NAED Technology Informer

Choosing shopping cart software could be one of the most important decisions you make in regard to your e-commerce business. It may not be the first thing customers look for when choosing a business, but if the software is unreliable or difficult to use, what’s keeping them from simply closing the window and taking their money somewhere else? Shopping carts can be either licensed or hosted. Licensed carts are downloaded and installed onto a server, usually for a one-time fee. With this option, you are in control of the software license and can install it on any Web server meeting a certain set of requirements. If necessary, you can also access and edit the source code. Hosted services, on the other hand, are provided by a third-party and paid for on a regular basis. In other words, this is a Software as a Service (SaaS) application. Users can choose from certain templates to customize the cart, but cannot edit it themselves. However, the cart is (or should be) kept up-to-date by the host, including adding new features. The shopping cart service is the gateway to your payment application the two are separate pieces of software that are not otherwise related. Be prepared to pay something for the cart software, there are free options available, but you should be sure to research them before installing them on your company’s website. They may be lacking certain features which your customers will expect. The VISA credit card company keeps a list of Certified Shopping Cart Software providers which comply with PCI security standards. VISA and some other credit card companies require that merchants use one of these compliant options. The list of acceptable providers is extensive, so don’t worry about this limiting your company’s options. You may need to try more than one shopping cart before you find one that works for your business luckily, some providers offer free trials so you don’t have to purchase each one. Choosing a shopping cart might seem unimportant with all the work you’ve already done or plan to do on your site, but believe usthat’s exactly the reason that you need to take the decision seriously and find the best application for your needs.