Jump to first page Shopping carts Implementation and interface by Dylan Tweney [email protected].

Jump to first page

Shopping cartsImplementation and interface

by Dylan Tweney www.tweney.com [email protected]

Dylan Tweneywww.tweney.com

Shopping carts: A brief history In use on the Web since at least

1994 Simplify purchasing process,

enabling multi-product orders Widely adopted by 1996 Now: virtually required component

of e-commerce sites Beginnings of de facto interface

standards


Anatomy of a cart

checkout path

Product list

availability

quantity

Price

Continue shopping

“remove” button

Check outshipping cost preview


Key shopping cart functions Provide checkout path Confirm list of items to purchase Provide information about availability Select quantity to purchase Price confirmation / totaling Enter / confirm mailing and billing

information Make additional purchases easy


Why call it a “cart?”

I don’t know.


Alternatives? Not really, unless your site is very

small 800 numbers

effective, except for dialup customers requires call center support

Fax / email order forms low-tech, simple, but clunky

One-click shopping Very rapid purchases of single items Amazon.com patent: Enforceable?


Key considerations: Merchant features Ease of installation Ease of configuration /

maintenance / modification Tax calculation Shipping cost calculations Integration with existing catalog,

customer databases


Key considerations: User interface Readability Completeness of information Ease of navigation to other parts of

sites Ease of modifying the order Persistence if “abandoned” Security / privacy assurance Compatibility with browsers


Tweney’s 3 Laws of Shopping Carts

Simplicity = sales. No surprises. Repetition is reassuring.


The guiding principle

Your shopping cart is a BRANDING OPPORTUNITY!


Shopping cart case studies Amazon.com CDNow Walmart.com SFGiants.com Webvan.com


Amazon.com


CDNow


Walmart.com


SFGiants.com


WebVan: Live Demo

click


How do I get a cart?

Buy software Let someone else host your

shopping cart Use e-commerce package

solution’s built-in cart Sign up for free store; integrate

into your existing site Let someone else build everything

for you


Standalone cart software MiniVend, www.minivend.com (free!) WebCart, www.mountain-net.com

($650, $399 “lite” version) SalesCart, www.salescart.com, for

FrontPage ($399) AbleCommerce,

www.ablecommerce.com, for Cold Fusion ($795-$7,000)

CAUTION: Dansie Shopping Cart, http://www.dansie.net/cart.html


Hosted carts

VirtualCart, www.vcart.com ($20-30/month)

AmeriCart, http://www.cartserver.com/americart/ ($20-30/month)

DXCart, www.dxcart.com ($40/month)

iCat Commerce Cart (price dep. On ISP)


E-commerce software packages iCat Web Store (Intel) InterShop Open Market / ShopSite BroadVision IBM Net.commerce Microsoft Site Server 3.0

Commerce Edition


e-Malls

Amazon.com zShops - with Amazon.com Payments feature ($10/month)

Yahoo Store, http://store.yahoo.com ($100-$300/month)


Free-commerce providers

Freemerchant.com Bigstep.com eCongo


All-in-one commerce solutions Encanto e.Go ($1,495 + $60/mo.) Vstore (free, hosted, “super-

affiliate” program)


Managing and benefiting from “data exhaust” Reporting options will vary

depending on software/service used

Track clicks, inquiries, selections -- not just purchases

Abandoned shopping carts: Real or phantom problem?


Seller beware

Security: provide it, and make sure buyer knows it’s there

Privacy protection -- what do you do with purchase data?

Data integrity -- “is that ticket to Paris really $3.99?” It might be, if your site says it is

Product inventory availability Don’t sell what you don’t have


Conclusions

Learn from the best: Order products at Amazon, Cdnow, Webvan; take notes!

Remember: the goal is to make it easy for customers to buy your stuff!

Remember: Shopping cart is BRANDING OPPORTUNITY

Good luck and have fun!

Jump to first page Shopping carts Implementation and interface by Dylan Tweney [email protected].

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