With so many e-commerce shopping carts to choose from, selecting one is really a matter of preference with careful product evaluation. But what makes one provider better than the rest? See the answer below.
Features
Different shopping cart providers offer similar and unique features that are useful to the consumers and beneficial for you as a merchant. The features that are important may depend on factors such as the size of your business and the type of business you are in. A good shopping cart will offer a wide range of features to suit different business requirements.
Integrated Online Marketing and Promotional Tools
With a right shopping cart, you can increase both traffic and sales very quickly. How? Shopping carts affect the customer’s attitude towards your website. Shopping carts that have useful tools can attract new customers and persuade existing customers to buy your products. Through integrated marketing and promotional tools like catalog and product comparison, your customers will be able to make a more informed decision.
Promos, sale, discounts, free shipping and coupons are powerful marketing strategies that can attract more customers. Shopping carts offer these features.
Product review is another powerful feature that can increase sales. In a study conducted by CompUSA and iPerceptions, 63% of costumers are more likely to buy for the sites with product ratings and reviews.
User-friendly Interface/Ease of Use
Customers are very impatient when it comes to purchasing products and services online. The last thing your customers want is to figure out how to navigate your shopping cart. A user-friendly website is important to encourage people to purchase your products. A user-friendly shopping cart is critical if you want to encourage the visitor to complete the transaction.
Payment Options
Different online customers prefer to use certain types of payment. While most would like credit cards, many are still reluctant to enter personal information online and choose other alternative modes of payment like Paypal, checks and money orders. A good shopping cart service should allow all of these forms of payment.
Hacker-Safe Ordering Page
Earning your customers’ respect is important in any business. That is why you have to make sure that your customers are properly protected when they enter their credit card information on your website. Wise customers often look for SSL certificate seal on a merchant’s website. This seal is a guarantee that the site is hacker safe. Make sure that you have one.
Full Order Management System
A good shopping cart guides customers throughout the process of purchasing, checking out, payment and shipping. These services can be provided fully by a web hosting company or are linked from different services. Payments can be through major credit cards, PayPal, money orders and checks. Shipping can be linked to major shipping carriers like UPS, DHL and FedEx.
Costumer Service/Support
One of the best ways to gauge if a particular e-commerce shopping cart provider has a good customer service is by contacting their support desk and asking some questions. Take note of how long it takes them to get back to you. Did you get a template reply? In business, time is money; and personal touch is a plus. Customer service should reply with a personalized message as soon as possible. Another way to test how good the customer service is through its technical support. In running an effective e-commerce store, the availability of good documentation is important.
The above factors will help you in selecting the best e-commerce shopping cart for your business.
