Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Chapter 5: Putting the (Shopping) Cart before the Horse

In This Chapter

• Identifying must-have shopping cart features
• Using hosted shopping carts
• Finding software for your server
• Developing a customized solution

Do you absolutely need a shopping cart? No. If you sell only a few items, you can easily get by with using an online order form. For example, customers making a purchase can print the form and then fax it to you. Or, after customers fill out designated boxes on the online form and click Send, the results arrive in your inbox for manual order processing.

With that in mind, here's the real question: Do you want a shopping cart for your Web site? Absolutely — especially if you sell more than a dozen items.

Hey, we don't have anything against Web-based forms or fax machines. Assuming that you're in the Internet game to make a little money, however, a shopping cart is an essential tool of e-commerce. This chapter helps you sort through all the latest options so that you can start selling like a real pro!