| |
| |
|
Ecommerce Information |
|
|
|
Choosing the Right Online Shopping Cart
Are you a website owner or a web designer/developer? If either applies, I would venture to say that eventually you'll need an online shopping cart for one of your websites. In fact, almost all new websites today need some sort of ecommerce built-in, for the purpose of selling goods and services in the online marketplace. The greatest challenge is to find the perfect ecommerce shopping cart solution for yourself and/or your client. This task can be very overwhelming, considering, if you type 'shopping cart' into Google.com, this search alone returns over 14.4 million hits! Most of us don't have the time to sift through more than a few pages of a search engine to find what we're looking for. For the last 3 months, much of my time has been devoted to researching as much shopping cart technology as I could get my hands on. In general, shopping cart software ranges in price from free to over $2000 for a single license and web hosted carts range from $5 to hundreds of dollars per month. The studied carts cover the spectrum of all web programming languages (ASP, ASP.NET, Cold Fusion, Flash, Java, JavaScript & Perl shopping carts) and provide limitless features as a whole. The problem is that locating YOUR perfect cart with YOUR specific features can be a big task. But no fear, just follow this guaranteed step-by-step guide to locate it: The Top 10 Steps to Finding the Best Online Shopping Cart Cost How much money do you have to spend on an internet shopping cart? The nice advantage is that there are shopping carts with hundreds of features and they don't cost you a dime. They are generally open source products. The only problem is that these same "free shopping carts" can take hours of installation time and be fairly difficult to configure. For a monthly fee, web hosting shopping carts are made for users with little programming experience and allows them to have an online storefront presence in no time. Hosting vs. Software There are two options in selecting your overall shopping cart solution. Either you get shopping cart software, download it, install it on your web server, then configure the shopping cart OR you get an online storefront (aka a hosted shopping cart) where the configuration is very basic and the required setup time is minimal. If you have some programming skills, I recommend buying a script and installing it on your own. The nice thing is that you pay a one-time fee for shopping cart software and the license is good for a lifetime. It's approximately the same price to have a hosted solution for a year compared to most one time shopping cart license fees. Supported Gateways What do I mean by gateways? Gateways give shopping carts the ability to connect and securely process credit card orders in real-time. Not all shopping carts are created equal. Make sure that your client's merchant account is supported by the cart you select. I have found that almost all carts support the larger online payment processing companies, such as Authorize.net, PayPal and Verisign. Shipping Options Will you be shipping physical products? If so, there are shopping carts that have built-in real-time shipping options through DHL, UPS And USPS. Often times, the cart gives the user the ability to view tracking orders and order status all from within your secure shopping cart web interface. Also, there are shopping carts with options to ship digital goods as well (files, programs, pictures, music and others). Technical Support What kind of technical support does your shopping cart offer? If you choose to purchase a script, be sure to also subscribe to the shopping cart creator's newsletter, so that you can stay on top of future updates to the software. Be aware that technical support is generally available on a pay-per-incident basis, as a yearly fee or in the rare case, free. Be sure to know what kind of customer support guarantee the shopping cart comes with. Security Please, only buy a shopping cart if it supports SSL (secure socket layer), with 128-bit encryption. As an online storefront, remember that you are responsible for the safe transfer of sensitive information (credit card and bank account information) that is processed through your store. If any of the sensitive information is accessible (stolen) from your website, you could be liable. Be sure that you're purchasing a secure shopping cart solution. Ask the creator's of the shopping cart what they do specifically to protect the secure transfer of sensitive information. Style Compatibility Can you customize your shopping cart to look like your website? There needs to be a seamless transition between your website and your shopping storefront or your customers might get hesitant in purchasing your products. There should be similar colors and style layout to look professional and believable. Extra Features I just wanted to mention some of the other features that I have discovered, which might be a critical point in determining the shopping cart you want. Affiliate Program - Offer your own customized affiliate program through your shopping cart software. Quickbooks Integration - Many carts allow direct integration with Quickbooks. Newsletter & Mailing Letter Managers - The ability to stay in touch with your current customers and keep them returning to your online store. Custom Taxing Options - Create taxable or tax-free products and have the ability to add various global tax options at checkout. World Languages & Currencies - Shopping cart language translation and support for world currency might be a necessary feature for your cart. Error Free You mean shopping carts can have errors? Of course. A private UK-based web testing firm found the following, after studying a large group of UK online shopping carts for a period of one month (24/7):"The majority of UK web sites are guilty of leaving e-consumers stranded at the checkout empty handed, once they have already spent valuable time browsing and selecting goods to purchase. This is due to erratic functionality within shopping carts, at a critical step in the online purchasing process." "E-consumers are prevented from making purchases on UK web sites for 9 hours and 30 minutes a month on average, (115 hours a year)." "80 per cent of web sites perform inconsistently with widely varying response times, timeouts and errors - leaving consumers at best wondering what to do next and at worst unable to complete their purchase successfully. This is potentially costing e-retailers millions in lost sales from consumer frustrations." (http://www.scivisum.co.uk/report/ecommerce/) Be sure to see what other users are saying about a shopping cart that you might be interested in purchasing. Any shopping cart errors could cost you thousands of dollars in sales. Get a stable and secure cart. Shopping Cart Directory The following is a link containing a directory of shopping carts that are categorized according to each of the above-stated steps. Make shopping for shopping carts a breeze! Shopping Cart Directory If you have any questions or comments about this article, please contact the author. About The Author Evan Stevens (http://www.evanstevens.com) is a professional web developer. This article reviews ecommerce online shopping carts.
