| Are you a website owner or a web designer | | | | script, be sure to also subscribe to the shopping cart |
| developer? If either applies, I would venture to say | | | | creator's newsletter, so that you can stay on top of |
| that eventually you'll need an online shopping cart for | | | | future updates to the software. Be aware that |
| one of your websites. In fact, almost all new | | | | technical support is generally available on a |
| websites today need some sort of ecommerce | | | | pay-per-incident basis, as a yearly fee or in the rare |
| built-in, for the purpose of selling goods and services | | | | case, free. Be sure to know what kind of customer |
| in the online marketplace.The greatest challenge is to | | | | support guarantee the shopping cart comes |
| find the perfect ecommerce shopping cart solution | | | | with.SecurityPlease, only buy a shopping cart if it |
| for yourself and/or your client. This task can be very | | | | supports SSL (secure socket layer), with 128-bit |
| overwhelming, considering, if you type 'shopping cart' | | | | encryption. As an online storefront, remember that |
| into Google.com, this search alone returns over 14.4 | | | | you are responsible for the safe transfer of sensitive |
| million hits! Most of us don't have the time to sift | | | | information (credit card and bank account |
| through more than a few pages of a search engine | | | | information) that is processed through your store. If |
| to find what we're looking for.For the last 3 months, | | | | any of the sensitive information is accessible (stolen) |
| much of my time has been devoted to researching | | | | from your website, you could be liable. Be sure that |
| as much shopping cart technology as I could get my | | | | you're purchasing a secure shopping cart solution. Ask |
| hands on. In general, shopping cart software ranges | | | | the creator's of the shopping cart what they do |
| in price from free to over $2000 for a single license | | | | specifically to protect the secure transfer of sensitive |
| and web hosted carts range from $5 to hundreds of | | | | information.Style CompatibilityCan you customize your |
| dollars per month. The studied carts cover the | | | | shopping cart to look like your website? There needs |
| spectrum of all web programming languages (ASP, | | | | to be a seamless transition between your website |
| ASP.NET, Cold Fusion, Flash, Java, JavaScript & Perl | | | | and your shopping storefront or your customers |
| shopping carts) and provide limitless features as a | | | | might get hesitant in purchasing your products. There |
| whole. The problem is that locating YOUR perfect | | | | should be similar colors and style layout to look |
| cart with YOUR specific features can be a big | | | | professional and believable.Extra FeaturesI just |
| task.But no fear, just follow this guaranteed | | | | wanted to mention some of the other features that |
| step-by-step guide to locate it:The Top 10 Steps to | | | | I have discovered, which might be a critical point in |
| Finding the Best Online Shopping CartCostHow much | | | | determining the shopping cart you want.Affiliate |
| money do you have to spend on an internet | | | | Program - Offer your own customized affiliate |
| shopping cart? The nice advantage is that there are | | | | program through your shopping cart software. |
| shopping carts with hundreds of features and they | | | | Quickbooks Integration - Many carts allow direct |
| don't cost you a dime. They are generally open | | | | integration with Quickbooks.Newsletter & Mailing |
| source products. The only problem is that these | | | | Letter Managers - The ability to stay in touch with |
| same "free shopping carts" can take hours of | | | | your current customers and keep them returning to |
| installation time and be fairly difficult to configure. For | | | | your online store.Custom Taxing Options - Create |
| a monthly fee, web hosting shopping carts are made | | | | taxable or tax-free products and have the ability to |
| for users with little programming experience and | | | | add various global tax options at checkout.World |
| allows them to have an online storefront presence in | | | | Languages & Currencies - Shopping cart language |
| no time.Hosting vs. SoftwareThere are two options in | | | | translation and support for world currency might be a |
| selecting your overall shopping cart solution. Either | | | | necessary feature for your cart.Error FreeYou mean |
| you get shopping cart software, download it, install it | | | | shopping carts can have errors? Of course. A private |
| on your web server, then configure the shopping | | | | UK-based web testing firm found the following, after |
| cart OR you get an online storefront (aka a hosted | | | | studying a large group of UK online shopping carts for |
| shopping cart) where the configuration is very basic | | | | a period of one month (24/7):"The majority of UK |
| and the required setup time is minimal. If you have | | | | web sites are guilty of leaving e-consumers stranded |
| some programming skills, I recommend buying a script | | | | at the checkout empty handed, once they have |
| and installing it on your own. The nice thing is that | | | | already spent valuable time browsing and selecting |
| you pay a one-time fee for shopping cart software | | | | goods to purchase. This is due to erratic functionality |
| and the license is good for a lifetime. It's | | | | within shopping carts, at a critical step in the online |
| approximately the same price to have a hosted | | | | purchasing process.""E-consumers are prevented from |
| solution for a year compared to most one time | | | | making purchases on UK web sites for 9 hours and |
| shopping cart license fees.Supported GatewaysWhat | | | | 30 minutes a month on average, (115 hours a year)." |
| do I mean by gateways? Gateways give shopping | | | | "80 per cent of web sites perform inconsistently with |
| carts the ability to connect and securely process | | | | widely varying response times, timeouts and errors - |
| credit card orders in real-time. Not all shopping carts | | | | leaving consumers at best wondering what to do |
| are created equal. Make sure that your client's | | | | next and at worst unable to complete their purchase |
| merchant account is supported by the cart you | | | | successfully. This is potentially costing e-retailers |
| select. I have found that almost all carts support the | | | | millions in lost sales from consumer frustrations." ( |
| larger online payment processing companies, such as | | | | sure to see what other users are saying about a |
| Authorize.net, PayPal and Verisign.Shipping OptionsWill | | | | shopping cart that you might be interested in |
| you be shipping physical products? If so, there are | | | | purchasing. Any shopping cart errors could cost you |
| shopping carts that have built-in real-time shipping | | | | thousands of dollars in sales. Get a stable and secure |
| options through DHL, UPS And USPS. Often times, | | | | cart.Shopping Cart DirectoryThe following is a link |
| the cart gives the user the ability to view tracking | | | | containing a directory of shopping carts that are |
| orders and order status all from within your secure | | | | categorized according to each of the above-stated |
| shopping cart web interface. Also, there are shopping | | | | steps. Make shopping for shopping carts a |
| carts with options to ship digital goods as well (files, | | | | breeze!Shopping Cart DirectoryIf you have any |
| programs, pictures, music and others).Technical | | | | questions or comments about this article, please |
| SupportWhat kind of technical support does your | | | | contact the author. |
| shopping cart offer? If you choose to purchase a | | | | |