Opencart System Upgrade with Referral System - 16/04/2024 06:13 EDT

I'm looking to upgrade my current system, perhaps keeping the current Opencart (V1.52) system and working with it where possible... unless its deemed a rebuild is cost effective. The opencart system we use has been added and modified over time, hence it is not possible to simply upgrade to a newer opencart version. The business we operate in is parts for coal and wood fires, this is a business that is reducing overtime, due to environment issues, however, the stove market has recently had a mini boom due to gas prices being high with a record number of new stoves being sold over the last 3 years (we do not sell new stoves, just the parts for these stoves). We expect to see at least another 5 years from this business. We have been told by our current developers we should look at a google shopping program, however, we are concerned the margins are not in the products to compete in this market. We believe there is another way of increasing our business which is to introduce a referral program to those already connected and have a relationship to the business (ie chimney sweeps and stove installers and coal merchants) - the very people who touch the customer whom we target. I'm keen on expanding the system to accommodate a referral program. I envision this program to be multi-faceted, with the capability to track referrals, assign rewards and incentives to referrers, and provide benefits to referred customers. The system should also be able to manage and monitor the referral process with ease. There are other smaller improvements required to the website and the database we use to run our suppliers prices. Our stock database was designed by me and built by our then developers. We also link into [login to view URL] accounting to import customers orders and convert to invoices. We also link / interface to Ideal skills for this project would include: - Proficiency in Opencart system development - Strong UI/UX design capabilities, especially in mobile responsiveness - Experience in developing and implementing referral programs in e-commerce systems - A good understanding of security features to ensure customers' data is protected - Excellent communication skills to understand and deliver on the specific requirements Please note that I'm open to any suggestions or proposals that you may have to enhance this project further. I look forward to seeing how your skills and expertise can bring these ideas to life. I have prepared a document I can send with work we require, as this is sensitive and confidential, I would appreciate making contact first with a developer before sending it. Below is some some information from the document i have prepared NB.. although I have selected a budget of £1500 - £3000 I am prepared to pay more for other recommendations you may have to bring in more business. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 - Introduction [login to view URL] has been hosted by the current developers (xxxxxxxxxx) for over 8 years. Due to xxxxxx shortage of resourcing /staff issues and how that has impacted the service we receive; we have decided to leave them and are looking for a new service provider to Host the website and IT infrastructure in SSL Maintain the website and fix any errors which occur during day to day operations Implement some changes to make the day to day process more slick Analyse current conversions and ascertain why business has reduced since a new check-out and SEO was done on the site. Quote & Estimates required to enhance the current systems. We have noticed a reduction in orders, our current IT Developers advise we need to spend on Google shopping, however, we believe that current conversions need to be analysed before any money is poured into Google. We believe there is opportunity within the current website to improve conversions and thus improve sales / turnover. Our delivery process is based on a drop-shipping model where our suppliers dispatch the product direct to our customer, this involves good communications between ourselves / suppliers 2 - Current Set-Up / Systems The systems were mostly built by xxxxxxx Design in 2012, which closed, so we had to find another web host / IT Developer (xxxxxxx) who took over management of the systems around 2017 Aside of our web shop, there are some other technologies, however all systems platforms were started / created by xxxxx Design. xxxxxx have done updates for us over the years, including more recently a new checkout, mobile optimisation and SEO (2022). System Overview Our current developers have answered the below questions (their responses are in Yellow) 1. What are the current versions of software being used? OpenCart, PHP, MySQL etc in the various systems used?  Opencart V1.52 PHP Version 5.6.40 (any other newer version won’t be supported by the platform) MySQL - 10.4.28-MariaDB Laravel V5 … custom interface Active cron jobs running   2. What is the server spec & software versions? RAM, CPU, disk space etc. Full Software list here:  https://xxxxxxxxx/[login to view URL] We run a dedicated machine and resources can be allocated on demand… as minimal requirements: 4Gb RAM, OctaCore 3.2Gb CPU, 100Gb space (bkp included)   3. Any APIs integrated & Any Data grabs between [login to view URL] and other 3rd parties including any internal systems. Is just the Kashflow API no other 3rd parties form what we know   4. Any other 3rd party systems (including internally) that the website communicates with (sending data either way) and any data grabs.    NO 5. Confirmation of payment gateways used. Realex (redirect to payment interface), PayPal   6. How the databases (products, customers, orders) are stored and if the data can be exported. Standard OC table structure… yes it can be exported as SQL data dump and all the products to stock link via the [login to view URL] export feature