Blacknight has launched a new solution to help companies easily add an e-commerce section onto their existing websites.

The Carlow-based web host and domain registrar is calling its solution shopBuilder by Blacknight, with prices starting at €10 per month or €100 per year.

ShopBuilder integrates with a company’s current website whether it’s built on WordPress, HTML, Joomla, Drupal, Wix or other platforms. It can match the aesthetic of the website and is managed via a dashboard that can be accessed through a web browser or on a mobile phone.

Using the dashboard, companies can then add products, logos, pictures and set up shipping.

The Blacknight solution works with all the major credit card processors, including Paypal and Stripe, and allows companies to sell on Facebook, Instagram, Esty, eBay, Google, Amazon and other platforms, as well as from the company website itself.

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“Shopbuilder will also give you the tools you need to market online. It will help you set up ads on Google, Facebook, and other platforms to sell. It will allow you to create discounts and promotions, and then advertise those as well,” said Michele Neylon (pictured), Blacknight CEO.

Neylon added that the Covid-19 lockdown had spurred a move among businesses to sell online, but the perceived difficulty of setting up an e-commerce system was a deterrent for many.

“E-commerce is very much worth the trouble. Your customers are already used to the idea of ordering anything online, and they’re going to expect it from you too,” said Neylon.

“On a local level, customers are generally loyal, and in this challenging time, they also want to be civically responsible. By giving them a way to order online, you’re scratching that itch.”

The shopBuilder dashboard also lets users check on orders, handle checkouts and emails, security and payment processing.

“You don’t even need to set up a shipping or fulfilment operation either, if you only want to offer click & collect, you can set that up with shopBuilder as well – no need to post anything. Just let customers place their orders on the site, and then they can come to collect it when it’s ready,” Neylon explained.