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There are many choices in the out-of-the-box e-commerce market, most of which come with a wide array of features. But, do you really need all of these features? About a month ago we finished configuring an installation of X-Cart for a client. X-Cart has it all, a complex tree structure of categories, feature comparison, a complex tax system, various shipping and payment method options, featured products, related products, upselling products, and so on. It is a complex system that will run just about any store, well maybe not every store, but you get the idea. Whatever the problem, X-Cart has a solution, right?

There is no denying that X-Cart is a robust piece of software. Whatever feature you are looking for in an e-commerce solution, there is a good chance that X-Cart has it, but if you ask me, X-Cart is NOT good web. Good web is simple web. Simple implies streamlined and running smoothly for the end-user. Simple means user-friendly and intuitive. It may be feature-rich, but user-friendly and swift on its feet it is not.

At dynamIt we always preach approachable, efficient, intelligent web. These concepts fall by the wayside as they try to cram in every feature possible thus making the features you want harder to find. The system becomes bloated and runs slow on the server, thus crippling usability.

So, keep it simple, and unless there is a piece out there that really fits your project, consider going the custom route.