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By: Scam Risk - Expert Reviewer
nopCommerce Review 2021: Is It The Best ECommerce Platform?
The nopCommerce platform provides an open source eCommerce solution that powers thousands of online stores, including large brands like Volvo, The North Face, Reebok, and The North Face. You’d be surprised at the variety of features it provides, such as user reviews, product comparison tools, and all kinds of product display options.
That’s only the beginning. nopCommerce makes it easy to transform any blog or website you have into an online store.
Now, I want to be completely honest here, so…
This review will go over nopCommerce to see if it really is the best eCommerce shopping cart management solution out there.
And at the end, I’ll answer some of the most often asked questions regarding nopCommerce and eCommerce shopping cart management in general.
But most importantly, you’ll see the exact step-bey-step system that many others have used to grow their own successful online business to more than $40,000 a month in passive income.
Table of Contents
nopCommerce: An Open-Source eCommerce Platform
The out-the-box nopCommerce solution powers over 16,000 active eCommerce websites today. This is a small but well-respected eCommerce platform. nopCommerce is built on Microsoft’s open-source ASP.NET web framework. It’s easy to use and has a lot of features.
However, users must have the skills and funds to hire someone to implement them. nopCommerce is very popular internationally, with nearly half of all websites it powers being located outside the United States. Their shopping cart solution is ideal for merchants who have outgrown existing systems.
The number of active nopCommerce sites has fallen over the past few years, a change from the earlier trend of increasing use. Bully Sticks (and other high-volume brands), Casio Online, and Xlibris are all using nopCommerce as an eCommerce option.
nopCommerce is an excellent option for online stores. However, you will need to be familiar with.NET, MS SQL, and HTML. If you have no solid background in Microsoft-based systems, nopCommerce won’t work.
ASP.NET can build web apps and services for macOS, Linux Windows, Windows,and Docker. It could be worth looking deeper at nopCommerce if you already have experience with those languages and systems. However, if these skills are not your forte, you might need to hire someone.
Continue reading to know if nopCommerce is the right open source ecommerce platform for you.
nopCommerce Pricing
nopCommerce is open-source and free to use. But you’ll need to budget for web hosting as well as themes and add-ons. You also need an SSL certificate.
If you don’t have any Microsoft products, you might need to buy them to use with nopCommerce. See the Hardware & Software Requirements Section below for more information.
You can purchase a support plan if you need extensive assistance using nopCommerce. These plans can be costly. Three months of support starts at $399.
Cloud-Based Or Locally-Installed
nopCommerce can be downloaded as software. You can, however, operate your entire platform from the cloud once you have found a host.
Hardware & Software Requirements
The company website has links and instructions for downloading nopCommerce. It also offers an automatic installation option.
This should be used only if there are no plans to make changes to the source code. Microsoft Azure and an ASP.NET host are required for automatic install.
nopCommerces has a GitHub repository that allows you to always access the latest source code.
These are the additional technology requirements for nopCommerce’s current version:
Operating Systems
For Windows:
- Windows 7 SPI or above
- Windows Server 2012 R2 or above
For Linux:
- Red Hat 7/ CentOS 7 or above
- Fedora 32 or above
- Debian 9 or above/Ubuntu 18.04 or above/Linux Mint 18 or above
- OpenSUSE 15 or above/SUSE Enterprise or above
- Alpine Linux 3.11 or above
For MacOS:
- Max OS X 10.13 or above
Web Servers
- Internet Information Service (IIS) 7.0 or above
- .NET Core 2.1 runtime or higher (Depends on which version you have installed)
Databases
- Microsoft SQL Server 2012 above
- MySQL 5.7 or above
- PostgreSQL 9.5 or above
Supported Browsers
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 and above
- Mozilla Firefox 2.0 and above
- Google Chrome 1.x
- Apple Safari 2.x
nopCommerce partners with nine hosting providers. You can compare the hosting deals you find on the open market to those from these partnerships. But nopCommerce works with almost all Windows-based hosting providers, so you can explore other options apart from the listed partners.
However, I would suggest that nopCommerce software could be launched on Linux cloud servers, which are less expensive than the current Microsoft servers.
Ease Of Use
nopCOmmerce is a straightforward eCommerce platform.
