Need recommendation for e-commerce web site with NAV integration

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Posted on by Bruce Peterson

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We are a wholesale distributor trying to integrate a web site with NAV 4.0 (we're upgrading later, but this is it for now). We don't allow just anyone to log into our web site. Only qualified customers can order from it. We do not allow account creation on the web site. We are not interested in search engine optimization. First we tried a product called StoreFront. DO NOT BUY STOREFRONT FOR ANY INTEGRATION WITH NAV. Now I've been pointed to a product called ExpandIT by a company in Florida. Their demo looks good, but I'm going to be much more cautious this time. Does anyone have any experience with ExpandIT or can anyone recommend a good product to use with NAV? I would appreciate any input anyone has.

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Bram Streefkerk on at

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Re: Need recommendation for e-commerce web site with NAV integration

Hi Bruce,

Just came across your post; we (Sana Software) deliver a real time web shop on Dynamics NAV as well, called Sana Commerce. It includes B2B and B2C scenario's ans uses web services, also for the 4 and 5 versions. We were present at Directions in Austin, TX, and will be attending next years' Convergence and Directions as well.

Feel free to contact us, see www.sana-commerce.com for more ino and contact details.

Kind Regards,

Bram Streefkerk
Sana Software

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Aske 25 on at

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Re: Need recommendation for e-commerce web site with NAV integration

Hi Bruce

I have been selling e-commerce for Dynamics NAV for more than 4 years now. I started at a account manger at a company who worked as a reseller of a danish e-commerce. Then I went to the danish firm ExpandIT and have had multiple end customer installations. They have a really great product, but as Erik says: "It depends on the company installing the webshop".

In 2008 I went to a swedish competitor, who is called ScriptServer. I changed company due to the solutions comparison. I saw ScriptServer's TradePoint as a better solution for end customers and partners.

ExpandT doesn't have a real time integration, but the ExpandIT is using a synchronization tool between their e-commerce and NAV. ScriptServer is dedicated to real time integration, and have been focusing on that area since 1997.

Once again the ScriptServer solution is not stronger than the partner, who intsall the solution. Your dynamics NAV partner are very welcome to contact us. We know that we are the experts in our own solution. Your partner can assign us for the task and give your company a faster and more safely suceeded installation.

You can always contact me at mail: aske(at)scriptserver(dot)com.

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Alex Chow 4,481 on at

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Re: Need recommendation for e-commerce web site with NAV integration

Checkout Activigence (www.itis.de). They make a pretty good e-commerce package in NAV as well. It's a lot more economical than most other solutions out there.

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George Wigglesworth 10 on at

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Need recommendation for e-commerce web site with NAV integration

We are a reseller of ExpandIT coming from a background of Dynamics NAV implementations; so we know both sides of the solution. We have greatly enhanced ExpandIT to include full CMS from within NAV, vouchers, promotions and loyalty. Our solution also allows multiple web sites to be controlled from within one company in NAV. If you want to know more have a look on our web site www.manorquarry.co.uk I hope that this maybe useful to someone!

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Community Member on at

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Need recommendation for e-commerce web site with NAV integration

Hi Erik,

We are using the Commerce Portal for Nav 3.7 and we are looking for alternate solution. I am looking at using the Commerce server 2009 with Biztalk to comunicate to NAV. I would like to know how you used the commerce server in the past for e-commerce solution.

Thanks,

Hina

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Bruce Peterson 500 on at

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Need recommendation for e-commerce web site with NAV integration

When I said $5k turnkey, I was speaking of the previous company I worked for. My friend at the UW developed the e-commerce web site for that. However, he didn't have to integrate with a Dynamics package.

Right now we're not using SQL for Navision. It was set up before I came here, and I don't know why they didn't do that. I think it had to do with some of the processes we use that didn't work well with SQL. However, I intend to move to SQL once all of the web stuff is squared away.

My hope with my posting here is to find some people who have integrated other products with Navision and have good OR bad luck with that process. I need to be able to go to the owner with some assurance that what I choose this time has a track record that I can point to. With StoreFront it was salesman assurance.

