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Ecommerce Information |
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Shopping Carts For The Faint Of Heart
The chief criteria for judging an ecommerce shopping cart are the number of credit card processors and shipping services it supports, and the number of people that support *it*. Why? Because credit card processors and shipping services mutate all the time. Your cart will require updating. Which service works today may go out of business tomorrow, and leave you with the orders piling up. Other important criteria are how easy it is to set up, and add products, and how easy it is for the customer to use. When you set up your shop test it using a wide variety of the oldest and buggiest browsers you can find. If your web store works under them you're home and dry. Here are the cheapest, simplest, and most effective carts I've found: 1. Oscommerce (free) - http://www.oscommerce.com A very good, full-featured, cart. Uses Php and MySQL. Not easy to set up for a 'newbie'. Cookies are used to track the order. If you have PhpMyAdmin installed in your web account, it's easier. Requires a customer to register before they can make a purchase. Supports a wide range of credit-card processors and shipping services. Bad point: Technical support is limited to the Oscommerce forums, which are not helpful to newbies. Also, it may be a while before an update is available to a payment module. These are done by unpaid enthusiasts. Good point: Oscommerce is supported by thousands of unpaid enthusiasts; this means updates do eventually arrive, and it's less likely to go out of business, unlike a commercial cart. 2. X-Cart (commercial) - http://www.x-cart.com Similar to Oscommerce. Requires a customer to register before they can make a purchase. Lots of features and add-ons. Supports a wide range of credit-card processors and shipping services.Has an affiliate program add-on, and lets others sell products though your cart. 3. Dansie Cart (commercial) - http://www.dansie.net A well specified cart. Supports a wide range of credit-card processors and shipping services. Bad point: Apparently the Perl code is obscured, to make it harder to copy, which is annoying if you want to customise it. 3. Interchange (free) - http://www.icdevgroup.org A version of the old Akopia / Minivend carts. Complex product with lots of files and a lot of setting up to do. A complete solution, and includes the option of third party credit-card real-time order processing. Encrypts orders. 4. Agora (free) - http://www.agoracart.com A Web-Store/Commerce.cgi hybrid. 5. The Commission Cart (commercial) - http://www.siteinteractive.com A CGI-based shopping cart which also functions as an affiliate program. Other webmasters earn commissions by signing up and linking to your site. 6. ShopFactory (commercial) - http://www.shopfactory.Com Has a nice little wizard-based set-up. If you have a lot of items in your shop, this is an option worth checking out. This is a very valuable feature. A person who's set up CGI scripts before will get the most out of this. Supports a wide range of credit-card processors and shipping services. Bad points: It's ugly, awkward, and uses JavaScript too much. 7. WebGenie Shopping Cart Pro (commercial) - http://www.webgenie.com A simple, wizard-based option. Uses Javascript a bit, but the main work is done by CGI scripts. It saves the credit card information on your server. It's for someone who hasn't set up a CGI script before. Expensive for what you get, but it works. Option to buy it on hire-purchase. 8. Actinic Catalog (commercial) - http://www.actinic.co.uk Most suitable if you have lots of items in your store. It's a 'wizard'-based PC program; you type in your information, and the program sets up the store. You should set up the default store as-is, then customise it later. Supports a wide range of credit-card processors and shipping services. A little complicated for an internet newbie; there's quite a lot in it. 9. Order Maven (commercial) - http://www.briggsoft.com A clever little program. It's a standalone Windows executable, which the customer downloads. The customer starts it up, chooses the product, enters their details, and sends off their order like an email, with the credit card details encrypted. It costs $29.00 at the time of writing. No secure server or order page needed; it's all done on the customer's PC at their leisure. You need to customise it. Make sure you write your mail server URL into the code. For the customer, the order module is a 160kb download. NOTE: Try to avoid carts that use cookies and javascript only, or that tie you into only one secure server and credit-card processor.Also avoid web-based services that you lease only. They can go out of business, leaving you flat. Having read the above you should have eliminated quite a few programs from your shopping list. They either won't work properly with all browsers, or they won't encrypt your order, or they want to tie you into their manufacturers' secure order system at $40+ per month. Another option is to get a bespoke system set up for you by a specialist company. These cost thousands of dollars. Aren't you glad you read this far? About the author: T. O' Donnell (http://www.tigertom.com/web-designer-london.shtml) is an ecommerce and web site design consultant in London, UK.
