Before you decide on opening up your online shop, there are a few things you need to consider. You want shopping cart software that enables you to offer your customers a rewarding shopping experience with you. You will want to make sure you can offer these crucial features within your shopping cart.
You want something that is convenient, secure, and easy to navigate. People want to be have an easy, intuitive checkout. Offer as many shipping options as possible and make them affordable for whatever country you are willing to ship to. The more features you can include in your software, the better experience the customer has and this will encourage them to come back again and also spread the word.
1. The Ability to Change Quantities
If a customer can easily add and remove items from their shopping cart, this will give them a better sense of control and manageability. If they need to look all over or go to another section or even have to start all over, chances are, they will just forget about it and go somewhere else. Even if they never do it, the ability to do it gives them confidence.
2. Automatic Billing
If you are a wholesaler or have a membership site where your customers pay for a regular order, having automated billing where they know they will be charged each month can save both you and them, time and hassle. If it is an email that goes out, and they want to be able to cancel the order, they can click on the link that will take them directly to where they can cancel without them having to search for it.
3. Payment Options
You want shopping cart software that allows for numerous ways to pay. While Paypal and credit cards are still the most widely used, more and more people are starting to get shopping online with other methods. Alert Pay and Liberty Pay are much like Paypal but are more available to those who are living in countries such as China, Pakistan, Africa, and other places where e-commerce shopping is just picking up speed. There is nothing more frustrating than finding that perfect gift online, only to find out that the seller only accepts payment from a source you do not have access to.
Depending on the type of products or services you offer, you also might want to look into the option of a shopping cart that accepts electronic checks, and a Bill Me Later option. These methods usually take more for a customer to set up since they have to be approved by a local bank, but once set up they could save a lot of time for the consumer.
There are many features a store owner may look for when searching out the best e-commerce shopping cart solution to use for his business. The main thing is that you want the customer to feel secure, be able to quickly do what they want to do, pay and move on. If your customers see that there is a certification or trusted sign for security such as Paypal has, they will know that they can trust the company to keep their credit card and financial information safe from hackers or any other online threats.
Useful advice on e-commerce shopping. I also think it should be clearly and simply explained at each stage of the process. That way customers are more likely to complete the final stage and make a payment. Looking at the analytic goals especially if funnels are set up for e-commerce will show what percentage of those who began the process actually completed it, as well as at what stage they dropped out. This will help highlight and fine tune your checkout system.