1. What Are Your Initial Fee?
2. What is your merchant account Cost? Does it include in initial fee?
3. What is your transaction fee? Is there any Discounts?
4. Do you Provide 24*7 email and telephone support?
5. What are your monthly total costs?
6. Do you accept checks online? Are there any charges for it?
7. Is there any limit to input products?
8. Do you charge for each product I input?
9. Does it provide receipt to the customer as well as merchant?

10.   Do you update features if latest launch in market?

I’ll definitely like to share some common features which are must inclusion to improve shopping cart features.

• Safe and Secure: Make sure the visitors visiting your web site must feel comfortable and secure. Make them feel safe by displaying hack safe logo, privacy policy linking and assure that your web site is safe from virus threats and very trustworthy.
• Return/Exchange Scheme: Most of the visitors confuse while purchasing a product on line. If your web site has a return or exchange link then, it will surly help to the visitor to reduce fear factor and expected more transactions.
• Thumbnail Pictures: Display images against products so that the visitors can remember and input by seeing the images.
• Shipping Prices: Many e-commerce web sites provide free shipping as per limit. If it includes in your costs then do display a message on the website.
• Festive Discount Offer: To attract visitors and shop more on products, Discount offers, Festive offers like buy one get one must be displayed time to time on the web site.
• Product Page Linking: To avoid difficulties for your customer, it is wise to give   link from shopping cart to the product page of your site so that, the visitors could avail all the necessary information about the features of the product.
• Place Transaction Indicator Bar: People in this world never want to waste their time. They want to finish the transaction at the earliest. They always follow the easiest and fast check out process. Try to add a transaction indicator bar and let them understand where they are.
• Clear, Bold Cart Button and Check Out Option: Make your cart button bold and clearly visible. Add “Checkout” button in the page as it is an important shopping feature. Make it large and bold to attract the visitor’s attention.
• Offer Live Chat/Phone/Email Support: Add some extra features like live chat, phone and email support to assist users.
• Display Stock on Hand: Display stock in hand to the customer to provide them   exact idea about the product and let your customers know how much product you have on hand.

With all the crucial features of ecommerce software mentioned above, there are various other advanced forms of Ecommerce solutions being practiced in today’s global world. Selecting the suitable model is not only important but very vital for your business.

CartEdge provide ecommerce website software and easy to use ecommerce shopping cart solutions. We expertly customize you requirements into ecommerce website.

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The application which allows users to shop on line is called Shopping cart software. This software is famously known in American English “shopping cart” and shopping basket in British English.

The main feature of shopping cart software is to give facility to the customers to collect a list of items which is described figuratively in the list. In the checkout option, the software calculates a sum of the order, including all the taxes as applicable.

Definition in Technical Way

This software normally captures customer’s payment information, but in the case of a credit card they rely on the software element of the protected gateway source, in combination with the safe payment gateway, in order to carry out secure and protected transactions online. Ecommerce website solutions package that lets you sell your products online with the help of advanced shopping cart software.

There are some setup must be added in the HTML code of the site, and the application must be installed in the server which hosts the web site. The hosting server must be secured server and capable to collect payment information.

In most server end implementations, information related to shopping cart are stored in the particular session object and manipulate by the user by selecting list of items from the cart and at the time of commit the process, the information is collected and the order process bill is generated against the selected items by the user.

Even though the easiest shopping carts definitely allow for an item to be added to a cart to begin a checkout process. Many shopping cart application offers extra features that an internet customer uses and manage online store with ease. To manage online store all the necessary information like products, categories, discounts, customer id has to store in the database and accessible by the software when executes in real time.

Shopping Cart Software is given many names and most commonly knows as Online shopping software, e-commerce software, online storing software etc.

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September 8, 2008. Adobe Systems has released Scene7 Media Portal 3.0 (Earlier known as Image Portal) with enhancement in its “software as a service” (SAAS) for eCommerce and multi channel marketing companies. Scene 7 Media Portal is an image torrent solution that allows to stream erratic sized high resolution versions of the same image as per request by updating its major technological platform interactive multimedia content hosted.

