|
When you are just starting an online business and start looking for an online shopping cart for your online retail store, you will find that there are so many features and software packages available that it is easy to become confused. Not only that, but if you are new to online retail, you may not be aware of what features are really necessary to run a successful online retail store, and what features are dependent upon the type of store you are launching. Here is a list of the top seven things you should look for in an online shopping cart, regardless of the type of store you are setting up.
7. Product upload features. The ability to upload your products into the online shopping cart is important. Even if you don’t have that many products to enter manually now, as your business grows you will be grateful for this online shopping cart feature. 6. Sales tax calculations. Most online shopping carts calculate sales tax for the state that your business is located in. But Congress is working to pass legislation that will require all online businesses to charge sales tax for all states, based on the state that the customer is located in. Make sure your online shopping cart has this ability to be prepared for the future. 5. Shipping calculations. This may seem like a duh factor, but a lot of the cheaper online shopping carts don’t have this necessary feature. Also, the more automatic calculations and shipping options available, the more sales you can make. At minimum, your online shopping cart should support UPS, Fed Ex, and US Postal. 4. Payment methods. Your online shopping cart should, at minimum, be able to support your merchant account (any one that you choose, not a specific one), as well as PayPal. 3. Detailed reporting. Reporting is important to let you know if your customers are abandoning their shopping carts, why they don’t buy from your site, what products are being browsed the most often, etc. This information is important for growing your business. 2. Integration with inventory software. If your online shopping cart cannot be integrated with your inventory software, you will spend hours entering information and tracking inventory. Better to make sure this feature is available. 1. Integration with bookkeeping software. Again, if your online shopping cart cannot be integrated with your accounting software, you will spend hours entering the same information repeatedly. Make sure that this feature is available to save yourself time, money, and frustration. |
