Website needs product/categorisation

[Dick Montage]

I'm building a website for a friend who is starting a new business selling bridal wear.  This site is to act akin to an commerce environment without the ability to purchase online (that is very much not the call-to-action needed).  What I mean by this is that she will have products which will fit into a hierarchical category, with product parameters.

 

Now, I've built entire multi-million pound eCommerce systems from scratch, it's not a problem.  But realistically, is it worth it for this project?  Would I be better served using an off-the-shelf product and then just using it for the back-end work (canabalising the product page to do my bidding)?

 

I'm very much open to opinions on this.  Building the DB from existing models and so on will be fun and work to my exact needs, but building the admin interface is (quite honestly) tedium.

 

Opinions?

[Haggis Veteran]

Personally i would use an off the shelf product

 

although in saying that are you being paid for it?

[Dick Montage]

In kind.  We are mates and help each other out over stuff, eg she stores my DJ gear.  She is willing to pay for any products needed.

 

Any off the shelf products recommended?  Always built my own but don't feel like reinventing the wheel.

 

If I used something akin to OScommerce, I assume I could build a PHP "product" page (for example) that retrieves all product info but I can then use as I please?

[Haggis Veteran]

I am not all too up to date on ecomms products but i am sure the other guys on here will be

 

but i would imagine you would be able to build the "shop" without having a purchase process on there

[Dick Montage]

Yeah, I'd assume the same.  Thanks

[Seahorsepip Veteran]

I'd use Magento, though I would use magento for any e-commerce website :P

[Dick Montage]

I have heard VERY good things of magento.  How's the learning curve on it?

[MikeChipshop Member]

I have heard VERY good things of magento.  How's the learning curve on it?

 

Steep. But then it does pretty much anything you can think of and well.

 

Avoid OpenCart or any JS based cart.

[Seahorsepip Veteran]

I have heard VERY good things of magento.  How's the learning curve on it?

Depends the software backend is quite good and usable for the client and designing is just a matter of css and html edits, you can make your life easier by using a html5 template or such so you got the basic html markup already finished ^^

 

Also don't do unnecessary work, check first if it's already done as example, plugins etc.