Loading...
Answers
MenuWhat's the best way to build a MVP web app that handles order management, purchasing, invoicing, supplier management and inventory?
I've built a network of eCommerce sites using WordPress Multi-site. My customers manufacture simple products and I'd like to build them a more robust web app that pulls in data using the wooCommerce API or upcoming WP-API.
I'm new to programming and taught myself enough to setup my server (LEMP), build a custom theme and the multi-site network... I'm wondering if theres an open source solution that I can hack a bit to get the basic MVP built. I'm not enjoying PHP and so open to suggestions.
Answers
The best way to build an MVP for any SaaS product is to create a landing page that looks like a real product. Here's an example of one I built. http://www.happiily.com
In this case, it advertises the primary features of the product and invites people to sign-up. When they do, they are asked for information which qualifies the person and then sends me an email.
I built this quickly and very inexpensively and started getting inbound leads from it shortly thereafter.
I got on the phone with each person who signed-up and explained the features I wanted to build and was able to do a lot of customer learning based on that.
Happy to talk to you in a call if you'd like to talk more about customer development with SaaS products.
Hi there,
I see you still don't have an answer on this one and am wondering if more info might help. You say you're not enjoying PHP - is there another environment/language you prefer?
Furthermore, I am hesitant to answer this question because WooCommerce is such a fully fleshed out, well-supported system that it's hard to envision coding an alternate solution from scratch as opposed to just creating custom plugin functionality to do what you want. Have you considered this possibility (it would necessitate the PHP route)?
It's been a year to the original question, so not sure if you're still looking for an answer to this. Yet..
From your description, it seems like you want to build a web app that manages multiple WooCommerce stores from a single interface.
I saw a video demo of such a solution a few weeks ago. It's called Multishop - https://multishop.io/
There is also a proposed fork to WooCommerce to support multiple sites - http://woomu.org/
And here's a similar idea on WooCommerce Ideas board - http://ideas.woothemes.com/forums/133476-woocommerce/suggestions/4295981-multiple-shops-one-backend
We build some popular WooCommerce extensions. One of our plugins - Smart Manager - lets people manage products, inventory, orders and customers easily. Smart Reporter does advanced reporting on WooCommerce.
We have also looked at WC API and upcoming WP API.
It's great that you've setup WC multisite on your own. But if you don't like PHP, and want to rely on WC / WP APIs, I believe this is going to be a difficult project.
In all likelihood you'd need your own plugin. WC / WP APIs may not be sufficient for your needs. Another challenge is maintaining compatibility with ever growing list of WC extensions. So if you plan to build the web app for anyone (rather than a set of WC installs you control), you will need to invest significant energy in managing compatibility and updates.
And if the reason you wanted to build your app was to provide a simpler UI / UX, you can still build a plugin that hides all complexities. Or contribute to WooCommerce core with your suggestions / ideas / patches.
HTH!
If you're looking to use the new API for WP, there's not gonna be much available at the moment as it's still technically in the works.
I'm not super familiar with the wooCommerce API - but it sure seems like a custom solution would be in order. Something like this would require more work than a beginner might enjoy though.
If I were in your shoes, I'd look to hiring a developer to slap this together for you. This sounds pretty in-depth so it would take you quite a while to get the hang of all the custom databases and things you'd need for a project of this scope.
Check out Appsheet.com
It all starts with creating an MVP webapp first, once you have done that you can add things you want like management, purchasing, invoicing, etc.
Minimum Viable Product is that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort. MVP is a process of building a new product with core functionalities and important, minimum features, to test how the target audience would respond. Then, the building of the actual product takes place with the full set of features after a series of iterations, with feedback from early adopters. MVP helps in testing, designing, and delivering the final product. Several businesses have pitfalls while trying to launch a Minimum Viable Product for a mobile app or a web. The purpose to build an MVP is to launch a product quickly, based on your idea, with a small budget. This approach allows you to collect users’ feedback for the primary product and include it in future iterations.
You can read more here: https://www.netsolutions.com/insights/how-to-build-an-mvp-minimum-viable-product-a-step-by-step-guide/
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath
Hi,
It sounds like you're on the right track with your eCommerce network setup! Since you're looking to build an MVP web app that includes order management, purchasing, invoicing, supplier management, and inventory, there are a few open-source solutions that can serve as a foundation for your project. You could consider frameworks like Laravel or Django, which provide strong back-end structures and are easier to work with than PHP if you're looking to move away from it. Both frameworks also offer excellent community support and scalability.
Additionally, you can integrate your custom features by using APIs, like the WooCommerce API, to manage products and orders while leveraging tools for invoicing and inventory. For a more comprehensive solution tailored to your needs, you might find inspiration in a custom order management system that could be adjusted to suit your business model: https://www.cleveroad.com/blog/custom-order-management-software/
Hope this helps!
Related Questions
-
How can I create a searchable large (3 million record) searchable database in WordPress?
Well first off I wouldn't recommend trying to power your client's database with the standard WordPress database instance. They can use WordPress for the website all they like. But with millions of records like that, you really don't want to move those data in with WordPress. For that matter, you're probably gonna want a dedicated database server to answer those questions, if the client doesn't already have one. You might also need to investigate something like Elastic Search, depending on what your search requirements are and what sort of database they are using (pay close attention to whether or not it provides full text search ability). Beyond that, and somewhat obviously, you're also gonna want SSL on the website and to make sure you're up to date on federal and state privacy requirements for data like this, as well as best practices for securely transferring data over the web (port configuration, ssh keys, etc). The privacy concerns would raise a flag for me. If those data have anything personally identifiable in them - which they very probably do - then you're really gonna want to make sure you do your research on security of personally identifiable information. Government specific privacy /security /auditability requirements may also apply, so double check that too.EV
-
Which is the best hosted free bug tracking tool for a team size of up to 10 members?