If you are familiar with the system requirements, nopCommerce can be easily downloaded and installed. Alternatively, the demos are available on the nopCommerce site.
These provide immediate access to a sample admin as well as a separate storefront. You should note that the demo sites at the front and back end are not connected.
The shared place resets every hour, so don’t get too attached to any modifications.
Once you’ve completed building a store and overcome the technical hurdles, nopCommerce can be used easily. My first action when I’m testing eCommerce software is always to Add a Product. I was able to find the page “Add a New Product” under “Catalog” on the nopCommerce demo site and got to work.
First, I had the option to add product information to either “Basic” or “Advanced” pages. This further simplified data entry. I could also control which fields appeared on my advanced and basic pages by going to “Settings.”
Here’s what I found in the default basic webpage:
After filling in the basic information, I quickly added product attributes onto a T-shirt already loaded into the demo. I chose multiple values for color and size and added them as attributes:
I could also auto-generate the attributes and values (blue small to blue medium to blue large) to help me manage each item’s details. I was able to add new attributes to the list that were not available in pre-loaded lists. Overall, I found this feature to be very flexible.
Discounts may be offered for specific products and categories. By using the “requirements,” you can limit discounts to orders which include a particular product.
While this was a useful feature, I also saw several other discount extensions on the app marketplace, which would have given me more complicated parameters (BOGO offers, for instance).
While everything was working well, I was starting to notice the limitations of this shared demo. The main problem is the lack of a storefront preview. You can only view any changes made in the demo control panels. You can just hope that what you have tried will work on your storefront.
A separate storefront demo is available for you to play with. However, it does not show you how the default theme functions. It’s completely different from all the great work you’ve done or the stuff that you’ve completely screwed up in the admin demo.
I found that I wasn’t really learning nopCommerce admin as quickly as I thought.
Out-Of-The Box nopCommerce Features
nopCommerce’s extensive feature set is something that merchants love best. nopCommerce updates its software about every six- to seven months.
These new features add new functionality and improve stability, security, performance, and stability. The cart comes equipped with a lot of features straight out of the box. Here are my top picks:
- Dashboard: nopCommerce’s dashboard is pretty easy to use and clean. All the essential functions are accessible in the sidebar of the admin page. Advanced features can be found in drop-down lists.
- Products: Add as many attributes as you want, such as size and color, to your products. Each product can have its SKU, price, weight, image, and stock level. There are many customization options, such as monogramming. Customers can view products side-by-side with product comparison features. Customers can choose different prices. You can also download products.
- Multichannel Selling: nopCommerce’s multi-store capabilities are impressive. It is possible to host multiple front-end stores at different domains, and you can manage all operations from one admin panel. You can create numerous stores for products, brands, affiliates, or B2B. You can share data with other online stores by using the same database. Customers can also log in using the same credentials.
- Sell Internationally: nopCommerce is GDPR compliant and supports multilingual and multicurrency transactions. You can manage more than one store, so it is easy to work in multiple countries simultaneously.
- Checkout: nopCommerce offers one-page checkout and anonymous checkout. Customers can also buy online without creating an account. Customers have the option to personalize their order by including gift wrap or messages at checkout. An integrated shipping calculator provides shipping estimates based on customer location. Integrations with major carriers offer real-time shipping rates, including UPS, FedEx, USPS, and FedEx. You can integrate nopCommerce with your preferred service or use the built-in tax calculator. nopCommerce allows you to place phone orders, set configurable weight and dimensions, and print receipts. You can also create mini shopping carts. nopCommerce allows for in-store pickup.
- Inventory Management: Stock Management will enable you to view the physical stock and available quantities. Additionally, you can manage backorders for products and track their status. Multiple warehouses can all be supported.
- Marketing: Reward loyal customers with redeemable points. Cross-sell or upsell related products. Get reviews from your customers to establish credibility. Coupon and discount features let you set a fixed price or a percentage off. You can also note the start and end dates. You can assign discounts for products, whole categories, shipping, order sums, and other items. Support is provided for quantity discounts and other complex discounts. Both virtual gift cards can be used and physical gift certificates. nopCommerce can be integrated with the major product feeds like PriceGrabber (Google Shopping), PriceGrabber (Yahoo Shopping), and become.com.
- Dropshipping Features: nopCommerce’s multi-vendor feature supports dropshipping. You can turn to free YouTube videos and other resources to help you if dropshipping is your goal.
