eComm PRO 2.0

eComm PRO enables users to take orders 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, without spending most of their profit to get the site up and running and to keep it updated and online.

Web designers who buy the $395 program can use it for all of their clients' sites and spread the cost out, making the software purchase your basic no-brainer.

Users can put their entire inventory onto the Internet, process credit cards online or manually, provide secure sales, and provide a detailed database of products — a database that can be updated quickly and easily and be used to automatically generate the store.

Further, users can provide customers with such information as product description, weight, cost, and shipping.

Perhaps the part that makes eComm PRO most appealing is that it can be used to build a complete Web site or design an e-commerce section for use in an existing Web site, and it requires no programming, CGI skills or even CGI access.

Because it will work with any Internet service provider and requires no monthly payment — repeating: no monthly payment ever — it is also cost effective.

Users have a choice of using one of the many templates that come with the program or building their shopping center manually, perhaps matching their site or selecting colors to compliment the site.

In addition to the integrated order management, the latest version also includes invoice generation, a publish feature used to upload changes to the server, a new layout editor, and the ability to turn the shopping cart on or off to increase the product display area.

Users begin by filling in the product database, with each product having as many as 12 user-defined fields. Freight costs can be figured in, and the order form adapted to work best with the rest of the site.

The next choice is the layout and design, which can be done using templates or by manually designing the site. Here, users can arrange their store by grouping it into categories, shelves, or lists, allowing related products to be easily found.

Order forms can be designed to include the appearance and fields the user desires.

Finally, eComm PRO's secure server will handle the order administration for no additional fees. Orders can be processed by a users' credit card merchant facility or by using a third party processor. Merchant card fees still apply, but at least the server is a freebie.

Please note that individual businesses can instead purchase a $39.95 eComm Store program to set up their online business, but they then would have to pay $15 a month for server ordering services, which is still a bargain when compared to most solutions.

While the program is easy enough to operate, should problems arise the Pro version comes with free support.

While there are a number of free e-commerce sites, upon which users can place their "stores", eComm PRO gives the user far more control over their business, and it does so at a very reasonable price. It's also a perfect solution for those of us who think CGI is an acronym for "Come Get It."

What is it called again? eComm PRO 2.0

Where can I get it? http://www.trellian.com

How much does it cost? $395

How big is the download? 1.9 MB

Is it worth the money? Yes. It's simply a great way to get your e-commerce site up and running without sacrificing quality or giving away your profits.