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AbanteCart eCommerce Platform is turning 5 years old

We here at AbanteCart wish to express our sincere appreciation to all users, developers and supporters, as we celebrate our 5th anniversary. Yes, it has been 5 years and we are proud of what AbanteCart has become. We have achieved this milestone thanks to the hard work every team member who has contributed to its success.

AbanteCart eCommerce solution was made public on November 11, 2011 (11/11/11). Since then, we have developed many features and went through many phases of changes and improvements to get to where we are now. Below are some significant milestone achievements that are worth mentioning:

  • Prior to v 1.2 AbanteCart was already feature rich and since v1.1.4, AbanteCart has been able to handle customers' data encryption and provided storefront API.
  • Since v1.1.8, AbanteCart has provided extensive features to support digital products and handle order downloads.
  • Since version 1.2, AbanteCart has become a 100% mobile open source ecommerce platform with mobile storefront, admin and storefront API. Tasks management was also introduced in 1.2.
  • Later, with version 1.2.3, embed codes were introduced to allow easy integration of products into virtually any existing web sites.
  • Starting with version 1.2.5, AbanteCart was significantly improved to deliver outstanding performance with proven results.
  • With version 1.2.6, core support for SMS and other other notification drivers were introduced.
  • In version 1.2.7, better improved caching was introduced with support for multiple cache drivers.

These are just few highlights of features and improvements introduced in the past 5 years.

AbanteCart marketplace was launched in March 2014. In 2016 alone, independent authors/developers have added 150 new extensions to the marketplace. This number is growing fast, as we get more and more users and developers who like to work or develop with AbanteCart. Latest featured extensions include Fast Checkout, Online Donations, Monnika Theme and many more.

Moving forward, we have a long standing promise to continue innovate and expand AbanteCart eCommerce platform, features, community and the marketplace

If you are not yet using AbanteCart or developing with it, please join our team. There is much more that we can still build together and offer the best ecommerce solution for every business.

Join us in celebration of 5 years and many more in the future
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Ecommerce and traditional marketing: a combined approach for your business

Ecommerce and traditional marketing: a combined approach for your business
 
The use of the internet and the impact that this has had on consumer habits has grown rapidly over the past decade. It has also had an effect on the marketing approaches of businesses to feature a more ecommerce style. Even with the increase in online use among consumers and marketers, there is still a case for using traditional marketing styles. By taking a unified approach, which combines traditional and ecommerce forms, you can benefit your business, raise brand awareness and boost sale conversions.
 
The growth of online
 
The proliferation of online shopping is growing significantly, with more consumers now using it on a regular basis. It enables customers to research the best prices from the comfort of their own home, so they can check out where the sales are and avoid the crowds. Online retail also means customers they can shop when and where they choose to, rather than being restricted by location and store hours.
 
In 2010, US ecommerce sales totaled $176 billion, and they are expected to increase to $279 billion by the end of 2015. They still only make up a small percentage of overall sales, but this figure is increasing ever year. Last year, ecommerce accounted for 8% of all sales, and the figure is expected to be between 9% and 11% this year.
 
This increased use of the internet means that retailers need a focused ecommerce strategy. Otherwise, they could be missing out on potential sales and be left behind by their competitors. There is still a definite place for traditional stores and marketing methods, but this needs to be unified with the use of ecommerce forms.
 
A multichannel approach
 
Even though online sales are growing year on year, there are still many retailers, both small and large, who are not making the most of the online channels that are available. The number of options that are now open to brands has increased significantly in the last decade, providing them with much more choice.
 
Brands need to ensure that they are choosing the right approach to reach their target customers. A unified marketing strategy is beneficial for brands, but with so much choice, it’s important not to spread yourself too thinly. This could have the opposite effect and begin to alienate customers rather than attracting and retaining them. Brands need to bring all their marketing together, from online to offline, to ensure that it is all unified under the same banner.
 
Successful multichannel marketing
 
Whatever the size of your business, you need to choose the most appropriate marketing channels for your needs. Otherwise, you could be spending money unnecessarily and not reach the right audience. Having a focused and unified approach will generate better results and have a positive effect on your customers.
 
There are many businesses across the US that are successfully using a multichannel marketing strategy. For instance, Target has long been seen as a traditional bricks and mortar retailer with stores in locations across the country. However, it has now decided to move a large proportion of its budget to the tech side of the business. In the long term, they believe that this will save them money and drive more sales growth. Their estimates highlight that online sales are set to increase by 4%, whereas store figures are likely to rise by only 1%.
 
