When developing the overall design and layout of your eCommerce website, there are many different parts and elements that must be in place just like pieces of a puzzle. One of the most important pieces, however, is the eCommerce shopping cart. Selecting the best shopping cart to use is the most significant technical decision that needs to be made during this process, according to Practical eCommerce. There are several points to consider to make the decision process much easier than it may seem.
Analyze Your Specific Needs
One of the very first things you will need to do is analyze your specific needs and expectations. Keep in mind the needs of one eCommerce store might be completely different from another even if they are in the same industry or market. The key is to take the time to figure out exactly what you need so you can find the very best option available.
For example, you may decide to establish an affiliate program within your eCommerce website. Since this type of program would require other websites to direct sales to your shopping cart in return for a commission, you need to have a shopping cart capable of supporting this type of process. Take your short-term needs into consideration when making this selection but focus primarily on your long-term goals. Investing in an eCommerce shopping cart capable of meeting your short and long-term needs is the best course of action to take in this regard.
Take Advantage of a Social Storefront
Another point to consider is whether or not the eCommerce shopping cart you select has a storefront that is compatible with popular social media platforms. You should be able to easily and efficiently create a social eCommerce storefront capable of being directly integrated into a social media page, such as your Facebook brand page.
Remember, over 50 percent of U.S. consumers agree they seek advice from their online Facebook friends before they finalize any purchase, and 44 percent of consumers are likely to find products on Facebook they never knew existed before, according to eCommerce Times. Therefore, you can clearly maximize your exposure and strengthen your online presence overall simply by making sure your shopping cart can work alongside your social media platforms to increase your conversion and sales.
The Need for Customer Registration
Even though it might seem like an effective way to build up a customer base, studies have confirmed that requiring online customers to register for an account before proceeding with and finalizing their purchases can actually backfire on you. Remember, the only reason your customers decide to come to your website in the first place was to save time and money. Forcing them to spend an additional amount of time registering for an account after they have already spent enough time searching for the product they needed might just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. This is one of the main reasons why an average of 75 percent of online purchases are abandoned at the shopping cart and never retrieved, according to Monetate.com.
The best approach to take in this regard would be to find an eCommerce shopping cart that allows your customers to process their orders as visiting guests instead of registered members. Eight out of the top ten retailers in the United States currently offer guest checkout services to their customers, according to eConsultancy.com, so you should follow in their footsteps.
Making sure each of these checkpoints have been met by the eCommerce shopping cart you like will allow you to enjoy the very best option for your business.
