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You have an idea for a great online retail store - now all you need is the software!
Software that displays products and allows customers to 'drop' them into a shopping cart is commonly called 'shopping cart' software.
Software that displays products and allows customers to 'drop' them into a shopping cart is commonly called 'shopping cart' software.
Shopping cart
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MAKE-WEBSITE.COM
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Virtual checkouts
Shopping cart software will supply a virtual 'checkout' - allowing customers to supply their credit card or paypal details to you, and buy your products.
You will need very good security, so that your customers details are kept private.
SSL certificates encrypt the data as it is sent over the internet.
Where can I get a free shopping cart?
Look on a search engine under "free shopping cart"
Some free shopping cart applications:
oscommerce.com
fatfreecart.com
zen-cart.com
If your web hosting comes with Fantastico, you will be able to easily install one of a number of different free shopping carts on your site.
Many different web hosts also offer Soholaunch for free - which is especially set up to run as a retail store.
If you are looking at buying a shopping cart, Interspire have what looks like a highly customizable shopping cart coming out this year:
interspire.com/shoppingcart
Free shopping cart plugins?
Another alternative is to install a free content management system, such as Wordpress or Joomla - and then install one of their free shopping cart plugins.
Try a demo before you buy or install shopping cart software
Try a demo of the shopping cart application first - there can be a big learning curve, especially when it comes time to customizing the shopping cart (depending on which shopping cart you choose)
If you have many different categories of products, and a complex structure, a paid solution may give you more functionality than a free shopping cart - or you may wish to have an expert set it up for you.
What are PopShops?
Pop Shops is not shopping cart software - it is an affiliate program that gives you a shopping cart to put on your website, which allows you to gain a commission on any products that are sold.
"Add affiliate products and hundreds of custom pages to your website or blog."
popshops.com
Shopping cart software will supply a virtual 'checkout' - allowing customers to supply their credit card or paypal details to you, and buy your products.
You will need very good security, so that your customers details are kept private.
SSL certificates encrypt the data as it is sent over the internet.
Where can I get a free shopping cart?
Look on a search engine under "free shopping cart"
Some free shopping cart applications:
oscommerce.com
fatfreecart.com
zen-cart.com
If your web hosting comes with Fantastico, you will be able to easily install one of a number of different free shopping carts on your site.
Many different web hosts also offer Soholaunch for free - which is especially set up to run as a retail store.
If you are looking at buying a shopping cart, Interspire have what looks like a highly customizable shopping cart coming out this year:
interspire.com/shoppingcart
Free shopping cart plugins?
Another alternative is to install a free content management system, such as Wordpress or Joomla - and then install one of their free shopping cart plugins.
Try a demo before you buy or install shopping cart software
Try a demo of the shopping cart application first - there can be a big learning curve, especially when it comes time to customizing the shopping cart (depending on which shopping cart you choose)
If you have many different categories of products, and a complex structure, a paid solution may give you more functionality than a free shopping cart - or you may wish to have an expert set it up for you.
What are PopShops?
Pop Shops is not shopping cart software - it is an affiliate program that gives you a shopping cart to put on your website, which allows you to gain a commission on any products that are sold.
"Add affiliate products and hundreds of custom pages to your website or blog."
popshops.com