- Blog: nopCommerce supports news blogging, forums, and polls, as well as custom pages.
- SEO Tools: Use XML to aid customer and search engine navigation. You can either manage your URLs and keyword tags or save the SEO-friendly versions that were generated automatically. Modify metadata and rich snippets, including Facebook and Twitter tags. Breadcrumbs simplify site navigation. URL Canonicalization helps reduce duplicate pages indexing. Google Analytics integration makes tracking transactions easy, including other data from your website.
- Reports And Analytics: Get reports right from your dashboard. These include sales history, current sales, return requests, customers. You can also view the sales by country.
nopCommerce Templates & Web Design
Your first step in building an online shop is to choose from the nopCommerce templates. There are 11 available themes. Or you can choose from 37 other nopCommerce template prices between $79 to HTML249.
I found that many themes only work with earlier versions of nopCommerce. I was able to find out this while browsing the marketplace. These themes are rated by users and also include user reviews. However, not all nopCommerce templates can be rated yet. All themes can be used on mobile devices.
Some themes may be outdated, but some are more current and still perfectly acceptable.
There are a few developer teams that have dedicated websites to nopCommerce templates. Nop Templates is the leading design partner in the nopCommerce marketplace. Nop Templates themes cost between $200-$250, but each comes with a collection of plugins that can significantly improve the functionality of your storefront.
The additional nopCommerce plugins and advanced features could make it worth your investment. You can also see testimonials that speak to the quality and satisfaction of Nop Template’s customer service.
Here’s a $199 template example:
I was not able to find any theme editor in nopCommerce admin. This means that the only way to modify the look and feel on your site is to dive into the actual source code.
The nopCommerce marketplace offers the option of purchasing a template editor plugin for $49, but it’s not easy to tell from the description how far you will go in making design changes.
Integrations & Add-Ons
nopCommerce has about 500 integrations in its marketplace. These integrations can also be connected to other services that you may already use.
This total includes translation packages, payment processing, and many minor extensions for features and widgets. Search by name to locate the extension you need, or browse by categories.
Prices for integrations can be set by third-party developers or nopCommerce. While some integrations are free, others cost $25-$250 and some more. All are available as one-time purchases. There are user reviews and ratings, but not many.
I love that the marketplace can be sorted by nopCommerce release. The marketplace allows me to check the compatibility of any add-ons I might be using.
This level of organization also makes me feel confident that the nopCommerce team is well-versed in its integrations ecosystem. Open-source solutions are not always easy to use.
You can also search for marketplace products by rating, price, or development status. There are more than 200 extensions free of charge.
An abandoned-cart recovery plugin was found and priced at $0. This is a very hot feature in today’s eCommerce landscape.
It also comes at a premium for some highly-rated SaaS eCommerce cart builders.
nopCommerce Payment Processing
nopCommerce provides approximately 200 payment integrations and portals, such as PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net. You will also find international payment options listed, with many country- and regional-specific payment methods.
nopCommerce also supports in-store payment, cash on delivery, and gift cards.
nopCommerce Customer Service & Technical Support
nopCommerce doesn’t offer much in terms of personal support. You can find guidance in nopCommerce’s documentation then via community forums.
Premium support plans are expensive and don’t offer personal assistance.
nopCommerce support via email and phone is not available. Here is a summary of the available support options for nopCommerce:
- Contact Form: Submit your question via a form on nopCommerce.
- Forum: Members are active in the forum. You can get help from other nopCommerce merchants or developers.
- Documentation: Users and developers can find extensive information.
- Videos: Visit the nopCommerce channel YouTube to find many helpful video resources.
- Premium Support: At a fee, users can get premium nopCommerce assistance. You will pay $499 for three months or $999 if you purchase a one-year subscription. You can contact support in English or Russian only. A 24-hour response is guaranteed. The support does not include third-party plugins or other underlying technologies, such as SQL and Windows. However, unlimited service requests are possible via nopCommerce’s internal ticket system, Monday through Friday, except holidays.
- Contact An Advisor: To support a particular aspect of your website, you can opt for NopCommerce professional service. They include web design, customization, upgrade and installation services, usability analysis, and optimization.
- Blog: Regular articles featuring selling tips, product updates, and more are posted.
