RSS
Home
A Simple Guide to Selecting a Digital Shopping Cart
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Selecting the right digital shopping cart
can make or break your online business
If you're running your business online, sooner or later you are going to need an online shopping cart system. My intention if for this post to help you make your selection. I will share with you the two types of solutions available and what you should look for in the option that is right for you.
A virtual or digital shopping cart is a software application that allows you to sell multiple products on your website with a single purchase. Without such a software application, you will need to set up separate sales buttons and your customers will have to purchase each product from you individually. This is not always an issue. It really depends on your business model.
There are two types of digital shopping carts available:
Hosted "Software as a Service" Systems
This is a software service that hosts the software for you and you pay them a monthly service fee. An example would by 1ShoppingCart.
Self-Hosted Scripts and Software
This is a software script that you load onto your own server. You pay a one-time fee for the software and then you're done.
Which one you select is really up to you. Here are the things you should consider when choosing an online shopping cart system.
- What features do you need?
- How flexible do you need the software to be?
- How branded do you need your storefront to be?
- Do you want the shopping cart to offer suggestions to your customers? (Back-end marketing)
- Do you need the shopping cart to be able to support multiple brands?
- Which payment gateway do you need the software to be compatible with? A merchant account? PayPal? Some other payment processor?
- What is the learning curve? Will whoever will be maintaining your shopping cart system be able to do so quickly enough to meet your goals?
These are just a few of the things you should be thinking of ... you probably will come up with more. Take a moment to really think about what you want your shopping cart to do for your business and write down your specific needs. This way you can make a more informed choice and not through money at additional features you don't need or won't use. But keep your mind open to potential growth in the future.
Again, it is a matter of knowing what you want. You can narrow down everything once you've organized your needs and expectations for the shopping cart system.
And, of course, you need to consider your budget. It is a very easy decision to select between a simple application and one that is jam-packed with features if you know your budget. Just keep in mind that you want your choice to be a long-term solution ... it can be very difficult to switch systems later.
Remember, it is okay to spend some money on your virtual shopping cart, just don't go overboard and shoot yourself in the foot. The important thing is to take a look at your decision as a whole and not with blinders on.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
.jpg)
- The Official Get Rich Guide to Information Marketing: Build a Million-Dollar Business in 12 Months: Build a Million Dollar Business in Just 12 Months
- Mastering Online Marketing: 12 Keys to Transform Your Website into a Sales Powerhouse by Mitch Meyerson
- 31 Days to Millionaire Marketing Miracles by Tracy Repchuk
- How I Made My First Million on the Internet and How You Can Too!: The Complete Insider's Guide to Making Millions with Your Internet Business by Ewen
- Guerilla Marketing on the Internet: The Definitive Guide from the Father of Guerilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson, Mitch Meyerson, and Mary Eule S
