Possible new actinic user

[robengland71]

Hi all actinic users,

HELP. I am considering plunging in and buying some actinic software. In the last 6 months I set up my own design and print business and I would like to offer my clients the option of e-commerce web sites. I found actinic online one day and it looked a very good piece of kit(am I correct in thinking this..?). I currently have a trial version I am playing around with but am not having much joy. I'd like to hear some success stories!!. I have a client who is interested in an e-commerce site so I need to get moving to grab the work!!. look forward to hearing from you.

[wjcampbe]

Robert,

Actinic is an excellent piece of kit and a good investment for any e-commerce site owner.

There is a lot of information in the Starter Guide, the online help, the Advanced User Guide and the Knowledgebase (linked at the top right of this page), that will help you build knowledge over time.

While you learn, you could consider subcontracting client work to one of the experienced builders on here. Your design, their Actinic knowledge = best deal for your client.

[Kermy]

As I see it:

Pros

- easy to get up and running, easy to maintain
- v8 has some good features eg new products, bestsellers
- good integration with many payment providers
- a very helpful community if something goes wrong!

Cons

- steep learning curve for first time designers
- not server based, meaning no proper stock control and tricky to work from more than one PC
- several important features missing eg inability to change invoice layout without 3rd party software / services
- lets face it, Actinic isn't cheap

Without naming names, there are several server-based cart providers that offer a good product. If real-time stock control is a must for your clients then I'm afraid Actinic isn't for them, but for most sites, especially for small-medium companies, you could do far worse.

[RuralWeb]

You can see some Actinic V8 designs here http://community.actinic.com/showthr...light=showcase there are others on the Actinic website together with some "sucess stories"

[robengland71]

Quote

I believe the actinic would be the way forward for me. But like you say I may be as well to find someone to help me with the website as I am also going through a ciw course in e-commerce at the moment so have alot on my plate. I have been approached by a client of mine to produce an e-commerce web site for a clothing company. The company is in the very early stages at the moment and just establishing some stock. I think what is required is a small flash intro for main page going into e-commerce site which should be easy to navigate and have a very fresh and funky appeal. If you or anyone else could help with a quote and maybe some advice that'll be fantastic. Cheers Rob.

[chris ashdown]

I would reccomend that for a start you keep the design simple with the main effort being on photo's and description of each product. Remember the customer cannot feel the cloth or see the small detail so the better the description the more potential sales

Keep the number of clicks to a minimum or else you will loose customers half way through the site

Play with the 30 day free trial and set up your own site by your own input, you will then be able to see if you need help and if so will be able to be exact in your requirements of what you need, you will probably find that with the help of the forum you can do either all or most yourself

Kermy makes a point of multi pc's this is covered in the multi-user version of actinic, and stock control can beupdated many times a day using some of jans software at moleend

Norman at Drillpine also has a number of enhansements you may find usefull

Best of luck