Time for an E-Commerce website. Help!

[OB1]

I do have a custom designed website, ( www.millstreetflorist.com ) but it is not an e-commerce site. The web master who did it no longer works for me, by my choice. I hired someone else to add some stuff to it, and he says it was oddly put together, and difficult to update.
I know NOTHING about websites, but I think it's time to have it shoppable. (if that is a word)
Could any of you advise me of how to go about choosing a web designer?
I am in the process of updating my logo, and all other marketing materials, so I'm wondering if I should have a whole new site built, or if I can re-work the existing site.
How much money should I expect to invest?
I know many of you laud the Strider sites...what makes them so great?
Thanks for your help.
Joanne

 

[anytimeflowers]

Hi Joanne,
You are going to hear a lot of advice, and most of us will highly recommend Strider. The main reason for this is that you will get TIMELY help whenever you need it. At a fraction of the price most web designers will charge.

 

[Palms]

For me the benefits are the;-

- professinal look of the site which you can have a lot of input in. I actually drawn my home page and faxed it over to the team at strider, we then worked together to get the look how i wanted it.

- the ease of updating, I can have my gallery updated before the first dance is done. If i do a new design i can have it uploaded with various price points in 5 minutes tops.

- the new ticket system, if i find myself stuck or discover a blip i can email a support ticket and within 24-48 hours they are usually sorted out.

Also, this is from over the pond Joanne where there is a time difference. In the past i have spent time on the phone with Jim and Ryan over stuff i felt needed a conversation rather than email.

i must say as well the blips i talk about are mainly the "englified" bits of the site..

Good luck

 

[blumen]

I am very happy with Media99. My Media99 site is www.ludwigflowers.com. Check them out.

 

[theRKF]

I do have a custom designed website, ( www.millstreetflorist.com ) but it is not an e-commerce site. The web master who did it no longer works for me, by my choice. I hired someone else to add some stuff to it, and he says it was oddly put together, and difficult to update.
I know NOTHING about websites, but I think it's time to have it shoppable. (if that is a word)
Could any of you advise me of how to go about choosing a web designer?
I am in the process of updating my logo, and all other marketing materials, so I'm wondering if I should have a whole new site built, or if I can re-work the existing site.
How much money should I expect to invest?
I know many of you laud the Strider sites...what makes them so great?
Thanks for your help.
Joanne

Congrats! It's certainly time for every florist to have an ecommerce site.

Shopping for a web designer is not unlike shopping for a wedding florist. Look for someone with good references, a portfolio you like, and someone who inspires confidence when you speak/email/IM with them.

Similarly, cost can be quite variable. Since it's an unregulated industry web developers are free to charge whatever they can get. Some compete on price (beware), some charge very high rates due to the level of demand for their services.

On average, a custom website for a business will be between $2-10,000 depending on the size of the site and the range of services required (data entry, flash design, etc.).

We're introducing some new pricing for the Strider florist sites, but for a custom site design we charge $2,000 as a base price for ecommerce and such. I would suggest a new design for your site, but if you want to keep the existing design we can port it to our system for $1,000.