22 Questions to Ask Before You Use Any Shopping Cart System

If you're thinking about using a shopping cart system for your shop, but you're not sure what to look for and how to structure your decisions, then this blog is for you. It will provide a list of questions that help give some clarity into how to find the best shopping cart solution for your needs. To make sure that we cover everything, the blog will be divided into four sections: 1) Shipping & Order Management 2) Payment Processing 3) Customer Management 4) Marketing Solutions.

Take a look at our blog post and let us know in the comments below if there are any other questions that we should include in our list! Here is a short introduction.

1. Shipping & Order Management

Which shipping providers do you support and how are they integrated into the system? Are there any surcharges for using a certain carrier? Does the system support international shipping? What are the options to change or update an order after it has been placed? What are some of the best features of your order management system?

Why it's important: Every business has different needs when it comes to shipping, so this is one of the most important questions to ask. Without getting into too much detail, you should look at options regarding your carrier's integration as well as their surcharges. Don't forget to ask about international shipping if that is something that you plan on offering for your business.

Are there any order management features that will help with fulfillment? Examples: inventory management, multiple warehouses, or bulk uploads.

Why it's important: Order management isn't just about getting orders through to customers. It can also be about stocking your inventory so that you ship something that your customers want. In addition to inventory management, order management can also be used to help connect all of your different locations (warehouses). This is especially helpful if you have a large business that ships products from multiple locations.

This will depend on the software solution and will be fairly easy to discover when doing research into the shopping cart software. In addition to the system, there are also a number of features that can be used to help with marketing.

Why it's important: This may seem like an odd question for a shopping cart system, but one of the most important things you can do is track (and sometimes even automate) your customer communication. In addition to telling customers when their package is shipped, you'll also want to provide updates on what's happening through an automated email program. If your solution offers this feature, be sure to ask questions about how it operates and how they communicate with customers.

2. Payment Processing

Which processor do you use and what options are available? What are the payment fees and other costs that this platform will require?

Why it's important: There are a number of different processors that you can choose from, but they all have different features and costs. The best way to find out which one is best for you is to look at the features of each one. You'll want to find out exactly what they offer, how it works and what additional costs will be involved. You can find out exactly how this information is presented by an independent company here .

Does the system support online payment processing, credit cards and direct debit? What is the minimum amount that you can accept on a credit card? And will there be a charge to open a new account?

Why it's important: These questions are all very important because most systems require some sort of pre-payment. If you want to create your own payment method, then this should be pointed out. There are fees associated with setting up a payment processing system for your business. This fee could range from around $2 to $200 (depending on your retailer).

3. Customer Management

Can the customer log in and see previous orders? Can they change their account information? Can they view or place an order without logging in?

Why it's important: This may seem like a no-brainer, but if your solution allows customers to log in to see past orders, then you'll be able to offer them repeat business. This is especially helpful if they forget what they ordered last time or the price. You can also get some great insights into what they're most interested in by seeing what they've ordered recently. It's also possible to offer personalized discounts based on the items that have been purchased before.

How many customers do you have? What are your demographics? Why are they interested in buying from you? What kind of accounts do they have (free, paid, credit card)? How many orders do they place each month?

Why it's important: Think about the questions that you want answers to and how you plan on using those answers to grow your customer base. If you're going to use the shopping cart system just for marketing purposes, then it doesn't matter too much what information is available. On the other hand, if it is going to be used primarily for sales purposes, then having access to this information will be a huge benefit.

There are a number of different ways to find out this information. There are many free services that you can use, such as Google analytics. There are also many programs that charge around $300 for each month of access. For more information, click here .

4. Inventory Management

Does the system include inventory management? Are there any additional fees if you want to use this feature? If it doesn't, does the company offer a way to track inventory within their system?

Why it's important: Inventory management is one of the most important aspects of using a shopping cart. You'll need to create an inventory and then stock your shelves or warehouse. This is where the integration between your shopping cart and any warehouses will be necessary. Make sure you ask all of these questions in detail because the importance will vary from business to business.

Conclusion

As you can see, choosing a shopping cart system can be a bit of an overwhelming task. There are many factors to consider and there are a lot of different options to choose from. The good news is that you'll have plenty of time to evaluate your options and this process can take quite a while. Once you finally decide on your system, it will take some time to get everything set up.

If you've decided that shopping carts aren't for you, then don't lose hope! You may want to try one out at your local bookstore during the summer. If they have trouble keeping up with the demand for books, then give this idea a try and see if they'd like to put something in their system for you.