Easiest Way to Quick Ecommerce Set-up: Do it Online
The easiest way to set up an online shopping cart program on your site is to purchase access to web-based shopping cart software. There are two types of Internet shopping carts - locally and remotely hosted. Locally hosted shopping carts need to be set up on your server by an Internet professional. Internet shopping carts, which are remotely hosted on the provider's servers, offer point-and-click set-up and integrated shopping cart merchant accounts and other necessary Internet shopping cart software. Purchase access to a web-based shopping cart and you can often be up and running with a total ecommerce solution within hours.
Shop Around for the Right Online Shopping Cart Program
There are hundreds of companies that offer remotely hosted, web-based shopping cart software solutions. Most follow the standard model of offering easy-to-use integrated Internet shopping cart software for a low entry fee and monthly and per-transaction fees. Ecommerce giants like eBay, Yahoo and Amazon.com all offer complete storefront packages. If you already use a commercial web hosting company, your provider may already have a deal with one of these companies to offer an online shopping cart program. Or if you're just starting out, you can build your site on the server space offered by the ecommerce provider.
No Such Thing as a Free Online Shopping Cart Program
Is there such a thing as a free, web-based online shopping cart program? Yes and no. All Internet shopping carts are web-based, whether they are hosted locally or remotely. And it's relatively easy to find free, open-source, software-based shopping carts for download. But if you're talking about a free, remotely hosted Internet shopping cart, there is no such thing. The business model for hosted services like a shopping cart involves charging the customer a monthly fee for access to a complete Internet shopping cart solution.
Design Options on a Remote Host
Here's a question: Since web-based Internet shopping carts live on someone else's server, can you create your own design or do you have to use pre-made designs chosen by the host? The answer is yes and yes. Most ASP ecommerce hosts offer simple point-and-click interfaces with a choice of simple pre-made designs. But most of these same providers also allow you to import your own web design into their software. This is particularly important if you're only hosting the Internet shopping cart remotely and not the rest of the site. When a user clicks over from your server to the remote server, it needs to look exactly the same or you risk confusing the user and making your online shopping cart program seem amateurish at the same time.
Integrate Sales and CRM, Too?
Smart business people know there's more to successful ecommerce than putting together an online shopping cart program. Smarter buisness people know that all those sales and CRM (customer relationship management) components can be integrated online with a web-based shopping cart to create a full ecommerce solution. Some ASP ecommerce hosting providers bundle in a variety of sales, marketing and CRM software, including autoresponders, email lists and newsletters and sales affiliate programs, along with Internet shopping cart software. If you're just starting out, it makes sense to investigate one of these complete solutions. If you already use a remotely hosted ASP ecommerce provider, find out if it offers additional integrated tools by upgrading plans.
Advantages of an Online Shopping Cart Program
The advantages of purchasing a web-based shopping cart program vs. locally hosted software include the following:
* Quick set-up: Web-based shopping carts are built with point-and-click interfaces and almost always do not require specific IT training to set up and manage.
* Integrated software: An Internet shopping cart solution usually offers all the parts needed to set up a successful ecommerce program: secure server, shopping cart merchant account, payment gateway, even integrated, web-based marketing and sales tools.
* Low upfront investment: Most web-based shopping carts have a very low set-up fee and charge monthly rates, as well as per-transaction fees. So an online shopping cart program can be much less expensive to set up.
* Integrated product database: Most web-based shopping carts offer integrated product databases. Simply load your products, SKUs and pricing into the database and it's ready to go.
Cost of a Remotely Hosted Online Shopping Cart Program
When it comes to paying for a web-based Internet shopping cart that's hosted remotely as an ASP, there's good news for underfunded start-ups. The cost of entry for a web-based online shopping cart program is low: usually $50 or less, sometimes even free. The ASPs make up the difference, however, on the other end. You'll pay a monthly fee for a web-based shopping cart program that can run to hundreds or even thousands per month, depending on your needs. You'll also be charged a transaction fee by the host, in addition to credit card transaction fees. If quick set-up and managed services are important to you, this could be the way to go. Otherwise, look at other options.
Getting Into Google
Putting together an online shopping cart prgoram is one thing. Getting people to find it is another. When searching out potential web-based shopping cart providers, ask them about what they do to help you and your store get listed prominently in the Google, Yahoo or MSN search engines, or shopping feeds like Google's Froogle. Along with Internet shopping cart software, some hosts offer SEO (Search Engine Optimized) tools to help you move your site up in search engine rankings, while others can provide XML feeds to integrate with Froogle and other shopping aggregators. If you can find a host offering these tools, it can help in the long run.
Disadvantages of an Online Shopping Cart Program
The disdvantages of an online shopping cart program vs. a locally hosted model are few, but include the following:
* Customization: You most likely have to use the software provided by the shopping cart host provider in the way they have intended it to be used. If you want to customize the shopping cart or overall ecommerce process, or substitute in a different shopping cart merchant account or payment gateway, you might be out of luck.
* Ongoing costs: With a locally hosted online shopping cart program, it costs more to set up, but there's no monthly fee. Go with a web-based shopping cart solution and you'll be paying the provider monthly for as long as you use the product.
* Integration with an existing site: Depending on which online or web-based shopping cart solution you choose, it can be difficult to integrate with an existing web site. The shopping cart must exist on the host server, which requires a user to click away from your site (even if the user doesn't realize it at the time).