Stores will still be central to a retailer’s success, and some brands that were originally solely focused on online sales are beginning to open their own outlets. For a traditional retailer, online offerings need to be built around the stores, as the likes of H&M, Apple, Zara and Ikea are managing to achieve successfully.
 
Traditional marketing such as television advertising can be used as a means of driving customers to the online domain. Television is still a popular medium for many consumers, and the technology is at the heart of family life across the world. There are sites that focus on as seen on TV products, where consumers can browse through popular products that they’ve seen through commercials and infomercials. This shows how a unified approach can be used successfully, even in the modern retail environment.
 
A successful combined marketing strategy can be achieved by following a few simple steps.
 
Use industry experts
 
We can’t all be experts in every area of business, so it’s crucial to use the right people to help your company grow. There are those within an industry who can influence others, as well as social media influencers who you can use to post positive content about the business.
 
Track your marketing
 
Whether you’re using traditional or ecommerce channels, you need to know what parts of your marketing strategy are working and where you need to make improvements. By investing in tracking tools and analysis, it will benefit your business and enable you to adapt your marketing strategy to meet the needs of your customers. You can look at where on the site customers are clicking, how they buy goods, as well as which newspapers or television adverts work best. The more data that you have on your customers’ habits, the more successful your campaigns will be.
 
Let your customers engage differently
 
Consumers like to control how and when they engage with brands. Some people will always prefer traditional stores where they can touch products and interact with the staff, whereas others will favor the convenience and anonymity of the online stores, and the same will go for marketing. Brands that are present on a wide range of channels, such as Google, Facebook, television, magazines and live events, will be more successful at engaging with their customers when they’re ready.
 
With a unified approach to your marketing, your brand will be more successful at attracting new customers and retaining those who have shopped with you before. It’s important, even in this highly technology driven society, that we don’t forget about the tried and tested forms of marketing. They still have a major part to play in how brands and customers interact.
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How Ecommerce and the cloud can work together

Cloud computing is now big business and it is rapidly becoming apparent that it has the potential to change the way that people live and work.  One of the areas that has been able to take advantage of all that cloud computing has to offer is Ecommerce.  Shopping online is just growing and growing, with many people now preferring to do all of their shopping online, from groceries to Christmas gifts, mainly because it has been made so easy to do.
 
Why is cloud computing used in Ecommerce?
 
Cloud computing has the ability to help companies to cope with more online activity.  As more and more people spend time shopping online the retailers are able to use more than one server and ensure that they have enough resources to cope.  For example, in the lead up to Christmas they can have more resources to cope with the expected increase in demand.  After Christmas the additional resources can be removed until they are needed again.
 
The cost savings of cloud computing can be significant in ecommerce as companies only pay for the services that they use.  There is no need for investment into software or hardware because that responsibility is on the cloud provider.  For most companies this can be far cheaper than having everything in-house.  Cost savings can then be passed on to the consumer, allowing the company to offer their products and services at a reduced rate, attracting more customers.  
 
The very nature of cloud computing means that smaller retailers are able to access the same resources as larger companies.  Ecommerce has been made much more affordable for businesses thanks to the benefits of the cloud and this in turn has benefits for consumers, ensuring that they have many more options when it comes to shopping online.
 
Cloud computing is also a great way of ensuring that business can continue regardless of what is happening within the company’s building.  If there is a power outage and a business is hosting its own servers then this means that nobody can access websites to place orders, but by having servers elsewhere orders can still be placed regardless of any problem within the company itself.
 
Choosing the right provider
 
With so many providers out there it is important for companies to choose the right provider.  Companies such as Infor have established themselves firmly as leaders in the cloud computing field.  Charles Phillips, chief executive officer, runs the third largest software company and it has an international reach with customers in more than 125 countries.  Mr Phillips has also served on the boards of a number of well-known institutions including the New York Law School and the American Museum of Natural History.
 
Apps like Abantecart.com can be very useful for businesses, particularly when budget is an issue.  This is a free app for Ecommerce that has been developed by enthusiasts who raised funds by way of donations and from advertising.  The app offers an expandable shopping cart and there are now a number of extensions available. The app is easy to use and there is support available for those who need it.  There is also the advantage that the app is rapidly evolving according to the needs of customers.
 