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 TikTok Shop expands ecommerce business into Mexico theloadstar.com 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 Jorge Zuñiga Blanco Shares Expert Insights on eCommerce Strategies to Drive Business Growth WebWire 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 Bukalapak Retreats from Physical Goods Sales Amidst Fierce E-Commerce Competition - News and Statistics IndexBox, Inc. Ecommerce Order Management System Market Next Big Thing | Major Giants Shopify, Oracle NetSuite, SAP openPR 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 Nectar Acquires iDerive, Merging Analytics Innovation with Industry-Leading eCommerce Expertise EIN News 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 |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Developing a Winning e-Commerce Strategy One bright spot on the economic horizons around the world seems to be continued consumer spending and e-commerce is clearly a part of this, with sales estimated to be in excess of $9.9 billion in the next three months according to ACNielsen. Tell Them Whats in The Can! What does 'the can' mean? Well, its literal meaning relates to canned goods on supermarket shelves. If your can is up there among thousands of others, the label had better state pretty clearly exactly what's in the can. Is Your Business Afraid of the Internet? My Business is Afraid of the InternetBill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, once said that there would soon be two types of businesses, those online, and those out of business. Those words still ring true today, and many small businesses are missing a huge boat by not getting online. Online Credit Card Processing - How to Accept Credit Cards - Ecommerce 101 Back in 1998 (through 2000 or so), I worked for a small company (called PaymentNet / then Signio) that handled online transactions. Verisign later purchased this company, and the product team I led integrated the "client" - the portion that took the credit card information and sent it to our servers for processing. Six Components Of A Good E-Commerce Site Businesses, which are still sitting on sidelines and not doing business on the Internet, should think seriously about their position! If you are one of them, chances are there, that you have to pay dearly for your indecision as you might lose significant market share to your more proactive competitors in a very short period of time.Apart from the fact that e-commerce is growing at the rate of more than 25 percent a year, the use of online features can bring efficiency to virtually every aspect of business process, be it supply chain management or customer support management. Precautions Necessary for an Online Brokerage Business Maybe no business requiring little or no capital pays as big as the online brokerage business. Perhaps this also explains why this business attracts so many rogues, dreamers, time-wasters and even mischievous people. Overcoming Frustration with Technology For whatever reason, when we get a new boost in productivity, whether that be from a tool, technology or technique.. eCommerce Software Solutions All of the long, grueling nights and an unknown number of working weekends spent converting your dream into reality finally paid off-in a big way! Affiliates are signing up every single day and the clicks have really turned into cash. Your success is not limited to a lonely website but several and all of them are helping you move very diverse product lines. Is It Still Possible To Make Money On The Internet? Many people are saying that the internet is dead. So is there still money to be made on the Internet?The answer is a definite YES. Intranet - The Benefits Realisation Plan The Millennium ExperienceA successful project is one that delivers on-spec ('quality'), time and cost. Right? Well consider these two projects?The Millennium Dome was delivered on time for the 31 December 1999 and safely within a budget (fixed in 1998) of £289 million. Start doing online business using B2B Portals in Six Steps I registered with a B2B site but what's next?This is a question many first time users of B2B marketplaces ask themselves. A few expect that the registration itself will bring them a number of new customers. The Clickbank Crash of 2003: Lessons Learned I had a rude awakening recently. I checked the days worth of sales from one of my sites and there were none. Online Payments Make It Easy For Your Customers To Buy In the last column we discussed the process of credit card enabling your brick-and-mortar business. I pointed out that research has shown that accepting credit cards can help increase revenue and speed up cash flow. How To Prevent Your 3rd Party Merchant Account From Suspension What would you do if you were sent an email from your online credit card processor telling you that your account has been suspended or frozen?How are you going to pay the bills in the meantime?It is extremely important for you to familiarize yourself with the terms of your contract with your credit card processor.As long as you comply with their set regulation and guidelines to maintain your account in good standing you should have no problems. Beginner Ecommerce Mistakes This is a short article because in the constraints of time and space preclude me from writing a 10 page article. Recently i built a ecommerce web site titled Cynscorion Products that sells knifes. Online Shoppers Say They'll Buy from Small and Large E-Businesses Alike As the holiday shopping season begins in earnest, consumers say they're just as willing to buy from small online retailers as they are from large, national e-commerce providers.In addition to this key finding, a new national survey of 2,500 consumers discovered extremely high levels of consumer participation in - and satisfaction with - shopping on the Internet, despite continuing concerns for security and privacy. Leveraging Open Source Technology Open Source applications can bring unique value to business owners. Since the base application development costs of open source applications is free, small and medium business owners are able to leverage previously unobtainable technolgies against their sales objectives, operational costs and customer satisfaction levels. Business Online - Blind Hunt Do you sell something online? Do you have a business in the Internet? Have you read the "How to generate more traffic and convert it to sales" articles? Have you played the "Be #1 in SEO" game?Now, you are ready to believe - nobody knows how to do it absolutely right.Nobody can know everything. One Point Two Billion In this surreal world of the internet, anyone, even you, can put your point across to a staggering number of people inevery country on the planet.From political activists to artists and writers, can now findan audience to take notice of them where they could not getmuch attention in their local community. Web Users Crave Familiarity The sad truth is, general Web users would love it if all our sites looked like Amazon.com.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |