What Makes a Good Online Shopping Cart

Having a user-friendly shopping cart is a must for any online business. Find out what to look for when evaluating different eCommerce shopping cart options.

If you want your online business to succeed, you need to give your customers an online shopping experience that is intuitive, easy to use and encourages them to purchase your products. Like Internet credit card processing, packaging or shipping, the online shopping cart is an integral part of the process of the eCommerce experience.

Finding the right shopping cart solution is critical for your business. Many providers of eCommerce credit card processing services also can set your business up with an online shopping cart. But how do you choose the right one? Here are a few things to look for as you evaluate different options:

User-Friendly Design and Structure: An online shopping site should be easy to navigate, with as few additional screens to visit or buttons to click as possible. Study after study has shown that customers are less likely to make a purchase for every additional screen they have to visit in order to complete their purchase. Along with being easy for customers to navigate, you also want to make sure that the shopping cart is easy for you to make updates, add products or fulfill and track orders.

Access to Additional Credit Card Processing Options: Even if your business is currently entirely web-based, that might change as you grow. You want to make sure you work with a company that can provide you with access to a credit card machine or mobile credit card processing options as your business evolves. You also might want to consider Virtual Terminals that allow you to process orders taken over the phone, via email or through “snail mail.”

Stringent Security Procedures: It can be a disaster if a hacker is able to access credit card information or other personal financial data relating to your customers. Reputable credit card processors like Charge.com Payment Solutions, Inc. will have stringent security measures in place to keep this from happening. Any company you work with should have software and equipment that is compliant with Payment Card Industry standards and send information using 128-bit SSL, military-grade encryption methods.

Social Media Hooks: Websites such as Twitter and Facebook are powerful tools for spreading word of mouth about your products. And there’s no better time to ask someone to share the word about you to their friends than right after they’ve bought something from you. Many eCommerce sites will give customers the option to share news about their purchase with their friends and family members after the sale is complete. You can even automate it so the status update gives their online friends a discount code if they order.

————————————————————————————————————————-

This story was written by Charge.com Payment Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of Internet credit card processing services. They help small businesses who need access to eCommerce credit card processing or a credit card machine. Find out more at www.charge.com.