eCommerce

Shopping carts are getting to be very popular on the web. In fact, recently one of the most asked questions I’ve gotten is “can you build me a shopping cart?” Well, to answer the question, yes I can! There are several steps that are required to get a shopping cart on your site. I would like to go over them in this article.

The first step involves setting up a shopping cart program and customizing it to fit your needs. To do this, you must find a shopping cart software program. This will be what holds your online store together and keeps your products organized. I generally use OpenCart for my clients. There are other programs I can use as well though. Here are a few free options:

OpenCart
PrestaShop
ZenCart
osCommerce

After you get a program like one of these on your site, you will need to customize it to fit your needs. When you download any one of these shopping carts, you will be given a default template that has some sample products. You will need to customize this to look just the way you like it.

On all four of these programs, there is an administrator section that only you can access. This section is where you can add products, customize shipping rates, change credit card options, etc.

Once you have all that set up the way you like it, you must get a gateway. A gateway is a service you can sign up for and put on your shopping cart software settings. The purpose of a gateway is to let you accept credit cards online. Generally, a gateway does not charge a monthly fee, only a percentage of your earnings (usually no more than 3%). Here are a couple good gateways to use:

PayPal
Charge.com
Authorize.net

After you get set up with a gateway, you must get an SSL Certificate for your site. An SSL Certificate will simply block anyone from hacking credit card information from a buyer. You can usually get an SSL certificate from the same place you get hosting, and it generally only costs about $50 a year.

If you are interested in getting a shopping cart for your online business, please contact me. I can help you get an eCommerce business for a low price. Email me if you’re interested: tim@prorarity.com or visit my web design website for more information.