Opting for cloud computing might seem to be a major decision but it is one that companies all over the world are making every day.  With the progress that has been made in this field the transition is much easier than it used to be and companies can begin to reap the benefits immediately.          
  
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AbanteCart 1.2 is finally released

We are very excited to announce arrival of new AbanteCart v1.2. Many hours has been spent in the past few month to design and develop new version of AbanteCart.

Version 1.2 is the best work we have ever done with new improved UI and 100% mobile interface for administration and for storefront. Many features are introduced in new version. Check AbanteCart v1.2 out in the demo or download your own free copy.


Where to download AbanteCart 1.2? 

AbanteCart 1.2 can be downloaded at Sourceforge or on our Github repository. Download ZIP


Feedback and ideas 

First of, we would like to thank users on the forum who provided valuable feedback. We have considered most of suggestions and apologize if we could not accommodate all the requests and suggestion. 

We continue to look for new ideas and features to include in future versions of AbanteCart. Please continue to suggest new ideas on our forum.


What about older versions?

Good news, core upgrade from 1.1.9 to new version 1.2 will be available soon.

As for upgrade of extensions, we have tried very hard to preserve backward compatibility, but since we move to Bootstrap and HTML5 admin, some extensions will require update for HTML part. We are working on upgrade instructions for developers. 


Enjoy new AbanteCart 1.2 and stay connected

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AbanteCart 1.2 Beta is released

We are very excited to announce release of new AbanteCart v1.2 beta. Since last announcement of alpha version we have made a number of fixes and tests.

Version 1.2 is the best work we have ever done with new improved UI and making AbanteCart 100% mobile ecommerce solution.

We are looking forward to know your opinion and feedback on our product and report any possible issues or suggestions.


Get involved and help us make AbanteCart 1.2 bug free prior of its production version release. Everyone can join the effort to try, test run and help our community efficiently resolve any outstanding issues.

Where to download AbanteCart 1.2 Beta?

AbanteCart 1.2 beta can be downloaded on our Github repository. Download ZIP

How to help?

We are looking for help testing AbanteCart 1.2 to find any bugs that might have been missed, locating any text typos or misspellings or missed translations.

In addition to testing, we welcome suggestions to further improvements. If improvements do not require substantial rework, we can include in this release or add them to next once.

How to report an issue?

If you do encounter an issue with AbanteCart 1.2, please report it by registering on our bug tracker and our team will work on the issue. Please check first if an issue you have found hasn't already been reported or resolved.

Feedback and ideas

First of, we would like to thank users on the forum who provided valuable feedback and helped transition from Alpha stage to Beta.

AbanteCart 1.2 is closed for any new features at this time, but we continue to look for new ideas and features to include in future versions of AbanteCart. Please continue to suggest new ideas on our forum.

What about older versions?

Good news, core upgrade will be available with final release of AbanteCart 1.2.

As for upgrade of extensions, we have tried very hard to preserve backward compatibility, but since we move to Bootstrap and HTML5 admin, some extensions will require update for HTML part. We will work on upgrade instructions for developers.

NOTE: Even though, majority of the problems in AbanteCart 1.2 beta has beed resolved, we do not advise installing AbanteCart 1.2 on a live stores just yet. The official AbanteCart 1.2 version will be released in mid December and will be ready for live stores.

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AbanteCart 1.2 Alpha is released

We are very excited to announce arrival of new AbanteCart v1.2 in the alpha state. Many hours has been spent in the past few month to design and develop new version.

Version 1.2 is the best work we have ever done with new improved UI and making AbanteCart 100% mobile ecommerce solution.

We are looking forward to know your opinion and feedback on our product and report any possible issues or suggestions.    


Get involved and help us make AbanteCart 1.2 bug free prior of its production version release. Everyone can join the effort to try, test run and help our community efficiently resolve any outstanding issues.

 

Where to download AbanteCart 1.2 Alpha? 

AbanteCart 1.2 alpha can be downloaded on our Github repository. Download ZIP

 

How to help?

We are looking for help testing AbanteCart 1.2 to find any bugs that might have been missed, locating any text typos or misspellings or missed translations. 

In addition to testing, we welcome suggestions to further improvements. If improvements do not require substantial rework, we can include in this release or add them to next once. 

 

How to report an issue?

