Ecommerce software solution features

Ecommerce Buyer's Guide

At its most basic, an ecommerce web site is a one-at-a-time shopping experience. The ecommerce software solution displays a "buy" button with each product description, but there is no shopping cart functionality. Visitors click the button for the product they want, enter their credit card details, shipping address, and in some cases the quantity to buy, and the transaction is complete. The order information is relayed via email, and you process it the same way you'd process a telephone order. This type of ecommerce is only suited for the most basic purchases.

Most businesses entering into ecommerce need a more complete online store that allows customers to shop for multiple products at once and helps streamline the fulfillment process. An online store includes shopping cart functionality and an order processing and tracking system.

Many purchases involve multiple options: size and color are two very common examples. In entry-level ecommerce software, you might have to create separate products for blue widgets, red widgets, and green widgets. Adding a "color" option simplifies the shopping process considerably and cuts down on the amount of work you have to do to manage your store.

• Shipping calculator. The system can determine shipping charges based on the weight of the items, the customer's location, and the type of shipping they opt for.
• Tax status. The location of your business and the customer can affect whether or not you should collect sales tax on your purchases.
• Automatic charge processing. By connecting to your merchant account, an ecommerce system can automatically charge customers' credit cards.
• Stored shopping cart. Saves the contents of customers' shopping carts from one visit to the next if they are unable to complete their order.
• Search. Research shows that many web shoppers don't even try to browse their way through catalogs - they go straight to search to quickly locate the products they want.
• Discount codes. The online equivalent of coupons: by entering a special code, customers can get a discount on their order, free shipping, or other special offers.

To review these and other useful ecommerce features, use our free vendor comparison tool.

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