What is a Shopping Cart?

A Web based Shopping Cart is similar to the original grocery store shopping cart. Basically it is a means by which a customer can read a list of products and mark off the selections they want. When finished ordering, the customer indicates that they are ready to check out. This is where the total order is placed and confirmed. Also the customer will enter their shipping, and tax information at the check out. Shopping cart software is the programming that allows a Web site to build a catalog of products and its database and integrate it into the website pages.

The shopping cart is one of the most important parts to having a smooth e-commerce transition. Elements that are critical to a shopping cart should be, website wizards, Merchant tools, Shopping features, Payment options, Shipping and Taxes configurations, Statistics, and Security. There are literally hundreds of shopping carts available. They range from simple scripts, to complete ecommerce solutions. A truly great shopping cart is considered an E-commerce solution.