2 of 3

As in a "regular" store, merchandise is displayed in aisles or sections, keeping the store neat and organized. EZwidget has a great category creator that allows you to easily define your own aisles within the store. When shoppers enter your e-store, they'll see a list of aisles and be able to make a selection. (In my e-coffee shop I created by-the-pound and coffee mug sections.)

Figure: 2 The store demo screen

Any Strings Attached?
As I always tell my children, nothing in life is free. The basic EZwidget store displays two banner ads on the top. EZwidget controls which ads are displayed and their frequency. While browsing several EZwidget e-stores I didn't find them too intrusive. With all the cross marketing on the Web, shoppers may be getting used to it. If you don't want the ads on your e-store, there's a $25 monthly charge to remove them.

All EZwidget sites are hosted on a commercial host. I always recommend researching your host. Uptime, bandwidth, concurrent user load and backup schemes are all relevant, especially when you're considering an e-store that you want open 24x7.

E-This, E-That
Since EZwidget is a generic store generator, the stores it creates look generic. It lacks all the customization options found in more expensive store creators. Most e-tailers are struggling to make their storefronts sexier and prettier to pull and keep the e-buyer in. As you may know from experience, the hot storefront won't necessarily keep you inside long enough to open your wallet. It's critical to make it easy to buy as well. Usually when I shop I take the in-and-out approach.