Online shopping gives customers a wealth of product information including the ability to compare products and services. The right shopping cart and ecommerce hosting solution can increase online sales by making product selection and checkout seamless for customers. A difficult or confusing shopping cart checkout process can drive away sales at the critical moment a customer wants to make a purchase. A shopping cart program integrated with your ecommerce hosting website enables your web visitors to access your products and related information, resulting in purchases and more revenue for your business.

This article explores what shopping cart programs do for ecommerce websites, determining the right shopping cart for your online store, and important features to take into account while considering the many shopping cart options available on the market today with ecommerce hosting companies.

What does a shopping cart program do?

A shopping cart program runs on your ecommerce web hosting server and performs three basic functions. A shopping cart program creates:

1. A storefront integrated with your website where consumers can find products or services, view product and service details and descriptions, order products and services, and purchase products and services.
2. A database that stores information about both customers and products and services, such as product information, order information, and shipping information.
3. A website administration area for you to add products and services, manage orders, and set payment options.

(more…)

Ecommerce, electronic commerce over the Internet, has increased significantly in the last several years. One reason is software programs and technical solutions that make building a website and hosting it online relatively simple. Another reason is the increased security of Internet transactions in recent years. The endless possibilities for ecommerce websites include selling digital products, physical products and services, and many more.

This article explores how you can join the thousands of people selling goods and services online including ecommerce hosting considerations, website features beneficial for ecommerce websites, and determining the correct shopping cart program for your website.

What is ecommerce hosting?

Ecommerce hosting supports your ecommerce website, making it available on the Internet and providing the functionality you need in order to run a successful online store or website. There are dozens of ecommerce website hosting solutions available. But for your website to be successful, your ecommerce hosting solution must include the following minimum elements for you to establish an ecommerce business: reliable website hosting, email accounts, databases, FTP for file transfers, a shopping cart program and a system for secure payment transactions.

(more…)