- Social Media: You will find regular updates on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Security
You can download the nopcommerce software. This means that you are responsible for protecting your site. You will need an SSL certificate. Make sure you check your site for security patches. However, nopCommerce claims it has required only one security patch from the software’s initial release in 2008.
nopCommerce meets all requirements of European Union laws. This includes tracking legislative changes and updating them as they occur. It also meets all PCI compliance standards. Microsoft’s ASP.NET framework offers security features. SSL support, honeypot support for spam prevention, encryption, and robust and flexible password policies are all included in the ASP.NET core framework.
There are a few security settings that you can activate from the nopCommerce Backend. These include CAPTCHA and ReCAPTCHA, restricting access to your admin, and enforcing SSL certificates on all pages. All these settings are described in the nopCommerce documentation.
nopCommerce Final Verdict: Is It Best For Your Store?
I doubt I’m the only nopCommerce reviewer unfamiliar with the software. And I’m sure I’m not alone who was impressed by what I learned about it. nopCommerce could be the right choice for you, whether you are an expert developer or a novice developer looking to improve your skills. It’s a solid and secure platform that seems to work almost every time. The admin is well-organized and daily operations are simple to navigate.
And it’s completely free!
For developers who have devoted ASP.NET frameworks and other Microsoft-oriented software, I am not sure who is competing with your eCommerce business. You can still use nopCommerce if this whole world is overwhelming or if you want a simple-to-use and fully hosted cart builder. I would recommend looking into SaaS options, such as Shopify or BigCommerce.
You can also try nopCommerce. The shared demo will allow you to understand how the dashboard looks before you download the full version. You can download the software right away if you have all the information you need. It could be the best choice you make right now!
What Is Our Top Recommendation For Making Money Online In 2021?
Our review team has come across a program in the real estate industry that is next level!
Although it’s not real estate in the traditional sense, it’s all digital.
Where nopCommerce falls short is in scalability.
You can’t realistically expect to be able to make passive income when you have to watch your store and manage ads all day.
But what if you leverage it?
With this digital real estate program, you can have the ability to completely walk away from the laptop because there is no ad management!
Sound too good to be true? Of course it does! But it isn’t…in fact, business owners wish they had this skill!
All you have to do is build and rank a website and forward the jobs off to a business owner in town, you could even email it to them!
This works for literally any service based business, tree service, plumbing, towing, etc.
How do you get paid and how much?
Simple, after you forward the jobs off to a business owner and he makes some money off of them, you simply ask to make the deal beneficial for each other.
A fair price to charge per lead, depending on the industry is 10-20%…let’s just use the tree service industry for example and go by worst case scenario.
Let’s say you build and rank the site and only 10 jobs a month come in. The average tree service job is anywhere from $500-$2000!
That means at bare minimum you have an asset worth $500 a month!
See why they call it digital real estate now?
That’s a rent payment.
The great thing is how easy it is to scale. You don’t have to answer the phone…all you have to do is get the phone to ring.
Remember nopCommerce and all the small profit margins?
This one actually allows you to collect that without being on the laptop managing a store all day. Truly passive income!
The training program takes making money online to a whole other level. The owner of the program walks you through how to build and rank a site hand in hand, with the occasional voice over when he is sharing his screen.
You will learn the importance of keywords, website name, how to send call notifications via email, backlinking, etc.
Once the training program is completed you will also have access to a Facebook group much better than the nopCommerce group in our opinion. This group is much more active.
Unlike nopCommerce, where you have to run ads all day and worry about getting a $5 profit off a $50 product 1,000 times over…. A business will always want more leads and another job. In fact it doesn’t even matter that the job isn’t coming from their website name…they see it as it is…expanding digital real estate.
Unlike nopCommerce, more people have been able to walk away from their 9-5 job as well.
Digital real estate allows you to have total passive income with most of your day being spent OFF the laptop.
Now, I know you probably have tons of questions… So, check this out to learn more.
Share This Article:
We will be happy to hear your thoughts
Things We Liked:
- Free to download and use
- Impressive DotNet shopping cart software features
- Competitive marketing tools
- Can handle a multi-brand store
- Highly customizable
- Strong user nopCommerce community
- Has well-designed UI
Things We Didn't Like:
- Developer skills required
- Has design limitations
- Offers expensive customer support
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