The Adobe Scene7 technology is used by some of the biggest companies in the world to improve their online business by publishing images with high visual impact for electronic commerce, The websites as well as couriers and electronic catalogues.

What People Says about Scene7 Media Portal 3.0:

“With the increasing demand for rich content across channels, organizations are continuously tasked with maintaining quality and brand reputation while controlling costs,” said Doug Mack, vice president of Consumer and Hosted Solutions at Adobe. “Media Portal 3.0 used with the Scene7 4.0 rich media platform makes for a truly integrated environment that helps save time and costs by delivering dynamic, data-driven content to multiple customer touch points.”

“Wrangler helps deliver high-quality, relevant apparel to consumers worldwide, and it is important that we effectively reach our retailers and consumers in a way that is convenient and swift,” says Debbie Collier, Manager of Marketing Services at Wrangler. “Having a turn-key, web-based media management solution like Scene7 Media Portal 3.0, allows us to provide product, lifestyle and brand marketing imagery instantly and in a customized format.” Scene7 4.0 Platform

As an append Scene7 Media Portal 3.0 integrated seamlessly with Scene7 ® 4.0, updating its major technological platform interactive multimedia content hosted for the specialists of electronic commerce and multi channel marketing. It includes a vast library of best practice and configurable rich media viewers to help users deliver an enhanced customer experience with little effort. Other tutorial resources are also provided to support both new and power users. Availability Media Portal 3.0 is immediately available in English while French, German, Spanish and Japanese language versions are expected by October 2008. A free 30-day trial of Media Portal can be accessed at http://www.scene7.com/triall. For more information about Media Portal 3.0 or the new Scene7 4.0 platform visit www.scene7.com

Reference: http://www.scene7.com/news/2008/20080908.asp

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The payment Gateway has made money transaction very simple, the customer does not have to make any tangible transaction but simply enter the card data in a secure online form. This data include the card number, name of the holder and the CVV number on the backside of the card. Payment gets debited from the card in few days and is credited to the bank account.

From a security point of view, the online payment gateways are quite safe, but the customer must be sure that he or she uses a site known. One could confirm of the security by looking at the URL starting after ‘https’. This is a beginning, but not a guarantee to prevent the site using your banking information for illicit purposes.

The Risk factor:

Online security has grown significantly over the past ten years. Online solutions took the best advantage of this technology promotion allowing many companies online to take advantage of the convenience of accepting payments online and delivering the goods to their customers without achieving them.

However, as a coin has two sides, online transaction has its own pros and cons. as Internet has made things simple; it has also given the “cyber-criminal” an opportunity to access our account illegally. “Cyber-Criminals” are experts in the field of software development who prefer to lend their expertise and knowledge to hacking or intrusion into businesses line and on-line processing payments to rob and loot.

Online credit card fraud is nothing new for online transactions. The answer to prevent online fraud is to use a reliable service which has proven expertise in online solutions. They should have perfect skills in the development of SSL technology which means “Secure Socket Layer” technology. SSL encrypts data transmitted over the net and is almost impossible to decipher. This reduces online fraud. If you have a reliable developer to create your software for you, you can make your plans to set up an online merchant account and cash in many processes, your competitors are taking advantage right now.

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Mentioned below are a few recommendations that would help users in choosing the right CMS solution, based on their requirements.

