Internet shopping cart is a software program that acts as an online shopping store. It is when integrated on company website enables the customers to choose items from the web store and then help in purchasing those items particularly with the help of few steps.
In real world shopping cart is a metal basket where items are physically held together by the walls of the basket. Whereas, online shopping cart is an interface between company website and its infrastructure, allowing consumers to review what all they have selected and make necessary modifications, if required. It works as a web store on a website presenting its own set of unique changes and challenges. Further, the product offering needs to be kept current with statistics, pricing, information on availability and order needs to be fulfilled.
Why Is A Shopping Cart Required?
Online shopping is a fast means and growing consumer trends. Today most of the consumer’s assume that company offers Internet purchasing. In order to meet the demands of the customer company needs to have a secure, reliable and fast shopping cart system in place.
Uses of a Shopping Cart
Shopping cart software allows online shopping customers to "place" items in the cart. Upon "checkout" the software typically calculates a total for the order including shipping and handling (i.e. postage and packing) and taxes. It typically provides a means of capturing a client's payment information, but in the case of a credit card payment there is a payment gateway, a secure payment gateway is conducted in order to prefer for a secure transaction.
Benefits of a Shopping Cart
- Easily Accept Online Payments: Shopping Cart accepts credit card payments by simple payment gateway.
- Transactions Are Very Secure: Financial information is securely stored on their servers. There is always a 100% protection against unauthorized payments.
- Easy set up: There is no complex computer programming it’s simply a product display and sells by payment gateway.
- Product Details: Product details are mentioned for each item like the shipping charges, price, handling fees, item number which helps in customizing the product for the buyer.
- Multiple Options: There are multiple options for the customers to make changes or select the product as required by them before making purchases.
How Do Shopping Carts Work?
There are different types of shopping carts in the market along with its different ways of working. But normally a shopping cart includes a basic structure:
- A database to store information such as product detail, customer data, order information etc.
- A storefront that displays this information to store visitors (e.g. product detail pages, checkout pages, etc.)
- An administration area that allows the store administrator to manage the store. (Like where you add products, set up shipping & payment options, process order etc.)
Storing the database allows the web owners to see the existing shopping carts at any time, with their amount of purchases. This information is valuable allowing the web owners to get through the basic needs and belongings of a customer who did not proceed to check out process on last visit and who have processed the shopping from the site. Using cookies a virtual shopping cart can be stored in the customer web browser.
How Do Shopping Carts Work?
Web shopping requires a lot of security for online customers. Customer information should be kept confidential and secure in an online transaction. Working should be done more than the customer’s expectations, without any service disruptions.
The most important aspect is to secure the website from any fraud and mismanagement by the user.