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Shopping Cart Software
 Shopping cart software has made tremendous strides toward easier integration, more robust features, and a wider array of configuration options. You need to be realistic in your expectations of a shopping cart.
Amazon.com has the most powerful and robust storefront/shopping cart engines anywhere. You will not replicate all the features of Amazon.com for little or no cost, so you need to be realistic in expectations.
Any shopping cart application will require a degree of technical knowledge. You must learn how to operate, manage, publish, support, and adapt the shopping cart to fit your Web site, and as with any new program, there will be a learning curve.
A Web hosting company that supports your particular shopping cart may save you many hours of configuration nightmares. The following is a list of some of the features which may be available and will help you in determining which shopping cart is best suited to your needs.
Affiliates
Affiliate programs are one of the most successful and effective (and low-cost!) solutions for increasing your marketplace share, product visibility, and sales.
The cost for incorporating an affiliate program is minimal, and the benefits can be tremendous. A robust affiliate module within a shopping cart application will take care of the new affiliate sponsorship/signup, process and track the transactions, provide detailed reports to the business and the affiliate, and process/feed payment information into a financial application.
Cross Selling
EBay and Amazon have mastered the art of cross-selling by making "suggestions" based on products similar to those which you have viewed or purchased previously, thus appealing to impulse buying by suggesting that you may be interested in these similar products. Some advanced shopping carts have the ability to implement limited cross-selling techniques.
For instance, if customers select the "basic" version of a product, you can recommend that they consider the "advanced" version, or if customers choose a dinner entree from an online menu, you can suggest that they also consider an appetizer to complement their meal.
Quantity Discounts
Most shopping carts allow you to incorporate a variety of discounts. You can offer discounts based on volume, quantity, and order total as well as shipping discounts. Most shopping carts also integrate coupons and gift certificates to offer additional discounts and incentives to new and returning customers.
Action Steps to Premium Shopping Card Features
1. You need to be realistic in your expectations of a shopping cart.
2. If customers select the "basic" version of a product, you can recommend that they consider the "advanced" version.
3. You can offer discounts based on volume, quantity, and order total as well as shipping discounts.
Important Points to Premium Shopping Card Features
- Any shopping cart application will require a degree of technical knowledge.
- A Web hosting company that supports your particular shopping cart may save you many hours of configuration nightmares.
- The cost for incorporating an affiliate program is minimal, and the benefits can be tremendous.
- Some advanced shopping carts have the ability to implement limited cross-selling techniques.
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