Being a freelance developer for the last 10 years or so, I have seen and used almost every project management software you can think of, open-source and closed, and I have found that the "best bug tracking tool" completely depends on your process. I employ and direct teams in an Agile process that involves loose story-based requirements with point-based estimates, two-week cycles of iterative development, planning and retrospective sessions, and look-ahead and show-and-tell meetings with the stakeholders. It's important to me, then, that my tools have a method of capturing all those pieces with as much detail as I need but no more. On projects, I've successfully used Pivotal Tracker, Unfuddle, Redmine, Codebase HQ, Basecamp, Trello, and many others. I usually recommend people to Trello for light, agile management; it's essentially a digitized version of sticky notes and swim lanes. If your team actually needs a full-featured ticketing system, see Redmine (Rails), Trac (Python), or Mantis (PHP), depending on your language preference. Hosting a version of these yourself is fairly trivial, and numerous options exist for cheap or free hosted versions. For something in the middle, Github Issues is a good fit and the open-source clone GitLab.org replicates most of those features nicely. However, if you're looking for a hosted version, you're probably looking to offload that tricky "backup" thingy, and in that case, how important is your data? How proprietary? What's your business model? If you're working on an open-source project, Github will give your team a free account with private repos, issues, wikis, and the like. If you're okay with your project being "readable by all", public projects on Pivotal are still free. I'm mostly a consultant these days, leading small groups of junior or intermediate developers into a more productive, more mature, fully operational teams of senior software developers. One of the first things I teach folks is how to use a project management system... and why! It'll save your bacon if it's simple, effective, and reliable. With a few minutes of discussion about your project, I can probably help you select the right tool and service for your team. Let me know if I can help with that. Best of luck!DR
-
I want to build a expert marketplace directory listing website, which wordpress theme I should use?
Checkout is a high-quality WordPress theme by Array built for marketplaces of any kind. https://arraythemes.com/themes/checkout-wordpress-theme/ Let me know if you have any questions about implementation, and I'd be happy to setup a call.LL
-
How can I make a small, profitable business on Wordpress?
It sounds like you have plenty of skills to get started now. There's no need to keep re-training in different areas when you have experience to get started today. My suggestion would be to pick a niche and try and become the go-to guy in that particular niche. Let's say, for example, you are interested in men's fashion. You have experience in creating Wordpress ecommerce sites. You could call up maybe 10-15 of the local businesses in that niche in your local city/state and offer to make their website and get them in on a set-up fee and then a monthly maintenance retainer. This approach would be lower stress (because it's something you're interested in) and also because you could create a methodical framework that you could apply to other businesses in that niche. That's just one idea. Second idea - create a course on WooCommerce development and put it on Udemy (or Coursera etc). Note down 10 of the biggest obstacles you've had to overcome when building sites for friends and family and then note down 10 of the most important considerations people should consider before people get started. Now you've got 20 video lessons for your course. Charge for the course on Udemy or use it as a marketing tool to get more b2b development work. Idea 3: Go make money on freelancer.com, peopleperhour etc. Perhaps you've tried this already? Skills like yours are in demand on those platforms. Idea 4: Take the things I noted in the second idea above, and turn it into a handbook. Sell that book via Amazon. Idea 5: Go on Tweetdeck. Create a column that searches for people who are using keywords like "Wordpress woocommerce issue" "Wordpress woocommerce help" "WordPress woocommerce problem". Give them your clairty.fm link and tell them you'd be happy to have 5 minute discussion to see if you could help them resolve their problem. Idea 6: Find 10 major theme development companies. Sign up to their help or support forums. Do a similar thing to what's noted above on Twitter and offer to have a quick call via clarity.fm to see if you could help. Idea 7: Go down the route of finding existing Wordpress/Woocommerce blogs. Write posts for them about specific WooCommerce issues, problem solving or project management tips. Do this with the aim of improving your inbound consulting gigs. Idea 8: Do the exact opposite of whatever those friends are telling you. Idea 9: With your skills you could easily start a dropshipping company. I won't go into all the details here but just start looking at sites like Clickbank or Product Hunt to get a feel for something you're interested in. Build your site and start dropshipping products. https://www.woothemes.com/2015/06/dropshipping-beginners-guide/ Wordpress consulting alone, yeah it's probably quite competitive, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of opportunities for revenue. I think you will be even more motivated, successful and less stressed if you pick a niche industry, product or service to focus on. Enjoy it!SC
-
How can a small offshore development company find companies/software sales people to sell their service in the US/UK?
My company does a lot of consulting with offshore firms who are looking for a way to generate new business, so I hear this question a lot. My first reaction is that you need to totally reverse your mindset when you talk about your own company. You mentioned that you have: a great software developers team, proven track record, passion, real value But, everyone says that. There a 10,000 companies that have those things, so a customer isn't going to notice it. You need to figure out what your company is best at (doesn't have to be technical) and present it as a solution to a specific problem that clients have. Maybe a speciality, or really good project management, really good communications, a special expertise or experience, a personality, experience with a certain type of client.. really anything.. But, there must be some thing that makes your company 'special' otherwise you will be lost in the mix. Don't worry about things like rates, or the fact that you have 'great' developers. Those are generic. Think about why a client would really choose you, and try to build on that! After you understand your company identity, it gets much easier to identify and engage marketing channels because you understand your target.DH
the startups.com platform
Copyright © 2025 Startups.com. All rights reserved.