Interspire - Tell me about your experiences
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...the website looks awesome, but whats the score?
it'll have its advantages and disadvantages.
anyone got a quick overview without me trawling their forum? -
Ok i have been looking at this
i have not tried the demo but i think i will have to as i need some answers. One of the main questions i have is the template editing. I have read and watched the video's and it mentions about downloading templates now this interests me as that's the bit i like about actinic.
The package looks nice, but flexibility i can get a feel for yet. It has some neat features including the automatic adwords generation and export for all your products, a seperate adword advert for individual products.
The shipping setup looks very good, loads of options but simple to do, i know it was a sales video but they showed how they set them up, so you know its in the software
OK so im easily pleased but its definately worth taking a look, im not saying im going to replace my current actinic sites but if V10 does not shape up to be something better then its a serious consideration.
I make that two programs i need to look at now :rolleyes: -
Ive made some comments here http://www.talkaboutselling.co.uk/showpost.php?p=460&postcount=8
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Some cons:
1) Doesn't produce Alt tags.
2) Can't edit the HTML page name - it automatically mirrors the product title although I've been told its on the cards.
3) need to subscribe to their support to get product updates
4) no telephone support, support ticket only
Pros
Too many!
1) Try the design mode, for simple store adjustments and i do mean simple, its a case of simple drag and drop for the key elements. (I believe it uses Ajax for this - last time i saw that my mum used it for cleaning floors - its come a long way!)
2) It prints orders that fit onto the same paper as Actinic, great if your running both software!
3) Export of orders into CSV files
4) Shipping is fab with real time pricing
5) gift vouchers, wishlists...
6) up to 30 users (which you can allocate usability to) logged in at the same time with the top of the range pack)
Can you tell i'm lovin' it so far:) -
A minor SEO point but it would be nice if it didDoesn't produce Alt tags.
Maybe a good thing as it keeps them focused2) Can't edit the HTML page name - it automatically mirrors the product title although I've been told its on the cards.
A minor cost in comparison to others;)3) need to subscribe to their support to get product updates -
Its interesting to see there are different levels but the most exspensive still not actually that bad.
Definately need to try the demo, wondering how easy it is to input hundreds of products, can this be done with a simple csv file. Bet it can be done with an xml but another failing of Actinic.
Im off on holiday so unfortunately im not going to get a chance to look at this for a few weeks, so you guys are going to have to let me know how you get on ;) -
The more I play with this the more I like it. Even product variations can have weight changes applied to them to change shipping costs which for the uk can be applied to counties or postcodes.
Product bulk editing is also available and the images are resized/optimised from one main image which can be added from the desktop or suppliers website - this solves one of my biggest problems with clients and actinic. Image addition is always a nightmare as you need to supply and train clients to optimise images with this that is taken away. Ive told actinic towers time and time again about image addition but as usual they never listen. -
Multiple images can also be easily added AND when you add to cart you stay on the same page, the product is added with an image in the basket and images in the single page checkout - VERY NICE. Google Checkout is there as well as multiple currencies which can be easily defined.
Product reviews are standard as well and the star rating is also added to the best seller layouts.
SEO looks better than I first thought with an option for SEO friendly urls which sloves one of the problems I saw with the showcase site. -
I believe you can privately badge the software too.
I've seen a number of US sites called something completely different, costing much more, but its interspire.
They release updates very often 2-3 weeks which can mess around with customizations.
The product title is not currently in H1 tags, but apparently this can be customized with a bit of php and html.
Real time shipping costs are so clever. -
Ooo this looks interesting, Again for a design specificationon one of the internal jobs in the towers, I wrote about Magento, and getting the heads on, investigating this, as it seems to be an up and coming force.
[quote]Bet it can be done with an xml but another failing of Actinic.
I will be surprised if that DOESN'T come into V10!, if it doesn't then the managers haven't really taken anything from what a group of us have said. -
Products import so easily.
I did a basic excel extraction form my actinic (changed the names) saved as a CSV file and then matched the fields in their import screen. Job done.
Their demo store is now selling Spam diddly am birthdays cake and cucumber.
That was so easy.
Ah!! I'm in love.. -
I'm following this with great interest.
We're currently in discussion with 'folk' about buying a large business whose website is currently using, I think, oscommerce.
We'd definitely be looking to change that but actinic would not be up to the job.
When the kids are back at school, I'll take a further look at this cart. -
If you could recreate the acatalog part of the url then you could maintain your urls so you would not need redirects. Rankings maybe affected BUT this software uses validated code which actinic can never do so in theory your rankings should be better.Would it damage your rankings..?
There are specific importers for certain other ecommerce software offerings so it maybe that they would build one specific to import actinic websites which will change the central part of the url to acatalog - future product additions could revert to thier standard method of naming or they may already be an option to change that that I have missed. -
Ruralweb said:but it would be worth talking to them and asking what they think is the best way.;)
You can bet i will.
