above the fold (web development)

We've come across an e-commerce solution called Spree Commerce. It allows us to create online stores for our clients very quickly. Right out of the box Spree has several features which make this an outstanding product.

1. Ruby on Rails
Spree is written in Ruby on Rails, a technology in which we specialize at Internet Exposure. Spree is a well tested product which fits in nicely with our Behavior Driven Development philosophy. It is an open source application, developed by Rails Dog, which encourages developers to contribute to and extend the product. The authors maintain a regular schedule of updates and releases, so that Spree supports and makes use of the newest features of  the latest version of Ruby on Rails.

2. SEO Ready From Day One
"Spree has been designed with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as a primary focus.*" Spree was built with careful consideration of Search Engine Optimization, including the creation of human readable permalinks for online store products, Also, for each product created, you have the ability to administer on page keyword targeting by allowing management of meta descriptions and keywords. In addition, Google Analytics is baked into Spree. By entering your Google Analytics ID in the admin, GA Code is included automatically in the site.

3. A Complete Cart
For a site created with Spree Commerce, the shopping cart is immediately ready to be configured and used. User account creation and maintenance is built into the application. SSL encryption is supported via a configuration setting. Spree allows access to over 50 different payment gateways, including PayPal and Authorize.net. With flexible and extensible shipping and tax settings, order totals can be precisely calculated. Orders are available for processing immediately upon purchase. Customizable email receipts are generated and delivered for each purchase.

4. A Customizable Solution
Spree Commerce's greatest advantage is it's ease of customization. Everything was designed knowing that each business' needs and vision is unique. Themes are easily customizable, allowing you to create a store with it's own look and feel. Spree has a very flexible product catalog, which allows for the creation of unique and complex product categories. Spree Commerce even has it's own Extension Registry, in which users have contributed code created to add functionality beyond what is provided by the Spree Core.

We have worked on several sites at IE using Spree Commerce, everything from simple implementations to highly customized e-stores. If you are considering online commerce, I would recommend that you take a look at Spree and I think you'll like what you see.

Tags: Application Development, E-Commerce, build, SEO, Ruby On Rails