Website E-Commerce
There are several options to consider when developing a professional e-commerce website for your online store, depending on a few different factors. At Websites by Kristen, we understand that everyone has different needs for their online store based on budget, ability to modify the store easily, and features included in the online store. When determining which level of e-commerce website you require, the following factors should be considered:
- Credit card processing: All online stores must obtain a payment gateway/merchant account for online credit card processing. There are many payment gateways to choose from, all of which charge fees for processing credit cards. Some companies charge a small percentage of each purchase as their fee, other companies charge a monthly service charge in addition to a percentage of purchases made. Websites by Kristen can help you determine which service is best for your store taking cost and features into consideration.
- Security: Most payment gateways offer the option to process credit cards remotely through their website by forwarding buyers to their secure payment page, or to process directly on your website. The difference between the two options is cost. If you wish to process cards without having the buyer leave your website to pay, you will need to purchase an SSL Certificate to provide a secure area on your website. SSL Certificates usually come with a yearly fee which can range between $20.00 and $400.00 depending on the level of security provided.
Websites by Kristen offers the following e-commerce packages to provide a variety of options to our clients. Our e-commerce packages are designed to accommodate everyone from small start-up stores to the largest of companies:
Basic Paypal Cart
The Basic Paypal Cart is designed to accommodate our clients who have a smaller budget, do not want many recurring costs, do not intend to change their cart frequently, and have fewer items to sell. This cart is powered by Paypal and requires a Paypal Standard Merchant Account. For this type of account, Paypal charges a fee per purchase, but does not charge any monthly or account activation fees. Payments are processed through Paypal's website and after payment, buyers are redirected back to your website. Your buyers do not need to have a Paypal account to purchase from you. This cart does allow for shipping costs, taxes, and provides a streamlined payment system, but does not give the flexibility that a more robust shopping cart system does and will not allow you to add or edit products and settings yourself.
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- - Low cost and no recurring fees
- - Perfect for a small cart with few items
- - Ability to set shipping cost and tax
- - Secure payment processing
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- - No ability to edit your own store
- Limited options for shipping and products
- - Payments processed on Paypal website
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Intermediate Paypal Cart
The intermediate Paypal cart is designed to allow our clients to have a little more flexibility with their shopping cart, without paying monthly fees for a merchant account or SSL Certificate. This cart is recommended for those with more than 20 items for sale and will allow you to log in and manage your cart yourself, thus cutting the cost of maintenance fees. There are more shipping options, product options, and tax options with this cart which will give you much more flexibility in how you choose to run your store. The cart can also grow with you in the future should your e-store grow and change as sales increase.
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- - Low cost and no recurring fees
- - Allows you to manage the cart yourself
- - Allows clients to set up an account for themselves
- - Secure payment processing
- - Grows with your business
- - Many options for products, shipping, etc.
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- - Payments processed on Paypal website
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Advanced Cart
The advanced cart is designed for our clients who have a large store, a flexible budget, and a need to process cards directly on their website. As with the intermediate cart, the advanced cart will allow you to edit your own store, change shipping, tax, and product options, add new products and categories, etc. In addition, the advanced cart is designed for payment processors such as Authorize.net which will allow you to process payments directly on your website.
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- - Allows you to manage the cart yourself
- - Allows clients to set up an account for themselves
- - Secure payment processing
- - Grows with your business
- - Many options for products, shipping, etc.
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- - Must purchase SSL Certificate
- - Monthly fees for merchant account
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Custom Cart
If you aren't sure that any of our shopping cart packages will fit your needs, or if you have a special cart feature that may not be provided with our standard shopping cart systems, please feel free to contact us for a quote. We will be glad to explain your options to you and accommodate your special needs.