MORE RESOURCES: Shopify, IBD Stock Of The Day, Rising On E-Commerce Push Into Enterprise, B2B, Point Of Sale Investor's Business Daily Holiday e-commerce soars nearly 9% to record $241B as shoppers choose phones over stores Retail Dive Trump Should Create a Verification Regime to Ensure Chinese E-Commerce Platforms’ UFLPA Compliance Information Technology and Innovation Foundation StoryStream Unveils new AI-Powered Video Commerce Solutions Including Stories, Shoppable Video, and Live Commerce Business Wire 1WorldSync Partners with It'sRapid to Further Automate and Enhance E-Commerce Product Content for Brands PR Newswire The Four Pillars of Ecommerce Profitability in the Era of Generative AI Retail TouchPoints Five trends shaping the future of online selling Oakdale Leader Revolutionizing E-Commerce: The Rise of Automated Packaging Solutions for a Sustainable Future Global Trade Magazine I've interviewed dozens of self-made millionaires, early retirees, and 'super savers' and plan to use one of their top wealth-building strategies in 2025 Business Insider ShelfTrend to Transition to AI-Powered Ecommerce Solutions ChannelX World U.S. Fashion Ecommerce Market See Incredible Growth 2024-2031 1 | Amazon, Walmart, Ebay, Macys openPR The future of eCommerce: 2025 Predictions Direct Commerce Association The Citizen Newspaper Group The Citizen Newspaper Group E-commerce Faced Heightened Cybersecurity Threats During Holiday Season Information Security Buzz How Gale is Making Healthcare Spending More Accessible Through HSA/FSA E-commerce Integration Femtech Insider Bloomreach Celebrate US Partners for Their Exceptional Commitment in Revolutionizing Commerce Experiences Business Wire Recap: How online retailers used AI in 2024 Digital Commerce 360 US ecommerce sales growth holds steady in Q3 Digital Commerce 360 TikTok expands e-commerce operation into Mexico amid potential US ban South China Morning Post Ten digital marketing trends HBS Dealer eCommerce Specialist Jorge Zuñiga Blanco Highlights Key Trends Shaping the Future of Online Retail WebWire Black Friday ecommerce sales reach $10.8 billion Digital Commerce 360 Best ecommerce platform of 2024 TechRadar DHL Supply Chain Expands eCommerce Services with Acquisition of Brandpath LM - Logistics Manager E-commerce logistics index hits near 7-year high in 2024 People's Daily Ecommerce Order Management System Market Next Big Thing | Major Giants Shopify, Oracle NetSuite, SAP openPR Bukalapak Retreats from Physical Goods Sales Amidst Fierce E-Commerce Competition - News and Statistics IndexBox, Inc. Singapore: Health Sciences Authority cracks down on 3,300 e-commerce listings for illegal health products GlobalComplianceNews Vartega makes e-commerce storefront available for sustainable carbon fiber materials purchase CompositesWorld Rezolve AI Forecasts the Future of ECommerce: How AI Will Shape Retail in 2025 and Beyond Yahoo Finance E-commerce Emerges As A Key Channel For Wholesalers, Study Finds ESM – European Supermarket Magazine Industry Expert Jorge Zuñiga Blanco Reveals Projections for Evolving Consumer Behavior in eCommerce WebWire DMEXCO Expands to Asia: Uniting with eCommerce Expo at Tech Week to Launch in Singapore The Manila Times India’s ecommerce funding declines 42% in 2024 Tech in Asia How Sea Cruised To A 162% Gain In 2024 To Shakeoff A Rough Start To The Year Investor's Business Daily Sparkline Hosts Exclusive Webinar on Leveraging Google Analytics 4 for E-Commerce Success ACN Newswire New tax rule for foreign e-commerce sites selling in Mexico takes effect Mexico News Daily E-Commerce Euromonitor International |
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