You might have started your adventures in e-commerce with a bare-bones system. But if you're like most people, you've probably outgrown these simple carts.
If that's the case, you need to consider these options:
31 Things to Look For When Choosing Your Next Online Shopping Cart...
1. Is the cart secure? Make sure the cart has verified security standards and is hacker safe. Those orders could be a major source of fraud that could run you out of business if you aren't careful.
2. Can it import your existing client database?
3. Can it import your existing list of products and services?
4. Will it categorize your products and services so you can find items quickly?
5. Will it calculate shipping charges by different carriers, like USPS and overnight courier services?
6. Can it bill clients automatically each month if you sell recurring services like coaching, or products, like supplements?
7. Could it offer A/B split testing of different ads, so you can test with ads are more effective?
8. Will it work easily with credit card processing companies?
9. Do they offer free product support?
10. Does it have an affiliate manager module to track orders made by your partners?
11. Can it send out automated messages so you can follow up with clients using automated messages and sales scripts that can save you time and make you money?
12. Are the prices reasonable?
13. Can you choose from a variety of services so you get the level of service you need?
14. Does it have features included, like affiliate program tracking and auto-responders?
15. Can it work with your website to do product upsells?
16. Does it offer coupons and discounts for consumers?
17. If you operate several companies, will they all work with one cart, or do you need additional carts? Good systems will let you take orders from different companies you own.
18. Has the cart been in business for more than five years?
19. Does the cart have testimonials from satisfied people in your industry?
20. Will it print an invoice?
21. Can I make the sales pages look like my website so it has the same colors, logos and layout so customers feel comfortable and has a positive experience?
22. Will it create a database of clients, prospects and newsletter subscribers?
23. Will it send out newsletters in HTML and TEXT?
24. Can it track undeliverable emails?
25. Does it integrate with QuickBooks so you can do bookkeeping faster?
26. Can you search by client name or client email address to find records?
27. Can you create reports to see the records of each person who bought a specific product?
28. Can you send messages to people who bought specific products?
29. Can you send personalized messages that include a person's name, company, city and product purchased?
30. Can you become an affiliate of the shopping cart and recommend it to your clients?
31. Can it offer a security code to defeat spammers?
Modern shopping carts, like MyEasyOnlineStore.com have all these features and more. Don't buy a cart that doesn't have these services, as you will surely need them.
What attracts customers to an ecommerce site and keeps them there all the way through the purchasing process is your online shopping cart. Just as with any retail venture in real life, shoppers are looking for a user-friendly experience that gives them everything they want or need at that moment. We've all experienced both ends of the spectrum when it comes to shopping; either the salesperson is dogging our every footstep, or when we really do need them, they're suddenly nowhere to be seen. The same could be said of your online shopping cart. Some shopping carts are so flashy and confusing, the visitor often gives up before completing the purchase. Other carts are barely there, lacking clear navigation and the sale is killed before it gets a chance to start. You could have the best product in the world, but if you can't get your customers to buy, it's worthless.
Think of your website as a physical store. You want to showcase your product in the best way possible. If you were selling in the physical world, you certainly wouldn't choose a building in a poor section of town, or one that had numerous problems with it. Location is everything and easy to use navigation of your site is key. People need to see all of your products clearly and have the ability to compare each one. Your online shopping cart should have sufficient means to do this, with large pictures to show the product and enough space for detailed descriptions. Nothing is worse than trying to get a look at a product from a microscopic thumbnail image. Put your product images on display.
When designing your online shopping cart, take your time. You might be all jazzed to get the project running that you throw something together simply for the sake of getting it up quickly. Nothing will kill your sales faster than your customers' constantly running into an under Construction message. You can bet that the customer will find that same product elsewhere and won't be back. People want instant gratification and if they can't get it from your site, they'll leave.
The number one reason people buy from any given site is credibility. If a site looks shady, no one is going to give personal information, not in a day and age where identity theft runs rampant. A sense of trust is extremely important. Traditional stores, like Sears or Wal-Mart, work very hard to maintain an atmosphere attractive to their customers. The same goes for your site and online shopping cart. If your site is suffering from technical bugs or your checkout procedure is too hard to follow, it won't help build your credibility or trustworthiness with the customer at all. In addition, you have to offer enough support to back it up should the visitor encounter a problem.
A sense of openness with your visitors is important and goes hand in hand with credibility. Ecommerce sites with ambiguous pseudonyms for contacts cause customers to wonder what you might be hiding. Customers like to know with whom they're dealing. Put a picture of yourself on the site, give them a real name as an email contact, or put up a phone number where you can be reached should the customer have questions needing immediate attention.
All of this should appear clearly on your website. Don't make your customers dig for a contact page or an email address. Provide real time help for real time people. If people know you're there for them, they'll feel good about handing over their hard-earned cash. Make your site and your online shopping cart as safe and secure as possible and in turn, your customers will stay longer and buy more.
Both Dan Janal & Andy West are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Dan Janal has sinced written about articles on various topics from Internet Marketing, Marketing Tips and Shopping. Serial Internet business entrepreneur, Dan Janal has built multiple six-figure income businesses using MyEasyOnlineStore.com. Now, for the first time ever, he's revealing the hidden truth behind automating your business, making more money online & enjoyin. Dan Janal's top article generates over 8100 views. to your Favourites.
Andy West has sinced written about articles on various topics from Hypnotherapy, College Education and Bail Bonds. AspDotNetStorefront is a premier and. Andy West's top article generates over 1830000 views. to your Favourites.