I've been aware of C/SIDE, but don't understand what it's function is. That probably explains why I have trouble using Access with it. I had an Access programmer on staff who could do this, but since he left I haven't been able to connect to Navision. I used to use Access for some of my reports because I don't seem to always get accurate information out of Navision, or I can't get the report formatted the way I want. Often I'm just trying to get data for other reports and Navision reports don't give it to me the way I need.

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epernst 1,122 on at

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Re: Re: Re: Need recommendation for e-commerce web site with NAV integration

[quote user="Bruce Peterson"]
The owner of this company wants more than one option, so I thought I could get some ideas on this forum. Yours is the only one so far. Over a year ago I first tried a custom solution, and contacted 20 firms. Nobody was interested. That's why I went with StoreFront. I had looked at about 10 off-the-shelf packages, and hours and hours looking at software and getting references, and StoreFront was the only one to promise integration with Navision (although not in writing). I appreciate any knowledgeable help I can get at this point.
[/quote]

Almost all recent eCommerce packages can be integrated with a SQL Server based database. Dynamics NAV is no exception. But as all Navision's business logic is contained inside C/SIDE, then it's not so easy to access (like for some system where the business logic is in ex. stored procedures). So it requires that you really know what you're dealing with. With Dynamics NAV 2009 it's getting easier, as you can rather easy expose the business logic using web services.

I would really not give you a fixed recommendation on which ecommerce solution to choose, as I have not been in the market to buy one my self for quite some years. Last time was 4 years ago, and here we ended on selecting a solution based on Microsoft's own Commerce Server. But that was also a eCommerce solution designed to handle +1000 orders per day.

You say you were quoted $5K for a turnkey solution. But that it now is over $20K! Well then it was a turnkey quotation wasn't it? Knowing a bit about the pricing in the US also, as I used to work there, then I would not think that you will get much integrated eCommerce solution for less than $20K anyway. My best guess would more say something about $50K and up, before you're live. And more if you need state of the art web design, professional pictures of your products, mirrowed web servers etc.

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epernst 1,122 on at

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Re: Re: Re: Need recommendation for e-commerce web site with NAV integration

[quote user="Bruce Peterson"]
The owner of this company wants more than one option, so I thought I could get some ideas on this forum. Yours is the only one so far. Over a year ago I first tried a custom solution, and contacted 20 firms. Nobody was interested. That's why I went with StoreFront. I had looked at about 10 off-the-shelf packages, and hours and hours looking at software and getting references, and StoreFront was the only one to promise integration with Navision (although not in writing). I appreciate any knowledgeable help I can get at this point.
[/quote]

Almost all recent eCommerce packages can be integrated with a SQL Server based database. Dynamics NAV is no exception. But as all Navision's business logic is contained inside C/SIDE, then it's not so easy to access (like for some system where the business logic is in ex. stored procedures). So it requires that you really know what you're dealing with. With Dynamics NAV 2009 it's getting easier, as you can rather easy expose the business logic using web services.

I would really not give you a fixed recommendation on which ecommerce solution to choose, as I have not been in the market to buy one my self for quite some years. Last time was 4 years ago, and here we ended on selecting a solution based on Microsoft's own Commerce Server. But that was also a eCommerce solution designed to handle +1000 orders per day.

You say you were quoted $5K for a turnkey solution. But that it now is over $20K! Well then it was a turnkey quotation wasn't it? Knowing a bit about the pricing in the US also, as I used to work there, then I would not think that you will get much integrated eCommerce solution for less than $20K anyway. My best guess would more say something about $50K and up, before you're live. And more if you need state of the art web design, professional pictures of your products, mirrowed web servers etc.

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Jay_from_Canada 220 on at

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Need recommendation for e-commerce web site with NAV integration

Thanks for the tip Dave!

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Community Member on at

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Need recommendation for e-commerce web site with NAV integration

Hi Guys,

A word of warning - spam software can pick up addresses off posts, so it's better to write a human readable address like

Name (at) company (dot) com

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