Custom Product Development in OSCommerce Platform

[ryanmoore]

I want to start an eCommerce portal similar to www.framesbuy.com or  www.warbyparker.com. I will be only selling eyeglasses initially and intend to give the customers easy shopping experience. Even though, it’s a startup, putting up an eCommerce website is no small task. Can anyone suggest me what all is necessary to lay a strong foundation for an online eyewear store? Is it possible to develop select lenses process similar to the above websites with OSCommerce platform? And also are there any freelancer developers who can do that?

[MrPhil]

You can certainly display frame styles like any other merchandise. You can select lens types and treatments, but if that is not compatible with all frames, you might be facing some custom coding to show available frames for a type of lens. You would have to have a place to enter the prescription information, which would be passed on to whoever is cutting and shaping the lenses. Is that simple text, or are there complicated symbols (can a consumer be trusted to accurately transcribe an eyeglass prescription)? Pricing could get quite complicated if it depends on many factors. Finally, depending on where you are, eyeglasses may be regulated as medical devices, and require special certification for you to handle.

TL;DR I'm sure it can be done, but probably not "out of the box" osCommerce -- it will almost sure require some custom work, more than just an add-on or two. Or was this just a spam attempt? (I see that links were removed by another moderator.)

[ryanmoore]

Thanks MrPhil,

Here are some point

1. I would like to start this online store in USA.
2. Types of lenses not dependent on frames but they are dependent on uses like single vision, bifocal etc.
3. During this select lenses process we will also accept prescription and based on prescription & vision type, system must suggest lens package.

I am really looking for advice from experience OSCommerce users.

[Jack_mcs]

I worked on a shop that did just this many years ago. I don't recall all of the detail of it but I do remember the customer had to enter his prescription. To do that you will either need the Option Types addon or a form created just for that purpose, maybe both. I looked at the two sites you mentioned and it looks like, for glasses, you just need to select basic features, like prescription or not. There is an addon (Filtered Products or something like that)  that allows you  to setup groups of attributes in one of the columns that lets the customer narrow down the search, like

Size

•  Small
•  Medium
•  Large

Color

•   red
•   white
•   blue

So I suggest you install the Option Types and Filtered Products addons to begin with. Once those are working you should be better able to see what else is needed.