Selecting The Right Shopping Cart For Your Website

Shopping Cart Installation And Setup

Shopping cart technology has evolved to be a must-have feature for the internet seller. Most e-merchants are aware that shopping carts function to facilitate the purchasing process. They provide the means to catalog sale items; calculate price and shipping costs; and process real-time payments. What business owners may not know is that shopping carts services can, as a result of their data-collecting functions, provide valuable advanced marketing information.

An e-merchant's goal in setting up his website storefront is to maximize product exposure. He spends a great deal of time and effort developing an attractive site that is easy to find. But once found, the site must facilitate the closing of a sale. The decision to install a shopping cart system is a wise one because it provides a professional processing service, which makes buying easy for the customer. The many features of shopping cart systems are designed to attract and commit the buyer, and to make what can be a labor-intensive purchasing process simplified and enjoyable.

It is very important for the e-merchant to know and use the functions of the shopping cart system that assist in the management and planning aspects of his business. Many shopping cart systems can provide useful statistics to help you analyze the effectiveness of your site; your sales record; and the sources of your customer stream. You can have at your fingertips such information as: how much traffic your site is getting; who your referral URLs are; the number of abandoned sales; and details about your purchasers.

Ted Prodromou spent over 25 years in the computer industry working for IBM, Digital, and Cellular one. Today he's the owner of Valiss IT, a consulting firm that provides small business coaching and marketing help. He