Step one was to choose the right system for the project. There are many ecommerce platforms out there but some of them are huge, unwieldy beasts that contain enough functionality to rival Amazon or eBay. For many ecommerce projects, a great deal of the functionality contained in some of the larger ecommerce platforms is simply not needed, and that was the case this time.
Knowing that the number of products was relatively small, and that the USP of those products was their simplicity and deliberate lack of options, we opted to use WooCommerce for this project. WooCommerce is a lightweight system that can be bolted onto WordPress. It is easy to build with and simple to administer. A win-win.
With the platform established and the building blocks chosen, work on the new website progressed quickly. Inevitably, our developers realised during the build that a further WordPress plugin would be required to deliver an element of functionality not included in the basic WooCommerce package. This was still preferable to working with a bigger system - think of it as adding a panier to a bicycle instead of buying a lorry to carry your lunch!
The plugin enabled the use of conditional pricing on the website, in conjunction with minimum and maximum quantities. That means end customers can enjoy savings offered by economies of scale, and the shop owner can rest assured that the lower prices are enjoyed only by the customers who order sufficient quantities to earn them.
The use of WooCommerce (and a plugin) allowed us to showcase the products - including the images, descriptions and prices provided by the client - as clearly as possible and to develop a smooth, intuitive, user-friendly website.