Checkout Mockup for US Brand

[dwatson]

The following URL points to a very crude mockup and some discussion of the way we would like to revise the osCommerce checkout process:

www.davidwatson.biz/mockups/checkout.htm

The comments there also review how we are planning to revise osCommerce – tools and approaches.

This store will sell brand-name product that is well known and sold in stores nationwide. Sorry about hiding the brand name, but when we get closer to release, we will put the site up for comments.

This site will be altering the look and feel of osCommerce. We have already been honing those skills, and that part seems okay.

Other background: the team and I know PHP well – are Zend Certified Engineers. Therefore, we should not have trouble altering code (although the osC code is still a challenge). We are NOT experts in osCommerce (hence these questions).

Notice that in the mockup there is some significant modification to the order-path and some of the individual pages. Some of our colleges have advised us that it would probably take less time and effort (which is important) to write the whole shopping cart system from scratch rather than modifying the osCommerce code. I don’t think so, especially since osC will help with the admin and many other features. However, I need to justify that decision.

Therefore, comments about using osCommerce related to our approach as discussed under the mockup pages would be very much appreciated.

We are starting with the checkout because it involves the most changes. The rest of the adjustments will mostly be for look and feel.

Other questions: Do the approaches that we have outlined here and under the mockups make sense? Are we trying to do something that will be extremely difficult (back to my peers’ point above)? Even though we have been doing homework, what are other contributions, references, knowledge-base notes, etc. that can help? (Even with lots of searching on the site, it’s hard to find everything that is relevant.) Any pointers would be really appreciated. If we slightly changed some of the flow, could that make the development easier? For example, we are not stuck on having the billing and shipping address editing on one page.

Plus, any general advice on the approach would be appreciated. We will continue putting up more refined mockups that will soon look like a real site.

Thanks in advance for any help.

David Watson