Sell, sell, sell!

That's what most businesses with websites want to do.  And if you have more than one product --or a product or service that has more than 2 or 3 variations-- you'll make it easier for your website's visitors to buy, buy, buy, if you have a shopping cart.

Shopping carts come in all sizes and shapes. We're familiar with several, but if you purchase another kind that can run on a Windows server, you're welcome to use it on your website.

A few of the features to consider when deciding on a shopping cart:

- Does it show shipping before the customer has to buy?  That's extremely important to customers.

- Can you customize the confirmation e-mail the customer receives?

- Does it allow multiple pricing levels for a product.  For example, if you charge $2 extra for an XXL t-shirt, do you have to create a whole new product for each of your XXL t-shirts or can you assign a price to the size attribute?

- Can you edit your database online - without having to get into the website itself?

- Does it allow flexible layout? Or do you have to use a predefined template and certain colors?

- Does it have good documentation and a helpful user's group that can answer your questions?

- Cost compared to the benefits you need.

These days I recommend PageDownTech's PDShop ASP.net Advanced version or ASPdotNetStorefront.   They differ considerably in cost and function.

With either, you will want your own merchant service account. In other words, you'll need to accept credit cards as payment.  Of course, both work with Paypal, but in the long run, having your own merchant account is usually cheaper (unless you're only selling $200/month or so)

We can help you get a merchant account if you need one.

Impulse buying is good (when you're the seller not the buyer) and a user-friendly shopping cart increases the odds tremendously that you will make an impulse "sale."

The primary reason online sales aren't completed, according to a recent study, is that the customer gets frustrated in their attempt to buy.  Too many screens to go through or they couldn't tell what shipping was going to be without forking over their money (via credit card) first, etc.

Make it easy on your customer and, therefore, more profitable in the long run for yourself by investing in a shopping cart system that's going to help make a sale - not lose one.

Depending on the shopping cart you choose, your costs can range from $39.95 to $2000 and up for the license to use that particular cart.  That cost is over and above any web design cost.  There are "free" shopping carts out there, but we advise you to remember that you get what you pay for.  You don't give away your product or service, do you?   Quality has a cost.

If the shopping cart you choose doesn't have a mail management program (many don't) to send newsletters and promos, we recommend Constant Contact.

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