Shopping Cart Software

There are different types of Shopping Cart Software and they differ not only in the complexity and features being offered but also in the technology or coding platforms used. Perhaps the simplest of Shopping Cart Software is a JavaScript Shopping Cart Software. With a little HTML knowledge you can install a simple JavaScript Shopping Cart Software and even make some minor customization changes.

The JavaScript Shopping  Cart  Software  essentially uses  cookies to store customer purchase information. Whatever computation the JavaScript Shopping Cart Software does, it is done via the customer’s own browser. For this reason, the JavaScript Shopping Cart Software is said to use “client side scripting”.

Since everything happens on the ‘client side’ via the client’s own browser, there is very limited communication between the client’s browser and your web server. This results in JavaScript Shopping Cart Software having very limited interactive ability.

The JavaScript Shopping Cart Software can also be very slow and often unreliable because your customer might not only use different browsers, but might also use obsolete browser version – one in which the JavaScript Shopping Cart Software might not work well. So while plenty of free JavaScript Shopping Cart Software is available on the net and it is easy to install and use, the JavaScript Shopping Cart Software might not really be an ideal choice for the serious businessman.

The next type of Shopping Cart Software available is the cgi or Perl Shopping Cart Software. This is requires you (or your web designer) to have knowledge of Perl scripting. It also requires the presence of the Perl (cgi directory) on your web server. Perl Shopping Cart Software requires some knowledge, skill and experience to modify as well as install.

The most common web hosting platform today is the PHP web hosting platform. Because of this, most of the Shopping Cart Software available is written in PHP and designed to be used on Linux web servers. PHP is even more interactive and sophisticated than PERL and therefore needs considerable knowledge, skill and experience to install and modify to suit your requirements. PHP Shopping Cart Software is easily integrated with MySQL database. Integrating your Shopping Cart Software with a database is ideal because it can easily pull out information from the database and make your Shopping Cart Software even more interactive, efficient and a pleasure to use.

In many ways PHP Shopping Cart Software is ideal because it is economical to purchase, economical to use because it requires a Linux web servers and these generally cost much less than other types of servers. Also, there are many more PHP web designers, web developers and web masters than for other coding platforms.

The next type of Shopping Cart Software is the ASP Shopping Cart Software. The ASP Shopping Cart Software is almost identical to the PHP Shopping Cart Software. The only difference being that instead of PHP this Shopping Cart Software uses ASP coding platform and a Microsoft Windows Web Server. It also uses MsSQL or Ms Access database. It is as versatile and interactive as the PHP Shopping Cart Software but costs a bit more to purchase and use. The additional expenditure is because the ASP Shopping Cart Software uses the Microsoft platform which is generally a bit more expensive. The one advantage that Microsoft database (MsSQL) has over its Open Source Rivals (MySQL) is that, it is generally considered to be bit more secure. However, if your database is not going to store sensitive information such as customer credit card numbers, etc. then MySQL should do quite well.

The Buyer's Guide to Affordable Ecommerce

As little as five years ago starting an ecommerce website was very similar to starting a business offline; it was time-consuming, stressful and required plenty of start-up capital. While the stressful nature of starting-up any business remains relatively unchanged, in recent years a number of affordable ecommerce solutions have made it easier for individuals to start up ecommerce website based businesses. In this article we take a look at some of these affordable shopping cat solutions, and discuss everything that you need to know about affordable electronic commerce.

Affordable E commerce Website Designs

To many budding e-retailers the design of their commerce website is the first thing that they are concerned with. Getting the look and feel of an commerce website right is important to the efficacy of the business, but purchasing an electronic commerce website design doesn't have to blow the budget.

Many professional electronic commerce website design companies offer substantial packages which include website design and website development. Although these packages do tend to offer value for money, more affordable electronic commerce website designs can be purchased separately from freelance website designers.

Affordable ecommerce website designs can also be purchased or downloaded from website template software providers. A number of specific ecommerce website design templates are widely available which are ideal for inexperienced e-retailers who cannot commit the budget to bespoke website design.

Affordable Ecommerce Website Development

Unlike many other types of business website, ecommerce websites need to be built by skilled website developers. Typically electronic commerce websites are heavy on specialist software such as shopping carts and content management systems, in addition to the complex frameworks which are used to create them. Shopping cart website development is a complex procedure, but it doesn't have to be an expensive one.

Outsourcing the shopping cart software development process to a third party organisation is a very popular way to achieve affordable commerce. Typically, the software engineering processes of ecommerce site builds which are outsourced to overseas skilled engineers and ecommerce website developers are extremely cost effective and affordable

Another affordable commerce website development solution which is closer to home is to hire freelance electronic-commerce website developers or student software engineers. Even though their body of work is not as extensive as that of a professional ecommerce website developer, student software engineers and website developers are often just as competent and capable.

What you need to know about Affordable Ecommerce

Affordable commerce is possible using cost-saving methods such as these, but its important to be aware of the potential pitfalls which can occur with affordable commerce website design and development methods:

• Drain on time-related resources
• Sub-standard quality of work
• Generic electronic commerce website design
• Website accessibility and usability errors

For professional advice and information on finding suitable affordable electronic commerce methods why not get in contact with one of our Ecommerce Website Design & Development Buyer Advisers? Our Knowledge Experts will work with you to clarify and finalize your requirements to ensure that you make a well-informed decision

The Buyer's Guide to Custom Ecommerce Websites

Custom eCommerce website design and development is possibly the best way to get a truly unique, well-created and fully-functioning eCommerce website. Custom eCommerce website design and development is the haute-couture of the online business world, and though it is less affordable than DIY electronic commerce it is certainly worth the initial investment. In this article we take a look at just what goes into custom electronic commerce website design and development.

Custom E commerce Website Design

Custom electronic commerce website design is a bespoke experience where an electronic commerce website designer or website design & development company turns an e-retailer's website design dreams (within reason!) into reality. With custom commerce website design, shopping cart business owners can get a website design which is unique and completely reflects their corporate brand. Custom commerce web design services are the only way to get a professional ecommerce website designer to work to a specific website design brief, and will result in electronic commerce website designs which are usable and visually appealing to users and customers.

Custom electronic-commerce Website Development

Custom ecommerce website development does more than simply build a website, it builds an ecommerce website which is completely tailored to an e-retailers specific brief. The custom ecommerce website development process takes what is created in the custom ecommerce website design process several steps further. As with the development process for a standard website, custom ecommerce website development incorporates complex software and technologies into the build process to create commerce websites which are accessible and fully functional. It is through custom commerce website development that online businesses can access the most secure and high-performing shopping cart software and security features which are vital to any successful online business

Added Extras through Custom Ecommerce

Custom shopping cart website design and custom commerce website development services don't just provide the basic necessities for a new ecommerce website, many electronic commerce designers and developers also throw in some added extras as part of the service. Such "extras" can include Flash video content to showcase premium products and services; expandable web pages based around a high-level content management system; creation of professional website copy and ongoing website hosting and support.

If you are considering purchasing custom design t for your online business why not try our free quotation service? We will provide you with a no-obligation quote from professional ecommerce website designers and developers, and our expert Buyer Ad-visors will be on hand to help you make the best buying decision for your business.