Web Hosting
Merchant Account
Payment Gateway
Shopping Cart
Store Builder
Links
|
|
Sell Product Online > Ecommerce Shopping Cart
Ecommerce Shopping Cart
An ecommerce shopping cart provides a website with a method of accepting payments. In order to sell a product online you
are going to need an ecommerce shopping cart in some form or another. There are a lot of shopping carts out there, so
we will show you some of the main features and pricing to look for in an ecommerce shopping cart so you can make an informed
decision. In addition we have listed some of our favorite shopping carts.
Ecommerce Shopping Cart
Features
|
Some ecommerce shopping carts will limit the number of products you can have or orders you can process. Many will
offer different packages depending on the number of products you plan on selling. There are some which will offer
you unlimited levels of both products and order. Be sure to find a shopping cart which meets your requirement
level for number of products and orders.
|
|
Look for companies which at least offer email and phone support. Chat support can be a plus also, but is not as
standard as the email and phone support. Be sure to look for 24/7 support if you are going to want help anytime day
or night.
|
|
Inventory control helps you know what you have on hand and know when to order more of an inventory item.
|
|
If you have a favorite carrier, make sure the shopping cart supports that particular carrier. If you do not have
a favorite carrier look for real-time shipping. This method will calculate the shipping costs at the time of purchase.
|
|
In most cases you are required to charge tax on purchases within the same state you are located. Most ecommerce shopping
carts will have a method to setup tax rates based on the buyers zip code. If you plan to just charge a flat tax rate,
then this feature will not be as needed.
|
|
As we all know from experience if something is 50% off today only we are a little more likely to buy it, or at least
contemplate purchasing the item. If the shopping cart offers discounts or coupons then you can make your products
look more appealing, or offer other discounts if they order more items. This is a valuable marketing technique and is
definately worth having.
|
|
In the world of ecommerce shopping carts you have two options, a catalog cart, or a button builder cart. Which option
you choose is up to you. The catalog shopping cart stores all of your products information, pictures, prices, etc.. in
one location on their server. The button builder shopping cart only stores information about your store and possibly
some inventory information. The product information, prictures, prices, etc.. is stored with your website. The third
option is a store builder which we discuss in our store builder section of the site.
|
Rates and Fees
| $0 - $100 |
| Almost all ecommerce shopping carts have
some sort of application or setup fee. They may call it something different
or hide it into one of the other fees, but almost all of them will have
some sort of upfront fee to get started. |
| $0-$100 |
| See Application Fee |
| $5-$99 |
| A monthly fee is what the shopping cart provider
will charge for the maintenance of the shopping cart. |
|
|