If you want to be in business online and sell your own products (that is not affiliate marketing), then you will need a digital shopping cart system. Yes, you can get by using the "buy now" button generators of payment gateways ... but not for long. Eventually, you will realize how critical ecommerce software is to your business.

Before you make your selection, you'll need to know what your options are. When you look at all the online shopping cart systems available on the market, you may notice that they fall into two basic types.

The first type is a service offered by the vendor. They host the software and maintain it for you in return for a monthly retainer fee. This service may have a lot of bells and whistles, such as a built in affiliate management function, back-end marketing tools and more.

The second type is a software package that you purchase a license to use on your server. These packages are often less complex than the first type, but they are also usually more flexible when it comes to branding your digital store.

Therefore, it is a good idea to have a plan for your ecommerce website laid out before you invest in a digital shopping cart. You want to know what functions you think you will use and how big you want your catalog to be eventually. These things will play an important role in your decision.

Fortunately, most shopping-cart-as-a-service vendors offer a 30-trial where you can use their software for no cost to test it out. And, those who sell ecommerce software licenses usually have a pretty good money back guarantee that will allow you to test the software to make sure it works for you. A little less convenient, yes, because you have to go through the returns process ... but still a good option.

Regardless of which option you go with, the digital shopping cart will prove to be the backbone of your online business, providing your customers with a smooth user experience and empowering you to manage a large inventory of products with ease. It will save you time in a variety of ways, from getting your download pages set up to running financial reports during tax time.