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Webmaster Tips n Tools | Will you need a shopping cart on your website?
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Put a shopping cart or check out system on your website!
Check out your available web hosting services first . . .
Most web hosting services now a days offer a standard shopping cart option with several size and feature options to choose from. The big ones often design and develop their own brand and API that works on the check out with PayPal and several of the major players in the merchant credit card arena. Many also offer support or documentation to adapt it to other merchant systems.
Here is an example from the web hosting reseller services we use. Their shopping cart service starts as low as $10 per month for up to 20 items and goes up to unlimited items for as low $39 per month. Either you or your website designer / webmaster would setup the admin panel options, enter the items with pricing, descriptions and photos and if that person is HTML savvy could even modify the template selected to fit your site design a little better. It can have a secure SSL payment check out and can easily link right into PayPal's special secure checkout. These types of services offer a very economical solution for small businesses to get their items up for sale on the web without needing to "re-invent" the shopping cart wheel or purchase costly merchant credit card check out systems.
Google and PayPal direct button check out . . .
Another very popular and cost effective option is to use the secure checkout systems provided by Google or/and PayPal Merchant Checkout Services. Merchant packages are available for a minimal % fee per transaction to even free when bundled with other options they may offer. Both make it easy and safe to sign up for a merchant checkout account and then create buttons or even send invoice payment requests for the products and services you will sell from your website. Most all website designers and webmasters will know how to design a web page into your website that will include the appropriate check out buttons that will then take your customer to the final secure check our purchase page or just add that item to the their checkout cart for later.
Specialized more complex, expansive or custom shopping carts . . .
All you will need to do to find a wealth of alternate "public domain" and "charge for services" resources that either you install on your web server or link to their online domain services is use any of the top search engines to query "shopping cart services" or "shopping cart software". Be prepared to spend some considerable time reviewing the many resource options to find the one that best fits your needs and inventory format. A couple suggestions we would make before you decide to sign up or purchase anything would also be to:
1) do a search to see if there are major complaints or actions pending against that vendor or product
2) ask for real life, "live site and in your industry" references and then be sure to check them out to see how they work and if the website is happy with the product or service
Don't put it off . . .
Start thinking and planning right from the beginning of the design stages of your website as to what you may want to promote and direct sell from it. Look at your website as a business within your business. Focus, design and monitor the site to not only funnel into your current biz your typical customers and clients but also find ways to develop new revenue streams too. So, begin of course with your current business products and services and then expand to possible future items maybe even like those typical fun impulse web offers of t-shirts, nostalgia, books, gift cards, trendy industry specific items and more.
Next . . . will your site be a "living website"?
Check out your available web hosting services first . . .
Most web hosting services now a days offer a standard shopping cart option with several size and feature options to choose from. The big ones often design and develop their own brand and API that works on the check out with PayPal and several of the major players in the merchant credit card arena. Many also offer support or documentation to adapt it to other merchant systems.
Here is an example from the web hosting reseller services we use. Their shopping cart service starts as low as $10 per month for up to 20 items and goes up to unlimited items for as low $39 per month. Either you or your website designer / webmaster would setup the admin panel options, enter the items with pricing, descriptions and photos and if that person is HTML savvy could even modify the template selected to fit your site design a little better. It can have a secure SSL payment check out and can easily link right into PayPal's special secure checkout. These types of services offer a very economical solution for small businesses to get their items up for sale on the web without needing to "re-invent" the shopping cart wheel or purchase costly merchant credit card check out systems.
Google and PayPal direct button check out . . .
Another very popular and cost effective option is to use the secure checkout systems provided by Google or/and PayPal Merchant Checkout Services. Merchant packages are available for a minimal % fee per transaction to even free when bundled with other options they may offer. Both make it easy and safe to sign up for a merchant checkout account and then create buttons or even send invoice payment requests for the products and services you will sell from your website. Most all website designers and webmasters will know how to design a web page into your website that will include the appropriate check out buttons that will then take your customer to the final secure check our purchase page or just add that item to the their checkout cart for later.
Specialized more complex, expansive or custom shopping carts . . .
All you will need to do to find a wealth of alternate "public domain" and "charge for services" resources that either you install on your web server or link to their online domain services is use any of the top search engines to query "shopping cart services" or "shopping cart software". Be prepared to spend some considerable time reviewing the many resource options to find the one that best fits your needs and inventory format. A couple suggestions we would make before you decide to sign up or purchase anything would also be to:
1) do a search to see if there are major complaints or actions pending against that vendor or product
2) ask for real life, "live site and in your industry" references and then be sure to check them out to see how they work and if the website is happy with the product or service
Don't put it off . . .
Start thinking and planning right from the beginning of the design stages of your website as to what you may want to promote and direct sell from it. Look at your website as a business within your business. Focus, design and monitor the site to not only funnel into your current biz your typical customers and clients but also find ways to develop new revenue streams too. So, begin of course with your current business products and services and then expand to possible future items maybe even like those typical fun impulse web offers of t-shirts, nostalgia, books, gift cards, trendy industry specific items and more.
Next . . . will your site be a "living website"?
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