Archive for September, 2008

Choosing the Right Shopping Cart

Posted by Jason Shindler in newsletter on September 15, 2008

If you sell anything to the general public, chances are you will want to add a shopping cart functionality to your Web site. But, how do you choose the software you need? There are three basic options:
 
Hosted shopping carts are ideal for small-scale straight retail. Shopping carts of this type will charge your company a monthly fee in exchange for hosting, live help, and free updates to their software. Many hosted shopping carts offer features such as inventory control, live order tracking, real-time credit card processing, and automatic shipping and tax calculations, plus many more. To find a review of the top ten shopping cart software in the industry, click here.  

Purchasing shopping cart software and customizing it is a flexible and cost-effective option for products that fall just outside the norm of typical retail. By purchasing the software, your company gains the right to modify the program to suit your needs. This takes less time and money than building a shopping cart from scratch, but the downside is that any updates that the software company produces will also have to be purchased and integrated periodically. Such updates could include postal and zip code amendments. Your Web site developer can help you choose which software to purchase.
 
Building a shopping cart from scratch is the most time-consuming and expensive option, but may be the only choice if your company gives multiple discounts, or offers an unusual product. The upside to having your shopping cart completely customized is that you are assured that there are no glitches due to your specific needs.
 
Understanding your company’s needs is crucial to choosing the right option. Examine your products. Do your products have many options in purchasing? Do you offer multiple discounts?  Knowing how similar items are sold can also help you in determining how you will sell your own. Once you know how you want to sell your products, you’ll then be able to determine which of the above options will serve your company best.

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