If you do encounter an issue with AbanteCart 1.2, please report it by registering on our bug tracker and our team will work on the issue. Please check first if an issue you have found hasn't already been reported or resolved.

 

Feedback and ideas 

First of, we would like to thank users on the forum who provided valuable feedback. We have considered most of suggestions and apologize if we could not accommodate all the requests and suggestion. 

AbanteCart 1.2 is closed for any new features at this time, but we continue to look for new ideas and features to include in future versions of AbanteCart. Please continue to suggest new ideas on our forum.

 

What about older versions?

Good news, core upgrade will be available with final release of AbanteCart 1.2.

As for upgrade of extensions, we have tried very hard to preserve backward compatibility, but since we move to Bootstrap and HTML5 admin, some extensions will require update for HTML part. We will work on upgrade instructions for developers. 

 

NOTE: Even though, majority of the problems in AbanteCart 1.2 alpha has beed resolved, we do not advise installing AbanteCart 1.2 on a live stores just yet. The official AbanteCart 1.2 version will be released this month and will be ready for live stores.

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Every user can select new features to be developed

AbanteCart open source free shopping cart introduce "Fund A Feature" program. 

Users select new core AbanteCart features they like to see in the future AbanteCart releases, and we make it happen. Our team will develop requested features and support them moving forward.  Support new feature in AbanteCart ecommerce

This is a great way to keep AbanteCart project inline with users demand and rapid techoligical development.     

Check the features that we listed now and suggest new features. 

http://marketplace.abantecart.com/fund-a-feature

We are excited to build easy to use ecommerce platform to help any online business.


AbnateCart Team  

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Evaluation of AbanteCart is even easier now.

AbanteCart is freely available as a source code download, virtual appliance, and as part of virtual machine. This helps great deal with starting ecommerce fast, however, some installation is required and in case of server installation, hosting and domain name is required.

evaluate ecommerce


But, what if you just want to try AbanteCart quick and play with features? Sure thing, you can use online demo, but it is shared with everyone and reset every 30 minutes. Shared demo does not give a lot of freedom to see all great features in AbanteCart and start building your site.

Now this is possible. Anyone can create a personal trial store to test features of AbanteCart and even start building ecommerce site. No need to install anything, no need for domain or hosting, no personal information is asked and no credit cards required.

Personal trial store will have personal URL and secure admin access only you will know. If you decide to make your personal site live, you can do it and any time, with no hassle migration to hosted account.

Create your personal AbanteCart demo now.
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Powerful free ecommerce is a click away with Bitnami

Installing AbanteCart now is even easier than before with Bitnami. Bitnami AbanteCart Stack provides a one-click install solution for AbanteCart.

With simple native app installation, anyone can have AbanteCart installed on Windows, Mac OS and Linux. This is absolutely free, easy and fun. 

Before you do any commitment to your new eCommerce site, click bitnami and give AbanteCart a test. Even if you decided to use AbanteCart it is still absolutely free and open source. 

Bitnami AbanteCart Stack
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The AbanteCart Version 1.1.8 is now available

The AbanteCart version 1.1.8 and upgrade package is now ready

We are very excited to present new AbanteCart version 1.1.8 and upgrade package. The distribution package can be downloaded or the upgrade can ran inside your existing AbanteCart.
This release contains large number of new features, updates and fixes. We recommend you try the upgrade in a test copy of AbanteCart first before applying to production sites.

AbanteCart version 1.1.8 with new features, improvements and bug fixes.

New Features and improvements summary:

  • New Improved Digital Products support (Product Downloads)
  • Admin voice command controls (beta)
  • PHP 5.4/5.5 and MySqli support
  • Adding human verified Russian language to the core
  • "Call for order" or view only mode products setting
  • Cache engine improvement
  • Countries, zones and taxes are now multi-lingual
  • Language definition add/edit improvement
  • Number of HTML5 storefront template updates and improvements

Bug fixes and improvements Core:

