Over the past few years, the internet has emerged as a very powerful commercial medium and Ecommerce, i.e., business through the World Wide Web has generated huge sales and enormous amounts of revenue for the business owners all across the globe. The Ecommerce websites are fast becoming the favorite haunts of the online shoppers; which includes both the young and the old. The foundation of an online store is the shopping cart software. It keeps track of the products a customer picks up for purchasing from the site until he/she reaches the checkout stage, and also provides all the tools required for managing an Ecommerce site. These tools include website design, customer management, inventory control, and tax & shipping cost calculation.
Selecting the correct shopping cart plays an important role in the performance and success of your online store. While it should provide your customers with a hassle-free, smooth and safe shopping experience; it must also offer you total ease of use and management. The things you should look for when evaluating the popular shopping cart solutions in the market include:
Website Design
Online business is very competitive. You need a sleek, attractive and professional looking website that gets the customers flocking to it. The software you opt for should include a selection of web design templates that are easy to use and highly customizable and allow you to create exactly the website that you wanted.
Administrative & Inventory Control
The shopping cart software for your Ecommerce website must include administrative features for managing the site and the inventory. There are applications that provide for selling products as well as services and soft products such as software. While checking out the shopping cart, keep an eye on the future requirements and make sure that it allows uploading of any number of products. It should have inventory controls such as catalog manager, sales reports, inventory reports, order management, etc. Accounting software integration and availability of multiple payment methods are also necessary in a good shopping cart.
Security
Security of the online store is a major concern for the online shoppers. You should go in for the shopping cart that comes with SSL encryption, fraud protection and other security measures.
Marketing Tools
The software should have a variety of marketing tools for promoting the sales and web traffic at your site. These include: up-selling and cross-selling, loyalty programs, discounted deals, promotional emails to prospects and existing customers, setting up affiliate programs, etc.
Technical Support
You may need professional assistance with your Ecommerce website at any time; regardless of whether you are new online merchant or an established one. Be sure that your shopping cart solution provider offers comprehensive technical help through telephone, email, and resources like tutorials, forums, etc.
Though not the only component of an online store; the shopping cart software is a definitely a crucial part of it. You must compare and evaluate the different software available in the market before zeroing in on the one that is best suited for your Ecommerce website.