For all online money marketers, while the first step is always deciding on what service or product you are going to market, the very next step is to figure out what software to use to set up your site.
Shopping cart software is a program that is used in ecommerce to assist people in making purchases online. It collects and stores shopping information in a website session, including items, quantities, taxes and shipping. It also collects payment billing information from the customer to ensure a safe and efficient transaction. Shopping cart software typically interfaces with third party secure payment gateway software that resides on a different server for secure payment transactions.
There are many different programs to choose from like Zen Cart, Miva Merchant, OS Commerce and BV Commerce. It is important to take the time to do a little background research about each company so that you know which one is best for you.
Most of these shopping cart solutions provide you with everything you need to make your site completely SEO friendly. Miva Merchant guarantees to its customers that it is SEO friendly right out of the box, but the truth is, so are Zen Cart and the other programs too. These will help you with pricing, shipping, payments and just general organization. Having some type of shopping cart software is imperative to having a successful site and keeping everything in order. It also helps you to secure the payments that are transacted through your site which gives your customers a good piece of mind.
Many shopping cart software solutions provide the user with multiple language support, multiple customer modes, unlimited category depth, multiple sales and discounts, multiple display modes, unlimited extra pages, multiple ad banner controller, various shipping options, a choice of payment options, a newsletter manager, discount coupons, gift certificates, quantity discounts, and external modules. If you are building a site then all of these sounds very attractive to you which are why shopping cart software are an essential step in the process.
Regardless of which program you choose, you will find that it will make your site much easier to manage and simpler for the user to navigate. It also may be a good idea to consult some online sites for information on the steps to building a successful website so you can turn your dreams into a reality.