[Olof]

Hello Imac & other CSC people,

 

Can you please tell me if CSC is working on changing the current architecture with regards to Options & Option Combinations?  To a product structure which is similar to how Ebay, Amazon, Google, Volusion, WooCommerce, Magento, etc.. do it?

 

Forum discussion ´Replace Options with Grouped and Child items´ (2967 3534 views, 19 22 replies. Status Hot)

(http://forum.cs-cart...s/?fromsearch=1

 

User voice (83  95 107 111 votes and counting):

http://cscart.uservo...y-amazon-and-go

 

Forum discussion ´Option improvements, please vote for it´ (1375 views, 23 replies. status Hot)

http://forum.cs-cart...se-vote-for-it/

 

Thanks in advance for any concrete information!

 

Olof

 

[edit note: from time to time I actualize the above numbers (votes, views, replies)

Edited by Olof, 12 December 2015 - 07:59 AM.

[Olof]

Hi Imac,

 

I hate to push you, but could you (or a collegue) give some indication on what CSC's thoughts are on this issue?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Olof

[johnbol1]

+1

[P-Pharma]

+1

[El Nucli]

Hi, 
 
I've been following Olof's posts regarding options/variants of a product and I completely agree with his comments and reasons for such a revamp.
 
I've been struggling with options in 2-3 projects. I have faced most of the problems Olof and others have described. Just to mention a couple:

• It is not possible to set different price and discounts when using an "option". Example: one store that sells mattresses, defines its base product as the most narrow size (90 cm x 190 cm), at a price of 400€. This product is sold with a discounted price of 369€. Once I set the next size (135 cm x 190 cm), I can only control the surplus price (+40€, for a total of 440€) and thus CS-Cart sets its price to 409€ (if discount is defined as an absolute value). I can't control the list price and price of the option/variant regardless of its base. The case of a mattress is pretty common, it is a product with a set of features, description, manufacturer, ... and the customer must choose the size (as in shoes, garment, glasses, etc.)
• It is very difficult to have a different image for each product variant/option. The only way is to use combinations, but this imposes the burden of having to maintain an image for each combination. In the case of a T-Shirt, that would mean a different image for each color-size, It is obvious that it is not necessary to have a different image for each of the sizes.

I have had to make an endless work of understanding, trial-an-error, template tuning,... to achieve some decent results of something that really needs rethinking and rebuilding. In a recent project I've had to pay for the upgrade of the Configurable Product addon for a store, just to be able to display product "components" and let the user choose among those in a "configurable product" bundle (this could have been easily done with the architecture Olof suggests for product option/variants).
 
Honestly, I would like Cs-Cart to focus on this area the sooner the better, and in my opinion we shouldn't wait until a version 5 is released. I don't want to mix things here, but why CS-Cart is jumping major versions so often? Why not stay some more time, and devote some resources until v.4.x becomes nearly perfect?
 
Thanks Olof for your effort, sincerely.

[johnbol1]

Some of my posts from back in 2010 were saying that while cs is good, it falls down on stores which use options. they have made improvements in regards quantity discounts combined and other things as importing combinations in the patest version but far more flexibility as Olof and  El Nucli (Mark) have posted above would then define CS as a Great script

[Olof]

@ El Nucli, Johnbol1 and P-Pharma,

Thanks for the support!

 

As it now has been 10 days and no response from Imac or other CSC people, I'm beginning to worry what the answer to my question might be...

[BarryH]

Ironically one of the main reasons we chose CS Cart was it was one of the few solutions at that time offering both price and weight option modifiers.

 

There was then a long weight for the % quantity discount to be introduced, which we soon found did not have the correct logic to discount options correctly, so still we can't use that functionality.

 

So we have been slowly modifying our site to list variations as seperate products where price and/or weight mods are involved.

 

The time and effort required to maintain product options in their current format is just too great.

 

So come on CS Cart, take a look at what other solutions are offering ....

