WebMatrix : Create your eCommerce website in few hours

INTRODUCTION :
After spending few hours is searching on the Internet a balanced combination to create a eCommerce Website, I wanted to present a way to create your first eCommerce Website in few hours (then few days !! to customize it and code features specific to your business).


INGREDIENTS:
Take some few ingredients below :
- Microsoft C# programming language [Free],
- Microsoft WebMatrix development's interface [Free],
- DotShoppingcart as your Open Source CMS and eCommerce platform (based on Microsoft ASP.Net)
- Use a 3 months free Hosting such as "Applied Innovation"

START THE FUN :
Once those elements setup, you could start the fun quickly :

Get your eCommerce Home page with your catalogue of any possible elements (here barrettes), where you already have by default functionnalities such as "filter by", "search", "sign in", "add to cart", ...

If you login as an Admin, you will be able to edit the content of your pages, parameterize them (add shipping or taxes options) and add more items to your catalogue.

Unfortunately, if you want to internationalize it (using Euros €€ currency and French language) you will have to have some coding efforts.



CMS TIME (Content Management):
Here is the way you could access your Admin area :

Then, still as an Admin, you will be able to vizualize all those options :

PUBLISHING TIME :
Once properly configured, publish this into your favorite Web Hosting provider which as to cope with ASP.Net as well as SQL Server 2008 (for instance Applied Innovation - I found it good, and if you are numerous to register, I might get some discounts :-) ).

Once registered, you will reveive a email with all information (including passwords, and attached file so that you don't even have to type anytine into WebMatrix settings, just import settings!)

 Then you could be lazy on the WebMatrix part, by just importing the settings attached on the previous email !

From my 3G+ Internet connection (hope it's faster on proper ADSL line) : After more than an hour of deployment (still in progress !! 20Mb and 1000 files) I hope to have a nice eCommerce Web site over the Internet ! and not anymore only on my computer.

GO BEYOND :
Finally, although you could get up and running quicky you eCommerce web site, unless you want to sell only in US some Barrettes, you will rapidely get stock. So either upgrade your OpenSource DotShoppingcart into a professional version ($995.00).
Else, if you have the budget to get a $12,000 budget to have a Visual Studio Ultimate with MSDN and have some programming knowledges, get your hands into the code, since it is compatible.

However, this project is "only" a Web Site type, and not a "Web Application". As a result, you will not benefits from the full potential of a robust ASP.Net web application.

DotShoppingcart opened and compiled with Microsoft WebMatrix :

DotShoppingcart opened and compiled with Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate :  

Enjoy eCommerce !!


NB 1 : I have not considered on purpose the heavy duty Microsoft Commerce Server, and wanted to consider a light weight framework
NB 2 : I have evaluated dashCommerce 3.4.438 wich seams good, but I had you work hard to migrate from VS 2008 to VS 2010 (confirmed by other blogs) and to parameterize their databases. Whereas with DotShoppingcart it was really easy to make it work.