1. Select the right service provider:
   If you do not have in-house developers; you can source a content management system from third party vendors. However care must be taken while selecting a service provider. Besides this you could also opt for a ready made CMS solution. There are many CMS ecosystems around, some of them being open source solutions like Joomla, Drupal etc. I am not opposed to them but before making a selection it is always advisable to consult an expert in this industry. Also, you should review your requirement and analyze them to be able to make a sound decision. Once you have analyzed your specific needs, you can easily choose the right solution based on your requirement. ( I have already discussed this point in detail in my previous posts)
2. Don’t get mislead by marketing gimmicks:
   Companies will use attractive marketing techniques to portray that they are the best, but don’t get carried away. Make sure to verify the company’s credentials and check references if possible. Ask for demonstrations and ensure that the CMS solution is in sync with your requirements.
3. Hidden costs hound:
   Cost factor, you can say is the key deciding factor. At the time of negotiation, one must look into the hidden cost factor. Most companies would twist their pricing structure to hide additional costs. Such unaccounted costs could have an adverse effect on your overall budget.
4. First make simple.
   “Small is beautiful” more prosaically, measure your ambition and focus on your “core business”. Make your initial objectives as simple as possible and thus avoid getting confused in the course of running the technical project. Choosing a complicated CMS may lead to inefficient performance at your end.Such projects, with time become real bible of “looser web”.
5. And the final?
   An article on CMS which does not mention anything on CMS? I think “out of the box” is no miracle solutions, but solutions that stick to your expectations at a given time are. This would effectively mean that the content management system should be based on your requirements and objectives.

I did a few experiments with two solutions namely Joomla and Drupal, and they did pretty well. I urge you to do tests on your own before you draw any hasty conclusion.

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1. Business to Consumer (B2C): It is the direct trade between companies and end consumers. This is the direct selling via the Internet. For example: selling goods direct to customer and anyone can buy any products from the supplier’s website. In this mode is intended to benefit the consumer and can say business to consumer (B2C) Ecommerce works as retail store over internet.
2. Business to Business (B2B): Business to business Ecommerce existed in marketing from the very beginning. It is the trade that takes place between companies. Terms like offshoring and outsourcing are generally associated with B2B Ecommerce. For example: If I give my company’s payroll work to another accounting firm, it would be deemed as outsourcing. The term offshoring decides the outsourcing term further. If the work is outsourced to a company, which is outside the geographical boundary of the country in which the outsourcing company resides, it is termed as offshoring.
3. Consumer to Business (C2B): In today’s Ecommerce arena, it is growing trend wherein consumers demand specific products or services from respective businesses. For example: I contact a tour and travel operator via their website for purchasing a holiday package.
   Consumer to business Ecommerce is growing at a rapid pace and the trend is set to continue in the future.
4. Consumer to Consumer (C2C): Usually, this type of Ecommerce works as Consumer to Business to Consumer (C2B2C). It essentially means that a consumer would contact a business in search for a suitable customer. Most of the auction websites (like eBay) and matrimonial websites are working on this methodology.

Apart from the types of Ecommerce mentioned above, there are various other hybrid forms of Ecommerce being practiced in today’s globalized world. Choosing the appropriate model is crucial and vital for your business and I would leave it to your best judgment.

CartEdge Ecommerce Solution:
CartEdge Ecommerce Solutions offers easy to use ecommerce solutions and customize you requirements into ecommerce website.

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We can classify shopping cart software scripts into 4 groups:

• Shopping cart software developed by students for a college project.

• Shopping cart software services offered by freelancers or independent developers.

• Shopping cart software services from web hosting providers.

• Shopping cart software services from a professional IT company.

Let us take a close look at all above categories. The first group does not have practical knowledge of real business environment. Their main objective of developing shopping cart software is getting familiar with web technologies.

The second group offers an economical option for low budget projects. Independent developers and freelancers can provide good solutions at affordable prices but may be ridden with functional issues.

The third group offers shopping cart softwares along with their services and you can use shopping cart utilities as long as you pay for it. The technology offered to you might be rudimentary and outdated. It will fail to suffice all your ecommerce requirements.

The fourth group belongs to professional IT companies. A professional IT company can offer customized solution based upon requirements and business needs. Though, this option is bit expensive as compared to the other three

Which group is the best?

Before finalizing on a give option for your eCommerce application, it is recommended that you analyze your requirements. Cheaper solutions don’t provide any guarantees for technical support, maintenance and security. So if you opt to go with the cheaper solutions, you should have the technical acumen to deal with issues, all by yourself. On the other hand, professional IT companies will prove to be expensive and you must have the requite budget for a fully customized application.

