Shopping cart software (which you may hear referred to as an eCommerce solution or eCommerce platform) is essentially a software service that allows clothing retailers to sell products online. Shopping cart software essentially allows apparel companies to build an online store.
Learn about online clothing stores.
The shopping cart is a very critical component in the online fashion retail experience. Your e-commerce website's shopping cart should work properly at all times, and it must easily integrate with your online clothing catalog, your customer service desk, and your payment processing system. Shopping cart software lets you track and manage product inventory as well as fulfill and ship orders. It helps you maintain a product database, track sales, market to customers, and potentially maintain a loyalty program, newsletter, etc. Some ecommerce shopping carts may appear to be low cost but charge fees for transactions, for add-ons, etc. Be careful to research all aspects of the cost involved with purchasing and maintaining the system. There are two primary types of transaction fees to keep track of when evaluating shopping cart services and software: the ones charged by the shopping cart and the ones charged by the payment gateway. Some shopping carts are better suited for selling physical goods while others can support digital and virtual products, such as ebooks, file downloads, and even services. Make sure you are getting the type of system that is appropriate for the fashion industry.
A shopping cart is a crucial element of any online retail presence, whether it's a standalone offering or part of your web hosting deal. Below are a few resources that you can further investigate.
Magento Commerce (An Adobe Company)
Volusion
PinnacleCart
Square
Zoey
PrestaShop
A few important options to consider would be inventory management, shipping options & calculators, tax calculator, international language support, SEO tools, reporting tools, methods to create sales & discount codes, and more. Obviously cost & ease of use would be very important factors as well.
You may want to also view our e-commerce fashion blog post called Clothing Web Store Integration.
Learn more about Ecommerce by reading Ecommerce books.
Shopping Cart Directory by Category
Additional resources of possible interest:
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