy danceNo Gift certificates or wish lists– Fixed in 2014 http://www.shopify.com/blog/10096333-introducing-gift-cards-for-shopify#axzz2pehkD5N8 and https://apps.shopify.com/wishlist-followupVery limited shipping support– Still only FedEx, USPS & UPS but there is a generic carrier you can use if you want to connect to something else like Australia Post, Royal Mail, Canada Post- No product sub-categories.
i’m not saying Shopify is without it’s problem’s jus that since this Shopify Review was first created Shopify have worked hard to fix them – I know, it’s pretty cool.
Payment Gateways Supported by Shopify
- Paypal
- Google Checkout
- COD, Money Order, Bank Deposit
- All the major providers are fully supported. Authorize.net, eWay, Skipjack, 2Checkout – the list is endless you should be safe with any reputable provider.
Shipping Providers Supported by Shopify
- FedEx
- UPS
- USPS
- Fulfilment Services. Amazon, Shipwire and Webgistix
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You need a credit card to try the software but it is not charged – don’t let this put you off, it is software you should definitely consider.
5 reasons to try 1ShoppingCart today
- A huge set of features and marketing tools built in to make your store immediately successful
- Backed by web.com so it is going to be there for as long as you are.
- Great support for subscription, membership and recurring billing
- Wonderful tools for complex products like custom designed tshirts & information products
- Simple setup and configuration to make sales the day you signup
Free 1ShoppingCart Templates
1ShoppingCart Payment Gateway Support
- 2CheckOut.com
- Allied Wallet
- Authorize.Net or eCheck.Net
- Beanstream
- BLUEPAY2
- Caledon
- Cybercash
- CyberSource
- DPI
- Echo
- eCommerce Exchange (ECX)
- eProcessing Network
- EWAY
- Fast Transact
- FirePay
- First Data Global Gateway e4
- Heartland Payment Systems
- Innovative Gateway
- IntelliPay
- Internet Secure
- iTransact
- LinkPoint / YOURPAY
- Merchant Partners
- Moneris 2.0
- Moneris API
- Mtrex
- NetBilling
- NMI Gateway Services
- PARADATA
- Payflow Link
- Payflow Pro
- Payment Express
- Paymentech
- PayPoint
- Plug n Pay
- PRIGATE
- PSiGate
- PSIGATEXML
- QuickBooks Merchant Services
- Realex Gateway
- SagePay
- SagePayCa
- SecurePay
- SkipJack
- StrataPay
- TrustCommerce
- USA EPAY
- uSight
- Verifi Gateway
- Virtual Merchant
- WorldPay
- WorldPay Invisible
- Worldpay Invisible XML
I am struggling to find faults with the software because no-one wants to read a completely positive review. Do they? The problem is though everything that SupaDupa tries to achieve as a piece of software it excels at. It is missing a truck load of stuff – but that isn’t a fault it was a conscious decision to deliver exactly what a boutique store would need and nothing more. I love the discipline, it must have been tough at times to hold back.
How good looking and easy to use is it?
It makes Shopify look clunky. It is super fast and responsive, looks amazing and everything is where you expect it to be. I could rave on and one about this but seriously a free trial takes less than 3 minutes to setup so get over there and poke around. Less than 5 products is free so makes some money off it while you are there.
Add new products to your SupaDupa store is a breeze
Right from the first login the attention to simplicity and thorough execution is evident. The simple task list you are presented with not only makes it very clear what you need to do to start selling, but how and where to do it.
SupaDupa Dashboard Task List
The free themes and templates
So you already have a boutique cart?
SupaDupa have you covered – I guess they realeised they were a little late to the game because it comes with product import from several boutique shopping cart vendors Etsy, Storenvy, bigcartel, zibbet and Shopify.
Import your products into SupaDupa
The good stuff
- Incredibly simple and straight forward. Designed to get you selling fast
- Fair pricing and unlimited bandwidth
- Amazing looking themes for free
- Product import from Etsy, Storenvy, bigcartel, zibbet and Shopify – super easy
The bad stuff
- No generic product import – just the 5 specific ones mentioned above
- No choice of payment gateway (only paypal) – this is changing very soon
What’s missing
An affiliate program so I can get paid for telling people how great it is.
Otherwise it isn’t missing anything because it isn’t claiming to be anything it isn’t. There are a lot of features and gateways and shipping functions not yet implemented (and most probably never will be) bit SupaDupa is not trying to be the next Big Commerce. SupaDupa is trying to make boutique online stores sexy and simple and it has absolutely nailed that.
If you find it too simple look into Shopify or Big Commerce – if you don’t I am incredibly jealous, I wish I could use this software – damn!
The Verdict
If you can make SupaDupa work for your product line and are happy with using Paypal and manually entered shippign prices DO IT. For a lot of small boutiques none of this is a problem and is exactly what they want. Lucky for them, they are in for a sweet ride on some spectacular shopping cart software. For everyone else – sorry it’s Shopify and Big Commerce for you (not that that’s a bad thing though)
I do not know if SupaDupa started wanting to be the tumblr of ecommerce but they have succeeded and I couldn’t be happier. They have picked up where BigCartel left off and delivered a stunning interface and slick ecommerce system for boutique store owners.
