Ecommerce Solutions from CPPowerMods

At Equilibrium, one of our key functions is to find the right tools and talent for the job. When distributor of fine art and design The Art Ministry, contacted us to assist with improvements to their online retail store, Equilibrium’s role was to find the right software and an expert who could customise the software to The Art Ministry’s unique needs.We helped The Art Ministry put together a detailed brief of their requirements, and set about researching and finding the appropriate software, which in this instance was CandyPress.

To customise it to create a memorable and effective online shop, we came across CP PowerMods, which is a US based web development company specialising in CandyPress. CP Powermods has a client list of over 1000 customers spanning from all corners of the globe. With 75 different modules that can be incorporated into the CandyPress Shopping Cart, CPPowerMods is the largest developer of Candy Press Ad-Ons throughout the world. Click here to see what they created for The Art Ministry.

Founder and Managing Director Shawn J. Rutter started CP Powermods just over 5 years ago. Today he is just as passionate as he was when he started the company.“I enjoy all elements of the business. I am a people person and really enjoy talking and meeting new people. The real satisfaction of the business however comes when you see a customer stuck with a problem, and you (we) have the ability to address and correct it for them.”

We recently caught up with Shawn to ask for advice for businesses thinking of going into a web-based venture for the first time.He says, “Over the last 5 years I have heard a lot of horror stories from our clients. My suggestion to anyone who is looking at exploring the use of internet in their day to day activity is the following:

1. No project you want to complete needs to be done yesterday. Thinking this way will most likely put you into premature decision making often costing you time and/or money. Take your time, there is no such thing as having to rush through a project. The more you rush, the more prone you are to make mistakes.

2. Research the companies you do business with. Ask for referrals, and then contact those referrals. Who could be possibly better to evaluate a company than the actual customers of that company? If a company doesn’t give referrals, then go to phase 2 and Google search them. If you can’t find something listed about them in the first few pages, then you may want to look at another company.

3. Lastly, use common sense. There are many fly-by-night companies who promise all 3 courses and only deliver the appetizer. If an offer for development, hosting, or whatever sounds too good to be true then it probably is. With the use of spam tools and mass mailing it is easy to get scammed into things like hosting, Search engine Optimization, etc. Before you buy, simply check out the company you are looking to buy from. If they look good, and can be found in a search engine, then go to step 2 above and repeat the process.

Working on the web is no different than having someone work on your home. Sure you can do it yourself, and sometimes that may be the best way to achieve your goal. But if you have a contract with someone as you would a home re-modeller, just make sure they are legit and real before you agree to work with them.

4. Using a third party such as Equilibrium can save a huge amount of wasted effort and client’s money. Sometimes with website development, it can be very difficult for the client to express the goals for their website and it’s up to us to interpret those goals as best we can. With Equilibrium, details of job requests are very precise, and with their internet knowledge, very considerate of the processes and time involved. I’ve worked with them on several projects and their level of professionalism has been nothing less than superb.”