This is the most upbeat i've felt in a long time.
I've felt trapped in an actinic vacuum of spiralling problems and as i've said before makes one person its slave which for a growing business is not healthy.
Really good thread this.
Appreciate your advice Malcolm! -
Ruralweb said:Well you are in luck as there is an inbuilt website import for oscommerce - it looks like you just point it to the live os site and it will rip it in
Result!
This will definitely be a BIG plus if we did go ahead because I'm sure this Interspire cart will FAR exceed OSCommerce's 'talents'!! -
I will be interested to know as soon as someone, if they do, goes live with an interspire site.
i wonder if any ex Actinic customers have already. Also does anyone remember the other company similar to actinic based in the UK, i did look at it once, did not seem to bad but never really got around to setting up a site and testing it. -
Donna said:trapped in an actinic vacuum of spiralling problems and as i've said before makes one person its slave
With more errors than ever the feeling is getting the same here. Can't even take a snapshot, it's like leaving the key to the shop in the lock hoping nobody see its. Snapshots in actinic are a businesses lifeline yet so many problems centre around them.:( -
I'm composing an email now (in between trying to cook Sunday lunch - running late been a tad distracted).
I'll let you know what they say.
I've also emailed webfusion for help finding a server set up that's compatible.
$49 for setting it up for me is well worth it.
It needs the Mod_rewrite for Apache for search engine friendly links. I see this as essential and not optional. -
messing with them will cost them big style. This software however can be set to auto make backups at regular intervals (twice a day if required) so no need for snapshot type functions.Snapshots in actinic are a businesses lifeline yet so many problems centre around them -
I like the spellcheck in the product editor:D:D HOW long have people been asking for that in Actinic?
To me its everything Actinic is not and more - the more I look at it the more I think of the time I have wasted on Actinic.
I think that the professional level is the minimum that people should go for as it has all the backup features. Thats not to say that you could not have the starter and use the backup systems provided by your host but its nice to keep everything in ones place.
The fact that the newsletter, reviews, backup, live chat, stats, adwords generation etc are all inbuilt makes its easier to train clients to use.
I remember when V8 first came out that I told CD my test of software was that if I could not use it fully in less than an hour it was useless. This software can can say that my test has been passed where as with Actinic I still struggle some days after 5 years of using it. -
This will have to be my last post until the family is fed!
To me its everything i could wish for and makes actinic look like a wooden toy form the 1800's in comparison.
The top of the range model can control everything (and is very very affordable) and you can assign different levels of access to your staff + it logs all the actions so you can check up on them ;) Non of this so call multiuser license rip off crap which works at a snails pace.
So far it appears the perfect platform as you can really grow a professional, manageable business.
Its ignited me and reinvigorated my passion for ecommerce, a flame actinic had killed in me. -
Interspire Shopping Cart Multi Vendor edition allows multiple vendors to sell online through a single storefront. Each vendor has their own profile, web pages and featured products, can add their own products, process orders and refunds, and more.
Shoppers can purchase from multiple vendors in a single transaction and can even specify multiple shipping addresses for items in their order. Vendors can create, distribute and track coupon codes and gift certifies, create promotional banners and more.
Interspire Shopping Cart Multi Vendor edition is the only virtual mall software on the market which can handle hundreds of vendors, hundreds of thousands of products and millions of customers from one integrated system.
Something else that is being asked of Actinic all the time -
And with this http://www.interspire.com/websitepublisher/ its the one stop shop for designers who build brochure websites as well
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OK so it imports from
Cubecart
x-cart
zencart
oscommerce
interesting as mal said it asks for you curent site location, be interested to know why it needs this information.
Also does csv file imports but i could not find any information on what it requires from the demo store help, might be more elsewere though.
You could spend a week just deciding what you do want to show or turn on and off.
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In this Discussion
- acompton February 1
- cbarling October 2009
- ChrisA June 2009
- Chunkford January 2011
- consciouspnm February 2010
- croccy April 2010
- Darren January 2010
- Dave Fisher February 1
- dave_finlayson January 2010
- drounding April 2010
- Elliott January 2010
- Gabriel Crowe January 4
- George June 2009
- Golf Tee Warehouse October 2009
- Goz August 2010
- GrantG February 7
- jont April 2009
- malbro April 2009
- Mark H August 2010
- markburley July 2009
- Mike October 2009
- MoleEnd September 2011
- Parklife August 2011
- party_pete April 2009
- pinbrook September 2009
- PNAGames October 2010
- Quarm November 2009
- Ruralweb August 2011
- snorestore April 2009
- traceyhand December 2011
- wesleythorne February 2