  • Resource library improvment
  • ACache optimization. Now file modification time use for expire time definition instead timestamp inside file name.
  • resource manager fixes related to empty descriptions of resource for fresh installed new language
  • AView fix related to coping of default template by devtools
  • added methods is_POST() and is_GET() in ARequest class
  • ALanguage changes related to import language definitions to database.
  • new feature setting "call_to_order" related fix
  • added feature setting "call_for_order" for product to control panel and storefront default templates
  • AMail lib fix related to unicode subject and sender name
  • added property-sign about currency switch
  • added phpdoc comments ACustomer class
  • added var type check to escape method of db-driver classes
  • AForm changes. form_id will append to action url of form.
  • changed ALanguageManager class.Php-doc comments added. Also changed method for pre-loading of definitions for installation process. In stall: implemented setting for db-driver(mysql or mysqli).
  • database changes related to regexp for flexy form fields and error text for that check.
  • changed method getData of AView class. Added optional parameter $key for better use by hooks. Also phpdoc comment added.
  • changed ALanguage class. Now all language definitions values can't to start and end with CRLF. (js-related rule)
  • added mysqli db-driver
  • changed AView class related to default template tpl fetching. Also added function numberDisplayFormat into engine/helper/utils.php
  • changed ExtensionAPI class. Added protected property $baseObject_method. It's a name of caller of hook method.
  • changed ALanguage class. Added "silent" mode to method get(). Also php-documentor comments added.
  • added warning for overriding of template data by values with different types.
  • added minor change into method url_encode of AHtml class + phpdoc comments
  • added new method getVirtualAProducts into ACart class
  • ALayoutManager minor fix related to error text in constructor.
  • mysql connection now will have 60 sec for wait_timeout. Also added directive output_buffering = 4096; into php.ini to prevent disablin g buffering for some php-cgi and php-cli builds of web-servers.
  • Ability to encrypt URLs with base64. Add buildFilterURI() method to filter class.
  • Devision by zero fix in utils
  • Add robots.txt to block some directories from access by search engines


Control Panel:

  • product option values sort order js-improvement
  • downloads related changes
  • product option fix related to deleted option value of global attribute
  • Resource library js-fix related to multiple usage on same page
  • uploaded filed management fix related to aform changes
  • fix for ALanguageManager related to insert of new definitions for non-default language
  • customer approve fix
  • minor fix related to regex validation of product options
  • model catalog/product minor fix
  • js-function refactoring part1. All functions now variables. It done for future overriding.
  • now paypal extension will be first in extension list after installation of cart
  • location edit page minor fix related to php-warnings
  • listing blocks minor fix related to php-warnings
  • added ampersand of URL conversion into menu controller
  • minor fix of global attribute form's tpl. Native spellchecker of browser now enabled by default in CKeditor
  • jQgrid drag bug fix with click event
  • Improvement to marketplace and search for extensions
  • Better money decimal points formatting in admin.
  • Language auto-translate fix and improvement
  • Update success/warning confirmation message to Bootstrap style
  • In resource library add view of resource files's path
  • Category deletion fix. Removal of relationship to products
  • Adding control for fallback banner in HTML5 slider
  • Improved interface for editing language definitions

Storefront:

  • Category menu to show images for subcategories with mouse over.
  • checkout/confirmation fix related to comments for html-view of email letter for customer.
  • icon for shipping/payment method minor fix. Forgot pass default_html5 minor fix. Core: encryption minor fix
  • minor change of default_html5 template for captcha.
  • minor changes of "contact us" controller.
  • contact us form changes related to processing of uploaded files
  • changed hook "processData" call to checkout guest_step_2 and payment controller in checkout directory.
  • default_html5 minor fix related to product listing buttons for product
  • minor fix related to html-validation
  • cart controller redirect fix
  • fixed incorrect text breadcrumb on forgotten-login-name page
  • redirect url fixed on guest checkout page Core: AResource and AResourceManager minor fix
  • guest_step_2 fix related to ignoring of agreement with policy after turning back from step3 page.
  • now default method (main) of account/forgotten is password();
  • account block data added (urls of login, register and forgot pass pages )
  • account/create form for customer.. validation improvement related to extension's hook validator
  • account block now will hide info if user is not logged
  • added "hook var" call to checkout guest tpl step2 of default templates. Also added id for table with order summary on cart page in def ault_html5 template
  • added typo fix for account/create
  • minor fixes relates to hooks call
  • Product sorting by Price includes discounted price.
  • storefront menu edit form fix related to list of content pages

Extensions:

  • default flat rate shipping fix related to location setting
  • added note for return URL on paypal standart settings page
  • fixed URL of COD controller (was loop redirect on confirm page when press back button)install: demo sql data consistency fix
  • PayPal Standard summery fix
  • PayPal Pro callback (IPN support implemented)
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