Commerce which means buying, selling and trading (exchange of goods) has transformed into e-commerce in due course of time. With technological advancement, use of electronics, it has entered into almost every aspects of our daily life and e-commerce is one such outcome of that technological advancement.
"Shopping cart" is a kind of software which is used to cater to the needs of e-commerce. When shopping cart software along with secure payment gateway enables a customer for payment, then it is known as a merchant shopping cart.
To buy shopping cart cart, you essentially to get familiar with its different functioning aspects.
Fundamentals:
This software enables the customers of online shopping to accumulate a list of merchandise which they want to purchase. This cart also helps to calculate the total amount including the charges of all services and applicable taxes upon check out. This software need to be installed on the secured server and this is generally implemented using http cookies.
Different shopping cart provider like miva merchants, modular merchant provides different features to the software. For example discount rules, multiple currency options, tax settings, invoices, bulk discounts, delivery dates, wholesale pricing etc. User can set these features as per the requirement and software is ready to be used.
Payment mechanism of merchant cart
As this software implementation is web browser based, so website accepting credit cards, debit cards, electronics checks as mode of online payment, following setup is must for them.
1. Shopping cart program
2. Payment gateway program
3. Secure socket layer certificate
4. Internet merchant account
Shopping cart software enables a customer to track the items he wants to buy, to prepare a list of items, change the quantity etc. Finally it calculates the total amount with applicable tax sends to a payment gateway program.
Payment gateway program is the debit card or credit card processor which provides secure link between the web site and merchant account.
SSL certificate allows to process all card information. Lock symbol at the bottom of the browser indicates that the website is processing the sensitive data.
Internet merchant account is a kind of account which accepts payment from customers with the help of credit cards, debit cards, internet banking as the mode of online transaction.
Advantages of a merchant cart:
1. Any type of file can be sold. Like music, video, any kind of document.
2. It checks unauthorized downloads.
3. Once payment is received download access is available to the customer.
4. Charges of goods and services using ship as mode of transportation can be added automatically.
5. A number of items can be purchased with a single payment.
6. Different billing terms and conditions for different items can be set.
7. Default terms and condition can be set for specific customer.
8. Search engines for goods and services can be made available to the subscriber.
And the list of advantages goes on. Hope in future times people will get maximum benefit out of this software as well as from this merchant shopping cart.
Marc Trimble is the CEO of West7th. With over 18 years of web building, internet marketing,online advocacy and social media initiatives, he helps businesses and non profits succeed online. Make sure you're using a PCI compliant shopping cart for your e commerce business. he recommends Pinnacle Cart for all your e commerce shopping cart needs.
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