[Olof]

Sigh, it's now been three weeks and Imac / other CSC people have as of yet chosen not to respond...

 

Which i.m.h.o. means that this question is either too inconvenient to answer and/or it's not on the road map for the foreseeable future.

 

Since I really, really need a robust data sync/link with my ERP and with Amazon & Ebay, it looks like I'm forced to begin looking elsewhere. However, very reluctantly...

[johnbol1]

I know what your saying, we have thought about looking at carts with better options solutions but at this stage just too busy to manage the research and switch if it did find a better solution.

[galtinbaeva]

We can develop the add-on 'Price for combination'. This add-on will help you to set the price for each combination directly, not with the help of price modifiers (but as an option - price modifier can be applied to the combination's price). It will resolve the first issue.

 

As for the image for combination - it is not completely clear how it should work.

[Olof]

Simtech,

Thanks for your offer, but my concern & this architecture problem is much deeper than an add-on can fix.

Please read :

http://forum.cs-cart...se-vote-for-it/

 

Imac, oh Imac, "Where art thou?"

[eComLabs]

If you need a temporary solution until version 5 is released, please use our module:

 

https://www.ecom-lab...ces-add-on.html

[Olof]

eComLabs,

Thanks, your module does look interesting and I will discuss with my team. But it does not fix the problem mentioned in this thread.

[imac]

eComLabs,

Thanks, your module does look interesting and I will discuss with my team. But it does not fix the problem mentioned in this thread.

Hello Olof,

 

Now, when we sorted out the stuff with Email templates and themes upgrade process for 4.4.x we are going to start working on v5.

So unfortunately there is nothing to say about the progress yet. 

 

This is still an important feature for v5 roadmap from my point of view and I actively "sell it" to marketing chief officer. Everyone in our team understands that this is how CS-Cart should evaluate.

[johnbol1]

If you need a temporary solution until version 5 is released, please use our module:

 

https://www.ecom-lab...ces-add-on.html

looks good to me, thanks

[Olof]

Hello Olof,

 

Now, when we sorted out the stuff with Email templates and themes upgrade process for 4.4.x we are going to start working on v5.

So unfortunately there is nothing to say about the progress yet. 

 

This is still an important feature for v5 roadmap from my point of view and I actively "sell it" to marketing chief officer. Everyone in our team understands that this is how CS-Cart should evaluate.

 

Hi Imac,

Thanks for the update.

I'm somewhat concerned w.r.t. 'selling it' to the marketing chief.  This important functionality will probably not cause you to sell more CSC licenses as most prospects will not have this functionality on their checklist. It's simply to technical for pre-sales attention.

 

Only after CSC is bought, will people find out the deficiency when not present. It's imho a classical example of a marketing 'dissatisfier'

 

In other words, it will help CSC to lower your churn rate from existing customers, but probably not help to increase new license sales

 

So, please please just implement it!

[johnbol1]

but probably not help to increase new license sales

 

So, please please just implement it!

I disagree, I see the other viewpoint as I stated back in 2012, that many many stores require product options and if CS improved this area, more enquiries will convert to licence sales.

[albertpro]

 

Only after CSC is bought, will people find out the deficiency when not present. It's imho a classical example of a marketing 'dissatisfier'

 

 

That is so true. We have been using cscart from beginning, and when we were small 100 items and we ignore this problem always. and now that we are expanding and having very large products and volume. We are really having a huge problem and looks like we got stock in prison and locked. Since last month we start looking for different solutions. We loved the cscart but unfortunately this is something very important that we face and make us to think of moving to different direction and I know it is going to be very challenging for us, but at the end of the day, we should take the risk and be able to survive in this compatible marketplace.

 

I really think the cscart marketing department should do their job like we do to find a solution.

 

If this is too much promising, I would really appreciated if anyone might have any suggestion or recommendation for another platform.

 

Wishing everyone Happy New Year with hope that we you will have many blessings in the year to come.

[HeyElieeHi]

Am I dumb or has v5 been released yet?