Shopping Cart Software

Good shopping cart software allows you to provide a more complex shopping experience without confusing your customers and usually increases the number of sales a web site makes. Keep reading for tips on how to choose shopping cart software.

What is shopping cart software?

Shopping cart software is a program that provides the coding you need to move beyond a basic email order form or phone orders for your online store. Shopping carts make shopping easier and more appealing for customers and can increase sales. With shopping cart software, a customer can: 

• Select items, quantities, and variations like sizes and colors
• See related items they might also like to buy
• Be reminded of previous purchases
• Save items for later if they leave in the middle of shopping or their session ends accidentally
• See a calculation of their total costs
• Choose options like gift-wrapping
• Follow where they are in the order process so they don't leave before their order is complete

Depending on the shopping cart software you choose, shopping cart software can also assist you through extra functions liking calculating shipping and taxes, help with laying out your web site, and tracking sales and inventory.

We have found that Yahoo! has one of the best shopping carts available, and at a very reasonable price, considering they allow you up to 50,000 products. 

CLICK HERE to view or purchase Yahoo! shopping carts.

How do I choose shopping cart software?

There are many shopping cart software programs available. Some are free while others cost thousands of dollars. Some charge a one-time fee, while others have a set up fee and monthly charges. The average cost is a one-time fee of $100 to $200. When you are trying to decide which shopping cart software to use, consider the following questions:

• What am I selling? Some types of shopping carts only work with certain products, like tangible goods or downloads.
• How much business do I expect to do? Some shopping carts have a limit on the number of items you can sell per month.
• How easy is the program to use? A shopping cart program does not help you if it is difficult for you or your customers to use.
• Does it offer SSL? Most customers will not buy from an unsecured site.
• Does it offer customer support? Depending on your skill with software programs, you will want to consider the kind of customer support available.
• Is it compatible with your server and payment and shipping options? Be certain that all of the elements of your web site are able to work together.
• What other features does it offer? Shopping cart software can offer a wide range of other features, like tracking sales, storing customer information, and automatic email confirmations.

Once you know what you are looking for in shopping cart software you can shop around to find the best deal. It may be helpful to look at the shopping cart software on other online stores to see which shopping cart software you like and which programs do not seem well designed.

Sources:

Yahoo! Merchant Solutions: Secure and Reliable Shopping Cart [online]
WebLadyBug Design and Photography, How do I get a shopping cart for my web site? [online]
TopTen Reviews, Shopping Cart Software [online]