As an alternative option to third party hosting for your store, your other option is to purchase ecommerce software that you can install on your website. You will have full control on the software even though you will still need web hosting services. Software packages include features but are not limited to design templates or third-party templates.
What are the pros and cons of having licensed software instead of hosting your store with a third party? First, having licensed software will allow more flexibility for you since it is written using common web languages like Java, ASP or PHP. This further means that you can or hire a programmer to tweak the codes. You will be able to customize your store than most hosted stores.
Furthermore, licensed software will be like a one-time investment for you since you will only buy the software once and you can use it for as long as you like. It can also make your website more professional looking than when a third party will host your website. The whole online store experience can be seamless because you host your own site and integrate with other aspects. Customers often look into this credibility aspect since it makes you look like a big time online store.
With the e commerce software, you will have a reduction in the lock in period than most hosted solutions where it would be convenient to import and export data. This will make you in total control over your online store.
However, e-commerce software has its own set of limitations as well. First, you need to have technical knowledge and background such as configuration of files, FTP, permissions and other related information regarding installing and maintaining any web-based application. There is also an issue of customization. Licensed software will make it a little harder to customize even though it is more flexible than most hosted solutions.
e commerce software can also pose a threat to security to your website. This is because a lot of software manufacturers will release updated or new versions of the software, which means you have to make sure that you are using the updated version.
March 11th, 2010
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