Local Artist Gallery Website with an Online Shop

Jennifer Thomson is an artist who paints mainly bright and cheery street scenes of various Scottish Locations. Landscapes and Street Scenes.

Problem: Requirement for an Improved Gallery and a Separate eCommerce Website

Jennifer originally had a simple website maintained by a family member. This can be a great way to get started but she reaslised she needed something more powerful to expand her business. Additionally, an eCommerce website was required to sell more effectively to replace her original Print Form and send with Cheque approach. All of chich had to be easy to use.

Solutions: CMS Website for Easy Updates and ZenCart eCommerce for Sales

I used MODx to create the Gallery website.This linked to a ZenCart website to handle sales. ZenCart is Open Source (Free to use) and very flexibile but does have the limitation of being a little bit difficult to update and maintain. It is also a little bit intimidating for a novice to use. Currently I use FoxyCart to make ease of use a priority but at the expense of a small monthly fee. 

The client did not at the time have great experience with computing matters so lots of time was spent on Training and Technical support using site visits, email and telephone.

Outcome: Visitors are Up and Sales are Up, Clients Technical Capability and Confidence is Up

Jennifer has greatly enhanced her ability to keep her website current. Frequently adding new text content and new image galleries. The eCommerce side is doing well but she finds ZenCart a little hard to use. Currently in planning stages for an upgrade. This using MODx, as the CMS is so flexible that changing to another cart will be relatively painless with little retraining required.