Feature Set:  

AspDotNetStorefront comes in three different versions; a 32-bit, a 64- bit and a DotNetNuke edition. For the purpose of this review we looked at the 32-bit version, though all versions offer similar features.

The general features include web-based storefront management, MS SQL support, most server configurations supported, per site pricing, up to 5000 HTML page support with the ability to manage over 250,000 products. And as mentioned, this products is for Windows type servers or asp.net technology.

Storefront/Website Design:
This product is fully customizable and you can get source code for full manipulation to create the kind of website you desire. Or you can acquire free skins for easy customization of your storefront. It also supports static pages for easy Google indexing and site map creation. And to make things easy, this software does not require extensive coding knowledge to create a good looking storefront.

For product presentation it supports three image sizes, can be set to resize images automatically, can display color swatches, supports image galleries and watermarking. All types of pricing structures are supported as well as sorting by size, attributes and more.

Back Office:
This software supports automated synchronization and importing of data and can export to a variety of accounting programs. Though it lists its product limit as 250,000 it can support up to a million depending on the hosts abilities. And it can support up to 2000 categories. For most sellers this type of volume leaves more than enough room to grow.

Shopping Features:
AspDotNetStorefront had everything we were looking for in this section except the ability to manage software licenses and downloadable products. However, this function can be easily added if necessary if the host can support it.

This software can support all kinds of coupon options as well as gift registry and wish lists. Of course customers can track their orders, view their order history, re-order with one click and much more.

Payment Options:
This software is Payment Applications Best Practices (PABP) certified, supports PayPal and many other payment gateways such as Authorize.net, Google Checkout, iTransact, CyberSource, SecureNet and many more. It can be set up to take phone payments, checks, credit cards, gift cards, purchase orders, CODs, by check by mail and more.

Statistics/Marketing:
This software is compatible with Google Analytics and other traffic tools and products like e-com ROI tracker. In terms of its integrated reporting, most information is available and can be manipulated into customized reports.

Shipping/Tax:
This software can handle all types of shipping transactions including support for most major carriers, such as FedEx, UPS, DHL, USPS and more. It can be set to add handling fees, designate shipping methods, calculate by various methods and much more. It can calculate tax by state, zipcode or country. It can also add tax to shipping.

Security:
AspDotNetStorefront supports most standard practice security features such as SSL encryption as well as IP tracking, password salting and hashing, fraud protection, support for dynamic encryption, encrypted database connection strings, admin passwords, independent security audits and much more. We feel that the security options supported by this storefront software are more than adequate.

Supported Servers:
This software is designed for Windows based servers (NT/SQL) and asp.net technology.
 

Ease of Use:  

By nature, this type of software is complex, for example it offers over 5,000 options. However, it was created for small to medium businesses and storefronts can be created with minimal or no coding knowledge. Though detailed and highly customizable, AspDotNetStorefront manages to make the overall process relatively easy and straightforward.

Ease of Installation:  

Piece of cake, AspDotNetStorefront downloads easily and you can quickly get your storefront up and running with easy-to-use mass import options, automated image manipulation, and free skins. Furthermore, it works with many hosting options.

Help/Documentation:  

AspDotNetStorefront offers a truly complete product manual. We were actually quite surprised at how thorough it is. The manual is literally hundreds of pages long, but in PDF form so it can be searched and moved through quite easily. They also offer limited free phone support, email support and chat support. We found the chat support quite helpful and it gave us the immediate type of response that we love to see.

True E-Commerce Solution:
Yes, with the exception that it does not offer web hosting, dedicated servers or accounting. But this can be found anywhere, like through Globat or Lunar Pages. AspDotNetStorefront is compatible with most Windows NT/SQL Server hosting providers. You can also incorporate this product with your own accounting or sales type software, such as QuickBooks.

Is AspDotNetStorefront Shopping Cart Overkill?:
This product is only overkill for those that could use something simpler like Yahoo Business, Esty or Ebay. But for others, who are looking to host their own site and/or want a unique storefront with many shipping, sales and customer options, this product is perfect.

We liked this software, it offers many customization options, works with many hosting, payment and shipping protocols, supports good security measures and can be used by anyone. You do not have to be a coder to use this program and you do not have to be a huge company; it can help you sell one product or hundreds of thousands. The licenses are set up per site and you can manage your store completely over the web. It also supports great customer service features such as cell phone and email notifications, fast one-page checkouts and numerous receipt options.

Like we said, we liked this software and they offer a free 15-day trial, so check it out and look at one of their 10,000 customer’s storefronts to get an idea as to what you can do with this software. Hook this up with a great host and you are on your way.