]]>Features of Volusion
- Ability to run Daily Deals
- Run your own Rewards Program
- Multiple pricing levels available for products and product variations
- Post to Twitter and Facebook directly from Volusion
- Mobile Template
- Sell on Facebook
- 24/7 telephone support
- Wonderful Customer relationship management and Order management
Advantages of using Volusion
- You can tailor it to almost any and all business models
- Search Engine Friendly (there are a few minor issues) but they can be easily overcome. Not as SEO perfect as they claim but not far from it.
- Integrates with MailChimp, iContact, oLark, iDevAffiliate and third party software thanks to a powerful and flexible API
Problems with Volusion
- Super complicated on first contact. You can eventually get comfortable with it but you will need lots of help initially. There are just so many boxes to fill out for every task. This is a lot better with recent versions and appears to be getting better each release.
- Themes and templates cost at least double what they do for shopping carts like BigCommerce or Shopify
- The software sometimes tries to do so much. It has a basis in old legacy systems and it still shows. If this is your first shopping cart and you don’t need multiple pricing levels try something like BigCommerce or Pinnacle Cart.
- I get more complaints about Volusion’s support technicians than any other shopping cart. Not a problem if you never need them. Make sure you pick a good developer to work with and you will never have to worry.
Payment Gateways Supported by Volusion
All of them.
Shipping Providers Supported by Volusion
- Australia Post
- Canada Post
- DHL
- FedEx
- Royal Mail
- UPS
- USPS
What is the point of this site?
Simply put it is the sum total of my knowledge neatly organised to in such a way that hopefully you can use it to make a decision on what shopping cart to use.
I hope these reviews help you. Please leave a comment and let me know if they do. If they don’t leave a comment about that too. Every little bit helps the next person.
Why should you trust my reviews?
I have been building shopping carts, creating templates for shopping carts, customizing shopping carts and doing Shopping Cart SEO for over a decade. I know what makes a good ecommerce platform. I know what businesses need to succeed selling product online. I know what customers hate about shopping carts. I do not review carts unless I have given them a proper hands on test. I create dummy templates, I optimize the pages, I use the marketing tools. 99% of the time I do this on live active sites so I know how they function in the real world.
I do not just reword someone else’s reviews. I spend the time looking at the carts, I constantly revise and update what I have written, I respond to the comments and the feedback. I put my name and reputation behind every word i write.
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Most shopping carts pay reviewers like me if customers sign up and become customers. A small number will pay us if you take the free trial. It is never a huge amount of money, I would need several hundred of you to sign up every week to make it a fulltime job – so tell your friends.
I am telling you this because I have to. I do not think it affects my opinion. I have written many horrible reviews of shopping carts with affiliate programs.
I write reviews because I like sharing my tremendous experience and knowledge with people. Getting a few dollars here and there is awesome and I have bought some cool toys with the money. If you think I would sell my reputation for affiliate commissions though you clearly do not know me very well. Perhaps you should contact me and let me introduce myself.
]]>Great, I would love to, I really would, there are just a couple of things I need to do it and if you can send it upfront (or soon after) it makes the process a lot easier.
I need a trial obviously. Preferably a full featured one that will allow me to test all the features and design elements. It helps if it has demo products and data as well. If you are inclined to set it up in advanced use shoppingcartsreviewed@gmail.com for the signup email. Simply the put, the more of your software I can test and play with the more complete a review I can offer.
A short company profile is wonderful, I love knowing who you are. Include social media links as well so I can have a good poke around. Again I can do all this myself but if you make it easier I can get your review live faster.
Do you have a referral or affiliate program? Where is it, save me looking. It is not compulsory and it will not affect my review of your software, but I would be an idiot not to take any money out there for leads. You wouldn’t want an idiot reviewing your shopping cart would you?
Have I reviewed your shopping cart already?
Are there errors? Is it out of date with your current release? Are there comments that are just blatant lies you would like me to remove? Send an email, I am happy to work with you.
Contact me at anytime on shoppingcartsreviewed@gmail.com and we can get everything up to date. I am happy to jump on skype and discuss any issues.
I will not change a negative review. Thats not how I roll but I am happy to sit on skype for as long as it takes to explain my position, I will also afford you every opportunity to present your side of the story.
Want more referrals?
Get in touch and ask about features, advertising or comparative reviews that will all get more eyeballs on your product. Reach out, I am a nice bloke 
As a rule, I will approve all comments, and leave them that way. Your contributions are very welcome even if they contradict what I have written. I am not precious or perfect please do not hesitate to give me a verbal spanking. I know my grammar is awful and my spelling atrocious - feel free to remind me, but don’t take it personally if I ignore you.
There are 2 exceptions. If you say something I know is blatantly untrue or if you say something that will get me bent over and reamed.
I usually leave all links in, obvious link drops are toast but if you know of a good resource leave a link to it – first and foremost this website is about helping people select the best shopping cart.
Be aware I have a rather good working relationship with all of the companies I review and if you post something that I think will interest them I send them a copy and offer them the chance to respond before I publish your remarks. This just means that both your comment and there reply go live at the same time to ensure a well rounded discussion. These people do have businesses to run and I will not let you use my website to skewer them because you feel slighted.
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