If you are running an online business, you likely need some kind of online shopping cart. This website add-on gives you a secure method to sell items on your website. While there are many things that you need to consider when developing a website, a shopping cart is one of the most important. Here are a few of the main things you should look for when choosing the right software solution for your shopping cart needs.
Choosing a Hosted or Non-Hosted Shopping Cart
There are two main types of online shopping carts: hosted and non-hosted. A hosted shopping cart is one that lives in cyberspace on a cloud. The non-hosted shopping cart is stored locally on a computer. When clouds first came about, business owners were under the impression that they were unsafe and were worried about using them to store data. Now, companies offer security resources for website owners to keep information about their businesses and clients safe. Website owners who choose non-hosted shopping carts are solely responsible for the security of their clients’ information.
Active Support Team
Problems can arise with any piece of software, including website shopping carts. While some websites sell shopping cart software cheap, they don’t offer any type of support. Others offer support with very low availability, making it difficult to get in contact with them. Every second that your shopping cart isn’t working, you are potentially losing money. You want to buy a shopping cart that has a support team that is just as reliable as the cart you purchased.
Add-on Features
Technology is always changing, and your website needs to change with it. A good shopping cart today could be considered out of date tomorrow, so you need a shopping cart that allows you to add on new features as needed, such as social media integration, open API integration and the ability for consumers to post reviews about products and services. Having these features in a shopping cart makes it more user-friendly and seem more approachable. Studies have shown that consumers are weary of shopping carts that lack features because it makes them appear outdated and insecure.
Security
Last but not least, you need a shopping cart that is secure. You have to protect not only your company’s information but also your customers’ information. Find out how the shopping cart stores information and if the information is sent over an encrypted server. Of course, this is only a feature that will be available on hosted shopping carts.
Use these tips when you search for an online cart for your business to ensure that it’s user-friendly and secure. While it’s possible to get shopping cart software for cheap, this is one feature of your website that you don’t want to skimp on because it’s responsible for taking all of your online orders. This means that you need a shopping cart that is reliable and easy to use.