Catalogue Website – CMS or E-Commerce?

Design help Ecommerce
1

I’m looking to create a website which contains a catalogue of products. However, my client doesn’t wish to sell them online at the moment (but might like to in the future). It is also a b2b business model, and therefore doesn’t want to display prices online (as some customers have different prices than others – and have accounts with him). When they get to the product page, it will say ‘Call XXX to order’ rather than ‘add to basket’.

I’m looking to create him a new website on Webflow and have started by trying to just use CMS – but keep coming up against barriers such as categorisation and multi-reference limits.

Is there a way to create a website for him using the e-commerce tools – and would I be forced to (1) have a basket and (2) include prices?

If the above is possible – would I have to still pay for the e-commerce plan? (since users won’t actually be ‘buying’ online?)

He has displayed an interest in finding a way to sell online in the future, so this would feel more ‘futlureproof’ than using CMS.

Thanks in advance!

His current website: http://www.traditionalhardwaredirect.com

2

I’m not sure if you’d see a difference between the two if you’re not looking to sell any products, and going with the ecommerce plan will likely be more expensive. There is some benefit to having an established ecommerce structure if he decided to sell online in the future, but normally these types of businesses prefer communicating with customers before purchase due to the specialized nature or high pricing.

What is your problem with categorization? Maybe someone in the community can help you work through an appropriate system to organize the products.

3

Thanks for your speedy reply @mikeyevin.

The products he sells have different variations and I’m struggling to include these within the CMS without maxing out the reference-field limits.

4

What’s your current relationship setup look like on the site? Can you share a read-only link so we can take a look at it or a diagram would visualize where there may be a solution?

5

Hi @LiamDargan.
Josh from Foxy here. We’ve helped other Webflow users with similar needs:

  • Products 100% managed with Webflow CMS
  • Hide prices entirely or show to only logged in customers.
  • Allow customers to checkout without paying.

More information can be found here:https://www.foxy.io/webflow We offer an unlimited free trial and free one-on-one onboarding for Webflow users. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if we can answer any questions or help you get started: hello@foxy.io

Thanks,
Josh