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You are starting an online store like a magazine subscription servce. You have done research and come to know that shopping cart solutions play an important role. Just like in any physical shops, the shopping cart accompanies a visitor to your website the moment he enters till he checks out. And it does much more than the physical shopping carts. The software makes the really good ecommerce shopping cart do additional jobs. That is why, selecting the cart is important.

So you now have a list of features that your shopping cart software must possess. Now you need to go over this list from the customer's point of view. Will these features be available to your customer? How will they enhance the shopping experience? Will they encourage the customer to return and buy new products? Make sure the answers to these questions are yes before you install the software.

When an existing customer enters your online store, do you provide an option for him to see his previous purchases? If the shopping cart displays his buying history, it certainly makes shopping easier for the customer in selecting his purchases and more importantly, reminding of some items he would like to buy but has forgotten now.

Does the shopping cart gives an option to display the customer's wish list? He might have prepared a list of products he dreams of buying, which if displayed during his subsequent visits may help him make up his mind. The cart can also display the products he showed interest in but did not put them into the cart during earlier visits. Last but not least, does it display a 'Thank You' note when he checks out?

We all love bargains. It is in the human nature to get more for less. If you happen to have a discount sales on products the customer had bought before, he would certainly like to know about your special offers and your sales will also increase. For these additional services, you just have to visualize yourself as the seller in a 'brick-and-mortar' store, attending to a regular client. Would you not point out to him about discounts or new models available now of products he usually buyed?

As with any other retailer, you need to stay in contact with customers once they leave your store. The best shopping cart software makes this easy for any online retailer. It should have confirming emails sent to the customer to let him know when he has been charged and when his purchases havebeen shipped Periodic notice of new products, discounts, and specials will also entice him to come back.

If your online business has a relatively narrow range of products, it might be worthwhile to partner with other retailers with limited selections to provide customers with more choices than any of you could on your own. In addition, this approach will allow customers to buy naturally complementary products, such as flower and candy, at the same time. This is another aspect of shopping cart software that you should keep in mind when designing your customer interface.