When you hear the term online shopping cart, you may think of
the physical cart that you push around the store when you go to a supermarket.
That is not the type of cart being referred to here. Rather in e-commerce
terms, a shopping cart is a virtual basket where you collect items that you
would like to purchase online. It has the same use a physical cart. It simply
operates in a virtual online environment.
Why
shopping cart
An online shopping cart is usually linked up to your payment
mechanism and merchant account. As items are added to the cart, the software
automatically draws up an inventory of the items listed for purchase. It
will usually have the name of the cart, the price and the quantity wanted for
purchase. At any stage while the customer is browsing the website, they can
click on the cart and see what items they have chosen to purchase. When
customers are ready to check out, they can simply open the cart, check the
contents and then proceed to the checkout to make payment.
Benefits
of Shopping Cart online
Imagine if you wanted to shop for a number of different items
but you weren't able to collect them. After finding each item, you had to
proceed to the checkout and pay for each item individually. Thereafter, you
could head back into the store and get the next item. No one would shop like
that in a real supermarket so expecting customers to do so on an e-commerce
website is not good business practice. Even though there is no physical
effort involved the process, it is still time consuming and could be
frustrating to customers. A cart allows customers to collect items and
then conveniently pay for everything at once.
Importance
of online shopping cart
Another benefit of a online shopping cart is that it can
actually help you increase your sales. If customers find one product on your
site, there is the distinct possibility that they will be interested in other
similar or complementary products that you have on offer. By having a feature
that makes suggestions to your customers, they may end up buying several
products from you instead of just one. From a customer's perspective, a cart
makes shopping online far more convenient. If you see a product you like, you
can earmark it by adding it to your shopping cart. Doing so does not mean that
you are obligated to purchase it. It simply means that you are interested in
purchasing it and want to set the item aside. You are then free to continue
browsing the website for other products that may be of interest to you.
Integrated shopping cart
A shopping cart is just one of the components that makes
online shopping cart possible. It
usually comes as part of your payment mechanism or e-commerce merchant account
solution. The shopping cart links up to the product database and depending on
what system you have, it could also be linked up to your inventory and delivery
system. As products are added to the shopping cart, your database of products
is updated. This can then show other customers if you have the item in stock or
if it is sold out. The shopping cart is also the first step in the payment
process. Since most online transactions are paid for using credit cards, the
shopping cart is usually linked to your merchant account. In order to
facilitate the payment process, it is important that the whole checkout process
is smooth, fast and efficient. Using one system that starts with the shopping
cart and ends with the payment confirmation is one of the best ways to ensure
that this is the case.
Summary
In the online shopping environment, customers are impatient and
fussy. If a system takes too long, does not offer benefits, or is cumbersome to
work through, customers will simply log out and shop elsewhere. Worst of all there
is no way for you to gauge a customer's reaction to your system in the online
environment. In a real store, you may have the opportunity to talk the
customers around if you see they are unhappy about something; however, in the
online environment, customers either purchase from you or they don't. You
therefore need to make sure that your systems are efficient and user-friendly,
and a online shopping cart is an important part of that process.
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The article is supply by Jim Tarn, Founder of Operion.
Disclaimer - This article may be freely reprinted in its entirety in any e-zine, newsletter, blog or website. The author name and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.
The article is supply by Jim Tarn, Founder of Operion.
Disclaimer - This article may be freely reprinted in its entirety in any e-zine, newsletter, blog or website. The author name and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.