Web Hosting Glossary Terms: Shopping Cart

Shopping cart software is the software that is used by ecommerce websites to advertise and subsequently sell their products or services. Good shopping cart software can be added to a website and allows for anybody with any degree of programming or web development experience to add and maintain an online product catalogue. Advanced reporting, site wide postage and tax rates, and many other features can be included in shopping cart software making it a highly beneficial addition to your site if you sell any products of your own.

Many shopping cart packages are open source, meaning that they are free to use in most instances. However, this doesn't necessarily mean they represent the best option in the form that you first download them. Customising these open source shopping carts can provide you with the precise features and the exact appearance that you want on your website. A lot of ecommerce web development companies offer this as part of their development services.

Shopping carts should be simple and intuitive for both consumers and site owners. This is especially true for sites that will include a large number of different items. Good categorisation and intuitive navigation is critical in these cases and can mean the difference between managing a successful online shop or being left confused by the failure of your new ecommerce web development. Check that the shopping cart you are considering offers good navigation and the simple addition of new items as well as the extra features that you require.