“A precarious situation” – buying cheap shopping cart software or spending extra money for ecommerce solutions from IT companies? Your choice could be based on aspects such as business requirements, budget allocation and many more.

About Cartedge Ecommerce Solution:

Cartedge eCommerce Shopping Cart Software is an example of good and affordable eCommerce shopping cart software. CartEdge is an easy to use Ecommerce website solutions package with lots of advanced feature for users support. Visit http://www.cartedge.com/shopping_cart_advantages.cfm for more information.

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Structure

The structure of the site should be made according to the customer needs. Always design your site structure keeping the user in mind. If any product is being sold by your site, for example you have any inventory for garment, organize garments in a some logical manner like color or alphabets or from lowest price to the highest. Just do analysis of search criteria of your visitors, and provide product information according to that. Pay attention on scalability, navigation should not have a negative effect on the growth of your site.

Web Standards

There is an important factor of web standards that must be followed by a web designing site. Site design should not create any confusion to the visitors. Web standards should be an integral part of your web marketing strategy. Better search engine results can also be obtained using web standards.

For example, some common web standards are

1. After navigation, color of visited links should be changed.

2. Account login information should be placed in the upper right corner of the page.

3. Company name should be placed in the upper left corner of the page.

For example, blue and underlined pattern for links is kept on any website. If your website doesn’t support it, customers might get confused.

Provide easiest route to visitors about your product or information

On your website, Provide easiest navigation to your visitors for your product and information. They never want to waste time in reading every word of information. Customers just want the easiest way to purchase a product and make decisions based on that.

Website creators need to recognize that if visitors cannot easily find the information they seek, they will just as quickly try another website.

Text on any web page should be readable. Choose font type and size in that way that overall design should be appealing. Provide break up in longer text. Avoid longer paragraphs in the text since they make scanning of the text difficult. Use short paragraphs, bold key words and make choice easy with clear, concise web pages.

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Having an online shop though is not the end, it just the beginning of a journey. Building a website the sells your products/services and hoping that customers would trickle in is foolishness. Prominent visibility is essential for any online shop to flourish and make money.

Today, customers expect a lot more and hence things have become a little more complex than it was before. If you want to sell online, a website full of information may not be sufficient. To serve customers better, E-commerce shops are becoming more and more interactive. The layout and the feel of E-commerce websites are done by keeping customers in mind. This customer centric approach plays a crucial role in luring prospective clients.

Technological revolution has made E-Commerce a part and parcel of our lives. Anyone can click a few buttons to create a virtual shopping cart and adding and modifying categories does not mandate technical acumen. Advanced tracking programs can assist you in tracking the behavior of customers. Shopping cart software program can be used to integrate shopping cart solutions into your website. Shopping cart software can calculates the total cost to be paid, including taxes and shipping, process the payment and raise an invoice for the customers.

Establishing an Internet shop is becoming easy and has resulted in thousands of E-commerce website being added regularly. For customers, shopping online is a pleasant and rewarding experience. Thanks to E-commerce software like CartEdge, shopping online has added a whole new dimension to itself.

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Everyday, the number of people buying online is increasing, and this is just the beginning. It is believed that soon everyone will be doing the same, however even today hundreds of millions of people use internet for there daily grocery shopping, on personal occasions and also do their Christmas shopping online.

It is easy to understand why this is so.

Imagine a young mother going shopping. She puts her children in the car and then fights the traffic, noise and long queues OR she could log onto the Internet, order what is required and get everything delivered at her doorstep.

Imagine an old couple or someone who is bound to their house or a leading power with a busy lifestyle or someone who is looking for a product that is not to be found in the surrounding shops.

With the continuous growth of e-commerce more and more people will enjoy the comfort of anytime anywhere shopping. While e-commerce will grow and overcome concerns that some people still have but, this form of trade is here to stay, because the majority of the people of the world work and try to make their life easier and anything that makes life easier today, it is a winner.

E-commerce shops simplify life and with the right e-commerce software you can create a web store with a very low investment.

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